These suggestions sound great!
Kathleen and Ribbit, my Vita-Mix is on the top of the counter already - I have been using it at least twice a day.

Hi guys, does any of you use BlendTech? I have chosen BlendTech over Vita-Mix coz I figured I didn't want to use the rod that came with BlendTech. I make a daily whole juice with it to increase my intake of vegetables and the phytonutrients from seeds and peels. My BlendTech HP3A does a beautiful job with whole juice and the jar is made of BPA-free plastic, too. My usual ingredients are:

beet, carrot, lettuce, spinach, celery, lemon

... and if I'm lucky to find other organic ingredients:
parsley, fresh tumeric, Jerusalem artichoke, parsnip

Then I add bee pollen, maca powder, chia, hemp and sesame seeds to the mix and blend. I don't usually use any sweeteners but if I have tumeric in the mix, I would add some raw honey to it to counter the bitter taste.

For those who are interested, here is a comparison chart of the two types of blenders:
http://www.rawguru.com/vita-mix/vitamix-blender-k-tec-comparison-chart.html

I made a pumpkin-sweet potato soup the other day. I cooked the pumpkin and sweet potato first in stock, then put it in the Vita-Mix with some raw carrot,celery, ginger, corriander and cumin. I put the soup in plates and then added some freshly cooked and sliced meat on top - it tasted great!

Quoted from Curious

I made a pumpkin-sweet potato soup the other day. I cooked the pumpkin and sweet potato first in stock, then put it in the Vita-Mix with some raw carrot,celery, ginger, corriander and cumin. I put the soup in plates and then added some freshly cooked and sliced meat on top - it tasted great!

That sounds delicious..I wish I could have sweet potato.. I  make just pumpkin soup...

I recently bought a Vitamix (yeah!) and I was wondering if other O+ Gatherers had any recipes to share?!  Thanks!

I just wanted to add these Vita Mix recipes from Elana's Pantry to this thread.  She cooks gluten free.

http://www.elanaspantry.com/vitamix-recipes/

SunSeeker, welcome to the forum ...I can't offer you specific O Gatherer recipes but I think if you scroll through the link you might find many that work for your diet.

I've bought a Blendtec two years ago and use it for various things : pecan nut butter, banana/raspberries ice cream etc... I especially love it for making gluten-free baguette, I grind amaranth with the grind grain function  and then use the knead dough function to to do the rest. I love the wide base and not having to use the plunger that the VitaMix has.  

Is it not just a stronger blender?  (not a juicer) leaving all the pulp in the foods...?   would not a cuisine art thingy work the same??  

What I don't like about the Vitamix is that you can't take it apart to get out say, home made peanut butter or almond butter. It's annoying. I'd like to try a Ninja. Anyone have one?  I don't doubt that it does what it says it does but the most important question is does the Ninja last long?  I have bought a few Shark items that worked for a year and then died. I won't buy anything made by Shark anymore.

Shark is a rip off.. in its vaccum also..

I like the Magic Bullet.. 50.- and they stand behind their product.. look on amazon.. they came 2 for 100.-

love the baby one also ..

now they make a 'nutry bullet for mashing foods - even stronger..  I googled..

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Quoted from Goldie

Shark is a rip off.. in its vaccum also.. I like the Magic Bullet.. 50.- and they stand behind their product.. love the baby one also .. Looking for a Blender? | /

I agree.

I thought the Nutribullet looked good. I've had two Magic Bullets so far. The first one lasted about a year, and the 2nd one is over a year old now and still going. I like the fact that you can make a quick smoothie. Not as good as a $500 Vitamix but hey..it's fast and you can drink out of the cup.

I'm not sure how they're made right now but my Vitamix comes apart. It must be 15 years old.  The bottom unscrews to remove blade which leaves the container open at the bottom.

But it's easy to make nut butter in Vitamix.  You must add a little oil and water with the nuts.  Nuts without either liquid and you wind up with cement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiefsjPGS78

Quoted from Chloe

I'm not sure how they're made right now but my Vitamix comes apart. It must be 15 years old.  The bottom unscrews to remove blade which leaves the container open at the bottom.

Mine is about 10 years old. The bottom doesn't come off unless you have to buy this 'tool' from them and they don't recommend you unscrew it.  So I don't. It's annoying when I make "ice cream" from frozen berries, trying to scrape it all out. I really need to start using mine more. I'm going to start making soups in it.

Quoted from balletomane

Hi guys, does any of you use BlendTech? I have chosen BlendTech over Vita-Mix coz I figured I didn't want to use the rod that came with BlendTech. I make a daily whole juice with it to increase my intake of vegetables and the phytonutrients from seeds and peels. My BlendTech HP3A does a beautiful job with whole juice and the jar is made of BPA-free plastic, too. My usual ingredients are:

beet, carrot, lettuce, spinach, celery, lemon

... and if I'm lucky to find other organic ingredients:
parsley, fresh tumeric, Jerusalem artichoke, parsnip

Then I add bee pollen, maca powder, chia, hemp and sesame seeds to the mix and blend. I don't usually use any sweeteners but if I have tumeric in the mix, I would add some raw honey to it to counter the bitter taste.

For those who are interested, here is a comparison chart of the two types of blenders:
http://www.rawguru.com/vita-mix/vitamix-blender-k-tec-comparison-chart.html

Boy that Blend Tech looks good!  We have a great, very expensive top of the line juicer that I love.. it just eats kale right up and carrots but I've always wondered which one gives the greatest health benefit - juicer or vitamix type machine.  Right now i'm thrilled i have the juicer because I'm using it to get nutrients while i heal from IBS but I'm thinking once money gets a bit better to get this Blend Tech and have both and maybe alternate.  

thoughts?  

Quoted from Mayflowers

Mine is about 10 years old. The bottom doesn't come off unless you have to buy this 'tool' from them and they don't recommend you unscrew it.  So I don't. It's annoying when I make "ice cream" from frozen berries, trying to scrape it all out. I really need to start using mine more. I'm going to start making soups in it.

I use an iced tea spoon to get frozen desserts out of mine. I agree it's annoying and a design flaw
they might have considered fixing given how long they've been around..  I made a tofu pudding this morning and spent forever scraping everything out. You'd think they'd have designed a proper scraping tool that would make this easier.

As for the tool they sell to remove the blade, I had a customer service rep tell me to take a screwdriver, turn it on its side and use it as a level to turn the metal piece on the bottom.  It works
but I had to use brute force.  And I agree, not something I'd want to do each time I made nut butter
or a frozen dessert.  But when my container cracked, they sent me a new one and it didn't come with a new blade....so I had no option but to figure out how to get my old blade out and in to the new container.

Quoted from Mayflowers

I agree.

I thought the Nutribullet looked good. I've had two Magic Bullets so far. The first one lasted about a year, and the 2nd one is over a year old now and still going. I like the fact that you can make a quick smoothie. Not as good as a $500 Vitamix but hey..it's fast and you can drink out of the cup.

it looks fab... why isn't it as good as the vitamix?  

http://www.nutribullet.com/index.php?r=site/watchtheshow

I just watched the video on Nutribullet...I love the idea of this machine....It's something I really
want now!~  Very impressive.

Quoted from Chloe

http://www.nutribullet.com/index.php?r=site/watchtheshow

I just watched the video on Nutribullet...I love the idea of this machine....It's something I really
want now!~  Very impressive.

i just ordered mine and one for my mom!  i can't believe it eats up those flax seeds too!!

Quoted from BluesSinger

i just ordered mine and one for my mom!  i can't believe it eats up those flax seeds too!!

My husband and I just located one in a Target 35 miles away...drove all the way there to get the
last one left....$99 plus tax...a pretty good deal.  Nobody closer had any left.  I can't believe either
that it eats up those flax seeds.  If I didn't already own a big Vitamix, I probably would have been
just as happy with this because it's quite heavy duty and serves my purpose.  Most of the things
I make aren't large portions so the size of the largest container seems large enough for my needs....I haven't tried it but it's geared towards gaining better health.  It has a booklet with all these cool recipes for making these blaster drinks...a mix of veggies, fruits, good fats from nuts and seeds.  I'm so excited about finding one....It was worth an hour's drive in rush hour traffic to come home
with a Nutribullet!  

Tomorrow, going to buy the veggies and fruits I will need....The one thing everyone says to be careful about is to not overload the containers beyond the fill line...or else it leaks.....Puts too much pressure on the gasket.

As much as I love my Vitamix, for $99, I think this Nutribullet is going to be the appliance I will use every day!

Thanks to whomever mentioned it first.... -- Goldie, I think it was you......I'm now doing a happy dance!

Another friend of mine just got a Nutribullet and she raves about it. So let us know all the things you use it for...I already have a really good blender, two food processors (both a large one and a single serving-sized one), a stick blender, and a champion juicer. I'm not sure I can justify getting yet another kitchen gadget...

I'm interested in seeing how durable they are.  That will be the telling point for me.  It sounds like a wonderful device if it's still going strong in a few years.

Quoted from BluesSinger

it loks fab... why isn't it as good as the vitamix?  

The Vitamix is like a 1/4 horsepower. I don't think anything is as powerful. It lasts forever..lifetime warranty. Makes soup from friction..no other blender does that.My problem with the infomercial kitchen gadgets is the quality. How long does it last?
My first Bullet lasted a year.  A year? I paid$60 and it lasted a year? I've had toasters last longer.  So sure, the Nutribullet looks great... easy, purees..makes smoothies, but It's $140 and will it break after 2 months? No one knows. It's a new item.

People were complaining about the Magic Bullet not lasting so I think they started making them better, because I still have the 2nd one I bought.

Quoted from Chloe

  But when my container cracked, they sent me a new one and it didn't come with a new blade....so I had no option but to figure out how to get my old blade out and in to the new container.

Wow, it cracked? So far, mine is ok. I've put in in the dishwasher many times already and no problem. Did they charge you for a new container?

I've also done some research on green smoothies. One RD who's vegan felt that the green smoothies are not natural, and the greens and vegetables being pureed and drunk like that, causes an overload on the insulin production and can be damaging to the body. So I've been reluctant to make smoothies lately..other than the NAP Protein for A smoothies.

Quoted from Victoria

I'm interested in seeing how durable they are.  That will be the telling point for me.  It sounds like a wonderful device if it's still going strong in a few years.

Well for $20 more dollars I purchased a 25 year warranty.  that's pretty good.    So I'm covered for 25 years unless the go out of business!  

Quoted from shells

Hey Curious,

Glad to hear you finally got your Vita-Mix!

I have been toying with the same idea over a couple of years.  I have heard you can only buy them online or overseas - in other words sight unseen.  Is this the case with your purchase?

In the meantime I've been using a juicer for veg. drink;  stick blender for cooked veg soup (cannot be undercooked as not smooth); an old blender (glass) which is  on the way out.

Am interested in trying out green smoothies which I cannot do in my regular blender as little bits of raw veg and string bits put me off  

hey i see youre from aus! i bought our vitamix on rawblend.com and i'm quite happy with mine! theyre really good with communication. if you want to see a vitamix if you live around health food shops/cafes especially ones that offer raw/vegan food, chances are they use a vitamix! even the vietnamese restaurant i go to in chinatown uses a vitamix for their drinks! good luck x