While I’m still debating whether or not $550 for a blender is necessary(I could have beautiful nails for a long time on that), there are some work-arounds that I’ve found.
Blending Nuts without a Vitamix
Use a coffee grinder and grind the nuts into powder a little at a time. Don’t overdo it or it turns into nut butter and you need to scrape it out. So far this has worked in my cheap Presidents Choice Coffee Grinder. We’ve ground flax seeds, sunflower seeds, cashews, walnuts and almonds. I can’t bear to grind my pecans – too yummy whole.
TIP: Freeze the nuts to get them to grind better.
Blending Dates without a Vitamix
Boil 1:1 dates and water for 5 minutes in a saucepan. Cool, and you have a thick date paste that will blend with any old blender.
For raw recipes, boil water separately and add to broken up dates in a bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes. Mash with fork.
Blending Smoothies without a Vitamix
As long as your fruits are in small pieces before frozen, a regular blender will work just fine. Minimize the liquid added initially until the big pieces are blended. Then add liquid gradually to desired consistency.
TIP: freeze fruits on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Once frozen, break up and place into freezer bag. They won’t ‘clump’ together and be difficult to blend this way.
Almond Milk without a Vitamix
Simply soak your almonds overnight. Then blend without a lot of liquid. Adding liquid after the almonds are thoroughly blended.
Tools I need (under $100 each)
- small food processor /chopping blade ($50)
- coffee grinder ($20)
- blender ($40)
- slow cooker – essential for beans ($30)
- chef’s knife ($40)
Wish List (hint hint)
- Pampered Chef Garlic Press
- Tupperware Peeler (Y shape, any colour please)
About Cathy Tibbles