March 20, 2009

Vita-Mix Giveaway!

Oh yes, you read that correctly, I’m giving away a Vita-Mix! After a long dreary winter we could all use some cheering up and in an attempt to make one lucky person especially happy, I’m giving away a brand new Vita-Mix 5200. If you’ve never heard of Vita-Mix then you live under a rock. Seriously. It’s a high powered blender that can chew up virtually anything. How do I know this?
Quick Raspberry Ice Cream

Recently the wonderful people at Vita-Mix offered to let me try one out and I jumped at the chance. I love kitchen toys and this is a particularly awesome one. After playing around with it for a while, (and pretty much throwing everything in my fridge and cupboard into the canister just to watch it blend) I decided it was selfish of me to keep something so great all to myself. But I didn’t want to give it up though either. So I asked Vita-Mix if they would be willing to give away another blender to one of my readers. They graciously agreed and there you have it.

Silky Smooth Pumpkin Soup

I’m not the only one who thinks highly of Vita-Mix. Michael Ruhlman lists their blender as one of his favourite kitchen gadgets, (besides his hands that is). And I could give you a list of all the things you can do with your Vita-Mix, but we’d be here forever.

Almond and Lemon Macaron

Here are a few random suggestions:

  • Grind your own almonds and then proceed to make Almond and Lemon Macarons.
  • Whip up a homemade prune and Armagnac bbq sauce and then smother it on ribs.
  • Whir together some cream, sugar and frozen fruit and you’ve got soft serve ice cream, freeze it a little longer if you want to be able to scoop it.
  • Smoothies, smoothies, smoothies.
  • Soup! You can make hot soup, from raw ingredients in about 5 minutes. And the texture is out of this world, super smooth.
Homemade BBQ Rib Sauce In Blender, After Blending and On Ribs

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Want a chance to win? There are lots of ways:
  1. Leave a comment on this post telling me your favourite Spring recipe.
  2. Twitter about the giveaway, linking to this post and leave me another comment to let me know. Or follow me on Twitter! @jumboempanadas
  3. Post about the giveaway on Facebook, linking to this post and leave me another comment to let me know.
  4. Post about the giveaway on your own blog, linking to this post and leave me another comment to let me know.
I'll give you an entry ballot for each way that you enter the contest. Unfortunately the contest is only open to readers in the USA and Canada, (but I love you all equally). Make sure you leave an email address,(or link to your blog if you have one) so that I can contact you if you win. The contest will run until Saturday, March 28th, at which point I’ll use a random number generator to determine a winner. Good luck everyone! Happy Spring!

Banana Berry Smoothie

433 comments:

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Dona said...

Asparagus Risotto is my favorite spring dish. Well one of them, it's hard to choose.

Dona said...

I linked on Facebook!

Katy T said...

I'd love a vita-mix!

My favorite spring recipe is roasted asparagus with slivered almonds.

Fingers crossed :)
Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Will it Blend? :) Vita-Mix looks cool. I wanna win this blender!!

Unknown said...

my fav spring recipe are these sage potato chips. here's a link: http://mylastbite.wordpress.com/2009/04/04/sage-potato-chips/

Unknown said...

I have been saving what little I have left each month so I can invest in my familys health and future. I would love to win won and make fabulous green smoothies. My favorite spring recipe would have to be fresh green chile veggie enchiladas with a big crisp salad on the side ohh and some
Fresh homemade lemonade. I am definately hungrey now. Please grant me my mothersday wish with this blender. Thanks
April_Epperson(at)yahoo.com

Amandamoo said...

Oh my gosh, I want a Vita Mix so bad!! In the Spring, I looove anything with the fresh berries from the market! Oh! and asparagus, of course!

Lisa said...

This would make my Spring!! Really it would be fantastic. My favorite Spring recipe is an pasta salad with peas and asparagus and a blended artichoke sauce. Yummy! Hope I win!!

sophmel said...

I was diagnosed (at 27) with acid reflux. Being a healthy eater, or so I thought... you can imagine my dismay. I decided to change my eating habits to eat more raw foods. This has been a great change for me, but I find myself yoyo-ing. I am trying to equip myself with a good blender, but I don't have the money to buy myself much of anything lately. I've been using my broken blender now for 6 months. On top of being cracked, it doesn't purree or dry-blend anything. I stumbled on your blog (I'm thinking by fate) and regardless of the outcome, I aplaud you for your generosity and your initiative. What a great feeling it must be to give back and change someone's luck! Thank you for what your kindness!!! Here's to paying it forward,

Sophie
sophmel@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

WOW!!!! My house was burglarized so it sure would be great to win this. I like putting a cup of yogurt, a cup of strawberries and one banana, a scoop of whey protein and a tablespoon of agave nectar in a blender with some ice and blend it until it is super smooth. This is such a healthy pick-me-up in the middle of the day! If I win, I will have this every day once again!!
Darlene

LaLa Brat said...

Mexican salad with cilantro dressing.

Anonymous said...

!!!I want one!
My favourite spring recipie so far is tofu salad
1 block extra firm tofu
1 shallot diced
2 stalks celery
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp sweet relish
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste

press water from tofu a bit, break up with fingers
add the rest of the ingredient and let sit in the refrigerator for about an hour. Serve as a sandwich or on a bed of spinach.

BNEdens said...

I have been searching high and low for an affordable vita-mix! I have gone through loops struggling with weight issues; from way to skinny to overweight. Recently, I found out I have a hypo thyroid problem and instead of going on medication, I've made the choice to try to cure myself naturally; following the raw food diet. There is only one problem, my $10 blender doesn;t quite cut it for green smoothies :-(. I want to do everything in my power to make myself healthy without drugs and would really, really put this to good use!

My favorite spring recipe is really simple and something quite new to my diet; raw pizza from the lovely Karen Knowler!!!(http://www.therawfoodcoach.com/)

Base
400g sprouted wheat (or sprouted buckwheat)
2 medium fresh tomatoes
½ a medium sized onion
6-8 sundried tomato halves (ideally pre-soaked)
About 10 leaves of fresh basil
Liberal shaking of Italian dried herbs mix
1 clove garlic
⅓ cup of olive oil
Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until a thick dough consistency is achieved. If the mixture feels quite dry, add more fresh tomato.
Pour into a large mixing bowl in order to finish mixing by hand and feel the texture of the mixture. Make sure all ingredients have been blended together well. If not, return to processor and repeat the process until satisfied.
Spread the mixture bit by bit onto a paraflexx sheet and gradually shape into a circle or square shape according to your preference. Use the palm of your hand to press the mixture out to the desired shape and size and thickness. A good thickness is approximately 3-4mm high.
Dehydrate at 95 - 110°F for approx. 4 hours (until top is nearly dry), then flip over and dehydrate again until other side is dried to desired degree. (Some prefer the base to be hard and crispy, but I prefer it to be semi-dry so that it is easy to cut and eat - a bit more bread-like).
'Cheese'

2 cups of raw macadamia nuts
2 cups of cashew nuts
Juice of 1-2 lemons (depending on sweetness and amount of juice)
1 clove of garlic
Blend all ingredients thoroughly using either food processor or hand blender.
Tomato Sauce

4-6 tomatoes
10 sundried tomato halves
1 clove garlic
Half a red bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped
Handful of fresh basil leaves
Blend all ingredients thoroughly using food processor, hand blender or vita-mix.
Toppings

Choose from:

Fresh tomato slices
Fresh bell pepper slices (red, orange, yellow)
Fresh onion rings
Black olive halves
Basil leaves, finely chopped
Italian seasoning (dried herbs)
Chopped pineapple
Broccoli florets, halved and marinated
Mushrooms - either fresh, marinated in olive oil, garlic and lemon juice, or dehydrated after being marinated
Anything else that appeals!
How to make the pizza:

1. Spread the 'cheese' evenly over the top of the pizza base. Any left over 'cheese' can be spread on crackers, or crumbled into a salad. Alternatively you can mould it and shape it anyway you wish. One suggestion is to cut it into small cubes and spear top create the traditional cheese and pineapple party food.

2. Spoon the tomato sauce on top of the cheese topping and spread evenly until there is a good covering.

3. Top your pizza with your chosen ingredients. I usually begin with the tomato, then the onion rings, then bell pepper, then olives, then mushrooms, then fresh basil and finally sprinkle the whole pizza with the Italian seasoning. Occasionally I add pineapple or broccoli florets.

4. Serve either fresh as is, or put the whole pizza back in the dehydrator for a while until warmed through. Either way it is delicious!

5. Serve with a large green salad and extra tomatoes and onion rings.

BNEdens said...

I have also tweeted/posted to my facebook/emailed friends about it! I will continue to spread the world! Thanks!

putra said...

wow thanks for share.

putra said...

thanks for share.

JKW said...

Good Grief, I've been looking for something to make ice cream with and that will handle ice cubes. Thanks for the posts and all the recipes. Blessings, Janet

AayJayBan said...

I would love to win a Vita-Mix!! Pick me, Pick me!! :)
I am now following you on Twitter. Thanks for this great give away! Oh, and my email is acosman at hotmail dot com.

Jackie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
heather said...

Thanks for such an awesome giveaway!

I drink smoothies almost everyday and my favorite spring recipe is banana-mango with some spinach and a bit of coconut for that taste of the tropics. It makes me happy!

I have an old Oster that I thought worked just fine until I used my dad's Vitamix. Wow!!! I really WANT one....please?

HappyGirlSews said...

I love the vita-mix!!! My favorite spring recipe is strawberry shortcake.

Sophia said...

So pleasing to the eyes and definitely pleasing to taste. Love it!

Unknown said...

SPRING YUM SHAKE
cool water or coconut water
mango chunks (frozen or fresh)
handful of arugula
handful of baby spinach

BEST if blended in a Vita-Mix blender which, sadly, I don't have and can't afford because I am a STARVING artist.

Unknown said...

SPRING YUM SHAKE
1 cup cool water of coconut water
Some mango chunks
handful of arugula
handful of baby spinach

BEST if blended in a vita-mix blender which, sadly I don't have and can't afford because I am a starving artist.

THANKS and BLESSINGS

Shazam4806 said...

I'd love to win a Vita-Mix since my old blender smell like it is on it's last legs. My favorite springtime recipe is always Pesto with lots of garlic. I bet it would be a breeze to make it in a new Vita-Mix!!!!
Love your blog!
I'll follow you on Twitter also.

Anonymous said...

With this vitamix i would juice fruits and vegis with a Nut Milk Bag for those who dont want to much fiber, for the people at my church, that would bring ideas that everybody wants a vitamix and compare it to a ordinary blender. thanks! from Emmanuel

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Anonymous said...

I go out every day and collect dandelion and other wild edibles like purslane and nettles. Her and I then bring about an hours worth of picking and make our food for our selves, the dog, my mother, and our 8 chickens. All of this from the hour of picking, I have enough food to feed my family. The issue is the chopping. Everyday I chop chop chop and would love to be able to make soup with out having to chop up the thousand leaves into a thousand pieces because my blender is, weak... I don't want to hurt my blenders feelings by telling you all this, but the blender is getting old. It leaks and it wants to die. But I am afraid I will work it until it breaks until I can replace him. A vitamix would allow me to make my dandelion almond quick breads and my Mock Paneer Masala dishes in a jiffy. This would be great. Oh here is a recipe. 2 cups finely chopped dandelion,
half cup almond butter,
tbls curry,
tbls chili powder,
tbls cumin,
and some crushed up garlic cloves and then mix all together to form a dandedough and then need it on a plate to make your famous fork pizza dough! add what every you want on top of this and you have a wonderful dish that can pretty much be made from the outside materials.

Anonymous said...

I go out every day and collect dandelion and other wild edibles like purslane and nettles. Her and I then bring about an hours worth of picking and make our food for our selves, the dog, my mother, and our 8 chickens. All of this from the hour of picking, I have enough food to feed my family. The issue is the chopping. Everyday I chop chop chop and would love to be able to make soup with out having to chop up the thousand leaves into a thousand pieces because my blender is, weak... I don't want to hurt my blenders feelings by telling you all this, but the blender is getting old. It leaks and it wants to die. But I am afraid I will work it until it breaks until I can replace him. A vitamix would allow me to make my dandelion almond quick breads and my Mock Paneer Masala dishes in a jiffy. This would be great. Oh here is a recipe. 2 cups finely chopped dandelion,
half cup almond butter,
tbls curry,
tbls chili powder,
tbls cumin,
and some crushed up garlic cloves and then mix all together to form a dandedough and then need it on a plate to make your famous fork pizza dough! add what every you want on top of this and you have a wonderful dish that can pretty much be made from the outside materials.

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