In the Kitchen with Sidra: The Five Reasons Why I Love My Blender

Years ago, I remember a friend telling me about how much she loved her new Vitamix blender. I thought, it's only a blender—how great can it be? Then, last year my old blender, which I admittedly didn't use very often, died and I replaced it with a new high-speed blender. I splurged on a Vitamix (it cost me about $300 on sale), but it has a lifetime warranty—and I'm expecting it to last a lifetime.

All I can say is: Wow! My new blender has quickly become the family's favorite kitchen tool. I'm now able to do things that I previously didn't even know were possible. In fact, below I've shared the top five reasons I couldn't live without my blender:

1. It makes healthy foods more accessible. Flaxseeds, known as a good source of omega-3 fats, don't actually deliver much of the healthful fats if they're consumed whole. My new blinder grinds them in a snap.  

2. It allows me to easily add flavor to nutritious foods. I use the blender to grind whole spices, such as cardamom seeds and cinnamon sticks. Adding fresh flavor to foods has never been quicker or easier!

3. It makes whipping up good-for-you meals a breeze. I use it to make a variety of dishes, including soups and smoothies. When I used my old blender to make soups, I would sometimes have to strain it to get the texture I desired. With a warm pea soup, for example, the texture would sometimes be grainy; with a cold mango soup, the texture would sometimes be stringy. This new blender gives me the perfect texture in just seconds! Same with smoothies—I can get a creamy consistency without having to use any cream.  

4. It empowers me to try new things. I've even made my own flour by grinding whole grains (spelt, barley or brown rice) and dried beans—it tasted amazing, and even saved me some money! (Whole grains cost less than fancy flours made from whole grains.) Experiment by replacing 1/3 of the all-purpose flour in your recipes with a whole-grain flour. This will add flavor and nutrients to anything you are baking.

5. It makes it a cinch to create healthful dips. Need a nutritious dip for veggies? No problem. Simply preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Peel four medium sized carrots and slice into ½-inch  slices. Thinly slice one onion. Place carrots and onion on a sheet pan and lightly coat with vegetable oil cooking spray. Cook until carrots are very tender, about 15 minutes. Put vegetables in a high-speed blender with one tablespoon of olive oil, ¼ teaspoon of fresh thyme, ½ teaspoon of salt, and black pepper to taste. Blend until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Enjoy!

So, if you're not a blender buff, it's either time to dust it off and give it another try—or buy a new high-speed one. It's a worthwhile investment that can save you time, money and calories!

Our Must-Have of the Week: Herbs on Ice

Fresh herbs and spices are great, but how many times have you bought a bunch only to use one or two tablespoons? The rest, which you may discover two weeks later as a soggy mess at the bottom of your produce drawer, simply goes to waste. To the rescue: Dorot frozen herbs.

The product looks like a mini ice cube tray and contains 1 teaspoon of frozen herb per cube. Stash it in your freezer, and you'll always have the flavor of garlic, ginger, parsley, basil, or cilantro on hand. They last for months and cost only $2.99, making them a budget-friendly, no-waste alternative to fresh.  

How to use the cubes? You can add a ginger cube to a veggie and shrimp stir-fry; use the cilantro in guacamole, salsa, or black bean soup; pop a basil cube into a bowl of whole-wheat pasta with fresh tomato and mozzarella or spread some on a pizza made with tomato sauce, part-skim mozzarella, and whole-wheat crust.  

Right now, you can only find Dorot cubes at your nearest Trader Joe's. If there's no Trader Joe's in your neighborhood, you can make your own herbal cubes: Simply cut the leaves off of an herb and rinse them under water. Using a blender or hand (immersion) blender, blend the herb using a four-to-one ratio of herb to water until a paste forms. Fill a small ice cube tray with the herb paste and freeze. Once cubes are frozen, transfer them into a tightly sealed container or freezer bag. To use, simply place 1 or 2 cubes into your food while cooking. Great herbs for freezing include basil, chives, cilantro, dill, fennel, mint, ginger, parsley, tarragon and thyme.

A Spicy Surprise

In the summer, I rely heavily on my herb garden to flavor my foods; I use a lot of fresh basil, chives, thyme, tarragon and mint. (My style of cooking favors healthful, cleaner, intense tastes as opposed to richer tastes, such as butter and cream.) 

But as the weather gets cooler, I obviously have less of a choice. In fact, when I went to pick some herbs last night from my garden, the pickings were slim. I was able to get a little rosemary and sage (they've stopped growing now, but they can be picked throughout most of the winter), but the majority of the other herbs are gone until the spring. 

I came in from my herb garden and had to rethink the menu a bit: The mashed potatoes that I'd planned to make with basil, I flavored with saffron instead. I had planned to season a carrot soup (a simple puree of cooked carrots and onions) with fresh thyme, but because there was none, I added a bit of turmeric, cinnamon and cumin, and the result was delicious. I roasted the fresh rosemary I was able to pick with a piece of just-caught wild rockfish. For dinner, I had made apple sauce with apples that had delicious flavor but were a bit soft, and added a pinch of ginger powder and ground cinnamon. Although I was initially disappointed with the lack of herbs I had to choose from, the addition of the spices made the meal delicious. It was a reminder that experimenting with spices, which are easy to use and stay fresh for at least several months,  can turn an ordinary meal into something memorable.

For more healthy cooking advice, check out TheBestLife.com.

Butter-Free and Flavorful

When I owned a restaurant, I did not use any butter or cream in any of the savory dishes. This was a decision based on the idea that if you found the best ingredients, you wouldn't need to mask any flavors or textures with heavy sauces. This decision was also based on the fact that I felt better eating moderate amounts of dairy and little to no butter and cream. Of course, this idea of moderation does not exclude enjoying a little ice cream with fresh fruit. But when it came to starters and entrées, I was much more into the purity of the ingredients.

The challenge when you try to cook this way is that you can't overcook meats or fish because there are no "sauces" to rehydrate dried-out protein. Also, starting out with excellent quality food, fresh herbs and spices, and other flavorful ingredients are a must. For instance, Basil Mashed Potatoes made with olive oil, fresh basil, potatoes from my local farmers market and no diary is one of my favorite dishes! You can taste each of the individual ingredients without the overpowering flavor of butter and cream.

Give it a try at your next meal—you'll not only save yourself calories and fat, but you'll get a truly flavorful dish.

For more healthy-cooking tips, check out TheBestLife.com.