At midday on the 23rd April 2015 my life changed forever when my Breville Blend Active was delivered to my front door.
Now, I am fairly well known for exaggerating for dramatic effect and you might roll your eyes upon reading the above statement about a blender, but it’s true, I tell you! This is just a quick post to tell you of the wonderful things I’ve created with it in the past two weeks. Perhaps it will interest and inspire at least one person. You never know…
Twenty two British pounds. It’s compact, powerful and easy to clean. I’ve used it every single day. Sometimes even multiple times in a day. It comes with an extra flask too so you can make tasty stuff for your friend/enemy/wife/husband/lover and send them on their way. So good.
So firstly, let’s talk about the brilliance of smoothies. I bought packets of organic cacao powder and wheatgrass powder (sale on at Holland & Barrett, ta very much). Cacao is high in iron, potassium and magnesium and adds a subtle chocolate flavour. So a heaped teaspoon of that in your drink is both healthy and delicious. Wheatgrass is full of loads of different nutrients counting towards your five a day, particularly high in vitamin A. It’s naturally sweet, so again a teaspoon of this in your smoothie adds so many extra health and taste benefits. Ideal supplements for vegan diets! I’ve been trying out A LOT of different smoothie combos for breakfast. Baby spinach, coconut water, wheatgrass, flaxseed, pear and avocado is my current favourite. A good tip is to buy tinned fruits (in water/own juices, not syrup) and to keep fresh ones in the freezer. This obviously means they keep for longer and the frozen stuff makes your drink nice and cold. Yum. So excellent for packing in loads more fruits and vegetables into your diet in a very easy and delicious way.
(Strawberry, almond milk, chia seeds, cacao powder, banana) 
There is a lot of stuff online to read about smoothie concoctions so I’ll tell you about the more creative things I’ve made…
Cashew cream: I soaked a small packet of cashew nuts in cold water for three hours, drained and transferred to the blender, and added water as needed to loosen the mixture. It’s pretty amazing. You end up with a rich cream. You can add salt/pepper/garlic powder and use it as a savoury dip (for example, a vegan replacement for sour cream with burritos), OR sweeten with a bit of vanilla essence and have with dessert.
Cauliflower couscous: Cut a cauliflower into florets and blend in batches. It becomes fine and grain-like. A carbohydrate free version of couscous. Can be eaten raw, or cook it for a few minutes with a glug of olive oil in a frying pan.
Hummus: I used one 400g tin of drained chickpeas to make two different types. In one batch, I blended 3 tbsp tahini paste, half the can of chickpeas, 1 tbsp fresh chopped coriander, a little water to aid the blending. Top with extra coriander, smoked paprika and sesame seeds.
I did the same thing again for the second batch but with parsley and one whole roasted beetroot. So tasty, very simple to make and no preservatives.
I told you it changed my life! 😉
Here is the link on Amazon. Get one!
S.x
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