Just finished my lunch today: broccoli and cheese soup with the asparagus puree mixed in.... i felt like i was in a gourmet chef's kitchen! Yum, yum, yum, it was sooo good!!! Thanks LizRR!

When my bullet dies I'll go out and get a Vitamix!!! Sounds exciting! :)

Originally Posted by peaches17:
That's so wonderful to hear!

How do you use the Vitamix differently from the Magic Bullet? I can't believe I didn't buy the Vitamix sooner. That is the most amazing machine I have ever seen - it blows me away.

Are there any threads devoted to using Vitamix IP recipes?

Being a vegetarian, I might need to count things while I am figuring out whether some of the "meat" substitutes out there would work with the program or not. And, I'd also like to compare the IP vanilla pack with the Jay Robb egg white protein powder I love.

Originally Posted by LizRR:
How could I let this thread go on so long without my most favoritest blender recipe of ALL TIME...I have this every morning and I will continue to have it for life!

IP Chocolate/Vanilla/Cappucino Drink Mix/RTD/Pudding (tasters choice)
1-2c Spinach, loose leaf
1c Lettuce (optional) <--if you need more 'bulk', I prefer it with just Spinach
2c Coffee, chilled (decaf, half-caf, fully leaded, your choice)
Extracts or Sweetener (optional)

1. Put the Spinach, optional Lettuce & Sweetener/Extracts, and 2 cups chilled coffee in a blender ~2 minutes on High to pulverize/liquefy the greens.
2. Add in your IP product of choice and blend ~10 seconds on Low to mix thoroughly. Adding the IP product in last to blend helps keep down the "froth", hence why you preblend the spinach first.
3. Check consistency & taste - adjust accordingly (more sweetener? more coffee?).
4. Serve over ice and enjoy! You can also blend in the ice for a 'milkshake' (pudding gives a great thick texture for this).

*My 'personal recipe' is: IP Chocolate RTD + 2c Half-Caf Coffee, chilled + 2c Spinach + 1 tbsp SF Torani Vanilla.
*I had it just about EVERY morning in Phase 1 and have moved to decaf coffee as my occasional afternoon snack in Phase 3 with all Lettuce (since I have my 2cups veggies at lunch now).
*You can substitute water or flavored herbal teas in place of coffee
*You can substitute WB Yogurt or any other Drink Mix in place of the Chocolate/Vanilla/Cappuccino - I just listed those since they go with coffee - which is my liquid of choice!

WOW. This is going to save me! Having a hard time with all the veggies. Thanks!!!

Bumping for newbies

Just copied every recipe and put it into a document :)

My bf's dad is a diabetic and also has to watch his kidneys (ie. low sugar, low salt diet). All these purees sound perfect for him! May have to pass on these recipes.

I steamed some asparagus last night and I cut off the ends to keep for my dog. As I was pureeing the ends to mix into her raw food - I thought a pureed asparagus recipe would be delish to mix into soups! (asparagus and other veggies with spices - similar to the other recipes I've seen earlier in this thread). Any ideas?

I would also like a Puree Leek recipe :D

I am only on week 2 of IP and new to 3fatchicks, I love these forums, thank you for sharing all the great ideas. I am going to try a couple recipes tonight and I can't wait.

My newest favorite puree (Rainbow used this as a base for her Rasberry Rhubarb Fool recipe):

8 c chopped rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
cook in pan or microwave with "a little" water until soft
Puree in Vitamix (or other blender) with Red Mio (to taste) and plain Gelatin. (I use Great Lakes brand, 1 Tbsp in bulk. I assume you could use 1 pkg Knox unflavored.)

Pour into single serving bowls.
Chill until gelled.
Makes 4, 1 c. servings of a "sweet" 2 c. (from raw) vegetable treat with a "custardy" texture.

You could also forgo the Mio & plain gelatin and use a protein Jello instead to make this one of your meals or evening snack with veggies.
Since this is 4 servings of veggies, you would add 4 protein jello packets. You may have to play with the water in the the recipe a little if you choose this route.

Originally Posted by lisa32989:
My newest favorite puree (Rainbow used this as a base for her Rasberry Rhubarb Fool recipe):

8 c chopped rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
cook in pan or microwave with "a little" water until soft
Puree in Vitamix (or other blender) with Red Mio (to taste) and plain Gelatin. (I use Great Lakes brand, 1 Tbsp in bulk. I assume you could use 1 pkg Knox unflavored.)

Pour into single serving bowls.
Chill until gelled.
Makes 4, 1 c. servings of a "sweet" 2 c. (from raw) vegetable treat with a "custardy" texture.

You could also forgo the Mio & plain gelatin and use a protein Jello instead to make this one of your meals or evening snack with veggies.
Since this is 4 servings of veggies, you would add 4 protein jello packets. You may have to play with the water in the the recipe a little if you choose this route.

i know!!! isn't this just delicious!! i still can't wrap my head around the fact that this counts as my VEGETABLE!! it feels like i am cheating!!

have you tried making the milkshake?? oh my!! so good!!

i do not like rhubarb!! i did not THINK i liked rhubarb. i had tried it a few times, then just never tried again. but this recipe is A-MAY-ZING!! tastes so good!!

i have stocked my freezer with rhubarb now! :)

Is there a recent thread to this????

Originally Posted by Caramel33:
Is there a recent thread to this????

THere haven't been any additions to the thread in a while but all of the recipes are still relevant - were you looking for something that you didn't find here?

Spent the whole day whipping up some of these purees and cauli rice. I'm a little uncertain about the cauli/celery/garlic one. I avoided cauliflower like the plague before this diet, but I'm starting to work it in. I'll see how it is in the soup. I definitely like that it'll add some thickness and volume to the soups.

I also made the asparagus one, which I found a bit bitter with the lemon. I'll probably cut back a bit on that next time, but otherwise very tasty. I love asparagus, and was super happy to find it both on sale AND at 50% off (benefits of shopping Monday morning).

BUT! The roasted red pepper sauce... holy cow. Nevermind this being "OP", I'm never going to stop making this stuff. On the agenda for this week... bags and bags of peppers from Costco to make my traditional fall "spaghetti" sauce, but with this instead. I added a bunch of fresh herbs that really add some nice secondary flavours.

It was nice to spend a day in the kitchen, I love to cook and have been neglecting it the last year or so. Love that this program is getting me back into it.

Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
3 red bell peppers (1 1/2 lb. total), rinsed, stemmed, seeded, and halved
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion (7 oz.), peeled and chopped (I omitted this)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 can (28 oz.) whole San Marzano or other pear or plum tomatoes
1 tablespoon paprika
3 cups vegetable or fat-skimmed chicken broth $
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice $
Salt and pepper
Chopped parsley

Preparation
1. Preheat the broiler. Place the red pepper halves (and tomatoes if using fresh), cut side down, in a baking pan and broil 4 to 5 inches from heat until the skins are black and blistered, about 8 minutes. Let cool, uncovered, 10 to 15 minutes. Peel the peppers and place in a bowl, reserving any juices.
2. In a 3- to 4-quart pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and the onion; stir often until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the roasted peppers and tomatoes, along with their juices, and the paprika. Bring to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.
3. In a blender or food processor, purée the soup in small batches until smooth. Return purée to the pan and stir in broth and lemon juice. Stir over medium heat until hot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Originally Posted by LizRR:
Exactly. I would make my puree and split it immediately into 1 cup portions, because i have 1c spinach in breakfast smoothie, and 1c veggie in my lunch soup. So 5 cup raw chopped veggies, after roasting and pureeing would immediately get parsed into 5 pyrex bowls. It kept the right amount and i had lunch ready to grab and go for the week. All i needed was to remember my packet!

Great idea...can't wait to make this!

Originally Posted by LizRR:
Ingredients:
2 cups Rutabaga
+2 Eggs + 2 Egg Whites
1/2 packet Knox Gelatin <--adds 12 calories, all from 3g protein (collagen)
2-4 tbsp Sweetener (Splenda/Stevia/WF Pancake Syrup/etc)
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Optional: 1/2 cup unsweetened Almond Milk <--adds 15 calories, 1g fat/.5g carb/.5g protein

Directions:
1. Wrap Rutabaga in aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 375 degrees ~1.5 hours.
2. In mixing bowl, add Egg Whites only and sprinkle in Gelatin, allow to dissolve ~1 minute.
3. In blender/food processor, add cooked, peeled Rutabaga and optional Almond Milk (or water) - puree until VERY smooth ~2 minutes - allow to cool slightly.
4. In mixing bowl - add Rutabaga puree, Sweetener, Pumpkin Pie Spice, Vanilla, and Eggs to the Egg Whites & Gelatin - mix ingredients thoroughly. Taste and adjust Sweetener accordingly.
5. Pour mixture into ramekin and bake at 350 degrees for ~45 minutes, until custard is set (doesn't 'jiggle in the middle' when you shake it).
6. Remove from oven, allow to cool - additional chilling will help it set, in the fridge/freezer ~30 minutes.

*This was awesome - it turned into a great custard, dessert.
+The new Phase 1 Sheet dated 6/12/2012 now lists 4 Eggs + 2 Egg Whites as an appropriate 8oz protein replacement, so adjust accordingly: http://www.idealtogo.com/Library/Fase%201%20-%20ITG.pdf *This counts as your daily protein + 2c veggies
*Several methods to cook rutabaga, choose your favorite/most convenient: slow cooker, peeled/cubed/baked in the oven, peeled/cubed/boiled until tender, etc. Baking in the oven wrapped in foil ~1.5 hours @ 350 degrees or in the slow cooker will result in 'sweeter' rutabaga.
*Make sure your rutabaga puree is cooled slightly before adding to Eggs to prevent 'pre-cooking' (turning out egg chunks)

Courtesy of using SparkRecipe to calculate - here is the nutrient content for this yummy item:

Nutrition Facts
Sweet Fauxtato Pie (no crust)

4 Servings


Amount Per Serving

Calories 89.3

Total Fat 2.7 g

Saturated Fat 0.8 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g

Monounsaturated Fat 0.9 g

Cholesterol 93.0 mg

Sodium 96.0 mg

Potassium 94.0 mg

Total Carbohydrate 2.9 g

Dietary Fiber 1.6 g

Sugars 5.2 g

Protein 7.3 g

Vitamin A 4.3 %

Vitamin B-12 4.0 %

Vitamin B-6 2.0 %

Vitamin C 26.5 %

Vitamin D 8.1 %

Vitamin E 6.3 %

Calcium 10.6 %

Copper 0.3 %

Folate 3.0 %

Iron 5.0 %

Magnesium 0.5 %

Manganese 0.8 %

Niacin 0.0 %

Pantothenic Acid 0.0 %

Phosphorus 5.3 %

Riboflavin 5.3 %

Selenium 0.0 %

Thiamin 0.0 %

Zinc 2.0 %