Banana Maple Smoothie

Not your father's Oldsmobile.
Just his blender.

Meet the newest addition to my family: The Vornado solid state custom control food blender. An 840 watt, chromed metal base, 40oz jug, Japanese beauty from the 70's (with automatic timer). The Gods of Small Appliances, shining down on me from their heavenly perch, blessed me with it today. (For a mere $25 dollar finders fee). Sure, she might require two movers to haul her up on to the kitchen counter, but she's worth it. All I knew is that I needed a blender (to make my hummus), and that I didn't want any of this plastic jugged, plastic geared, wimpy motored made-in-China junk made today. Well the Vornado (a sweet killer combination of "volcano" and "tornado") can take one of these recent-vintage China blenders you'll find at your local Wal-Mart, and liquify it into slurry juice. And still have enough room left in its ample-sized glass pitcher to make you this.....

Banana Maple Smoothie

Okay, this may not be the healthiest blender shake on the planet. But I needed something to test out the Vornado. So I threw in an old banana, some soya milk, some cow's milk, some vanilla ice cream, and a touch of maple syrup (when in doubt, maple syrup it out). I blended it on low for just a few seconds (though the Vornado's "low" is like a current blender's "super sonic ultra mega high meltification speed"). Why, because I wanted to keep some texture of the banana and ice cream. And it tasted supreme. I feel Vornado-ized!

Get a blender, and the possibilities are almost infinite. If you're anything like me and feel a bit strange tearing apart segments of an orange.... throw 'em in the blender! Add some ice and milk and walla... you've got an "Orange Julius". (You could cheat and use orange juice concentrate but... it won't be as healthy).

Prefer apples? Throw in a peeled, cored apple, some apple juice and a cup of ice... you've got a nutritious apple smoothie drink.

On a diet? You could replace a meal with one tall glass of fruit smoothie, and not feel hungry from it. Just throw in whatever fruits you have on hand, add a liquid to create a drink. (Could be water & ice, could be milk, or milk & ice. Just be sure your blender can handle ice!).

Here's an example of a vegetable smoothie, you could make in a blender!: 2 cups chopped tomatoes, 1/2 cup tomato juice, 1/4 cup apple juice, 1/2 cup carrots, 1/4 cup (chopped) celery, hot sauce to taste (opt), 2 cups ice.

How about a tofu smoothie?! Very healthy. Just mix: 300 g (10 oz) soft unflavored tofu, 1c orange juice concentrate, 1 ripe banana, 1 1/2 cups water. (Source: Anne Lindsay’s "Lighthearted at Home")