Healthy (Yummy!) Potato Soup & A Smoothie...(dairy-free)

Earlier this week, James and I decided to try out the HealthMaster food emulsifier from Montel Williams. I have really been wanting a VitaMix blender, but the cost is O-SO-HI, like close to $500 high. Yeah. So we discovered the HealthMaster, and I started to do all sorts of research on it, reading several reviews to decide if it would be worth the cost. It was half the cost of the VitaMix at $199. The only bad reviews I read were from people who had not used the product properly, or who didn't like the recipes that came with it. Sorry, but a bad recipe doesn't mean a bad product. Adjust the recipes. Not everyone is going to like everything. So, after much contemplation, we decided to get the blender. At first we tried making a few random things, and it was not going well. I was not impressed. there were chunks in our blended mixes, and the whole thing was just rather difficult to use. I was about ready to give up. Until today.

Today I decided to just use my imagination  and come up with some great things. And once I learned how to properly position myself to twist and lock the blender and lid (you will understand if you ever see one) and realize that I needed to add more liquid to the mix, things turned out differently. I made a potato soup for lunch, and then followed up with a wonderful smoothie...the smoothest smoothie I have had in a while : ) So I have posted the recipes below for you to try. One more note about the HealthMaster, it cooks! Now in this recipe I cook the potatoes slightly first to get them softer, but when you put ingredients into this blender for 4-8 minutes, the friction of the blades create heat which then cooks the food. Don't worry though, it blends so fast that your frozen treats won't melt (unless you leave them blending for a while). Anyway, here are my wonderful recipes! Enjoy!

Potato Soup

3 medium potatoes quartered

1 sweet potato cut in 3 or 4 pieces

1 large carrot chopped

1/2 large onion

2 garlic cloves chopped and crushed

1-2 cups chicken broth

bacon bits (optional)

In a large pot, combine potatoes, sweet potato, onion and garlic with enough water to cover the potatoes. Allow to boil, then cook over medium heat until tender. (I left potato skins on, but peeled the sweet potato once it was soft). After tender, place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor with the chicken broth and most of the water from the pot (can use more or less). Puree everything together (or use food processor or whatever device you have) for about 4 minutes (or longer depending on your machine).  Once everything is smooth, add bacon bits, enough for your own taste. (The HealthMaster turned this into a creamy soup without any milk product at all!)

Strawberry Banana Smoothie (with Apple)

1 honeycrisp apple cored

6-8 frozen strawberries

1 large ripe banana

1 1/2-2 cups vanilla soy milk

Mix all ingredients together in a blender on "mix" cycle, then switch to purée until smooth. (The HealthMaster mixed everything so well it was just so creamy smooth and tasty).