Very nice. I am sure you will enjoy using it a lot.

You may want to call vitamix and give them the serial number and ask them if there has been a re-call on your model.

As I remember, there was one for the Professional Vita-Mix. Not a very dangerous one. Just a voluntary recall.

dcarch

I got my vitamix a few months ago the 1st thing I did was make the broccoli cheese soup cause I had everything on hand. Now I mostly use it for green smoothies and nut butters. I wish I had a good chunky soup recipe to share but we have 8 people currently living in my house so I have to make soup on the stove top to feed everyone. I've included a link to the soup section recipe on the vitamix website. I think its a good place to start since they are made for the vitamix. I've made a few and they've turned out well. Enjoy your new kitchen tool!

Here is a link that might be useful: Recipes

I don't have a Vita-Mix, but I wanted to say Hi! I've missed you.

Hi Tricia. I'm glad you're here again.

The Vitamix emulsifies everything. If you want chunks, reserve some chopped vegetables to add back into the soup after blending the rest of the soup.

This will become your favorite kitchen appliance because there's nothing it cannot do, as you'll soon find out.

It makes ultra-smooth hummus, nut butters, cookie and bread doughs. I put an older model through the more laborious tasks and, after many years, it still runs like a champ.
The newer Vitamix I use daily, for smoothies, condiments, soups, ice cream, etc.

I know you'll enjoy your new toy.

Sol

Right now we are still at the beginner's stage. We've made some awesome veggie, yogurt, fruit combo smoothies. Cold broccoli soup a few times.

Made my first soup for lunch!

Into the Vita-Mix...

2 Cups homemade chix stock
1 Carrot (unpeeled)
1 Celery stalk with leafy greens
1 green onion including the roots
1/4 Lemon - unpeeled & with seeds
1/4 Apple - unpeeled & with seeds
Green Cabbage - about a 1" slice
1/4 Jalapeno
4 Heirloom tomato halves that I'd previously roasted & frozen including skin and seeds
1/4 Yellow Summer Squash including seeds
Fresh Ginger nib, unpeeled
1 Homegrown Garlic clove unpeeled
Small handful of cilantro
Raw Cashews (about 20...2 small handfuls)
Freshly ground black pepper
Kosher Salt

Turned the Vita-Mix on, moved variable speed dial to "10", and hit "High Power". Let it do its thing for 7 minutes.

Result? Perfectly creamy ('cause of the cashews - no need for dairy) HOT soup! Poured it into a bowl and topped with about 2 ounces of lump crab meat and a cilantro leaf. Zero lumps or bits of stuff in my bowl. Served with homemade this morning oatmeal/apple muffin. And then, the darn thing cleaned itself! Dirty dishes consisted of 1 paring knife! Time investment to make soup - start to finish - 10 minutes.

What a nutritious and delicious lunch. I've got to decide what to make next??

/tricia

So, Tricia, if I'm understanding you, everything was liquified? Or was it pureed? I'm very curious about what actually happens with a Vita-Mix...

The soup sounds delicious.

Pllog,

The Vita-Mix emulsifies everything including skin, seeds, cores, things like the green onion roots and apple stem so you get all the nutrition and fiber from foods consumed. Unlike a juicer, there is zero waste. Basically it takes various food stuffs and transforms them into a new/different food. In my soup, I used cashews so no need for dairy product to achieve a rich and creamy consistency. I added the crab for additional protein and the oatmeal muffin for some carbs. Very good lunch!

Today, I made a blackberry milkshake using freeze-dried Marion blackberries that I pureed yesterday and formed into ice cubes, a bit of sugar (2 TBLS), and half-n-half. Hey, I was good yesterday so today I just had fun!

Working my way to mole sauce...my recipe takes FOREVER to make. In my recipe book it looks like I can do mole in under an hour start to finish. :)

/tricia

Forgot to add...got carried away with my soup.

The Pro Vita-Mix also is a blender, whole-food juicer, food processor, stick blender, hand mixer, ice cream maker, ice crusher, meat grinder, chopper, cheese grater, peanut butter maker, fondue maker, hot soup and sauce maker.

/tricia

Stop! I don't need to spend money!

Seriously, it sounds like a great tool. I'm really happy to know that you're making good stuff with it and eating well. Love hearing from you, Wonder Woman :-)

Thanks, Tricia. Yeah, I know it does all that and a shuffle off to Buffalo. Your personal experience is what I'm really interested in. It sounds awesome.

So there's not pulp or solids when you whirr up everything including the seeds?

(Psst...John, I'm not looking to spend money, but I'll sure let other people spend it on me!)

Hi John! I'm trying to eat. It's hard. Just don't have an appetite anymore. If cooking wasn't a hobby I would have given up on it a couple years ago. I'm hoping the vita-mix will make chewing/swallowing easier. DH is negative on cooking so I'm also hoping it makes less drudgery for him. How are the kids and SWAMBO? We recently found out grand baby #8 will be here Feb. 1.! A little girl. :)

No pulp or seeds in the vita-mix!

/tricia

This post was edited by triciae on Mon, Nov 3, 14 at 21:19

Plllog - just wanted to comment on the seeds. In my experience I made a raspberry smoothie once and for some reason the seeds in those we're still very much present when I was done. But everything else I've put in there is completely smooth. I'm not sure if maybe I should have ran it longer with the raspberries and I haven't tried again as I'm not a huge fan of them to begin with.

Thanks Tricia and Melissaki5.

That kind of makes sense about the raspberry seeds. Aren't they the most annoying seeds on the planet or something?

This is definitely sounding better and better. I've tried asking people who've had theirs for a long time, but they're so used to what it can do that they don't always understand the questions. :)

When we went on this diet, we started adding ice to some of the premixed drinks and using the frozen dessert function. The VM turns our mango drink into mango sorbet. DH used to laugh at my VM, calling it, "the Vegematic," but now he is a complete convert and uses it at least twice a day. He loves the self wash function, too. I'm waiting for him to throw some muddy clothes in there to see the results. . .

Tricia, I'm glad you have found something that makes food more interesting to you. The VM is quite fun when you get the hang of it. I dried garlic and threw it in the dry ingredients jar. It made very fine garlic powder that I use for seasoning food now.

Oh, wow! I want to make my own garlic powder! I hate buying it because it goes weird before I can use it all.

I could probably do it in my seed mill, KD, but thanks for the idea! Maybe I need a dehydrator too. I just have nowhere to put it...

Ok, I'm sold, but which model do you recommend?

I can't find anything online that is the Pro Vita-mix that is a stick blender, meat grinder, etc.

Has anybody purchased a refurb model? Was it ok?

Any recommendations and suggestions are appreciated.

Dreamhouse,

Here's the Vitamix I purchased. It's no longer available at the Q. The presentation video on QVC is still available though. You might want to watch.

On the Vitamix site it's the CIA Professional.

I have potato spinach soup whirling right now!

/tricia

Here is a link that might be useful: CIA Professional Vitamix

Thanks, Tricia. I'm on it!

So glad the blender is working well for you and you are interested in food again (if only for the fun of it!).

I hope you are feeling a little better and you continue to improve.

Potato spinach soup in a blender, who knew!!?

Thanks,

Ted

Tricia, your soup sounds delicious and it is nice to see you posting again. Did you move up by your son after the first house fell through?

Heads up! Just saw that the Q is having an hour of Vitamix at 7:00 pm EST tonight.

/tricia

I am new to vitamix too. Having fun. I made some roasted tomato sauce and blitzed it. No skins or seeds left at all. Also made tahini and then humus. Yum. Juices and smoothies.

It is wicked noisy though!

Hey tricia, SWMBO and kids are doing great. I meant to write more but I'm underwater at work right now. More later.

Hearing damages are cumulative. A loud mixer/blender (80 db to 90 db) definitely can cause hearing damage, especially if you have young folks in the kitchen with hard walls and flooring.

Try to have a plastic enclosure made to shield the noise.

dcarch

I have shooting earplugs to use with my grain mill. I keep them right there in the front of the cupboard. When the 9-year-old came to make pizza, her father brought the noise cancelling headset they use at the racetrack.

If it's that loud, it's definitely worth protecting your hearing!

Agmss, thanks for the word on the tomatoes! I've never been happy even with three times through the food mill, so I'm beginning to think the Vita Mix needs to be higher on my list than a new, better toaster. :)

Are people putting whole apples and other seeded fruit in? Not worried about the cyanide in the seeds entering your system? If you eat the seeds whole they'll probably leave whole but if you crush them the cyanide can enter your body. Not enough to be a concern?

Also, on decibel level, I just keep ear muffs handy. I don't have a Vitamix, yet, but my old food processor sounds like a buzz saw according to a carpenter friend so I wear the same ear protection he does when he's using his power tools.

I have had my Vitamix for well over 15 years and no other brand compares. My very favorite use for it is making and canning tomato sauce. The tomatoes can be washed and put into the Vitamix without pealing or seeding. I then transfer the 'mush' to a pot on the stove and reduce it by at least half. Then I am ready to can.

I make applesauce and apple butter the same way but core the apples first to remove seeds. You don't want to eat apple seeds.

Dream house- I don't know if this reply is too late but I have a refurb model. I paid 279 plus tax and shipping. It came with a new container, I believe, and a 5 year warranty. So far so good though it's only been about 5 months since I purchased.

Tricia
I hope you enjoy your new tool and hope it helps with your ability to enjoy food.

I usually hang out in kitchens and appliances.
I love my Vitamix and use it to make smoothies, soups, pasta sauce, hummus and more.

I do recommend ear plugs. My husband bought me shooting plugs that are connected with a solid band. They really help.

My smoothies are a lot of fun(but not as crazy as my friend who makes and drinks his 21 ingredient 64 oz smoothie everyday)
Mine vary but I start out with 8-12 oz water
Squirt of cherry juice concentrate. Add a squirt of lemon or lime juice.
1/2 apple
Carrot, celery, parsley, and a quarter of a beet(improves color)
Then I add some greens - spinach, lettuce, kale or chard - I freeze leftover greens, tomatoes etc and either use fresh or frozen)
A few tomatoes (grape size), cuke or summer squash.
Now for some sweet
I froze lots of fruits and just open the freezer and add a variety.
Blueberries are great for color - so almost always add them
2 strawberries, chunk of pineapple, grapes, peach, cranberries raspberries or whatever you want

Scoop of protein powder.

I run it on smoothie and check the consistency. I add ice if needed and run it again.

This lasts a couple days unless DH joins me.

Soups are one of my favorites. I use the Vitamix recipes for several of them.

Have fun!

Favorite Vita.Mix Soup (I'm making it for Thanksgiving). Chunk up equal amounts of a yellow squash such as hubbard and sweet potatoes. I usually peel the vegetables, but maybe you don't have to. Chunk up about 1/4 to 1/2 of an onion. Throw on some garlic cloves. Toss all with enough olive oil to coat lightly and sprinkle on some Italian seasoning and toss again. Roast in the oven until all vegetables are soft, then puree in Vita.Mix with enough chicken or vegetable broth to make the soup consistency you like. This is silky smooth, not the chunky you asked for, but I couldn't resist sharing this recipe.