Vanessa Simkins

Thank to Vanessa Simkins, Quarto Publishing Group – Harvard Common Press, and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy of “Power Blender Revolution: More Than 300 Healthy and Amazing Recipes That Unlock the Full Potential of Your Vitamix, Blendtec, Ninja, or Other High-Speed, High-Power Blender” for an honest review.

I love, love, loved this book. I loved first of all that it’s multipurpose across the products, no first come first serve, must have this one device to pass go, from the beginning. I love that at the beginning it tells you everything in this book will be broken down by vegan, gluten-free, dairy-fee, nut-free, and low sugar so that there will be things in here for people from every walk and way of life as well.

This book is broken down into drinks & eats, separately. The first covering juices, smoothies, shakes, slashes, coffee, teas, creamers, and any kind of alternative milk you could dream of. The latter is made of jams, butters, syrups, spreads, dips, sauces, pestos, condiments, dressings, marinades, smoothie & soup bowls, entrees, vegetables meal sides, muffins, pancakes, breads, desserts. You’ll even find a section on baby food making and for skin care products!

I love the layout of most of the chapters and pages. It could use a few more pictures, and pictures that are not simply 1/4th of a page spread, as they feel a little wedged in and only often enough to be checking a box sometimes, rather than displaying culinary delights to tease the eyes as well as the tongue.… (más)

What a great book this was! I must confess that the cover made me think it was all about smoothies or generic recipes that included blending at some point, didn't expect much more than that. Once more, I found proof that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I keep doing that time and again~

The recipes are amazingly varied (fasten your seat-belts):

Homemade non diary milks: nut milks and creamers (macadamia, pistachio, almond, cashew, coconut, Brazil nut, walnut) rice, oat, hemp and banana milk
Drinks: juices, smoothies, shakes, slushies, coffee drinks, matcha drinks
Jams, butters and syrups
Guacamoles, hummuses, dips and spreads
All-purpose sauces, pestos and condiments
Dressings, vinaigrettes, marinades and spice blends
Smoothie bowls
Soups
Entrees
Vegetable sides
Muffins, pancakes and other quick breads
Desserts
Sorbets, ice creams and popsicles
Baby food purées
Skin products
7-day cleaning plan, 3-day juice and smoothie cleanse

Drinks, sauces, dips and maybe soups weren't surprising to see in a blender recipe book but what amazed me was recipes such as how to chop cheese on the blender, grind homemade flours, coffee and condiments, make your own butter and even natural beauty products. I don't have a power blender but many of the recipes can still be achievable with a common blender.My favorite thing about this book is that the recipes are easy to make and include normal ingredients while remaining healthy. It has indications for vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and low-sugar recipes and tips to make your life even easier in the kitchen. I tested some of the recipes and they were easy and super fast to make, perfect for those lazy days or for the hustler that can't afford to get sick or lose time in the kitchen.… (más)

Designed for the Vitamix, Blendtec, Ninja, and other high-speed, high-power blenders, the Power Blender Revolution was created to help you unlock their potential. Including recipes for everything from grains to skincare, this helps you do more than just juicing with your blender.

In the introduction, the author describes how in minutes you can make a healthy meal, It then goes on to promise much more. The Benefits Of Using A Power Blender follow with information on How To Use The Book, Tools And Accessories, Essential Advice, and Special Techniques.

Next comes the Power Blender 7-Day Clean Eating Plan, providing a seven-day meal plan with recipe names and page numbers. Next is a 3-Day Juice And Smoothie Cleanse if you want a quick detox.

The recipes categories are separated into two sections, Things To Drink, and Things To Eat. The recipes categories include:

Things To Drink

Whole Food Juices
Smoothies, Shakes, And Slushies
Coffee Drinks, Matcha Drinks, And Creamers
Nut Milks And Other Nondairy Milks

Things To Eat

Jams, Butters, And Syrups
Guacamoles, Hummuses, And Other Dips And Spreads
All-Purpose Sauces, Pestos, And Condiments
Dressings, Vinaigrettes, Marinades, And Spice Blends
Smoothie Bowls
Soups
Entrées From The Blender
Vegetable Sides
Muffins, Pancakes, And Other Quick Breads
Desserts From The Blender
Sorbets, Ice Creams, And Popsicles
Baby Food Purées
10 Masks, Washes, And More For Your Skin

Each of the recipes includes a brief introduction, serving sizes, and various labels to identify them as Vegan, Gluten-Free etc. Several also include tips for modifying the recipe, serving or making the best use of your blender.

Helpful And Surprising

Disappointingly only a few of the recipes included a picture although each of those is beautifully staged. I found that throughout the book the blending tips were very helpful in providing information that you wouldn’t necessarily find in an instruction manual but which could make the difference in a recipe.

Finding the Masks, Washes, And More For Your Skin recipes included in the Things You Can Eat section was very strange. Otherwise, I found the selection to be excellent.

The sheer variety of recipes which can be created with a blender was surprising. The fact that you can make so many different things with that one piece of equipment is convenient and helps keep down with the number of dishes you have to clean.

See the full review and the recipe for Skin-Brightening Kiwi And Lemon Facial Mask at The RecipesNow! Reviews And Recipes Magazine. This review is written in response to a complimentary hard copy of the book provided by the publisher in hopes of an honest review.… (más)