Will It Blend? - Sister's Soft, Moist Sunday IV

Anyone remember the Saturday Night Live Bassomatic 76 skit? It involved Dan Ackroyd, a bass and a blender. It was one of those skits that was revolting and hilarious at the same time. I'd watch in horror as Ackroyd fed the bass into the blender, yet I'd laugh through the whole thing. Then I'd be disgusted with myself for laughing.

Recently, I've found myself thinking about that skit more frequently than I am comfortable with as I go through my days pondering the suitability of different foods for the blender. Surprisingly, I'm not the only one who ponders such things. Apparently there's an entire website devoted to the question of what will blend. Thankfully, I've not yet resorted to blending a fish, but I did find myself blending a salad last week.

I was inspired, as I often am, by Rose-Anne over at Life, Love, and Food. She had posted a simple yet elegant salad recipe, and it struck me as something my sister might enjoy. I started thinking about adapting the recipe, which led me to ask "Will it blend?" The answer is yes, and with a few small changes I was able to create a smoothie that was delicious, easy to make and true to Rose-Anne's original recipe.

This Week's Soft, Moist Selections

Salad in a Blender

(Sister is meant to avoid acidic foods, so I omitted the balsamic vinegar from Rose-Anne's recipe. Besides, I wasn't too sure about balsamic in a smoothie. I substituted pomegranate juice for the vinegar, but apple or grape juice would likely work just as well.)

Makes 2 1/2 cups

1 1/2 cups lettuce (4 to 5 leaves. I used red and oak leaf lettuce)
1/2 cup strawberries
1/2 cup pomegranate-blend juice
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp flaxseed oil (optional)
1 cup ice

- Tear lettuce into smaller pieces and put them in the blender.
- Add juice and blend.
- Add strawberries, water, honey and optional flaxseed oil and blend.
- Add ice and blend until smooth.


Getting Greener Smoothie

(This smoothie starts out brilliant green until you add the blueberries. Then it turns an ucky grey colour. Don't let that put you off. It's pretty good, and you don't even taste the kale. Of course, you can sub all or part of the kale with other greens. You can also substitute vanilla yogurt for the plain yogurt and honey.)

Makes 4 cups

2 cups kale
1 1/2 cups water
1 banana
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tsp honey
2 tsp flaxseed oil (optional)

- Tear kale into smaller pieces and put them in the blender.
- Add water and blend.
- Add blueberries and blend.
- Add yogurt, honey and optional flaxseed oil and blend.