- I don't think I've been so happy
about a new kitchen product launch in a long time.
You guys, this new Vitamix Food Processor is a game changer.
Using the blender base as the motor,
all you have to do is swap the top container
for an easy two and one high powered blender
plus food processor.
Over the years, one of the most common questions
I get asked is, do I need to buy a separate food processor
in addition to a blender?
Meaning can the blender just do it all?
And unfortunately the answer is no.
Well, I adore my Vitamix Blender,
there is just certain things that a food processor
can do that a blender can't
which I'll explain here in a second.
But instead of having to buy
a completely separate food processor
which is more costly and larger to store,
you can buy the new 12 cup food processor from Vitamix
and it really does extend the functionality of your machine
and I have a feeling that for those of you who might
have been on the fence about buying a Vitamix,
this might just nudge you into buying it.
Needless to say, I am happy to partner with Vitamix
on today's video to show you a first look
at their new food processor
and whip up a couple of recipes to test it out.
So let's get started.
When you place the food processor
on top of your Vitamix Blender base, it just looks good
and like it was always meant to be there.
In this food processor like others I'm sure you've used,
does all of the basic functions of chopping, slicing,
shredding and mixing but there are a few things
that make it unique.
So let's do a quick overview.
Inside the food processor,
I currently have the multi-use blade also known
as the S blade that's the workhorse blade
we all use in the kitchen for chopping, blending and mixing.
If I take that off, I can then add either
of the two slicing and shredding discs.
One makes small shreds and thin slices
and the other makes large shreds and thick slices
depending on which side of the disc you use
and Vitamix has labeled these discs
so it's easy to see.
When you've decided which disc you'd like to use,
just place that right on top of the gear stem
in the middle of the work bowl
and then snap the lid on.
This is different from most food processors
where you have to twist and lock the lid
but it'll be second nature to Vitamix owners
who already do this with their blender container lid.
Now I've already got the food processor work bowl attached
to the black self detect base
so I can simply place that on my Vitamix
and I'm ready to go.
But I do want to show you the quick release lever
that allows you to just pop off the work bowl
for easy pouring, removing of ingredients or cleaning.
And when you'd like to use it again,
just pop it back on.
Up top you've got both a large food shoot
and a small shoot that can accommodate
a wide variety of ingredients
and the small shoot will keep things like carrots
and cucumber upright while you're slicing or shredding them.
But I think one of the best things about this food processor
is that it takes up less space
than a standalone food processor
so it's compact to store and it's much lighter weight
because it's only the top container.
So to store it, add the slicing
and trading discs back into their little container,
flip that over because it magically snaps
to the underside of the lid and then invert
that over the work bowl.
Now you've got everything all stored together
and you can even put it in an upper cabinet
because it is so lightweight.
But let's test out the blades with a few veggies
that I have in my fridge and I'll use the small chute
to slice cucumber.
So I'll just put the cucumber through the top
and it slices the whole thing literally in two seconds
and that was with the thinner blade.
I can swap the disks and add the thicker blade,
pop on the lid and again,
the cucumber is sliced up virtually instantly
which makes prep work a breeze.
To show you the shredding blade, I've got some carrots
and if you want the fastest way to shred a whole bunch
of carrots for carrot cake,
it's always using a food processor.
So I'll try out the thinner shredding blade first,
then switch the disc to the thicker shredding blade,
add the lid back on and shred a few more carrots.
No matter which blade you choose,
slicing and shredding is made super easy.
To test out the multi-use S blade,
let's make my mango date energy balls
and this is a recipe that would not work well
in the Vitamix Blender as it's too thick and sticky
but it works great in the food processor.
So I'll add 10 Pitta dates and one cup of dried mango
and give that a quick process,
just to break up those large dried mango chunks.
Then I'll add one cup of raw cashews,
two tablespoons of chia seeds
and a pinch of salt and process it again until the nuts
are chopped down and the mixture starts sticking together.
To remove the bowl,
I'll press down on the quick release lever
and you can see that it's a thick and sticky
yet also sweet and delicious mix.
I'll use a cookie scoop to scoop out chunks of the mixture,
roll it between my hands and add it to a bowl.
I'll keep doing this for the rest of the mixture
and if you find that your energy balls are a bit too sticky,
you could also roll them in a little shredded coconut
or finely chopped nuts.
This is a great snack to take on a bike ride
or hike or simply to enjoy as an afternoon pick me up.
If you saw my birthday recipe this week,
you know that I made this mint chocolate vegan cheesecake
but what you might not know is that I made it
in my Vitamix and used both the food processor and blender.
So starting with the food processor,
let's make the crust by adding one cup of raw almonds,
half a cup of raw pecans, a quarter cup of cacao powder,
10 medjool dates that you've pitted in two tablespoons
of liquified coconut oil,
then snap the lid on and you'll hear it click.
(lid clicking)
And turn it on.
When you use the food processor,
it doesn't matter what speed it's set to
as it's just an on and off option.
Once the mixture resembles coarse sand, you can turn it off
then line a nine inch spring form pan with parchment paper,
remove the work bowl from the food processor
and scrape it all out into the pan.
Spread that crumbly mixture around with your fingers
so that it's an even layer and then press down on it
so that it's nice and compact.
I usually keep it flat on the bottom
but if you'd like a little crust coming up the sides,
that's fine too and I should also mention
that what I'm showing you is the same process
for any of the vegan cheesecake recipes on my website,
no matter which flavor.
All right, let's move on to the filling.
I've already gone ahead and soaked three and a half cups
of raw cashews overnight.
So I'll just drain and rinse those
and then swap the food processor base
for my blender container.
Then I'll add those drained cashews
along with one cup of fresh water,
three quarters cup of maple syrup or honey.
I'm using honey today but you'd want to use maple syrup
to keep it vegan.
Two thirds cup of liquified coconut oil,
two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
which is about what you'd get from one lemon,
one teaspoon of vanilla extract
and one to two teaspoons of peppermint extract
depending on how pepperminty you'd like it to be,
add the lid to your blender, turn it on
and quickly turn that dial to high.
You'll wanna blend it for about two to three minutes
or until it's ultra smooth and creamy
and trust me, it will get ultra smooth in your Vitamix.
Pour the filling into your spring form pan
and then give it a few good shakes on the counter
to remove any of those air bubbles.
For the chocolate swirl on top,
I've melted one cup of chocolate chips
with two tablespoons of coconut oil
and then I'll drizzle that on top of the cheesecake filling.
To get that lovely swirl, use a chopstick or knife
and just run it through the cheesecake
and melted chocolate until you have a pattern that you like.
Once that's done, place the cheesecake in the freezer
for at least five to six hours to harden up.
I usually let it freeze overnight.
When you're ready to serve it,
remove it from the spring form pan
while it's still rock hard frozen
because it will remove from the sides of the pan easier
and then let it fall on a cake stand or serving plate.
You can enjoy the cheesecake just like this
and that's what I usually do
but because it was my birthday,
I got a little fancy and added chocolate curls on top.
If you wanna make those melt a half a cup
of chocolate chips with one tablespoon of coconut oil.
Then flip over a baking tray
and make sure the bottom is nice and clean
and pour the melted chocolate on top.
Use an offset spatula to spread the chocolate
into an even thin layer and then pop this in the freezer
for four to five minutes
and I do recommend setting a timer
so you don't accidentally leave it any longer.
Once you remove it from the freezer,
use a metal special or food scraper at a 45 degree angle
to scrape the chocolate into curls.
If the chocolate breaks apart, that means it's too cold
just let it come to room temperature for a minute.
And if it's too soft, you'll have a hard time rolling
the curls as well
so just pop it back in the freezer
for 30 seconds to a minute.
It takes a little practice to find that perfect temperature
but once you do,
you'll have lots of chocolate curls in no time.
The chocolate curls will soften quickly though
so it's best to keep them in the refrigerator
until you're ready to top them on your cheese cake.
So when it's time to serve this decadent dessert,
add the chocolate curls to the top,
along with freshmen leaves
and you've got a homemade vegan cheesecake
made almost entirely in your Vitamix.
Hopefully you've gathered by now
that I use my Vitamix for a whole lot more
than just smoothies and as I mentioned at the beginning,
this new food processor is just one more way
to extend the functionality of your machine.
I hope you enjoyed this product review
as well as a couple of new recipes
and with that, I'm now going to enjoy
some of my birthday cheesecakes.
(mellow music)