Roasted Carrot and Fennel Soup - Ninja Blender Auto iQ Review

What I had

I've been using a NutriBullet by Magic Bullet for about a year. Unfortunately, for the last 3 or 4 months the noise it produces is so loud it hurts my ears. Additionally, the underneath of the blade mechanism is full of rust. Too bad really as I was fairly happy with its performance. Knowing I had to replace it, I started doing some research. Sure, I'd love a Vitamix but I just couldn't justify the price and it would be too big to sit out on my counter for easy access to morning smoothies. The Nutriblender has a 900 watt model out but I wasn't convinced as I have read mixed reviews about its performance. My other option was a Nutri Ninja.

Fate

That's when fate intervened! As regular readers know, I attended IFBC in Seattle this past September. One of the sponsors was Nutri Kitchen. They sponsored one of the lunch sessions so I was able to learn about their products, including their new Auto iQ line. The new line has preset configurations for time and pulsing so you don't have to stop, take off the jar or blender and stir, shake or otherwise get annoyed!

I left the conference armed with information and recipe ideas and thought I'd make my final decision within a couple of weeks. Then I received an email from Ninja asking if I'd like to review the Ninja Blender DUO with Auto-iQ! Heck ya! So they sent me the 1300 Watt system to test drive!

Nutri Blender with Auto iQ

This system comes with the blender, iQ base with 5 programmed settings, two Nutri Ninja cups, crushing blades, extractor blades, recipe inspiration guide.

Testing

A) Set up was quick and easy. Before long we had our green goddess smoothie ready for blending. Simply pressing the NutriNinja "ultra blend" button starts the process. It pulses a couple of times to get things going and then blends until perfectly smooth - a total of 60 seconds. There is even a count down timer so you know exactly how long until it's done! The smoothie was, well, smooth - I would say it is smoother than my old nutriblender (though that was 600 watts vs 1300 watts for the Ninja). The cups with lids make smoothie making easy and convenient. This model comes with two large cups. A smaller cup would be great - especially when making smoothies for the kids.  If this is important to you, other models come with an extra smaller cup.

B) To test the blender, we threw in a bunch of ice and crushed it - it came out just like snow! In fact, there may have been a snowball or two made! All we and to do was press "frozen drinks" button  - 70 seconds was all we needed to have perfect crushed ice.

C) With the cold fall weather rolling in, we have lots of soup bubbling in our kitchen. We decided to make a roasted carrot and fennel soup using the blender attachment. It did a great job - very silky smooth, very easy, and clean up was a breeze. I loved that the large capacity blender held everything in one go. I ran it a few times on the puree mode. Once pureed, I placed the soup in individual serving containers and froze them.

Overall Impression

So far I love the Ninja Blender DUO with Auto-iQ! It's simple to set up, simple to use and simple to clean up. I do appreciate that the containers and blades are dishwasher safe and bpa free. However, it's not whisper quiet - in fact it's loud but quite a bit quieter than my NutriBullet. Overall, I recommend it to anyone in the market for this kind of appliance. You will use it to make delicious smoothies, silky soups, slushy margaritas and many other fantastic creations!

Below you'll find the recipe for our roasted carrot soup!

Roasted Carrot and Fennel Soup

Roasted veggies go into blender.

It holds quite a bit!

Don't forget the orange!

Blending!

Roasted Carrot and Fennel Soup

Ingredients

1 lb carrots
2 medium bulbs of fennel
1 head garlic, separated into cloves but do not peel cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
2-3 inch piece of ginger
1 orange, peeled
1 litre vegetable broth
salt/pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Cut carrots in half length wise and quarter if thick.
3. Cut fennel into 1/2 inch thick slices.
4. Place carrots, fennel, and garlic (leave skin on) on one or two baking sheets.
5. Drizzle olive oil over veggies and garlic and mix a little with your hands to make sure oil covers.
6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Roast for approximately 30 minutes, turning vegetables once half way through. Roast untilsoft and slightly carmelized.
8. Julienne or grate ginger.
9. Place carrots, fennel, orange and ginger in blender.
10. Squish garlic out of skins and into blender.
11. Add vegetable broth.
12. Blend on puree setting.
13. Do it again if you want it ultra silky.
14. Add salt and pepper to taste.
15. You can place in in sauce pan and heat or place in containers without heating and freeze or refrigerate for future use.

PS - even though I was sent this system, my opinions, as always, are my own.

Roasted Onion Soup

Roasted onion soup with crusty bread.

I love that this onion soup is just that - onion soup....no cheese, no extra bread on top....just onions (and a little pork). Pure. Simple. Delicious.

This recipe is adapted from Inspirations - the girls who dish.

Ingredients
1/3 cup coarsely chopped salt pork (or double smoked bacon, if preferred)
2 tbsp olive oil
8 shallots
3 leeks (white and pale green parts only)
1 large spanish onion
2 red onions
2 white onion
1-1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 c white wine
1 tbsp fresh thyme
4-6 c stock (any kind)
pepper, to taste

What to do

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Thinly slice all onions. The thinner the better!
• Throw the onions, oil and pork into a large roasting pan and stir together.
• Sprinkle the sugar over the onion mixture and roast about 50 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes to ensure even carmelization.
• Once nicely coloured remove the pan from the oven.
• Directly to the pan, add the thyme, wine, and pepper. Pour in stock until the onions are barely covered with stock.
• Bring soup to a boil on stove top and then reduce to a simmer.
• Simmer for half an hour. (PS if your roasting pan is too big for stove top, transfer every to a soup pot once onions are removed from the oven.) If desired, add more stock if too thick.
• I like using a hand blender for a few seconds to thicken the soup a little.
• But sometimes, I leave eveything as is as I've been known to pull out the onions the next day and add them to sandwiches, mashed potatoes etc!

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Cream of Cauliflower Soup

The two vegetables my kids will never turn down are broccoli and cauliflower. In fact one of them is sure to be on our dinner plates every night of the week (well, maybe not pizza nights!).

Usually, we just steam cauliflower or occassionally roast it. Until I tried this recipe I had not made cauliflower soup. But I will be putting this on our menu more often! I even liked it before added the bechamel sauce so you could leave it out if you want to make it even healthier! Personally, I like the creaminess that the sauce adds.

Cauliflower
When you buy cauliflower, make sure you pick one that is creamy white, whose head is tight and one in which the bud clusters are not separated. Cauliflower with dark spots should be passed by, as well as those in which small flowers appear.

Store uncooked cauliflower in the refrigerator preferably in a paper plastic bag. It should remain fresh for to a week.

Did you know?
Cauliflower, a cruciferous vegetable which means it is in the same plant family as broccoli, kale, cabbage and collards.

Cauliflower is an excellent source of:

• vitamin C,
• vitamin K, and
• folate.

It is also a very good source of vitamin B5, potassium, and fiber. Additionally, it is a good source of protein, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, and iron.

It is definitely a nutritional power house!

Ingredients
2 tbsp oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, diced
1 small carrot, grated
1 head cauliflower, 1.5-2 lbs, separate into small florets or chop
6 c vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 c unsalted butter
2/3 c flour
3 c 2% milk, hot
1 tsp salt

What to do

• On low, heat oil in a large pot.
• Add onions and cook until transparent. You do not want to brown them!
• Add celery, carrots, and cauliflower.
• Stirring frequently, cook 15 minutes.
• Add stock, tarragon, thyme, garlic, bay leaf and pepper.
• Season to taste with salt.

Prepare béchamel sauce.

• On low heat, melt butter in saucepan.
• Add flour, stir and cook until a froth forms. Cook 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat, and add the hot milk.
• Whisk to blend.
• Put back on moderately high heat and whisk until sauce comes to a boil.
• Whisk for another minute.
• Remove from heat and add salt.
• Add béchamel sauce to soup.
• Cook for another 10 minutes.
• Remove bay leaves.
• You can serve as is or use a hand blender to puree some of it for a smoother consistency.

Halibut and Spinach Curry

NB: I had planned on posting this in September! Not sure what happened....life I guess! Luckily, this recipe is still perfect for wintery nights. It also is a great dish for those of us with healthy eating resolutions! Enjoy.....

I know summer is barely over but my mind has already turned to crisp fall days and leaves of many colours. And for me, when fall arrives so do big, warm bowls of chowders, soups and currys. Pair these with crispy, buttery garlic bread and you have an easy, yet satisfying meal for yourself and guests.

This is a hearty curry meal that can also be served atop rice instead of bread. If you don't like halibut any other firm white fish will work wonderfully. It is not overly spicy and the left over sauce begs for extra bread to sop up every last bit!

Adapted from Canadian Living.
Serves 4.


Ingredients
1-1/2 lbs halibut
1 tbsp oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp mild curry paste (I use Patak's)
1 tbsp gingerroot, minced (about 2 inch piece)
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground tumeric
4 cups baby spinach
3/4 c crushed tomatoes from can
1 can light coconut milk

What to do

• De-skin fish if required and cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes.
• Heat oil over medium temperature in large sautee pan. Add onion, garlic, curry paste, ginger, coriander, tumeric and salt. Sautee until onion are translucent and soft. About 5 minutes.
• Add spinach and cook until just wilted.
• Add tomatoes and coconut milk.
• Bring to boil.
• Add the fish and immediately reduce heat to simmer fish until cooked. Fish will be done when it can flake apart easily (about 8 minutes).
• Serve.

Carrot and Ginger Soup

This soup tastes great AND is healthy, lowfat and low calorie. The recipe was on an Oprah episode many years ago and it has been on my "go to" soup list ever since.

Learn from my mistakes! The second time I made this soup, we were staying at my future in-laws for the weekend (thankfully they were away). When it was time to blend the soup, I forgot to a) do it in smaller batches and b) to leave off the little lid in the middle of the top of the machine....as soon as I pressed the "puree" button the soup exploded from the container...the walls, the ceiling, the floor, the counters were covered in carrots! I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few orange spots still there! So please, blend in small batches and remove the center vent in the blender lid (cover it with a folded dish cloth and keep it in place with your hand).

PS You can also strain the soup after blending is you want, I prefer the texture without straining it.

Ingredients:
• Cooking oil spray or 2 tsp oil
• 1 thinly sliced large spanish onion
• 1 rib celery, thinly sliced
• 3⁄4 pound carrots, very thinly sliced
• 3 cups vegetable broth or chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
• 1⁄2 c orange juice or 2 freshly squeezed oranges
• 1⁄2 tsp salt
• pepper to taste


What to do:
• Heat a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat.
• Coat with cooking oil spray or oil.
• Add onion and celery and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add carrots and continue to cook for another 5-7 minutes.
• Add broth and ginger; bring to a boil.
• Add orange juice and salt.
• Reduce heat; cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes.
• Transfer mixture in batches to a blender or use an immersion hand held blender.
• Puree until smooth.
• Strain if desired.
• Reheat, if necessary; ladle into bowls or espresso cups.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

'Tis the season for colds, flus and germs in general! So there is no better time than now to share my recipe for chicken noodle soup. I promise it tastes better than anything you can get out of a can...and even when you are sick and your taste buds are seeminly on vacation, you will love this soup.

Ingredients
6 cups chicken stock (I prefer homemade but store bought will do)
500 grams broad egg noodles (more or less depending on how noodly you like it)
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced
2 tsp oil
1 tsp medium strength curry powder
2-3 large carrots, chopped
1 leek, chopped (green and white parts only)
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 cups cooked chicken, pulled apart (save time and use a freshly precooked chicken from grocery store)

What to do

• In a large stock pot or pan, heat oil.
• Sautee onion, carrots, jalapeno and celery for about 4 minutes, until onions are translucent.
• Add curry powder and stir for 30 seconds.
• Add stock and bring to boil.
• Add pasta.
• Cook according to time on pasta package for al dente. Al dente is important as pasta will cook more when reheated.
• Add chicken and heat through.
• Serve.

If desired separate into individual containers and freeze. I find the egg noodles have a better consistency and less texture change when defrosted than other pastas.

Butternut Squash & Sage Soup

Not your ordinary cup-a-soup!

I'm on a soup kick. Black bean, pumpkin, and chicken noodle soups...all made from scratch recently. This one is butternut squash and sage. The two flavours work really well together to make a creamy and hearty soup. But don't mistake the creaminess for calories...there is no cream in the recipe. In fact, the calorie count for a cup and a half is about 200.

You also have the option of steaming or roasting the squash. I prefer the roasting method as it brings out more flavour and natural sweetness of the squash. If you choose to steam it peel and chop the squash into 2 inch chunks before steaming. If you roast it, I recommend 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Just cut the squash lengthwise in half and rub with a little olive oil and salt. Place on a pan cut side down. Once roasted and cool enough to touch, scrape out squash and you're ready to go.

Ingredients
3 medium size butternut squash
1 large sweet vidalia onion, chopped
1 medium leek, chopped (white and light green parts only)
1 apple, peeled and cored, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
4 cups of stock (chicken or vegetable)
2 tsp oil
1-1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp pepper
salt to taste

What to do

• Steam or roast squash as discussed above.
• Add oil to frying pan and saute onion, leek and apple over medium heat for 5 minutes.
• Add pepper, garlic and sage. Saute for another minute.
• Add stalk and squash.
• Bring to boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes.
• Using immersion blender, puree soup. If using a regular blender, puree in batches.
• Salt to taste.
• Enjoy now or freeze for later!

Pumpkin-Apple Soup

Normally, I wouldn't be jumping back on the pumpkin band wagon so soon after the holidays but this soup is just too good to resist. And it is a great option for anyone who is hanging on to their New Year Resolution of eating in a healthy, low-fat and high fibre kind-of-way! It has less than 100 calories in a cup (makes 8 cups), 5 grams of fibre and 4 grams of protein.

I often make a batch and freeze this soup in individual servings. During the week I just pull them out for lunches as needed.

Adapted from the New Complete Cookbook
Ingredients
2 teaspoons cumin
1 large spanish onion, chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp smoked paprika or cayenne pepper
4-5 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
2 cans (15 ounces) real  pumpkin (NOT pie fillling)
1/2 cup apple sauce, unsweetened
1/4 tsp pepper
3 tbsp lime juice, optional
thyme sprigs for garnish

What to do

• Heat oil in a large pot and cook onions until translucent - about five minutes.
• Add cinnamon, paprika, and cumin. Stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant (do not burn!).
• Add all remainng ingredients.
• Using a hand blender, carefully puree soup.
• Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
• If using lime juice add just before serving.
• Garnish dishes with thyme sprigs.

Enjoy!

Note: If you don't have a hand blender, add onions mixture to blender and add 1 cup of stock. Puree. Pour back into pot and add the rest of the ingredients. Continue as directed.