The blender is a fun little gadget that I use when I want to be creative. I do not have one of those fancy do every thing from dice to slice to chop kind of blenders. My blender is a very small one but it does what I ask it to do.
The most common reason I will use my blender is to make icy drinks. My kids love it on a hot sunny day when I take some drink crystal and mix it with ice to make snow cone style drink for the. Crystals come in all flavors. Many times I will have to make two different flavors that have contrast in color. Kids seem to really like having multiple color and flavors in one drink.
When I want to put a twist on my little blender I will add yogurt. You can simply blend yogurt and ice or you can add yogurt to a blended drink to make it creamy. You have to be careful about your colors and this kind of mixing can create a very unappealing color.
The blender is also a very useful tool when it comes to making salsa. My salsa is never the same twice which is too bad because I have made some amazing salsa with my blender. Every salsa I make is done the same way, half the ingredients are put into the blender and turned into puree. The puree is added to the finely chopped salsa ingredients. If you like your salsa chunky this is the way to do it. I would blend the beans is you like beans in your salsa as it will make it look more like mud.
This last one might seem a little strange but I was so surprised when I tried it on my self. Alfredo sauce is one on my favorite sauces to eat on pasta. We all know that Alfredo is also very fattening and great if you want to clog your arteries. I have tried eating lighter versions of Alfredo and I have never been pleased with the outcome. One day I tried something completely different. I put cottage cheese in my blender with enough half and half cream to get it to blend. I added some garlic, pepper and a pinch of cinnamon. I was blown away at the taste. The cottage cheese completely absorbed all the flavors and was creamy smooth without all the fat. The best part is Cottage cheese is loaded with protein so this was good for me.
I ate a lot of cottage cheese based Alfredo that year. I did lean it up by switching to milk instead of half and half. I hope these tips help you use your blender more.