#Giveaway: Red Hot #Blendtec (ends 2/12, US only)

Hello There! WELCOME TO
THE RED HOT BLENDTEC GIVEAWAY
Hosted by My Vegan Gluten-Free Life

Most of you have probably known me as an advocate for VitaMix, so why on earth would I be reviewing the Blendtec now? 

Let me share a story with you about how this BLENDTEC giveaway came about. When I was on vacation in New York City last November 2012, my girlfirend and I were surfing TV channels and happened upon one that was talking about Vitamix and Blendtec. It explained how Vitamix had copied another company's (Blendtec) mixing jar. That case was taken to court and the court agreed with Blendtec. Vitamix lost, and Blendtec from K-Tec, Inc. was awarded a multimillion dollar judgment. I almost had to pull my jaw up from the floor! My friend and I looked at each other, and I asked her, "How can I promote a company that stole another company's design"?

If you want the details, you can read more about this federal court ruling here. I will now be affiliating with Blendtec. 

Sponsored by Blendtec Blenders

Hosted by My Vegan Gluten-Free Life.

Thank you to the following Co-Hosts: Coupons with Q, Mom Blog Society, My Old Coke County Home, The Saturday Evening Pot, Stay a Stay at Home Mom, Kids Cooking Activities, To Cook With Love, Bay Area Mommy,

Blendtec is offering their Blendtec Designer Series blender with a Wildside Jar and a Twister Jar as a Prize for this Red Hot Blendtec Giveaway!

The winner can choose from a base that is Red, Black, White or Champagne and get a Wildside Jar and Twister Jar to use with the base unit. This Prize is valued over $500! Thank you Blendtec!

Review (by My Vegan Gluten-Free Life) and the Giveaway below...

But first, you have got to watch this funny video from Blendtec: "Does It Blend?"

PICTURE OF THE BLENDTEC BLENDER I CHOSE FOR MY BLENDTEC REVIEW:

The Blendtec Designer came in one package with the Wildside Jar, Spatula, and 2
Cookbooks. The Twister Jar came separately. Both were packaged extremely well and nothing was dented or damaged.

I was really excited about the cookbook that came with the Blendtec. It is spiral bound and hard sided and someone that is really into eating healthy has put down some fabulous recipes! The recipes are labeled as to whether they are Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegan, RAW and low sodium recipes as well as regular recipes that require wheat, meat and dairy. There are even recipes for exfoliating and skin care, plus recipes for your pet as well! The recipes also have nutritional and calorie counts. In addition there are recipes for making your own flour. You do NOT need a separate container to make flour like you do for the Vitamix. That is a huge plus in my book. And there are recipes for making your own nut milks. Speaking of nut milks...I decided to see how Blendtec compared with the Vitamix in making Almond Milk since I use alot of home-made almond milk.

I was thrilled because the lid of the Blendtec is much easier to use than the lid on the VitaMix. Previously, I had to ask my husband to take the lid off the VitaMix because my arthritic hands could not unlock it. I was shocked at how powerful the Blendtec machine is in comparison. I do not soak the Almonds when I make Almond milk. I use them straight out of the bag. The Blendtec has pre-programmed cycles, so I pressed the cycle for the milk. This machine is fast and powerful! When the cycle ended and I poured the ingredients into the strainer I noticed the feel of the almond pulp was much finer than the other machine and the milk seemed to have more almond flavor.

My next comparison was to blend a quick gluten-free bread. I couldn't believe how quickly this machine whizzed this mix together. I pulsed the Blendtec a couple times, scraped down the sides once and hit pulse again and it was done! The bread turned out fabulously and my husband loved the texture and flavor. I have to mention, again, how easy the lid is to handle on these Blendtec containers. I also like the wider container size that has the same volume as the taller Vitamix container. The Blendtec WildSide container is easier for me to handle. The Blendtec also fits on the machine and under my cabinets where the other machine does not.

The Twister container is used for tackling thicker dough and comes with a small recipe booklet. There are recipes items that require high speeds or have heavy doughs such as Dairy-Free Ice Creams, pasta dough, pizza dough, nut butters and many other recipes. To test the Twitster Container I made the recipe for Whole Wheat Spinach Pasta but substituted gluten-free flour and I didn't have spinach, so I substituted cilantro. It was a very thick dough but I used the special spatula, Spectacula, as it is called, which made it very easy to remove the ingredients and very easy to clean the container. This dough was very easy to make with the Blendtec, and the noodles held up very well despite using gluten-free flour!

My final thoughts on the Blendtec are that it is a more powerful machine than the Vitamix and you do not need a plunger to use with the Blendtec. I like the fact that I do not have to open the top of the lid to push down food when you use a Blendtec. It is very easy to use and I like the fact that Blendtec provides a separate container, the Twister Jar, to handle thicker projects. I also love the Blendtec lids. I can easily use them and remove them myself without any help. This fact makes it much easier for me to cook when I am at home alone. I also love the service that Blendtec has provided me in the short time I have known them. I am proud to be affiliated with Blendtec and I highly recommend them.

Giveaway is open only to US residents (ages 18+) and will end on February 12, 2013 at 12:59 PM EST
Enter on the Rafflecopter form below. Lots of luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I did not receive any financial compensation for this post. My thoughts and opinions could differ largely from your own. This blog, PICTURE CLUSTERS (and it's owner) is not responsible for prize shipment.