With warmer temperatures and spring’s bright sunshine begging us to play outdoors, we’re craving lighter, healthier fare these days. There’s something about spending an afternoon poolside and soaking up rays that always makes me want to eat lighter, fresher meals. Winter brings big pots of comforting soups, stews and mounds of oven-roasted meats, but spring brings colorful green salads, chilled soups and frozen drinks.
Whether you have elaborate plans for spring entertaining or if you’re just having a couple of friends over to chat by the pool and watch the littles play together, the KitchenAid® Diamond Blender makes whipping up warm-weather appetizers a breeze. Scroll down for a giveaway!
The blender is available in a spectrum of beautiful colors like bright Cranberry, Green Apple or spunky Tangerine, but as soon as I saw the Crystal Blue model… I melted. I love this color.
My favorite treat on warm, sunny days is anything drinkable and frozen. When I had the opportunity to try out the KitchenAid® Diamond Blender, I couldn’t wait to fill our glasses with something icy and fruity.
I used a couple cupfuls of frozen whole strawberries and even though they were pretty solid, they were no match for the capabilities of this blender!
Its motor is crazy powerful and blended up frozen fruits in nearly an instant. I used the blender for several smoothie recipes and never found chunks of unblended fruit at the bottom of my glass. The BPA-free diamond pitcher’s walls are very sturdy and it locks into place so securely that you don’t have to worry about the ferociousness of the motor knocking it off balance.
You’ll have 5 settings on the LED-lit interface: stir, chop, mix, puree and liquify as well as a pulse button and crush ice mode. And, its Intelli-Speed® Motor Control senses contents and maintains optimal speed to power through all ingredients.
To pair with your frozen, fruity beverages, the blender makes whipping up salsa a breeze and it’s perfect for poolside entertaining. Also use it to make chilled soups (my favorites are Cucumber Mint and Broccoli/Arugula) and quick sauces or pesto to top grilled meats or to dress your antipasto plate.
The possibilities are endless! Check out my recipe for a Quick Blender Salsa below…
Quick Blender Salsa
*Adapted from Pioneer Woman’s recipe
28oz. can of whole tomatoes and its juice
2 cans of Mild Rotel (or Spicy if you need more of a kick)
2 limes, juiced (1 zested)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small sweet onion, charred
2 Serrano peppers, charred
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground Ancho Chile Pepper
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
Dash cayenne, to taste
1 cup cilantro, packed
Simply put, throw all the ingredients together in your blender and puree until smooth.
But let’s walk it through too just for the fun of it…
Everything you’ll need for a quick (and highly addictive) salsa
Start with your canned tomatoes. Empty them and their juices into your KitchenAid® Blender.
Zest one lime and dump that in too.
Squeeze in every drop of lime juice that you can get out of both of ’em.
Roughly chop 2 cloves of garlic and toss it in.
Roughly chop your onion (earlier, I had halved it and quickly charred it on the grill along with both peppers for a little bit of roasty smokiness) and both Serrano peppers and add those to the blender.
Measure out all of your spices (perfection is not necessary… just go with what you like!) and pour those right on top. Sprinkle on a dash or two of cayenne if you like it extra spicy.
Pile as much cilantro as you can at the top, replace the lid and blend until smooth!
Want one for yourself? Visit kitchenaid.com and pick your favorite color!
Giveaway Details
Wanna a chance to win one for free?! The folks at KitchenAid® are sending one lucky reader their very own KitchenAid® Diamond Blender ($149.99 value). Enter below!
THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED. CONGRATS TO OUR WINNER: BRIAN E!
We received complimentary samples to facilitate the writeup; however, our opinions are wholly our own. View our Disclosure Policy for more info.