Cooking

[Traab]

There's a clip on youtube where somebody ordered steak tartare then complained it wasn't medium well done.

This was to chef Gordon Ramsay - it didn't end well.

Can you give me a link or a video name I can look for? I love watching him totally go off his nut on someone. I have this mental image of him one day being so pissed he turns off the cameras then when they turn back on the offending person is gone, and there is broken furniture around the room, and ramsey has a bit of blood on his face. *EDIT* Never mind, I found it. Heh, guy came up like he was some sort of big bad expert. He wouldnt know low grade meat if he dropped his pants and stared.

[Karoht]

Customers are dumb.
In regards to complaints about Ramsey, spoilered for off-topic:

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I constantly tell people, if it was your money being pissed down a drain by morons on your payroll you would swear too. This logic applies to all his shows. When he goes to help a struggling restaurant (Kitchen Nightmares), he puts in his own money, only to have the owner tell him that he doesn't know what he's doing? Bulltonkey. When he is trying to pick out a new chef to run a brand new several million dollar restaurant, he's not there to teach people what to do, he's there to weed out the wheat from the chaff. If you can't take him telling you off, you aren't going to do well when some self entitled moron (entitled because of the number of zeros on his paycheck) tells you off for not cooking his steak tartare medium well.

Now, that out of the way, on to some food stuff.

My fiancee and I have been uber busy lately. Haven't really put a lot of oomf or major effort into making anything in the last few months. We really need to fix that soon.

Risotto. Why on earth does it cost an arm and a leg in a restaurant when it is easy to make and made from cheap ingredients? I'll never know.
So I figure if I'm going to go to the effort of making Risotto, I'm going to make it my way, make it worth the effort.

First and foremost, I start with my stock. I make a turkey/chicken stock. It's not difficult to collect turkey and chicken bones and related gizzards and drippings (I keep a great big bag in the freezer) and boil them down.

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Tip 1: Use a lower heat, take your time. It's bones and drippings boiling/simmering, there's no rush. Heck, for me it becomes a 2 day process usually.
Tip 2: Don't fuss about removing the fat while it's on the heat. When you are done simmering it and straining out the bones and the bits, leave it in the fridge overnight. The fat will rise and congeal, skim it off in the morning. OR, place it into individual containers in the freezer, and scrape it off the top when you use the stock. This will also allow you to do things such as use the turkey/chicken fat for carmellizing onions and such.
Tip 3: Caramellize before you boil/simmer. A good stock has more to it than drippings and bones and meaty bits. Rough chop an onion or two, some carrots, some mushrooms. Toss them in with a bit of butter, give them some time on the heat, then add your bones and water. Leeks and celery are also your friends, whole cloves of garlic contribute greatly.
Tip 4: Break up the bones. Bone marrow adds flavor. And while the boiling/simmering process will eventually release that marrow, getting some of that out early gives it more time to interact, therefore contributing more to the flavor. I use a potato masher and try to break them up every time I check on the stock.

Once we have a stock ready to go (like I said, two day process for me, I greatly enjoy just making a stock), lets talk about other ingredients in a risotto.
Rice-Arborio, I make 2 cups worth at a time, as such I go through about 2 liters of stock. We tried making it with that Parboiled rice you can find, I wouldn't recommend it. Jasmine rice worked out sort of okay (went mushy really fast though), basmati was similar. Trust me, get some Arborio.
Wine-As dry a white wine as one can find. Fruity white wines I find just add too much sugary flavor. Then again, I also like my risotto to actually TASTE of the white wine to some degree. One or two cups is fine, I usually push 3. IF you are going to use red wine, pair the risotto with a beef dish. But if you are using red, dry as you can find it, or it will overpower almost everything.
Cheese-Fresh mozzarella (not the stuff that comes in blocks) and one 'old' cheese. Pay for some good parma or even pecorino, asiago I find is a bit hit and miss.
Herbs-Basil. You can totally cheat and use a basil pesto. Oregano and Thyme are also excellent choices.
Optional Ingredients-Pine nuts give a good woody flavor, it adds a nice contrast. Dried cranberries are AMAZING in risotto but add them close to the end. Peas are nice, give it some greenery.

Method

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Bring about 6-8 cups of stock to a boil. Warning, depending on the elevation and relative humidity of your region, you may need more stock, you may need less. Worst case scenario, when the pan gets low, add in some water, or more stock if you have it. And keep a lid on the pot so it doesn't reduce too much.

In a pan (non-stick is good but not required) toss in some diced onions with a bit of oil. When they start to sweat, hit that with a dash of the white wine and a dash of your stock. Not much, just enough to moisten the pan really.

Once the pan dries out, add in a bit more oil, and slowly sprinkle in your rice. Dry. Yes, dry, we don't boil or parboil it first (restaurants do, but they cheat). This is to coat the rice in the oils, and lightly toast the rice a bit. I typically add about a tablespoon of cold butter right about now, just helps everything blend. Keep it moving, don't let it fry. When all the rice looks shiney like it is sweating, add in your first cup of wine. And don't forget to take a big whiff of that amazing vapor, it is going to smell delicious. Stir, keep it moving, keep it from sticking. Once the pan dries out again, we begin with the stock.

Now take a ladel or two of that nice rich stock we made, and pour that into the pan. Keep the mixture moving, but try not to splash it around. For the first two cups of stock (and that first cup of wine) it is a wise idea to use a lid when you are not stirring. It's going to lock in the heat and keep it from reducing too fast. After about 5 minutes of this, the pan should be getting drier, and the rice should be getting a bit more plump and soft. That's good.

Continue adding in stock any time the pan looks too dry. You'll notice that this will all start to thicken. The stock is reducing, and the rice is giving off it's starch which also thickens it. Thats what you want to see. Keep tasting it constantly, if the rice is still too hard, keep going.

After the 3rd or 4th round of adding in stock, I typically add in some of those herbs we discussed, or some pesto, or both. This is the first course of such a treatment, I recommend half now, and the other half much closer to the end. Especially if you are working with fresh herbs.

Once the rice is getting close to done (soft on the outside, little bullet on the inside) this is when I start adding in some of those extras. Frozen peas at this stage are a good idea. They will add some more moisture to the pan that way (but will still need a ladel of stock to geth them going). I usually add in dried cranberries at about the same time, which keeps the pan from getting too watery. Grated carrot isn't bad either. Chopped mushrooms are wonderful.

Give that another ladel or two of stock, and if the rice is ready, we begin the final processes. Wine and cheese, and any remaining herbs.
Wine first, don't add any stock with this if you can avoid it. Wait until this is JUST starting to dry out. Then add in a fresh ladel or two of stock (probably the last of it) and your cheese and your herbs. The wine will perk up the onions again, mellow out the stock flavors. I usually add in about a teaspoon of cold butter at about this time, it helps things blend a bit better, integrates the herbs and the cheese as well. Once these are in, turn off the heat.

Tip 1: If you want to add in mushrooms and give them a bit of a sear first, I recommend the following in place of that last round of white wine. In a separate pan, fry up your mushrooms (and maybe a tiny amount of onion and garlic) until they brown up, and use a cup of white wine to deglaze the pan directly into the risotto pan. Stir.

Tip 2: Remember that turkey/chicken fat from the stock? The stuff you scraped out? It makes an excellent cooking oil for use on the risotto, just add it in when you are sweating your onions. Or browning those mushrooms. Or both.

[Deepbluediver]

Risotto. Why on earth does it cost an arm and a leg in a restaurant when it is easy to make and made from cheap ingredients? I'll never know.

From everything I've read, making a good risotto isn't complicated, but it requires constant attention.

For a good many meals, I can dump everything on one pot, put in on medium heat, then walk away for a while. Frying in a pan requires the occasional stir, but still not much attention; I can clean or prepare a salad while things bake/broil/simmer/saute/steam, etc.
Whereas with a risotto it needs to be stirred continuasly, adding in more liquid in dribs and drabs so it gets creamy without going mushy or burning.

Every depiction of a restaurant-kitchen I've ever seen has everyone rushing around constantly, doing about 8 things at once. Making a single serving of risotto probably limits what else you can do, so either everything backs up, or the rest of the kitchen needs to pick up the slack. Hence, restaurants price it high to discourage you from buying it.


That would be my assessment, but I've never actually made risotto or worked in a professional kitchen before, so maybe others can confirm or rebut that hypothesis.
What I want to try making is a seafood risotto; I don't get enough chances to eat fish.

[Vizzerdrix]

Six chicken breasts, half an onion, two potatoes sliced about half an inch thick. layer the whole thing in a baking dish and drown it in salad dressing (I prefer Cesar dressing). Bake it at 450 for about an hour and a half or until the taters are done. Takes five minutes to prep.

[KacyCrawford]

Good if you can post the recipies, I can try it out myslef

[thubby]

Customers are dumb.
In regards to complaints about Ramsey, spoilered for off-topic:

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I constantly tell people, if it was your money being pissed down a drain by morons on your payroll you would swear too. This logic applies to all his shows. When he goes to help a struggling restaurant (Kitchen Nightmares), he puts in his own money, only to have the owner tell him that he doesn't know what he's doing? Bulltonkey. When he is trying to pick out a new chef to run a brand new several million dollar restaurant, he's not there to teach people what to do, he's there to weed out the wheat from the chaff. If you can't take him telling you off, you aren't going to do well when some self entitled moron (entitled because of the number of zeros on his paycheck) tells you off for not cooking his steak tartare medium well.

"the world isn't nice so im going to use that as an excuse to be a jerk"? ya, no. he is a grown man fully in command of and responsible for himself. there are perfectly civil ways to criticize and even fire someone.

the only thing I've done of late that's of note is grilled honey lime chicken. putting together the marinade and the glaze is a nightmare but the end result is a sticky, sweet, lime flavored deliciousness that I still havent found the proper side dish for.

also, fun fact, the stuff dripping off your raw meats isn't blood. it's a byproduct of what happens as the muscle tissues break down.

[Traab]

"the world isn't nice so im going to use that as an excuse to be a jerk"? ya, no. he is a grown man fully in command of and responsible for himself. there are perfectly civil ways to criticize and even fire someone.

the only thing I've done of late that's of note is grilled honey lime chicken. putting together the marinade and the glaze is a nightmare but the end result is a sticky, sweet, lime flavored deliciousness that I still havent found the proper side dish for.

also, fun fact, the stuff dripping off your raw meats isn't blood. it's a byproduct of what happens as the muscle tissues break down.

Yeah but he also has to make an entertaining tv show. Part of the reason american idol was so huge was simon cowel being an absolute MONSTER to people. In fact, thats probably what caused good old ramsey to get his shot on tv. I imagine the tv exec meeting went like this.

Chief "Ok guys, we need ideas! Whats hot right now?"

Random exec 1 "Well, American idol is getting fairly massive ratings and there is a big buzz about it."

Chief "Perfect! So america seems to like the competition shows right now. We need to come up with a new and different competition that hasnt been done a million times before."

Random exec 2 "Well, I caught an interesting program once, called Iron Chef. Seems to be a big hit. Get a couple cooks together and have them compete to make the best food."

Chief "Hmm, promising, but we cant just directly copy that, (its already been done) so how about making it a bunch of chefs competing to say, open a restaurant or at least be named head chef at a well known location?"

Random exec 1 "I dunno chief, I think it might need a hook. How about this? On Idol, one of the biggest talking points is about one of the judges, Simon Cowel. This man is BRUTAL to the contestants. He has no problem shattering their dreams into a million pieces and leaving them to cry tears he probably uses to cut his drinks with later. If we can find a judge that can do that for this show, it could be HUGE!"

Chief " PERFECT! Wrap a bow on it, find me the nastiest talented chef in the world, and submit it at the next meeting."

[Brother Oni]

"the world isn't nice so im going to use that as an excuse to be a jerk"? ya, no. he is a grown man fully in command of and responsible for himself. there are perfectly civil ways to criticize and even fire someone.

Spoilered for off topic.

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He typically is not as aggressive in less stressed environments. I think his appearances on the US Masterchef are what he's usually like when not dealing with the same idiot for the umpteenth time that evening.

There's a good clip where a contestant gets angry at Ramsay for repeatedly using a diminutive of his name (Bob or Rob instead of Robert I think). The bloke goes in and explains the situation regarding his name, Ramsay apologises for doing so and says he'll make an effort to call him by his proper name in future.

Speaking as someone who's worked in a management position in a high throughput environment like that, when you have somebody constantly messing up, costing you time and money, not to mention damage to your reputation, you're liable to start shouting when they mess up (again), particularly if they're trying to pull the wool over your eyes and blame someone else.

Story time - a co-worker once gave me the wrong address for a delivery. After attempting to deliver to the wrong address, I had to return back to the shop for their number, call the customer up to get their right address, then go out and deliver again.

When I called the co-worker out on it, she refused to take responsibility, saying 'that's what they told me'.

So what's more likely? A customer that doesn't know their own home address, or you mishearding or writing down their address wrong?
"That's what they told me."

[Aedilred]

Yeah but he also has to make an entertaining tv show. Part of the reason american idol was so huge was simon cowel being an absolute MONSTER to people. In fact, thats probably what caused good old ramsey to get his shot on tv. I imagine the tv exec meeting went like this.

Ramsay's TV career actually started (in the UK) before Cowell's, although the success of Cowell's shows in the US might have influenced the decision to bring Ramsay over from the UK too.

[Deepbluediver]

I have a new favorite food.


Basically I got a cookbook with nothing but Taco recipes in it as a present, and I've been trying out some new combinations other than ground beef with cheese.

Peel and dice 1 medium butternut squash. Coat with a tablespoon or two of oil. Put on a baking tray and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 for 40 minutes, then broil for 3 to crisp them up.

Take ~2 pounds of pork, and dice into small pieces (1/2-1 inch, approx). Fry in a pan with a little oil and 1 packet taco seasoning. When browned, add 2/3 a cup salsa, 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce, and hot sauce/tabasco/cheyenne to taste.

Serve on a soft tortilla shell with sliced raw pablano peppers, top with white sauce (mix of 1 scoop each sour cream, mayo, and yogurt, plus some cumin and cilantro).

The combination of sweet, spicy, and savory worked better than I could possibly have hoped. It took all my will power to put the leftovers in the fridge instead of just pigging out and finishing everything.

[Creed]

I'm a big fan of ginger ale, and lately I've been manufacturing two-liters of the stuff on a regular basis to dispel the blazing heat of summer. Here's the recipe I work off of, courtesy of Alton Brown:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/a...ipe/index.html

[Ravens_cry]

Chief " PERFECT! Wrap a bow on it, find me the nastiest talented chef in the world, and submit it at the next meeting."

Which is why I do not watch the show. My favourite cooking show right now is, or was, but, hey, youtube, Good Eats.
A mix of exploring the science, silly comedy and a noted lack of over-presentation, I love that show.

[warty goblin]

Here's a nice, simple sandwich, which is a staple of my come-home-hungry cooking:

You need:
Bread
Pineapple
Onion
Cheese
Bacon Grease

Cut two slices of pineapple, about half an inch thick, cut off the skin and remove the core, and toss 'em in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Cut four slices of bread, and spread one side of each with the bacon grease. You can also use butter, but the bacon adds a lot of flavor. Cut a couple rings off the onion, and two pieces of cheese.

Once the pineapple is brown on the bottom, flip it and cook the reverse. Add the bread to the skillet, and cook bacon-side down until golden brown. It's OK to do this in shifts if they all don't fit with the pineapple. At some point, put the cheese on the pineapple, so it gets all melty about the time the pineapple is cooked on the bottom.

Put the pineapple on the bread, cover with the onion, and close the whole thing up to make a sandwich. It's fast, tastes as good as lot of restaurant food, and goes well with sides ranging from fruit to salads to french fries.

[Knaight]

I've been a pretty lazy cook recently, but that doesn't mean there's been nothing of interest. Most notably, there were Fourth of July leftovers that actually worked really well. As such:

Steamed Marinade Grains

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Get some tuna steaks, stick them in a bag. Add about 1/2 cup of wine, 4 cups of water, and a lot of lemon pepper. Marinade for as long as possible, then keep the marinade after cooking and eating the tuna.

Take this marinade, and put it in a pot, rice cooker, whatever. Add in a mixture of white rice and lentils, which are then spiced more heavily. Tumeric, cumin, Kabsah spices*, and yet more lemon pepper are the main parts, offset by rosemary, oregano, salt, and mint. Mix these into each other thoroughly.

Cut potatoes into small pieces, and place them on any sort of dish with a mesh or hole-filled bottom. Don't spice these, at least not heavily. Optionally, add some sort of dried meat as well.

Cook the rice and lentils, using the steam from them to cook the potatoes (and possibly meat). All of this should be in a closed container. When the rice and lentils are cooked, everything else will be as well. Serve them unmixed, as just a bunch of potatoes, a bunch of rice and lentils.

*This is a pre-made spice mix from Saudi Arabia for a regional dish. It is also optional.

Note that I was cooking just with what was on hand, for a group with particular tastes. Had this not been the case, ginger and anise would have been in there.

[Crow]

I made a Pasta Puttanesca the other day which, if I say so myself, was really good. The ingredients aren't all that cheap and skinning the tomatoes is a bit of a pain, but it's well worth it in flavour, and I say that as a dedicated carnivore. I made a large quantity of it and have the rest for re-heating on a future occasion if I feel the need.

Damn, that sounds delicious.

As a dedicated carnivore, you may like one of these:

Broccoflower with Spicy Italian Sausage

That recipe is my go-to when I want something easy, and is generally for non-workout days. It says it will serve two to four, but I pretty much eat it all.

CFFB Chili

Another easy one. Multiply the recipe by 4. Prepped at the beginning of the week for my lunches, and also completely guilt free. I don't do the chili mix, and instead use chili powder and cumin to taste (generally 1/2 cup of chili powder, and 1/4 to 1/2 of cumin).

[scienceguy8]

This is a particular favorite of mine. I got it from my dad, who seems to be morally opposed to measuring anything. The measurements are rough estimates on my part.

Combine a cup and a half of brown sugar, a teaspoon of garlic powder, three or four teaspoons of low sodium soy sauce, and a shot or two of whisky or bourbon (they are basically the same save for location, whiskey is from Ireland, bourbon is from the Southern United States, both are distilled grain alcohol allowed to age in charred barrels for a few years). Combine with roughly a pound of either chicken or pork, whole or cubed, and allow to soak for a while. A while could be as little as 30 minutes on the counter, just before cooking, or as long as 24 hours in the refrigerator. Dump the meat and the glaze directly into a deep 12 inch cast iron skillet and cook until the meat is done. Serve your delicious bourbon chicken or pork on top of or with rice, a salad, or steamed vegetables. Alternatively, as the meat comes close to done, toss in a bag of microwaved frozen stir fry vegetables. Alternatively alternatively, when the meat is done, evacuate the meat and cook carrots in the glaze.

Forgot to mention, the glaze also works well with salmon. It might also work with steak from what I once tasted in a restaurant, but honestly most steaks don't need a lot of fussing or seasoning. I can't bring myself to "ruin" a steak like that.

[Pepz]

Risotto is one of my go-to favourites :) For some reason people are always impressed when I tell them I make it regularly. I've tried all kinds of different recipes but the most fun to make was the beet an feta risotto. It was horribly pink but still really tasty :)

Other favourites are my "I can feed 5 people for 3 euros" chili sin carne and a hearty meal of grilled sausage, grey peas, leek and picalilly sauce.

[Togath]

I've started making Onigiri recently.. though I've only done Tilapia filling so far.
I've also been thinking of trying to learn how to make candies.. In particular I found a recipe for candy corn, which has always been one of my favorites

[Vizzerdrix]

Longhorn Steak house makes amazing shrimp and I've started trying to backwards engineer it from scratch. No success so far.

I'm also trying to recreate the coconut sauce like you get at Chinese buffets up here in New England. Also no success.

[noparlpf]

Other favourites are my "I can feed 5 people for 3 euros" chili sin carne and a hearty meal of grilled sausage, grey peas, leek and picalilly sauce.

I like chili with beef better, but that's only really affordable when there's a sale on meat.

[Togath]

I'm also trying to recreate the coconut sauce like you get at Chinese buffets up here in New England. Also no success.

Have you tried the juice of coconuts yet?
I know it can be turned into a solid gelatin-like desert, so a sauce doesn't seem too far-fetched(if I can make one out of limes and ginger[with a little starch] I don't see why you couldn't do so with coconut milk/juice)

[warty goblin]

I like chili with beef better, but that's only really affordable when there's a sale on meat.

My general complaint with beef chili is that usually isn't so much chili as liquefied hamburger that contains a few beans.


Made beanburgers for the parents tonight. For some reason my parents are convinced beanburgers are this quasi-alchemical process. Take cooked beans, smash them with a bottle, add an egg or two, salt, pepper, and then stir in flour and rolled oats until it forms a paste that can hold together. Then cook. The only reason I don't have a recipe is that due to the variable moisture content of the beans, the amount of flour and rolled oats isn't fixed.

[noparlpf]

My general complaint with beef chili is that usually isn't so much chili as liquefied hamburger that contains a few beans.

I usually do about fifty-fifty. A pound of dry beans (which like, triple in size by the time they're done cooking) and maybe a pound and a half to two pounds of meat for a pot works pretty well for me.

Made beanburgers for the parents tonight. For some reason my parents are convinced beanburgers are this quasi-alchemical process. Take cooked beans, smash them with a bottle, add an egg or two, salt, pepper, and then stir in flour and rolled oats until it forms a paste that can hold together. Then cook. The only reason I don't have a recipe is that due to the variable moisture content of the beans, the amount of flour and rolled oats isn't fixed.

Ooh, that sounds interesting. If I had any flour or oats or eggs I'd try it...maybe when I get around to shopping this week.

[warty goblin]

I usually do about fifty-fifty. A pound of dry beans (which like, triple in size by the time they're done cooking) and maybe a pound and a half to two pounds of meat for a pot works pretty well for me.

Reasonable. I've made some fairly stellar chili using pork sausage as well, although that I keep quite dry, so I can put it in sandwiches.

Ooh, that sounds interesting. If I had any flour or oats or eggs I'd try it...maybe when I get around to shopping this week.

The only tricks are:
1) Use chickpeas. Other beans work, but chickpeas are by far the best in my experience.

2) Some recipes say you can use a food processor to pulp the beans. In my experience this breaks them down too much, so they don't stick together very well. I put 'em in a bowl and smash them with an empty beer bottle, which breaks the beans apart without cutting the fibers that allow them to bind. It's OK for some of the beans to be intact, or nearly so, just so long as most of them are paste.

3) Just add flour and rolled oats until the paste can be formed into patties that hold together. Oats soak up moisture from the eggs, and the flour makes the bean paste stickier, but the mix is very forgiving. I find it best to stir with a fork, and to wet my hands before pattying out the mix.

[Pepz]

Yeah, the bean burgers definitely sound interesting. I'll give em a try this week.

I love internet cooking tips:

I put 'em in a bowl and smash them with an empty beer bottle,

You won't hear that on Master Chef ;)

[Vizzerdrix]

Have you tried the juice of coconuts yet?
I know it can be turned into a solid gelatin-like desert, so a sauce doesn't seem too far-fetched(if I can make one out of limes and ginger[with a little starch] I don't see why you couldn't do so with coconut milk/juice)

Yup. No luck there. I can taste mayonnaise in it ( as can several of my friends) but I can't get any part of it right. Mayo, coconut oil and sugar was the closest I could get, but it was still off.

[TheThan]

I’m looking for a recipe for a real fruit smoothy that doesn’t use dairy, no milk or yogurt.
I don’t suppose anyone has any such ideas.

[Togath]

Yup. No luck there. I can taste mayonnaise in it ( as can several of my friends) but I can't get any part of it right. Mayo, coconut oil and sugar was the closest I could get, but it was still off.

brown sugar maybe then? or perhaps molasses.

Is it sweet? Spicy? Tangy? Creamy?

[noparlpf]

I’m looking for a recipe for a real fruit smoothy that doesn’t use dairy, no milk or yogurt.
I don’t suppose anyone has any such ideas.

Hmm, try searching for vegan fruit smoothie recipes. Here's some suggestions. (They look kind of complicated and fancy though.)

[Karoht]

I’m looking for a recipe for a real fruit smoothy that doesn’t use dairy, no milk or yogurt.
I don’t suppose anyone has any such ideas.

Sadly I don't have a suggestion for you.

But I found a really really cheap and convenient alternative to buying frozen yogurt for smoothies.
Freeze yogurt. I'm 100% serious.
Frozen yogurt per gram works out to about 3 times the cost of an equivilant mass of non-frozen yogurt. Yogurt tends to get put on sale regularly. Buy yogurt, throw it in the freezer. Granted, eating this frozen yogurt isn't as tasty. Mostly because store bought frozen yogurt contains more sugar and flavoring.

The cool part is, you can usually buy those individual sized packs of yogurt on sale at a reasonable price. Throw them in the freezer. Take out one or two when you make a smoothie. Just run some hot water along the bottom, take the top off, push the frozen yogurt out directly into your blender.

And while we are on the topic of healthy smoothies...
Chia seeds and flax seed are actually not too bad in a smoothie, though they aren't for everyone. My advice is throw them into the blender first, and blitz them around a bit. Then add a bit of fruit juice, blitz it some more. Then add the rest of your fruit and yogurt and ice and whatnot.

Hey, you know what would help this topic along?
Orange Mocha Frappuchino's!