Have you jumped on the juicing wagon yet? I was immediately hooked when I bought my first juicer two years ago. I never cared much for the bottled stuff you find on store shelves. I was amazed at how much better fresh juice was – better than anything I’d ever tasted! Yes, I even did one of those crazy juice cleanses. Making vegetable juice at home is so much better and healthier than buying it in a can or bottle. It’s made fresh, full of vitamins and nutrients. The canned and bottles juices are often nothing more than overly cooked vegetable concentrates.
We have found a blend we really like made from tomatoes, beets, fennel, celery, carrots, cucumber, kale (or spinach), red pepper, a little onion, and a good dose of fresh lemon juice and coarsely ground black pepper. It would be a great base for a bloody mary, and is a fantastic afternoon pick-me-up. Of course, you can switch out different veggies for the ones you like best. Sometimes I want more tomato juice, so I’ll use two. Other times I like more cucumber. It just kind of depends. It’s seriously like summer in a glass. You’re going to love it!
Fresh Vegetable Juice Recipe
Ingredients:
1 large tomato
1 small beet, peeled
1/2 large fennel bulb
1/2 large red pepper, or 1 small
2 large carrots, washed very well or peeled
3 stalks of celery, plus leaves
2 cups fresh kale or spinach
1 cucumber, peeled if waxed
1 small bunch parsley
a few slices onion
1 lemon
fresh ground black pepper
optional – a little Worcestershire or hot sauce, for serving
Instructions:
Cut the vegetables into smaller pieces, if needed, to fit through the feed hole of the juicer. Insert the vegetables one at a time through the feed hole, alternating the kale and parsley with the other vegetables. Stir in the fresh lemon juice and black pepper, to taste. Serve immediately, or chill.
Yield: 2 servings
Lindsey Johnson
Lindsey Johnson can usually be found in one of three places--the kitchen (cooking and washing dishes), behind her camera, or at her laptop editing photos and writing. If she's not in any of those places, chances are she's chasing after her three crazy kids or scoring a great find at the thrift store. She writes the food blog, Cafe Johnsonia and lives near the beautiful mountains in Utah with the aforementioned three crazy kids and one great husband.
