Pear Apple Ginger Juice

I had gotten these wonderful pears from the Farmer's Market, and in typical Becky fashion, I let then get a wee bit too ripe on the counter.  So before they completely disintegrated, I figured I would juice them.

Pear Apple Ginger Juice
3 pears
1 apple*
2 celery stalks
1" piece of fresh ginger
Juice of 1 lime
*Sweet Tango, if you have not tried these yet,  you owe it too yourself, they are AMAZING!

I must say, for being an "on the fly" juice combination, this was really good.  Clean and refreshing, and it made a TON.  I'd say almost 3 cups.

Some notes about juicing pears:

Soft pears will often clog your juicer as they can block the holes in the sieve of the juicing screen in masticating juicers, like the Omega 8006.  

Juicing screen is on the left

For this reason, I tried to alternate the pear segments with the hard fleshed ingredients such as the apple and celery to help the juice flow through the juicer. 

Pure, fresh pear juice can be a very thick for some peoples tastes, (especially my better-half), so you may to prefer to dilute it with other fruits and vegetables, or add some filtered water.  

I did both. Even though I alternated the pears with the harder fruits and veggies, I still poured some water into the juicer, which cleared out a bit of the pear pulp that was stuck in the screen.  But, even after all that, L still found it to be too thick, so I poured the remaining juice in a glass bottle and froze for a later day.

This actually worked out well, because it became the base of a smoothie which I had for breakfast this morning:

BONUS Breakfast Smoothie:
1 cup flax milk, vanilla flavored
1 tbsp flax seeds
1 frozen banana
1 cup of pear apple ginger smoothie, half frozen
1 tbsp hemp protein powder

Blend and drink to start you day off great ^_^

Watermelon Juice - Hydrate in Style

As the days of Summer draw to a close, I'd like to reflect back on one of the season's most popular fruits:  The Watermelon.  What backyard cookout would be complete without one?  As its name suggests, watermelons contain large amounts of water, which is fantastic for hydration.  The fresh juice can not only re-hydrate and cool you, but also provide vitamins and nutrients that promote health, and reduce the risk of disease.

The beautiful, red flesh of the watermelon contains high quantities of lycopene, an antioxidant that helps prevent the risk of strokes and other ailments like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, colon cancer and asthma.  Another benefit is that watermelon is a great source of potassium, which helps to regulate blood pressure levels, keeping your heart healthy.  Watermelon juice, I read, also helps to lower risks of age-related macular degeneration that may lead to loss of vision in elders.  My granny suffers from macular degeneration, so I found this fact particularly valuable.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not just the red flesh that can be consumed or juiced.  Watermelon RIND is full of minerals and nutrients, and excellent for juicing.  Scientists have discovered that the white rind has high concentrations of citrulline, one of the next great phyto-nutrients now being studied.   Citrulline actually converts into the amino acid arginine which helps remove ammonia from the body.  It is also suspected by researchers that it relaxes blood vessels, therefore lowering blood pressure, which is always a good thing if yours tends to be high.

The juice pictured above actually came from six (6) watermelon slices that were given to me from Campus Dining, where I work.  I was walking back to my car, and they were just wrapping up an outdoor cookout that they catered for the students. There was quite a bit of leftover food, including veggie burgers, they they were wrapping up and giving away, So I scored two veggie burgers and the watermelon.  They were just as glad to give it away, and I was pleased to make good use out of it ^_^

Now before I run my watermelon through the juicer, I usually make sure to trim off the thin layer of dark-green, outer skin.  Or, you can wash and scrub the outer layer very well in order to remove any dirt or pesticide residue, before slicing, and adding to your juicer.  Organic watermelons are expensive here, so I usually end up peeling off the dark green.  

Juicing Romaine? Another Green Juice - Based on the Ritual Cleanse

Yet, another Green Juice - based loosely on the Ritual Cleanse

I think of all the juices I make, GREEN juice has to be one of my favorites.  I've been researching tons of Green Juice variations, as well as copy-cat "cleanse" recipes online (Ritual Cleanse, Blueprint Cleanse), and many of the green juices I come across contain Romaine lettuce.

Now, up until this point in our juicing journey, I was going SUPER-green by using KALE as my leafy green of choice.  I never in a million years thought to juice Romaine lettuce.  To me, Romaine is SALAD.  I can eat that plain, in a bowl, any day. Why would I squeeze all the liquid out of its leaves?

But there it is: Romaine is in almost EVERY green juice I see.  So today, I decided to finally add some in to ours.

Ritual Cleanse Green Juice -Variation #1
6 romaine lettuce leaves
4 kale leaves
2 celery stalks
1 large cucumber
3 pineapple spears
1" piece of ginger
juice of 1/2 lemon

Now, I love me some kale, and there's been some mighty fine Tuscan Kale on sale at the Colt State Park Farmer's Market this Summer.  But, I have to say, the Romaine lettuce added something really mild, crisp, and fresh to this juice.  It was delicious! And, as an added bonus, it adds even more gorgeous, green color, and MORE liquid to the juice. (Which is good because I've been blowing through celery and cucumbers like nobody's business since we got the juicer)!

So, what exactly is it about dark green leafy lettuces like Romaine that make them nutritional powerhouses? 

Well, for one, the greener the leaf, the stronger the nutritional profile.  Sorry Iceberg, you just do not stack up here.  For juicing, be sure to go for the nice, dark green, outer leaves.  Lettuce juice, I've discovered, is a rich source of vitamin A, K, E, C, and folate, while also being high in the minerals silicon, manganese, calcium, magnesium and chromium.

Every time I juice a new ingredient, I always like to read up on what makes that particular fruit or vegetable so nutritious.  

Here we have some fun facts from Juicing for Health.com:

Health properties of lettuce juice:
Anti-anemic:  Lettuce contains a relatively high amount of chlorophyll and iron, which are essential for the synthesis of hemoglobin in blood red cells.
Anti-oxidant:  Lettuce is rich in anti-oxidants, especially beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E.  These substances help cleanse the body from toxins, prevent the damage caused by free-radicals, prevent premature aging and lower the risk of chronic diseases and cancer.
Bone health: There is evidence that lettuce has a protective effect on bone health, due to its high content in vitamin K which is required for the synthesis of osteocalcin, a bone protein which helps strengthen bone tissue.  This bone protective action is particularly effective in preventing osteoporosis-related fractures in post-menopausal women and older adults.  Lettuce is a good source of calcium and phosphorous, as well, which play a key role in bone structure and health.
Constipation:  Thanks to its high fiber content, lettuce and its juice can help stimulate the function and motility of the intestinal tract, relieve constipation and cleanse the colon.
Cough:  Lettuce juice contains anti-cough agents, which can help relieve irritable cough, as well as the symptoms of asthma and bronchitis.
Hydration:  Lettuce juice is an excellent source of hydration at the cellular level. They are refreshing, thirst-quenching and help rehydrates our cells and releasing toxins and harmful fats from our congested cells.
Purifying:  The purifying effect of lettuce is the result of the combined actions of anti-oxidants (which help neutralize harmful substances accumulate in the body), potassium (which promotes diuresis, thereby helping eliminate toxins from the body) and fiber (which helps cleanse the colon).
Sedation:  Lettuce latex has been used for centuries by physicians as a substitute for opium, due to its natural sedative and painkilling properties. Today its medicinal use is limited to treat sleep disorders, nervous excitability, anxiety and restlessness, especially in children and elderly persons.  Drink a glass of lettuce and celery juice an hour before bedtime to have a restful night’s sleep.  Also helpful whenever you feel anxious or nervous, to keep yourself calm and relaxed.

Not too shabby for one of the most common leafy green vegetables.  I almost always have Romaine lettuce on hand.  Throwing 3 or 4 leaves into our green juice will really stretch the life of our produce, and boost the vitamins and nutrients in the final juice as well ^_^

Better Than V8

Don't let the slightly murky color of this photo fool you. This fresh, raw, vitamin packed, NO-salt added vegetable juice beats V8 any day!

L wanted me to write this one down, before I forgot:

Better-Than-V8 Salsa Fresca Juice
(serves two)
5 plum tomatoes
4 celery stalks
1 medium cucumber
1 jalapeño, seeded
1/8th of a large yellow onion
1 leaf of kale
1 small handful cilantro leaves, (my hands are small)
juice of 1/2 lime
juice of 1/4 lemon

Not quite spicy, maybe just a hint.  Perhaps I'll leave a wee bit of the rib from the jalapeño in next time.  I would like to work on the color a bit, because once you add "Green" to anything "RED" you get sorta blehhhh...

Perhaps, I will sneak a bit of beet in next time... shhhh, don't tell L!

Summertime~ Strawberry & Kiwi Juice

Here we have:
20 strawberries, washed and stemmed
1 kiwi, peeled (I should have used 2)!
2 carrots
2 apples

Pure, unadulterated Summertime goodness!

It was also a test.  Although our new Omega 8006 juicer has stellar reviews for juicing greens and overall juice extraction, its one shortcoming might be the way it handles "soft" fruits.  Now, when I say soft fruits, I mean fleshier, juicier fruit such as pineapples, mangoes, kiwis and berries.  The Omega 8006 juices them fairly well, but the fact that reviews state that it *may* not perform as well on these foods did not deter me from trying.

Part of it is mechanics:

You see in the foreground of the picture, the driving force behind our juicer: the augur (directly to the left of the toothbrush).  This device spins at 80 RPMs, (much slower as compared with the centrifuge of the Jack Lalanne variety) and meticulously grinds and chews vegetables and dark leafy greens into a smooth trickle of vitamin packed goodness.  The pulp that comes out the front is dry as a bone, which is proof that this style of juicer really gives great results, and maximum juice extraction of your produce.

Now when a fruit is soft like a pineapple, mango or strawberry, the augur slowly spins it down towards the front end of the juice, and pulverizes it.  Because these fruits do not have as much fibrous matter like say celery or carrot, the juice of the fruit mixes with the pulp, gets a wee bit foamy, covers up the juicing screen, and doesn't always push its way out the front.  I've found that if I want to do a luscious summer fruit medley like the one above, the best way is to alternate the soft fruits with a bit of hard veggies or fruits (like carrots and apples) to help push some of that fruit foam out.

This technique worked pretty well, with minimal foaminess. There was still some, but not nearly as much as when I tried to do 10 pieces of pineapple in a row. Plus, you can never go wrong with fresh strawberry or kiwi.  I probably could have done the fruit in my blender, then added the apple and carrot juice, but I am enjoying my new toy too much not to use if for everything ^_^

Super Green: Just like Kermit

This new juicer has really got me hooked!  Today's gorgeously GREEN selection is:

1 Cucumber
1 Celery stalk
4 Kale leaves
1 1/2 cup pineapple chunks
1/2 lemon, peeled
1/2" piece of ginger

No need to peel.  I only do if the cucumber has wax, or if it is not organic.  Then, juice away.  This stuff is fantastic, so bright and fresh from the lemon and ginger.

A little background here:

My better-half is not only NOT vegan, but a die-hard carnivore. (A very vegan friendly carnivore, but a meat-eater, nonetheless).  This fact makes for interesting meal-times, BUT my vegan cooking has managed to win her over.

However, there are some ingredients that she won't touch.  My aversion to cow's milk and a hunk of steak is the equivalent of her hatred of LEAFY GREENS.  Now, all hard-hitting vegans with any nutritional sense at all know that kale, swiss chard, spinach, and collard greens are regarded as nutritional goddesses in the plant-based world.  But, my dear L will not touch them.  Whole, raw, cooked, or OVER-cooked (not by me, mind you) she runs from greens like they were a steaming bowl of toxic waste.

This makes me sad, as I do love me a big plate of sautéed greens, but just as she does not bring meat and dairy in our home for me to cook, so do I choose NOT to base a whole meal around dark, leafy greens.  That's just not fair... (I wait 'til she's somewhere else for dinner, and then go crazy)!

So, a while back, we watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead on Netlfix.  We are truly documentary gluttons, and can crank through 4 or 5 in one sitting if the mood strikes.  This particular story struck a chord in L, and she toyed with the idea of possibly wanting to try a juice fast, or at least add raw juice into our diets.  But juicers are expensive, and noisy, and messy, and I needed another appliance like I needed a hole in the head.  Plus with L's intense hatred of leafy greens, I though the whole juice fast idea would go down in flames with her first sip of a freshly pressed curly kale leaf.

Fast forward to the week of July 4th, 2012.  Provincetown Vacation - one whole week of fun and sun!

There is the most fantastic organic market in town:  141 Bradford Natural Market which is a vegan's dream come true.  It's a tad on the pricey side, but when you rent a beach house for the week, and bring in all your own food, it's nice to know there is a place where you can run in, and pick up hummus, freshly baked bread, soy coffee creamer, kombucha or even Daiya cheese, if you want!

They also have a RAW JUICE BAR.

We wandered in the there on day 2 of our vacation, just to check the place out.  L found herself in line at the juice bar, and ordered herself up a big, tall glass of GREEN juice: kale, cucumber, apple, lemon and ginger, to be exact.  With her hatred of all things green, I thought to myself "why on Earth..."?? So, I waited with baited breath at her reaction to her first sip...

Well, she thought it was FANTASTIC, and I, well let's just say, I was thrilled. And, it was there I knew, that juicing was in our future ^_^

Apple Carrot & Ginger Juice

My new juicer has arrived, and I could not be more thrilled!  This deliciously gorgeous golden orange concoction was the perfect maiden voyage for the Omega 8006 Multipurpose Juicer.

Here we have:

5 small carrots, organic, leaves removed
2 red delicious apples, cored
1/2" piece of ginger

Feed all items through the chute of the juicer, no need to peel.  Feel free to add more or less ginger, to taste.  It gives the juice a nice warm kick!  Drink and enjoy.

I am so excited about this new raw food juicing adventure.  And, I am especially pleased at how delicious the fresh carrot and apple juice tasted together.  I have a secret: I am not a huge fan of carrots, either raw or cooked.  If I add them to salads, I have to grate them quite fine, just to enjoy them.  They say carrots are good for the eyes, and my eye sight is terrible.  I can barely choke down a raw carrot, which I am sure did NOT help my eyesight in the least.  I remember, when I was little, watching Bugs Bunny crunch on carrots. I would eagerly try and imitate Bugs, gnawing through a chunky hunk of carrot, and hated every minute of it.

Now, I hear that carrots are some of the most healing foods that provide top notch, quality nutrients, especially in their juice.  Carrots are excellent sources of pro-vitamin A, vitamins C, D, E, K, B1 and B6. They are also rich in biotin, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus.

And, then there is beta-carotene, probably the first think one thinks of when considering carrots and their vibrant orange complexion.  Beta-carotene is a powerful antioxidant that has healing virtues for many diseases.  A glass of this stuff a day will cure all that ails you!

So in juice form, I can not only tolerate the taste of 5 carrots at one time, I actually enjoy it.  I might almost go as far to say as I crave it!  The road to wellness is a long and winding path, but I think this juicing might be a step in the right direction.  ^_^