Tasty Cashew Shake
This recipe is a great choice for anyone who wants to keep more protein in their diet than most juice recipes offer. Adding a handful of raw nuts to your juice helps thicken it and can reduce cravings for natural fats and other important nutrients. Like other hearty juices, this beverage contains a few more calories than the average juice, but that doesn't make it a bad choice. Enjoy this recipe for dessert or as a quick pick-me-up.
Ingredients
½ cup whole raw cashews or almonds
¼ cup whole strawberries
1 small vanilla bean
½ teaspoon cinnamon
5 ice cubes
Soak the cashews for one hour in one cup of water to soften them and make them easier to blend. Hull the strawberries, discarding the leaves. Combine the cashews, their soaking water, and all other ingredients in a powerful blender on high. Process until the mixture is smooth and frothy.
Grapefruit Pineapple Splash
If you're on a grapefruit juice diet, you don't have to stick with boring beverages. This sparkling juice drink combines the great taste of pink grapefruit with tropical pineapple and a little bit of carbonated mineral water. Try this one to help you cool down on a hot summer day.
Ingredients
2 medium pink grapefruit
2 small pineapples
1 ½ cups sparkling water
5 ice cubes
Peel the grapefruit and pineapple, removing any seeds and the pineapple core. Chop the pineapple into large pieces. Put both fruits, the sparkling water and the ice cubes into a powerful blender. Process until the result is smooth and bubbly.
Green Juices
Green may not be the first color that comes to mind when you think about juice, but it should be an important part of any juicing diet. After all, green juices contain lots of important nutrients, antioxidants and other beneficial substances. While they may look a little unusual at first, their fresh, herbal flavor will soon make you a convert. If you're not sure you're ready for strongly-flavored green juices, try out recipes that include milder vegetables and herbs like parsley and cucumber. They'll help you prepare your taste buds for heartier combinations containing chard, kale and other leafy green nutritional powerhouses.
Basic Green Juice
This leafy green juice provides plenty of chlorophyll, plus a boost of iron, protein, calcium and other important nutrients. Celery, parsley and cucumber balance out the strong flavors of kale and spinach, providing a well-rounded taste and a great nutritional profile. Because leafy vegetables can be hard to process, use the celery and the cucumber to push them through your juicer.
Ingredients
2 cups spinach leaves
2 cups fresh parsley
1 cup kale
1 medium cucumber
1 stalk celery
Wash all vegetables thoroughly to remove dirt and chemical residues, even if they are organic in origin. Remove the parsley leaves from the stems and cut the stem end off of the cucumber. Add the first four ingredients to your blender or juicer and process until the liquid is smooth and has an even consistency. Add the cucumber and celery and process again. Enjoy this juice on its own or along with a light meal.
Bright and Spicy Green Juice
This green juice spices things up with a little hot pepper and ginger, providing interest, soothing upset stomachs, and keeping your immune system healthy. The spinach content is high enough to provide plenty of nutrition, but low enough to avoid a bitter flavor. For a different taste, try using Key limes or Meyer lemons instead of the standard varieties.
Ingredients
2 large cucumbers
2 cups spinach leaves
1 bunch fresh celery
1 bunch parsley
2 sweet apples, such as McIntosh
1 Persian lime or 2 Key limes
1 lemon
1 teaspoon ginger root
½ teaspoon red pepper
Wash all ingredients, removing the stem ends from the cucumbers and celery. Pluck the parsley leaves from their stems to prevent discoloration of the finished juice. Peel all citrus ingredients and remove the seeds from the apples. Add all the leafy ingredients to your juicer or blender, processing thoroughly, followed by the fruit, vegetable and spice ingredients. If necessary, strain to remove excess pieces of ginger or celery threads before consuming.
Ultimate Green Juice
This powerful green beverage contains some of the most nutrition-rich leafy greens available, combined with bright, fresh flavors that make it fun to drink. Because this juice can be a little thick, you may need to add some water during the juicing process. Alternatively, leave out the extra water and enjoy this drink as a green smoothie.
Ingredients
1 cup spinach leaves
4 large kale leaves
2 stalks celery
1 tart apple, such as Granny Smith
1 large cucumber
1 bunch cilantro
1 leaf green Swiss chard
½ lemon
fresh ginger to taste
Wash all ingredients thoroughly. Peel the lemon and remove the apple seeds. Pull the cilantro leaves from their stems to prevent discoloration of the final product. Process the leafy green ingredients first, fruit, spices and vegetables. Use the celery and cucumber to push any extra material into your juicer completely. Process the juice until the result is opaque, bright green, and free of lumps.
Neutral Green Juice
This variation on the basic green juice recipe provides a fairly neutral taste with a hint of mild sweetness. It's perfect for anyone who doesn't like strong or savory juices, as well as juice dieters who want a few more carbohydrates in their green beverages. Because the flavor of apples can vary significantly between varieties, pick one that provides the balance of sweetness and tartness that you prefer. Fuji, Golden Delicious and McIntosh are great places to start.
Ingredients
3 cups Romaine lettuce
2 cups kale
2 cups parsley
3 stalks celery
1 large cucumber
1 large sweet apple
Rinse all ingredients thoroughly to remove chemical residues and dirt. Pull the parsley leaves off of their stems and remove the seeds from the apple. Cut the stem end off of the cucumber. Add the leafy vegetables to your juicer or blender slowly, allowing them to process completely, followed by the apple, cucumber and celery stalks. Drink this juice as a mild start to your day or a calming before-bed treat.
Grapefruit Greens
This fruit and vegetable combo produces a healthy green juice with a tart citrus kick. Add a flavorful apple to the mix to provide some extra carbohydrates and a rounded sweetness that balances the sour and bitter citrus elements. This recipe produces a complex