Green Juice

One day I was grocery shopping and pineapples were on sale. I brought home two pineapples and I suddenly realized there was no way I was going to get through both of them before they were too overripe.

I toyed with the idea of making juice. I bought a juicer years ago, and only used it a handful of times. I never really got into juicing because getting it out, and the clean up after use was just too much for me. But extra pineapple could be easily used up in a juice, so I dusted off the juicer and found a more accessible place to store it.

I opened my refrigerator to see what else could be added to the juice. I found clementines, kale, apples, parsley, and lemon. This is how I first made this juice. It was so good that I made it every day until I ran out of ingredients.

I had never juiced kale before, and I was surprised to find that it was not as bitter as I expected it to be. I actually find that it has less of a “green” taste when compared to spinach.

I hope you give juicing a shot. I’ve been juicing more regularly, and can’t wait to share other recipes with you.

A few juicing tips:
• Try to use organic produce, especially for fruits/vegetables that can be high in pesticides.
• Try to drink it as soon as possible after making it. That said, sometimes I make a big batch and drink it over 2-3 days. I can hear the juicing community screaming Sacrilege! This is not ideal, but can make things easier until you get into the habit of juicing or if you don’t have much time in the morning. If I know I won’t be drinking the juice right away, I always add lemon juice (it is a natural preservative), I use cold fruit, and I place the juice in a mason jar that has been chilled in the freezer while I make the juice. Sometimes I even put it in half pint mason jars with plastic lids so that I can take it with me in the morning and drink it on my way to work.
• If you don’t have a juicer, place all the ingredients (cut them into smaller pieces) in a blender and process until all ingredients are well blended. You may need to add a little bit of cold water. Then simply strain through a mesh sieve.

Green Juice
(makes about 16 ounces)
• 3 small clementines, peeled
• 3 leaves lacinato kale
• 3 parsley sprigs
• 3 cups pineapple cubes
• 1 small apple, cut in half
• Juice of ½ a lemon
Juice the clementines, kale and parsley, pineapple, and apple. Add the juice of ½ lemon to juice.