In just two short weeks we’ll have popped champagne bottles, watched a giant ball drop, and started plotting whatever resolutions we have for the new year. For many, one of those resolutions will likely revolve around health and fitness. When Williams-Sonoma asked me to help kick off their Juice Week and its mission of “Not Your Average Juice,” I felt obliged to throw in my two cents on the matter. As you may recall, I once tried a juice cleanse where I gave up solid food entirely in exchange for liquified fruits and vegetables. Needless to say—it wasn’t for me. I lasted two and a half days before deciding to exchange my last few hours of juicing for a steak. I know many people that have done juice cleanses for days at a time (including my roommate), but I love food too much to put myself through it again. However, I do believe that substituting in a juice for a snack or light meal can definitely have benefits and lead to positive results.
When I think of juices one of the first to pop into my mind is the master cleanse, which is a cayenne and lemon juice concoction. Though not necessarily something I’m jumping to try, it did make me wonder why I hadn’t seen any juices out there with a little kick. This was my first inspiration for this juice and my reason for including a jalapeño in the mix. Also included were some green apples for a bit of sweetness, a cucumber to mellow things out a bit, some mint for freshness, and lemon juice for acidity (and as an ode to the inspiration). Sounds a little strange—I know—but it could be good, right? Thankfully my roommate has a juicer so I could give this mix a try. The machine tends to make a lot of noise and there were definitely a few stray drops of juice that shot across my kitchen. At times it sounded kind of like a wood chipper when the seeds and flesh came into contact with the extractor. With this in mind, it’s probably best not to juice late at night or early in the morning when others are sleeping.
But you know what? The end result was actually pretty decent.
Ingredients:
- 2 green apples
- 1 large cucumber
- 1/2 bunch of mint
- 1 medium jalapeño, ribbed and seeded
- juice of 1 lemon
- fresh mint, for garnish
Procedure:
- I just threw the apples, cucumber, mint, and jalapeño all into the machine as I watched the juice come out the spigot. I think I could have done this with the whole lemon too, but I didn’t want the bitterness from the pith. Instead I juiced the lemon separately and mixed it with the rest of the liquid.
- Fresh juice tends to separate as it sits, so serve with a straw to mix as a you drink. Garnish with mint leaves.
What are your thoughts on juicing? Do you have a favorite combination?
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