Does vegetable juice make you go ‘yuck’. I’m here to change that to YUM.
Cold pressed juice is said to be the secret of good health. Last year, I tried out a wide range of juices from Raw Pressery. Then I had an opportunity to try out the Kent Cold Pressed Juicer (read all about it here). It told me something I already knew. I am a big fan of juice. The fresher the better.
Who doesn’t love V8 juice? But even the low sodium version does have lots of salt. The advantage of making your own vegetable juice blend at home is that you can choose what to put in it and in what proportion. Want to eat raw garlic for better heart health? Add in a few cloves. Want to drink Lauki juice? Add in a few chunks of bottle gourd, our very own Indian super vegetable. You can add in herbs or fruits too, although I have kept it a pure vegetable juice. I also love mixing fruits and vegetables in a juice or smoothie, but let’s leave that for next time.
I’ve used eight vegetables here including the lemon. You can leave some of these out or add more. Adding spinach will improve the taste and nutrition value of this juice. Although green juices or green smoothies can be an acquired taste, you won’t know until you try.
The recipe here is just a rough estimate. You don’t have to stick to it. But tomato is the base here. So tomato is used in the highest amount. The carrots come next. Then comes the bottle gourd. Onion, garlic, green pepper are used just for flavor. Celery will be really great here but I didn’t have any on hand. You can use ginger instead of garlic or use both to mix up the taste.
Vegetable Juice Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 medium tomatoes
- 2 carrots
- 2 cups bottle gourd chunks
- ½ green bell pepper
- ½ small onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1-2 cucumbers
- 1 lemon, quartered
Method
- Wash and clean all the vegetables.
- Cut them in suitable size so they fit the feed tube of your juicer.
- Start the juicer.
- Add in the onion, garlic, pepper and follow with bottle gourd and cucumber. Add tomatoes at the end.
- Add lemon here or squeeze in it manually.
- Optional – add a sprig of parsley or mint.
- Serve immediately
This vegetable juice is a great start to your breakfast. And yeah, if you’re in the brunch type mood, it can make a good base for your Bloody Mary. Or top it off with some sparkling wine or cider for a Mimosa style breakfast drink.
Wish you all a very happy and healthy 2017. Enjoy!
