Simple. Smooth. Satisfying. Energy-Boosting. Easy Breakfast. Need I say more?
I’ve wanted to share this recipe with you for a while now. I’m excited to do so at a time when vegetables are abundant, and at their peak in flavour. To some, it might be your average looking green juice, but to me, this Squeezed Veggie Green Juice is so much more!
During my slow but gradual transition to a mostly plant-based lifestyle, this delicious green juice has been a godsend. It’s loaded with essential nutrients and has helped reset my body and mind when I feel out of sorts.
I try to make a batch every week. One recipe (1 blender full of veggies) yields at least 3 bottles like in the picture. I sometimes drink a whole bottle for breakfast or enjoy half a bottle as a snack with something else.
No added sweeteners
I intentionally created this recipe to be low-glycemic. No one wants to charge their bodies with unnecessary sweetness and spike their blood sugar early in the morning. I don’t use fruits except for a squeeze of lime or lemon juice and avocado to add healthy fat and creaminess to this fantastic beverage.
Store-bought pressed green juices are surprisingly high in sugar. They usually have fruits in them which make them taste great but also increases the sugar content. I can’t handle anything greater than 5 grams of sugar, especially in a breakfast drink.
Servings vs. portions
Did you know that in Canada—according to the latest version of the food guide—teenagers and adults need at least 7-10 servings of vegetables and fruits each day? Some portion examples are 1/2 cup of blueberries, 1 medium apple, 1/2 cup of sweet potatoes, half an avocado, to 1-2 cups of leafy greens.
Are you eating enough?
This Squeezed Veggie Green Juice is a great recipe to try if you are not consuming enough fresh produce throughout the day. Or, if you’re in need of a good reset—this is the perfect juice to kick it off.
Making purées for soups like my Roasted Tomato Eggplant & Red Pepper Soup or Cauliflower Mushroom Soup is another wonderful way to increase your intake of plant-based foods.
Squeezed vs. pressed
I’m sure you’re wondering about this ‘squeezed’ process that I’m suggesting. Well, if you’re a little like me and you don’t love doing dishes, you will soon understand why I favour this method.
Squeezing your puréed vegetables through a fine mesh bag is so much easier than cleaning a juicer. Plus, I enjoy the nice smooth liquid it creates. This drink is not a smoothie. It’s better. I often call it my green breakfast milk. It’s that good!
To clean, it’s simple, wash your blender and rinse out the mesh bag in the sink until all the vegetable fibres are rinsed out. That’s it! Done.
In the recipe notes, I make suggestions on what to use if you don’t have a nut mesh bag.
Mastication, extraction, hydraulic press, centrifugal juicers?
If you have a juicer, then, by all means, please use it! I don’t have one but have tried a few in other kitchens.
Various manufacturers defend their products for the best mastication, extraction, or other similar processes. Who knows, I guess it’s a matter of preference. The same applies to other kitchen gadgets. Many are efficient and offer the same result.
Some believe that pressed juice should be consumed right away to reap the benefits of all the nutrients and make them easier to absorb. To some extent, I guess they’re right. But let’s be honest here, drinking juice that is a couple of days old is way better than having other preservative-filled products. If you make it at home with fresh vegetables, there’s nothing wrong with drinking your veggie beverage within a few days. The nutritional value of your juice will have decreased, but it’s still fine.
Cheers! To your health!
Next time you prepare yourself a glass of green juice make sure to savour it as if it was a glass of wine. Heck, it’s as expensive, if not more! Remind yourself that your body and brain need all these vitamins and minerals to stay strong. Enjoy it, and then go for a walk!
Share your creations
If you try this Squeezed Veggie Green Juice recipe make sure to let me know what you think. Did you modify any of the ingredients?
Share your green juice picture with us on Instagram and tag it @freshisreal_ with the hashtag #freshisreal.
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Squeezed Veggie Green Juice
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 3 bottles 1x
- Category: Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Drinks
- Cuisine: Vegan, Raw, Allergen-Friendly, Plant-Based
Description
Your search is over! This green drink is not your average pressed juice. I don’t typically love green smoothies for breakfast and pressed green juices sold in stores are full of sugar. This recipe will be the best reset if you are looking to get back on track with your healthy lifestyle.
Ingredients
- 2 handfuls organic pre-washed spinach
- 1 thumb size fresh turmeric root, peeled
- 1 thumb size fresh ginger root, peeled
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut into smaller pieces
- 1/2 large English cucumber, cut into smaller pieces
- 4 celery stalks, cut into smaller pieces
- 1/2 small fennel bulb, cut into smaller pieces
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro (small palm sized bunch)
- 1 avocado, halved and pitted
- 1/2 lime or lemon, freshly squeezed
- 2 cups plain coconut water (no sugar added)
- Dash Himalayan salt (optional)
Instructions
- Place all vegetables in a high-speed blender (I use a Vitamix) starting with the spinach, and then the cut up vegetables, the avocado, and lastly the 2 cups of coconut water. Add a dash salt if you wish. Try it without first.
- Blend slowly to start and then increase the speed to make sure that everything gets puréed smoothly.
- Pour the mix into a fine mesh cloth or a nut mesh bag over a bowl.
- Squeeze all the lovely juice out until a handful of pulp is left in the mesh.
- Set aside the dirty mesh bag, while you scoop out the fresh juice into your favourite glass bottles.
- Enjoy right away or within the next few days!
- Oh yeah, now you have to wash your blender and mesh bag! Toss the pulp.
Notes
If you don’t have a nut mesh bag, you can double line a cheese cloth, or even a low thread (loose stitch) count tea towel could do the trick. I wouldn’t use old stockings.
The bonus part of this Squeezed Veggie Green Juice recipe is that the clean up is a breeze. Not sure if you’ve ever cleaned a juicer but it’s not my favourite thing to do. It takes a while and all the pulp gets stuck everywhere.
If you’ve never tried this squeezed process before, to either make a juice or a seed or nut milk, it might seem a bit daunting but once you get the hang of it, the process will get easier.
Green juice to the rescue!! I LOVE it! This looks so bright and beautiful! So vibrant and perfect for Spring! Thanks for sharing!
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