Healthy, Homemade Juices, Smoothies
If you don't like to eat vegetables, or you like fruit but don't have time to prepare them, maybe you should drink them instead.
Juices and smoothies are a great way to up your fruit and veggie intake.
Cookbook author and cooking teacher Tori Ritchie shared some delicious, easy recipes in The Early Show's "Five-Minute Cooking School" Thursday, in the flagship store in Manhattan of specialty home furnishings retailer and Early Show partner Williams-Sonoma.
Juices and smoothies make it easier to reach recommended daily servings of many important nutrients.
Fruits and vegetables are great sources of vitamin A and C. Examples include carrots, pineapples, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, lemons, tomatoes, beets and spinach.
Smoothies are a cinch to make in a blender and a great way to use fresh juices from the extractor or ones you've bought.
RECIPES
Carrot Pineapple Orange Juice
This morning eye-opener is an outstanding source of vitamins A and C. If you drink it fresh from the extractor, the orange and lemon rinds add a lovely, subtle flavor. Otherwise, peel the orange and lemon before juicing, since the rinds will make the juice bitter after sitting for an hour or two. Look for ripe pineapple with a mild aroma and golden peel.
A juice extractor is the most efficient way to remove juice from all sorts of fruits and veggies. It works by grinding the food into particles, then extracting the juice through centrifugal force and straining it through a fine mesh. What you get is the freshest, purest, most nutritious juice possible.
1 small orange, including rind, seeded and cut into pieces
1/8 small, ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into pieces
2 carrots, scrubbed clean and cut into pieces
1/4 small lemon, including rind, seeded
In an extractor, juice the orange, pineapple, carrots and lemon, in that order, according to the manufacturer's instructions. Stir and serve.
Serves 1.
Adapted from "Williams-Sonoma Cookware Series, Juicer Cookbook," by Carol Gelles (Time-Life Books, 1998)
Pineapple Smoothie
This smoothie tastes best when made with fresh pineapple juice, which is easy to prepare using a juice extractor.
1 cup pineapple juice
1 banana, peeled, sliced and frozen
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1 Tbs. sugar
1 1/2 cups ice cubes
1 cup pineapple chunks
In a blender, combine the pineapple juice, banana, yogurt, sugar, ice cubes and pineapple chunks and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve immediately.
Serves 2.
Williams-Sonoma Kitchen
Strawberry Smoothie
Smoothies are great for an after-school snack. You can make smoothies using other fruits, as well. See the ideas at the end of this recipe.
6 fresh or frozen strawberries
6 ice cubes
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 banana, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup plain, vanilla or berry yogurt
Trim the berries: Before you start, be sure an adult is nearby to help.
Using a paring knife, cut a thick slice from the top of each strawberry to remove the stem. (If you are using frozen strawberries, you can skip this step.)
Blend it all together: Put the strawberries, ice cubes, orange juice, banana and yogurt into a blender. Cover the blender with the lid and hold down the lid while you blend. Blend on high speed until the mixture is frothy and there are no big chunks of fruit or ice, 30 to 40 seconds.
Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses. Serve immediately with straws.
Serves 2.
MORE IDEAS:
For a Peach Smoothie, replace the strawberries and orange juice with 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peach chunks and 1 cup apple juice. Add 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon before you blend everything together.
For a Pineapple Smoothie, replace the strawberries and orange juice with 1/2 cup fresh or canned pineapple chunks and 1 cup pineapple juice.
For a Purple Cow, replace the strawberries and orange juice with 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries and 1 cup purple grape juice.
Adapted from "Williams-Sonoma Fun Food," by Stephanie Rosenbaum (Simon & Schuster, 2006)