Juicing with a Vitamix

Leftovers and cookies. That's about all that's been going on in my kitchen. Today we woke up to a dreary, humid, cloudy Monday.

I have a few things bookmarked to make and blog about, but need to go to the store before any of that can happen. Tonight I'll surely be cleaning out the 'fridge and can't promise that will be blog worthy.

But wanting something bright and refreshing this morning along with my toast topped with chocolate hazelnut butter (breakfast of champions, I say!), I decided it was time to test the Vitamix's juicing capabilites.

Go Betty, go! Am I the only on who stands there a bit freaked out by this thing's power?

This is the Vitamix that I now call my own. She's of the reconditioned variety, and they were offering free shipping.  I got her in 'espresso' because I'm retro brown like that. And because my favorite color is orange; the brown goes nicely with what I already have all over my little orange kitchen.  I have made many a peach, blueberry banana or green smoothie so far and have zapped  a bit of cashews in her (her name is Betty ) with fabulous success,  but have yet to try juicing. I've never owned a juicer, but I really like the idea of drinking my fruits and veggies, fiber included, on those days when I feel I may not get them all in otherwise.

Today, a quick survey of the refrigerator's contents revealed that carrot juice should be my first attempt. We always have carrots. Always. Is that odd?  I've never been a huge fan of carrot juice, but love carrots. I think commercial bought carrot juices are too sweet. Vitamix has a recipe for carrot juice that uses water and a bit of lemon juice. I grabbed half a cucumber to make it even more refreshing. 

Refreshing Vitamix'd Carrot Juice

 The verdict? Success! Sure, if you don't want any fibrous bits in your juice, this is not for you unless you plan to pass it through some cheesecloth, but I like it just like it is. I taste each ingredient, and it's filling, but to me the bits are not distracting. The Vitamix definitely does a great job of getting the fibrous content down to a teeny tiny size that is super easy to drink.

I love that it tastes and fresh and vibrant as it looks. And it's full of fiber!

The Cap'n said it was really good (he LOVES commercially made carrot juice) as long as one knows what to expect, that it would not be smooth, but it's definitely refreshing and delicious. Unlike me, he wouldn't drink something that he didn't like just because it's good for you, so it always helps me to test things out on his palette.

I love how vibrant and fresh this is. The cucumber is definitely noticeable and the lemon cuts the sweetness of carrot. If your carrots aren't too sweet or you need some sweetness, I'd add a shot of apple or orange juice to this and/or leave the lemon out.

Personally, I enjoyed this as is, and am so looking forward to other combinations in the future and making juicing in the Vitamix a part of my weekly routine. I think the next one I'd like to try is carrot/cucumber/apple/ginger. What are some of your favorite juicing, fruit/veggie combinations?

Refreshing Vitmamix'd Carrot Juice
makes two servings

1 cup filtered water
2 med-large organic carrots*, peeled and chopped (I actually used my peeler for most of the carrot and chopped that, then finely chopped the rest)
1/2 cucumber, seeded, coarsely choppped
2 tsp fresh lemon juice (or 1 tsp lemon concentrate)
1 cup ice

Add ingredients (except the ice) in the Vitamix in the order listed. I put the carrots in water before I chopped the cucumber or squeezed the lemon just to give them a few extra minutes to soak. Set Vitamix to Variable, 1 and turn on. Slowly increase speed. Once you have reached ten, turn Vitamix to High speed for one minute, pour and enjoy. If adding apple or orange juice, add some once poured into glasses.

*While I buy organic as much as possible because I want as few chemicals on my food as I can control, carrots are one of those veggies that actually taste night and day better to me than their non-organic counterpart. I find them to be sweeter and more flavorful in general. Thankfully, the grocer I use is never out of organic carrots or I'd likely just never buy them! They taste that different to me.