Juice, Juice, Juice

Though it may technically still be spring in N. America, Central Texas is apparently not aware of that fact. Here, afternoons are already pushing the thermometer well past the 90-degree mark. This past Friday, in fact, the digital display outside a local bank proclaimed a sweltery 105.

So what does weather have to do with cooking? Well, the hotter it gets, the less inclined I am to stand over a hot stove or heat the entire house up with the oven. And hot temperatures outside make hubby oh-so-appreciative of cold fresh-squeezed juice when he walks through the door at lunch or dinner time.

We invested in a Champion juicer a couple of months back, in the hopes of incorporating more raw foods into our diet. Now, we're wondering how we lived without this delightful invention for so long. Without further ado, here are a few of our favorite combinations ...

Apple-Celery Juice
Gatorade, move over. This is hubby's new evening favorite. (The natural sodium content in the celery makes this a good after-workout choice.)
3 large or 4 medium apples
2 stalks celery

Run through juicer in order above. Chill. Serve. (Makes two large or three medium servings.)

Apple-Carrot-Ginger Juice
Kind of like really good ginger ale, minus the carbonation.
2 large apples, cored
1" fresh ginger root OR 1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
4 large carrots

Run through juicer in order above. Chill. Serve. (Makes two large or three medium servings.)

Pina Col-nada
1/2 young coconut (pulp and milk)
1/2 pineapple, peeled and cored

Run through juicer in order above. (We generally run the pulp through at least a couple of times with this particular blend to get as much juice as possible out of these lush fruits. Chill. Serve. (Makes two large or three medium servings.)

For an even richer treat, chill juice in freezer until ice crystals form. Blend with chunks of frozen banana or mango, and serve.

Vegetable Juice Cocktail
6 medium carrots
3 stalks celery
2 tomatoes
2 c. spinach
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 medium beetroot
1 clove garlic
handful of fresh parsley (optional)
handful of fresh basil (optional)

Run all of the above through juicer, beginning and ending with carrots. Stir in a dash of sea salt (we use RealSalt) as well as a dash of hot sauce (optional). Chill and serve.