Kale Smoothie From Vitamix

VITAMIX  recipe

For my juice, I used the following:

• 1/2 of a large cucumber
• 4 large stalks spinach
• 3 large stalks kale
• 1 large handful of parsley
• 1/2 lemon, peel cut off
• 1 inch ginger
• 1/2 large navel orange, peel cut off
• 1 pear, seeds removed
• 
  
• www.vitamix.com

I gave them all a whirl in the Vitamix (a minute or two on high), till the mixture was totally blended. I used about 2/3 of a cup of water to get it all blending (I could have used less—1/2 cup would have done it). As Elizabeth noted, this would probably be anathema to juicing purists, but my juice still tasted potent and flavorful in the end.

I then affixed my nut milk bag over the mouth of a 1 quart mason jar, using a rubber band, like so:

Beautiful color!

A few thoughts on the process:

1. I could certainly have used less water than I did to get the juice blending. Even in spite of 2/3 of a cup, though, my juice tasted great, and I didn't feel that it was dilute.
2. The process, overall, was so much faster than regular juicing. The only part that slowed me down was waiting for the juice to strain, so I do recommend going ahead and squeezing the nut milk bag to expedite. Careful not to be too forceful, though— I've broken some bags!
3. Though this experiment did absolutely persuade me that Vitamix green juice is possible and tasty, my blended mixture was also really delicious pre-straining. So I think I’d gladly drink without straining on very busy days, if I was just as game for a smoothie as I was for a juice.
4. Would a regular blender work for this process? Depends on the blender. My old blender, pre-Vitamix, wasn't powerful enough to blend greens well, so I imagine that it wouldn't have made a very good juice. That said, many blenders that are not high-speed are nevertheless powerful enough to blend greens well. Give it a shot, and see how it goes with your blender at home!

The whole process also inspired a few more green drink experiments, which I will be sharing in the upcoming weeks/days. Green drinks are so incredibly helpful for maximizing fruit and vegetable intake when one is stressed and doesn't have time in the kitchen (which I haven’t lately). Juice, smoothie, blender juice—it’s all good. If you don’t have either a Vitamix or a juicer, using a low cost blender and choosing spinach as your green (it blends easily and tastes mild) in a green smoothie is also wonderful. Just be sure to find a way to make more room for greens in your life!