The beet. Nature’s gift of goodness with a side of acquired taste. If you have ever tried a beet, chances are you either loved it or hated it. For me, it was definitely an acquired taste.
My mother was raised on a farm and grew up eating beets. As a kid, I could never get past the smell to even try them. After being on medication for a bit, my husband started drinking beet juice to help regulate his blood pressure. Within a few months, he was able to come off of his medication. He was certainly hooked. (Check out the Internet for tons of articles on the amazing effects of beet juice.)
Beets. Bears. Battlestar Galactica.
For me, it took a bit longer. My hubby would offer me a sip of beet juice here and there, but I couldn’t get past the strong, earthy flavor. Then, one day, I realized that I actually liked it. I started drinking it on a fairly regular basis. Then I started craving it. Good stuff.
When we first got our juicer, we experimented with a bunch of different juicing “recipes” (which pretty much involved throwing in all of the veggies we had on hand). Finally, we settled on our favorite combination – the Super-Charged Beetnut Juice. Just for clarification, there are not actually any nuts in this juice. The “nutty” flavor in this beet juice recipe comes from the addition of arugula (instead of the typically juiced spinach or kale). Arugula has a slight “nutty” flavor and adds a different flare to the juice.
SUPER-CHARGED BEETNUT JUICE
Makes roughly 4 (6oz) servings
4-8 Carrots
2 Beetroot
2.5oz Arugula
1-2 Apple
STEP 1
Clean and prep your veggies and fruit. (Side note: It is good to use as much organic produce as possible when juicing.)
STEP 2
Slap those things in your juicer. We have an Omega masticating juicer that we bought after much research (by my husband). After having juice from both a centrifugal and masticating juicer, I can definitely say that I prefer the taste of the latter.
STEP 3
Produce varies greatly in size. The ingredient amounts are based on moderately sized produce. The sweetness comes from the carrots and apples. Start with a few and then add more to your taste.
STEP 4
Drink! We store anything we can’t drink in mason jars. Of course, fresh is best. But the juice will last for 2-3 days in the refrigerator (using a masticating juicer, which produces less oxidation in the juice – in other words, it tastes fresher longer).
Have you joined the juicing bandwagon? Not only is juicing super yummy, it is super good for you.
The only downside to juicing is the time it takes to prep the fruit and veggies. That is where I get stuck. Do you have any food prep tips to make it go quicker and not seem like such the huge task? I would LOVE to hear all about them in the comments below.
Peace, Love & Happiness,
Christine Durall says
Love beets! Love the beet juice which has helped to me keep my blood pressure normal. I use it as a preventive juice. I actually love the taste and always ready for a “shot” of beet juice when I am feeling stressed, etc. Great information and love your photographs. You are a great photographer also. Great!
Crystal says
Thanks Mom 😉 – You are definitely the one that first introduced me to beets…although I didn’t like them until much later in life!
Debra Dominguez says
I am going to try this today just have to buy the apples and arugula. Is there any other greens beside arugula you can use? I have chard, spinach, and kale.
Crystal says
Hey Debra!! You can certainly use spinach or kale in place of the arugula. However, the arugula is what really gives it a unique flair. It has a slight nutty taste that is just different that regular juice. Let me know how you end up making it!!
Debra says
Well I tried the beet recipe and believe I put too much water in it. I did not know whether to use water or not. I added another apple and strawberries and it came to life. It was very good and I actually brought some for my afternoon snack at work today.
Crystal says
We definitely don’t put water in it. Did you do it with a juicer? I’m glad you were able to make it work!! I’m sure strawberries would be fabulous in it. Thanks for trying it!!
Debra says
I used the Montel Williams Health Master Emulsifier it seemed to be taking too long to work so I added water. I bought a Nutribullet Nutrition Extractor but have not used it yet. What do you suggest?
Crystal says
Those are more like blenders. So, I can see to where you might need to add some liquid just to get things moving. We have an Omega masticating juicer. They are a little pricier, but if you plan to do a lot of juicing I would definitely recommend it. We got ours on sale and had a coupon. The masticating juicers produce less oxidation in the juice so it lasts longer. Daniel did TONS of research before we bought one. It is a beast and pretty easy to clean (compared to other juicers I’ve used).
Debra says
I was just checking out the Breville it had the best reviews. I mostly make smoothies but it would be great to do juices also.
Crystal says
I’m not sure which model of juicer you are looking at. Breville mostly makes centrifugal juicers. You can research masticating vs. centrifugal juicers to get more info. If you juice a lot of greens and want your juice to last a day or two, masticating is the best. If you juice mostly fruit, centrifugal is probably fine but you want to drink it when you make it. If you want more info, Daniel is definitely the one to talk to. He researched it a bunch before we purchased our juicer. 🙂
Kristen from The Road to Domestication says
I love the deep color of the final result! Thanks for linking up at the Creative Inspiration Link Party!
Crystal says
Thanks Kristen! I love the color of beet juice. It is just so intense and pretty. Plus it tastes good 🙂