Vegetable Juicing for the Soul

There's a thrift store about 30 minutes away from me called the DAV. I used to go there a lot, but I kind of quit going when they rose their prices (I mean, it is a thrift store). Well, I got paid the other day and I told my mom that I was going to go to the DAV to get myself a juicer. She said, "well, I'm sure you'll find something there.".

Upon arrival I headed to the sweater section (darn, nothing black and comfy), then the cookbook section (darn, nothing ethnic or veg), then the dish section (man, what is it with the unphotogenic plates today?), then finally the appliance section. I knew I was gonna find something good so I saved it for last. At the very end of the aisle was my juicer. Brand new. For $8.98. It still had all the books with it and the factory tape around the cords. It was also not monstrously huge, which is a plus in my space-starved kitchen. 

I then promptly went to Border's to get myself a guide to juicing, because I needed a few helpful hints, like, what's good to juice, what's not good to juice, what you got to peel, etc. After buying my juicer and my book I then went to the grocery store and stocked up on a few items: parsley, beets, carrots, lemons, etc. Luckily, it was grocery day so I wasn't being completely ridiculous.

Better Than Spicy V8 Juice:
2 Roma tomatoes or 4 Campanari tomatoes
1/2 a bunch of fresh parsley
1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper (not green in this case)
1/3 a lemon
3 stalks of celery, with the leaves
5 beet leaves
A few shakes habanero hot sauce
A few shakes cayenne pepper
A pinch of sea salt
Ice

Cut all the vegetables into small enough pieces to fit into the juicer. Feed them in in this order: Tomatoes, then parsley, then bell pepper, lemon, celery, and finally the beet leaves. Top the juice with the hot sauce, cayenne, and sea salt, then give it a good stir and serve with ice.

Tastes better than it looks...

Ha ha. It's not the prettiest juice in the world, but man, it was seriously tasty. My mom and I loved it. You can make it more V8-like by adding more tomatoes if you'd like, but I loved it the way it was. This is infinitely better for you too considering it's fresh and full of enzymes and low in sodium. I also have the ability to ensure that my ingredients are organic and that everything tastes to my liking.

Here are some fun benefits of this particular juice (I try not to get too science-y, but science my life calling, lol):

Parsley - Parsley is an excellent digestion restorative remedy. It improves the digestion of proteins and fats therefore promoting intestinal absorption, liver assimilation and storage. Because of its high enzyme content, parsley benefits digestive activity and elimination. It is also bactericidal (bacteria killer) and high in both iron and Vitamin C, so you absorb it better. 

Beet Leaves - Have a crap ton of Vitamin K, which works alongside Calcium to strengthen your bones. MUY IMPORTANTE for us vegans. They are a good source of Vitamin A and Iron. 

Bell Peppers - Are an excellent source of Vitamins A and C, and an important source of folic acid and B6 (which acts as a coenzyme to other enzymes in the body; basically B6 is needed for other enzymes to function properly in a variety of metabolic processes)

This juice is supposed to be good for depression and stress reduction, and I believe it! Man, I feel great! Lots more juices on the way!