A juicy post - What to know about juicers

 I've finally invested in a new juicer and I'm really excited about it. Is that bad? Is that too Naturopathic? Well , if it is, I don't care, because I have a new juicer! Squee!

There are many juicers out on the market at the moment and so I thought I would tell you about the 2 most common types, just in case you are thinking of investing in one of these for your kitchen. Now, some people work a lot better with a video to show the demonstration, so I have a video for you to explain it all...

For those who want a written bit of info, here's what I'm talking about.

The Centrifugal Juicer

This is your stock standard juicer which you can purchase at department, appliance and electrical stores. These are the Brevilles, Philips, Moulinex, kambrooks, etc. They work by grinding the fruit & vegies using blades, then pushing the juice through a very fast spinning strainer (a bit like a washing machine, or a salad spinner). The pulp is disposed of out the back of the juicer and your juice should neatly be disposed of out the front.

Pros for this juicer:

• This is a fast and cheap juicer which is a good option for those who are not die-hard juicer fans or are newbies to making their own juice. 
• Some models allow you to put a whole piece of fruit into the feeder, so you don't need to spend time cutting up fruit for the whole. 
• They normally juice most fruits & vegies, except bananas, avocados and leafy greens.

Cons for this juicer:

• The amount and quality of the juice isn't fantastic. 
• The juicer generates heat which can oxidise the fruit & vegies, plus and the way the food is minced also oxidises the juice. If you make juice in it, you should drink it straight away or it may go brown. 
• This juicer will not handle leafy greens so well. You can put a bunch of spinach into it and be lucky to get a few drops of juice. 
• You will notice in the pulp, that it is still quite wet, meaning it didn't extract all the juice.
• Cleaning it can be an absolute bitch. The centrifugal unit needs a thorough scrubbing and straight away or it sticks and goes hard.
• They can be very noisy!

The Slow / Cold Press Juicer

Rather than grinding the fruit & vegies with a blade, the slow juicer uses a spiral gear which rotates and presses the juice out of the produce. Some units are designed also to make baby food, nut bitters, sorbets and sauces. They are available in both single and twin gear types.

Pros for this juicer:

• The quality of the juice is superb and it doesn't oxidise, meaning it can last a lot longer.
• These juicers will juice all fruit & vegies, including leafy greens, wheatgrass and herbs.
• It's nice and quiet to operate.
• Very easy to clean - just a rinse on water through the unit, then pull it apart and run the gear under the tap. 

Cons for this juicer:

• These units can be an expensive bit of hardware, so it shouldn't be purchased under a whim.
• You need to cut up your fruit and vegies before feeding them into the juicer, which can be annoying for those who are in a hurry.
• The unit works a bit slower than the centrifugal machines.

Slow /cold press juicers are available through health foods stores, online stores such as Vitality 4 Life, or even myself, as I am a stockist of their juicers (mention this blog to me for a special 10% discount on a juicer!).

If you want to see the juicers in action, there is a demonstration in the video above, it'r roughly 5 minutes into the video.

So both of the main juicer types have their own pros and cons and when choosing a juicer, you should find one which suits your lifestyle and budget. There is no right or wrong juicer.

Photos from the juice experiment

Here is the juices straight after making them. The one with the clear swizzle stick is the centrifugal juicer, the orange swizzle stick is the slow press juicer. And the woman in the background is my mother in law :)

The juices after 10 minutes:

You can see that the centrifugal has separated into a very clear juice and a large amount of foam onto top, whereas the slow juicer has a small amount  of foam and the juice is quite dense.

Here is a picture of the leftover pulp:

The one on the left is from the centrifugal juicer. As you can see, there is a bit more leftover and its a bit squishy/mushy to touch, which means not all the juice may have been extracted. The leftovers on the right are quite dry and compacted.

A note for juice newbies...

Not sure what to juice with your new contraption? The list is endless, it just depends how brave you're willing to be! I never give amounts of ingredients with juicing, because everyone has their own individual tastes, which you get the taste for after having a few, but here are some favourite mixes of mine...

• Apple, orange, carrot, ginger
• Apple, beetroot, carrot, celery, lemon
• Watermelon, apple, mint
• Pineapple, apple, lemon, orange
• Spinach, pineapple, cucumber, mint
• Everything you have in the fridge - for the truly daring!

Happy juicing! :)

'Don't knock until you try it' smoothie

I'm getting on board the green smoothie bandwagon and I haven't turned back yet! 

My first creation - the 'don't knock it until you try it' morning shake - almond milk, 3 handfuls of spinach, 1 kiwi fruit (this can be peeled or with the skin on), 5 strawberries and protein powder... Trust me, it's delish!

Ready to blend!

The finished product -  its not all about looks!

A blog on the benefits of green smoothies will be coming soon! :)

Whats on tonights menu? Quinoa Tabouli!

Ok, so its not really tabouli. Tabouli is traditionally made with bulgur, parsley and tomatoes chopped up. This is a bunch of other things chopped up, but its pretty and green and still just as nice to have as a side.

With winter approaching, its important to keep up our leafy greens. They are still out there growing, but because we associate making salads as a summer affair, we tend to skip our raw crunchy fresh veg and replace it with roasted goodies. Don’t get me wrong, roasted vegetables still are a fantastic source of nutrients, however some nutrients can be lost in cooking, so its important to keep up the raw stuff as well!

This salad is chock full of leafy greens, which are a powerhouse of nutritional goodness and are one of the most concentrated sources of nutrients in foods. They are a rich source of minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium) and vitamins (including vitamin C, E, K and many of the B vitamins). They also contain a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin which are important for protecting cells from eye damage and age-related problems.  The darker the green, the richer the nutrients. Kale (also known as Tuscan cabbage) is a favourite among naturopaths and healthy food followers as it very dark green and therefore very nutritious (and delicious!).  To learn more about kale, goto my friend Natalies brilliant blog, where she shows you how to cook kale in 5 ways... http://nataliethenaturopath.tumblr.com/post/21426066710/kale-five-ways-part-i-kale-smoothie

Now its salad making time!

How to make...

1. Cook up ¾ cup of raw quinoa (pronounced keen-WAH) in a rice cooker (the ratio of water to quinoa is 2:1) or saucepan. It should take about 20 minutes to cook. Drain (if cooked in a saucepan) and allow it to cool.
2. Toast a handful of pine nuts in a frypan on a low heat. Once they start to be aromatic and turn golden, take off the heat, they can burn quite quickly. Set aside to cool. *This is an optional extra, but adds new dimensions when added to foods!
3. Using a knife or food chopper (not sure if thats the official name of it, but it chops food, so therefore I name it this!), chop up finely your greens. This can be whatever greens you want. Tonight I used a mix of spinach, rocket, kale and basil. I used a few handfuls of spinach, 1 handful of rocket, a handful of basil and 10ish kale leaves (stalks removed).You could also add parsley, mint (if you’re after a freshness, but I wouldn’t add much), beetroot greens, coriander, mustard greens, carrot tops, celery leaves, bok choy...  Once finely chopped, put into your salad bowl.
4. Chop up any extra ingredients you want. This not only gives you colour, but provides the extra flavours which will complement your greens. Tonight I added pine nuts (see above), sundried tomatoes, red onion and capsicum. Stuck for other vegies to add? I’ve also used tomatoes, carrot and celery. Use your palate to decide what you want. Add the chopped extras to the bowl with the greens.
5. Just before serving, combine all ingredients, add cracked pepper, olive oil and a dash of sesame oil (if you have it), then toss.

Serves 4.

This can served as a side (as pictured above), or by itself. Tonight I served it will salmon cooked in coconut oil and topped with salt, pepper and shichimi (Japanese pepper mix).

Don’t be afraid of your kitchen, it can smell your fear. Instead, face it head on armed with a bunch of ingredients and show it what you can do!

 –Laura x