To start off this is not a juice. I will spare you a rant on why I do not believe in juicing and just leave you with two main points.
- Juicing removes all the fiber from fruits and vegetables. Fiber keeps you full and regulated. Drinking fruits and vegetables sans fiber will make you very hungry (perhaps even hangry).
- One of the functions of the liver is to remove toxins from your body. You do not need to go on a juice cleanse for your liver to do its job.
Back to what I am calling today’s green drink. it’s not a juice, because its full of fiber, and to me its not quite a smoothie because it doesn’t have milk or yogurt. Also, it looks a bit thick in these photos (note to self, need a better blender). If you have a blender or vitamix, this will not be an issue.
Either way, its really delicious, and I am not just saying that. I love cucumber in drinks because I find it so refreshing. The apple and lemon give it a bright tartness and the ginger gives you a kick at the end. Notice how I am not mentioning the kale, that’s because you can’t taste it!
Kale Apple Cucumber Ginger Green Drink
Start off the new year on the right foot, with a delicious green drink.
Ingredients
- 2 cups kale
- 1 apple
- 1 cucumber
- 1 tsp fresh ginger
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- ice water as needed
Instructions
-
To prep the ingredients, remove the stems of the kale. Remove the core of the apple, and cut into chunks, leave the skin on. Peel the cucumber and slice.
-
Using a microplane grate 1 tsp of fresh ginger.
-
Add the kale, apple, cucumber and ginger into a blender.
-
Squeeze 1/2 of a lemon.
-
Blend on high until the ingredients begin to combine. Slowly add ice water until it becomes a liquid.
Below, I am adding a new feature to my recipes that I am calling substitutions. It helps you use what you already have in your pantry to replace some of the recipe’s ingredients if needed. Or perhaps you’re a picky eater, I know the feeling, I’ll give you some simple swaps to help you enjoy this recipe more!
Substitutions
- Kale-spinach is always a great replacement for Kale in smoothies. Spinach share a similar nutrient profile and is also nutrient dense.
- Apple– try replacing the apple with a pear for a sweeter version!
Be sure to follow figsandflour on instagram and tag your recipes with #figsandflour! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Figs & Flour Facebook page. I would love to see what you are cooking in your kitchen!
SaveSave
There are so many health benefits with these ingredients! This would be the perfect drink to have to start the day! Thank you for sharing you recipe!
Thank you! I hope you like it!