The Juice pack was introduced in January to provide those participants that wanted to do a juice fast an easy and affordable option; for many it was a chance to add some extra fruits and veggies to their dinner table. I tried juicing and actually liked some of the concoctions that I came up with, but I tend to use it to add some extra produce to the table. I decided to try some “Retro” dishes and a couple you might not have thought of…ready? Here we go!
Juice pack: celery, kale, pineapple, parsley, apples, carrots, ginger, beet with greens, lemons and limes
The first things that jumped out at me were the carrots, pineapple and fresh ginger. This is one of the “retro” dishes, an old childhood favorite; carrot salad.
Gingered Carrot Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound shredded carrots
- 1 cup diced fresh pineapple
- 1/3 cup raisins (soaked in boiling water for 5 minutes)
- 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 3 Tbsp. honey or sugar
- 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large bowl place carrots, pineapple and raisins; mix gently.
- In a small bowl add the rest of the ingredients and stir well.
- Pour the dressing over the fruits and mix to coat. Cover and allow to rest in the refrigerator for a couple hours to allow flavors to meld.
- Makes 4-6 servings
Apples, celery, Waldorf salad! When I was a kid in the 70′s (yes, I know I am showing my age) I swear every luncheon I was dragged to with my Mother had this salad resting on a piece of iceberg lettuce.
Waldorf Salad
Ingredients
- 4 small sweet apples, cubed
- 1 medium Granny Smith apple, cubed
- 2 ½ sticks of celery, diced
- 1/3 cup raisins soaked in (boiling water for 5 minutes)
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl place apples, celery, raisins and nuts; mix gently.
- In a small bowl add the rest of the ingredients and stir well.
- Pour the dressing over the fruits and mix to coat. Cover and allow to rest in the refrigerator for a couple hours to allow flavors to meld.
- Makes 4-6 servings
Ok, lets tackle that big green monster, for some kale is easy; saute it, make chips, put it in salad or soup. Well how about pesto? And while we are at it lets use those beet greens as well.
Kale and Beet Greens Pesto, great stirred into hot pasta, served on hot bread with a bit of Parmesan, or any way you would use pesto.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chopped pine nuts or walnuts
- 1 bunch of kale, washed and stripped from stems
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3-4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a dry skillet, toast nuts. (this will only take a couple minutes)
- In a pot of salted boiling water, blanch kale for 2-3 minutes. Using tongs remove kale and plunge into an ice water bath.
- Remove from ice water and gently squeeze to get out most of the water. Place on a tea towel and gently pat dry.
- Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree until desired consistency is reached. Add more oil if too dry.
- Make 1 ½ -2 cups of pesto
- Store covered in refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for a few months.
As long as I am making sauces, how about a nice chimichurri sauce to go over some pulled pork. This sauce is wonderful over steaks, pork, fish, roasted chicken as well as a dipping sauce for breads.
Pulled Pork on Sourdough Toast with Pineapple Chimichurri Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ bunch of parsley, finely chopped
- ¼ cup minced pineapple
- 3 cloves of minced garlic
- 6 green onions, finely chopped (can substitute a ¼ cup of minced shallot)
- 2 Tbsp. minced cayenne or any hot pepper (seeds and membranes removed)
- 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped oregano
- 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- Juice of 2 limes
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in a bowl and stir it up.
- Cover and refrigerate a couple hours to let the flavors marry. Use within 48 hours.
- Makes about 1 cup.
And now the beet! what can I do with just one beet? well you could roast it, or boil it and add to salads, pickle it, make beet chips…but alas, the beet is not loved in my house. So how do you hide a big purple messy beet? In cupcakes!!!
My husband powered it down and didn’t notice the beet, Success!!!
Chocolate Beet Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
- 2 oz. bittersweet baking chocolate
- 2 egg, room temperature
- 1 cup cooked beet puree
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/8 tsp. salt
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan or in the microwave melt the chocolate and 1 Tbsp. of butter, stir and allow it to cool.
- Preheat oven to 375* and prepare cupcake pan with papers.
- In a large bowl cream together the 3 Tbsp. of butter and brown sugar.
- Add in the cooled chocolate, beet puree and vanilla a mix well.
- In a small bowl sift together the dry ingredients, and stir them into the beet mixture
- Fill cupcake pans ¾ full with the batter.
- Bake for 16 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.
- Cool on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar.
- Makes approximately 1 dozen cupcakes.
Miranda S.
Home Cook
