A trio of cleansing veggies—cucumber, lettuce, and sprouts—result in a great green lemonade.This blended juice is incredibly refreshing on a hot summer day, but can be used year-round as a tonic, especially on a day when you feel you've eaten too much. Try some of the variations suggested, or alter it to suit your taste. Photos by Hannah Kaminsky.
Makes: 1 quart (four 8-ounce servings)
- ½ medium cucumber, peeled
- A good handful of sprouts (try pea shoots or broccoli sprouts)
or parsley leaves, or a little of both - 5 or 6 lettuce leaves (romaine, Boston, bibb,or curly green leaf)
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- Liquid stevia (preferred) or agave nectar to taste
Combine the cucumber, lettuce, and sprouts and/or parsley in a blender (you can use a regular blender for this, though a high-speed blender will break the veggies down a bit better) with 2 cups water. Process until completely blended.
Transfer to a quart container and add the lemon juice. Add more water, almost to the top. Sweeten as desired with liquid stevia or agave nectar. Stir together well. Serve straight or over ice.
Variations:
Use a large celery stalk with leaves in place of (or in addition to ) the sprouts. If using other than a high-speed blender, you may want to peel the stings.
Use some coconut water in place of some of the regular water. It contains lots of electrolytes, for even deeper hydration.
- Explore other recipes for living juices.
Colleen says
Can't wait to try this! Basil lemonade is delicious too!
Nava says
Oooh, what a good idea!