Guava and Greens - Juice Recipe

For newbies to green juices, I always suggest starting with spinach for the first week or so and then start adding some of the more "potent" greens to your veg juices. Spinach is great because it is mild-tasting and less bitter than some of the other good-for-you greens (like Kale, Collard, Chard, Dandelion). However, it's important to mix things up a bit. Not every fruit or veg comes equipped with the same type or amount of nutrients; and composition and color (including varying shades of green) are often indicators of the types of nutrients present in any given food. So, in the world of food and nutrition, variety is important to ensure your body gets a full spectrum of vitamins, minerals and enzymes.

For this juice, there's still a bit of spinach in it, but I've mixed it with other greens to start acclimating your palate so you slowly get used to taking in more bitter greens (a post to come about why bitter greens are so beneficial). I've also included baby guavas, which are not super sweet, but the fragrance is so intoxicating, you feel like you're drinking a piece of heaven as it emanates from your juice.



Guava and Greens Juice

6 leaves collard greens, stems removed (about 1 1/2 cups packed)
1/2 cup spinach
1/2 cup broccoli (combo of stems and/or florets is fine) - optional
2 celery stalks
1/2 cup fennel, chopped
3 baby guavas (or 1/2 large guava)
1 apple
1 green pear
2 cups water

Process all fruit and veg through your juicer. Mix in water and Enjoy! Alternately, you can mix all fruit/veg and water in a blender and then strain through cheese cloth to obtain your juice.


(Tip 1): Fennel has a mild licorice taste. Although I'm not a huge fan of licorice-flavored things, fennel in juice really tastes amazing. Most of the real licorice flavor is in the fronds (the leafy stuff at the top), so if you want to avoid this flavor, leave the fronds out and just use the white bulb at the bottom.

(Tip 2): Adding fruit is a great way to make greens taste better - especially if you're not used to drinking your greens. Though, I ALWAYS add some water to my juices whenever I add sweet fruits to them. I even do this with commercial juices. I think it is important to add water so your system is not getting such a concentrated jolt of sugar. Since I've added 2 sweet fruits, I've added a bit of extra water to this one. Don't worry, coming from someone who's a sweet-aholic, I think it still tastes pleasurably sweet.

Peace, Greens, and & Happy St. Patrick's Day, 
from the Diary of a Smart Black Woman