Healthy Green Juice Recipes

Summer has officially begun, and I don’t know about you – but I’m already eating more ice cream, popsicles and other “fun” summery foods. Not that I see anything wrong with an occasional indulgence – but I like to balance things out by adding a little more green wherever I can.

Today I’ve partnered with Evolution Fresh to come up with 3 healthy recipes to help you get more greens into your day. Their cold-pressed green juices are packed with kale, spinach, cucumber, lettuces and herbs, among other flavorful ingredients. Obviously the easiest way to get more green is to just drink the juice (and it’s delicious)… but I had fun thinking outside of the box (er, bottle) to create these simple summery recipes:

1. Make a sweet green lemony pesto:
Pesto is already pretty green, but this one uses green juice in place of most of the olive oil to make an overall lighter version. Sweet Greens and Lemon juice make it every bit as zesty delicious.

2. Cook rice with green juice instead of water or broth:
I have to say that I’m so in love with this trick. I used green juice in place of water or broth to cook my rice. It adds extra nutrition (over 1 pound of green vegetables’ worth!) but the flavor is very mild so you’re actually eating more greens than it feels like. Essential Greens with Lime is perfect for green cilantro rice – I like to serve this with tacos or grilled veggie kabobs. After the rice is done cooking, I season it with salt, pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, a few squeezes of lime and chopped cilantro. Top your plate with a scoop of salsa.

THIS IS A QUICKIE! QUICK AND EASY RECIPES THAT I DON’T HAVE MUCH TO SAY ABOUT, ASIDE FROM THE FACT THAT THEY TASTE AWESOME AND YOU SHOULD GIVE THEM A GO!

Guacamole is always a favorite around here. Give me a big bag of crispy, crunchy tortilla chips (even better if they’re homemade!) and a big bowl of guacamole and I’ll call it dinner. Guacamole, like so many other things in life, is way better when you make it at home. Forget about that weird bright green goopy stuff you see in plastic tubs at the store. That stuff, it’s just masquerading as guacamole. Make the real thing, you won’t regret it!

Really, it can be as simple as mashing up some avocado with lime juice, salt, and pepper. I like to add in a bunch of herbs for an extra bit of deliciousness. My favorite renditions are ones that have a little bit of an Asian flair going on: fish sauce, shallots, cilantro, mint, green onions, lime, Thai chili, and of course, lots of freshly cracked black pepper. Of course, you can do a straight up classic guacamole too. I’ve included both recipes here. Go forth and guacamole friends!