Cabbage, Cucumber and Apple Juice
Cabbage juice that tastes like something you would actually choose. Cucumber waters it down, two green apples bring the sweetness and half a lemon keeps it sharp. Four ingredients, five minutes, about 118 calories a glass. This is what I make on a heavy afternoon when I want volume without sugar.
Equipment
- 1 Juicer masticating or centrifugal
- 1 High-speed blender for the blender method
- 1 Nut milk bag or fine-mesh sieve to strain the blender version
- 2 Airtight glass bottles if you make a double batch
- 1 Budget cold press juicer the cheaper option if you are just starting out
- 1 Budget blender works fine here, just strain it a little harder
Ingredients
- 220 g green cabbage about a quarter of a medium head, core removed
- 1 cucumber a long one, about 300g, peeled if the skin is waxed
- 2 green apples cored, skin left on
- 1/2 lemon, peeled pith removed
Optional
- 2 cm fresh ginger, peeled, optional a warm note under the cabbage if you find it too green
Instructions
Juicer method
- Cut the cabbage into wedges and slice out the hard core. You want about 220g of leaves, which is roughly a quarter of a medium head.
- Core the apples and leave the skin on. Peel the lemon and take the white pith off with it, because the pith is what makes a juice taste bitter.
- Feed the cabbage through the juicer in small handfuls, alternating with pieces of cucumber. On its own the cabbage clogs the basket, and the cucumber pushes it through.
- Follow with the apples and the lemon, stir, and pour into two glasses. Drink it within twenty minutes if you can.
Blender method
- Chop the cabbage, cucumber and apples, peel the lemon, and put everything into a blender with 150ml cold water.
- Blend on high for a full minute, until there are no cabbage shreds left and the mixture looks cloudy and even.
- Pour it through a nut milk bag or a fine sieve. Cabbage pulp is dry and hangs on to liquid, so press it hard with the back of a spoon rather than letting it drip.
- Divide between two glasses and drink straight away. The blender version comes out a little thicker and slightly more savoury.
Notes
Cabbage juice needs drinking fresh. It starts to smell sulphurous within about twenty minutes of being made, so make it to drink rather than to store. If you do want a bigger batch, fill an airtight glass bottle right to the top so there is no air gap, and drink it the same day.
Two things worth knowing. Raw cruciferous vegetables contain goitrogens, which can affect how your body uses iodine, so if you have a thyroid condition or take thyroid medication, ask your GP before making this a daily habit. Cabbage is also high in vitamin K, which matters if you take warfarin, because the amount you get needs to stay steady from week to week. Neither is a reason to avoid it, just a reason not to go at it blindly.
Nutrition
Serving: 1glassCalories: 118kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 3gFat: 0.5gSaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 20mgPotassium: 545mgFiber: 2gSugar: 19gVitamin C: 55mg
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