So you have a sweet tooth.

Me too.

Every day, usually around 4 p.m. or so, my body craves a bit of sugar. Sometimes I ignore it, sometimes I eat an almond blondie. 

However, this summer, my Spanish kitchen welcomed a new gadget....the juicer.   (Cue life-changing drum roll sound)

Now, instead of baking cookies, I press some carrots, oranges and nectarines into a glowing orange glass of fresh juice. It helps, of course, that it's hot outside, and that turning on the oven at home is not an appetizing thought after baking all morning long at work.  But honestly, the main reason I love the juicer is that it's just so easy. 

And that it helps me feel all super-healthy self righteous.

And that it's really good for juicing watermelons for a delicious vermouth-watermelon punch (recipe coming soon!)

Modern technology is both our bane and our salvation. It gives us time to ponder both the important and unimportant, obsess over things our ancestors wouldn’t even be able to identify, and time to, well, waste.  But it has also changed the ways that we prepare our food. If you were like me, put off by the thought of purchasing another kitchen appliance, then just hear me out.  

Juice is hot. So hot right now. It's also real expensive, if you go out to the nearest strip mall to grab some. Or, if you live abroad, impossible to find in those exciting, Cali-inspired combos.  But there's so much goodness to be got from the leftovers in your fruit and veggie drawers, and without spending 5-10 bucks for a designer drink.

Modern juicers rule. They are highly efficient and produce little waste. And they just make your life a lot easier.…no peeling, no squeezing, just juice—fast. While many of us may associate juicers with as the means for producing a healthy beverage, guess what? You can also use them for mixing pastes, processing garnishes and blending sauces. 

 Basically, a juicer isn't just a juicer, if you know how to use it. Since we added one to our kitchen arsenal, you'd be hard-pressed to wrest it from my super healthy hands.  I know you might be thinking, I don’t have the space. But it’s one of those things that, once you get the hang of using, you can’t imagine life without it. The truth is these appliances can be so useful in preparing healthy foods and upping your kitchen wow factor. 

 Here’s the juice that, for me, epitomizes summer 2014:

 marti’s summer juice

(serves two)

 

• 2 carrots
• 2 ripe peaches
• 1 orange, skin removed
• 1 apple
• 1 TBSP ground flax seed

 

Add first four ingredients to the juicer. You can peel the carrots, and you should peel the oranges.  However, I leave the rest of the fruit whole. Stir in the flax seed to the finished juice for added omega-3s.