The health benefits of citrus fruits are innumerable. Everyone knows that they’re rich in much-needed vitamin C, but did you know that they can be turned into a detoxifing tonic or offer a boost of hydration after a workout? Here, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite citrus recipes from the folks over at Pressed Juicery — courtesy of the book Juice: Recipes for Juicing, Cleansing & Living Well — starting with an easy-to-prepare morning smoothie. For those with an at-home juicer, we’ve included two pretty potent drinks to kick you into healthy high gear, too. (Instructions are the same for both juices.)
Good Morning Smoothie
Ingredients
1 grapefruit, peeled
2 oranges, peeled
1 lime, peeled
1 cup orange juice
1 cup firmly packed spinach
1/2 head romaine
4 kale leaves
4 Swiss chard leaves
1/2 avocado, pitted and peeled
3 or 4 ice cubes
Instructions
Place all of the ingredients into your blender of choice and blend, starting on the lowest setting and increasing power based on how smooth or chunky you’d like the results to be. You can drink the smoothie right away or keep them in an airtight container for up to 72 hours. Makes one to two 16-ounce servings.
Note: If you take prescription drugs, it is a good idea to consult your doctor before consuming grapefruits, especially when concentrated into juice. Certain drugs become more potent when combined with grapefruit, and the body has a more difficult time breaking down these pharmaceuticals.
Mint Citrus Juice
Ingredients
2 oranges, peeled
1 tangerine, peeled
1/2 lemon, peeled
Large handful of fresh mint leaves
2 celery stalks
Raspberry Citrus Juice
Ingredients
2 oranges, peeled
1 tangerine, peeled
1 cup raspberries
Instructions
Coarsely peel the citrus fruits, meaning that most of the rind should be removed for a more pleasing flavor, but you can leave the pith and some minor bits of rind. Add all ingredients to the juicer — there are no rules as to what order to juice them. Enjoy at room temperature, or if you like them chilled, add a couple of ice cubes. Makes one to two 8-ounce servings.
Note: If you are using a centrifugal juicer, drink juice as soon as possible or use an airtight container and store the juice for no longer than 24 hours. If you use a masticating juicer, do not store longer than 48 hours.