Juiced for the Holidays!

I have been stopping by an Organic Juice and Smoothie shop in East Memphis called The Cosmic Coconut, and I have to tell you I am hooked on fresh pressed juices combined in extraordinary ways.  These experiences got me curious and sent me on a mission to investigate juicing machines. After speaking with a couple of local retail sales associates (Dillards and Williams Sonoma), the Juicer appears to be a strong sell this holiday season in the Mid-South. 

I admit that I am not the juicing expert and would refer you to best-juicer-reviews.com for more technical reviews. However, the Juicers that I am posting cover broad price points, which makes it a bit easier to continue your search for the best Juicer for you.

Best Budget Juicer- $75

The Hamilton Beach Bigmouth 67650 is the top pick of Consumer Reports, Food and Wine Magazine, and consumerguide.com. The reviews state that this Juicer is easy to use and easy to clean. However, some reviews note that the pulp comes out wet- a sign of inefficient juicing. Additional comments were complaints about plastic parts breaking. 

Best Endorsed Juicer- $100

The Jack Lalanne Juicer is ranked the best Juicer in several polls. For one hundred dollars at your local department store, this may be a suitable purchase for someone primarily interested in juicing fruit. It can’t juice leafy greens (wheatgrass, spinach, etc.) and oxygen gets into the juice- meaning foam in the juice. Just like the Hamilton Juicer, the lower priced Juicers have complaints about plastic parts breaking. 

Most Efficient mid range Juicer -$149

The Breville JE98XL will press eight ounces of juice in five seconds. This Juicer has a wider mouth which equates to less time involved in chopping fruits and vegetables into smaller pieces in order to load them into the Juicer. Like other mid-range Juicers, the Breville does not do a great job of juicing leafy greens or wheatgrass. As a plus, this Juicer ranked very well with consumers on Amazon. 

Price is not a factor- $379.00

The Omega-VRT350 Juicer will do just about all that you desire, without the loud noise or the enzyme killing heat and little/no foam. Yes, this premier Juicer will juice your leafy greens and wheatgrass without a second thought. Some of the other noteworthy features are:

Easy to assemble, operate and clean

High juice yield ­ very dry pulp

Two juicing screens for firm and soft produce

**Per juicingperfection.com, this Juicer weighs 25 pounds and has an unheard of 10-year warranty.  Considering the size, this is a monster small appliance that will remain on top of your counter along side the stand up KitchenAid mixer.

If a Juicer is a top pick on your wish list, let Santa know ASAP. The local Williams Sonoma outlet is already sold out of Breville Juicers, and other well rated Juicers are becoming difficult to find in our area. 

Love love Orange Cauliflower!

Whoda thunk... orange cauliflower? It is an amazing vegetable that you should try with this recipe I found from www.sundaynightdinner.com. Three out of four of my family members liked the dish (if my son had given it a thumbs up, I would have had to check his temperature).

Information for my local peeps: I found this vegetable in the organic section at Kroger-Exeter location in Germantown.

Cardamom Roasted Cauliflower Recipe

SND Note: We've added the salt before and after roasting. While it's easier to salt the vegetables before roasting, the salt draws out the moisture in the vegetables, which makes them harder to brown and caramelize. Salting the vegetables after roasting is the recommended approach.

Ingredients

•  1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus extra for greasing sheet pan

•  3 green cardamom pods

•  1-2 dried red chilies or 1 fresh Thai chili (optional)

•  1 tablespoon coriander seeds

•  1 teaspoon cumin seeds

•  1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns

•  1 head cauliflower (2 1/2 to 3 pounds) cored and broken into medium florets

•  1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced

•  1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Directions

1.            Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease a sheet pan or jellyroll pan with olive oil and set aside.

2.            Grind the cardamom pods, chilies, coriander, cumin and whole peppercorns in a coffee grinder or mini food processor until fine. Mix the spices with oil in a large bowl. Add the cauliflower florets and onions and toss to coat. Add additional oil if necessary.

3.            Transfer the vegetables to a baking pan, spread evenly. Roast until they're tender and the onions are caramelized, about 30-35 minutes, stirring halfway through. Transfer to large bowl, sprinkle with salt and toss, adjust salt to taste and serve.

Makes 4 servings as a side dish

[Adapted from American Masala by Suvir Saran]