Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Strawberry Watermelon Breakfast Juice

I am fortunate to have received a Vita-Mix blender as a gift last December along with a great book full of juice and smoothie recipes. For Mother's Day this past weekend I decided to make a fresh juice for everyone to start the brunch I was hosting at my house.

J found a juice recipe that sounded simple to make and delicious to drink, Watermelon Breakfast Juice. With just four ingredients (watermelon, ginger, mint, and lime juice,) it couldn't get any easier. So on Sunday, I followed the recipe and got some great feedback from my family: "it could be a little colder" - so I added some ice in the second batch - "too much ginger" - so I grated a little less in the second batch, and it was delicious. Everybody was happy. This juice was a hit and I've made it twice since then, with some modifications.

When brunch was over on Sunday, J and I were left with an abundance of watermelon - I bought a whole watermelon and only used about a third of it for the juice on Sunday, and an abundance of strawberries - due in part to my lack of planning. I asked my sister to bring dessert without any specification, so she brought angel food cake, strawberries, and whipped topping. And I asked my sister-in-law to bring fruit, again without much specification, so she brought a couple pounds of strawberries. Do you see where I'm going with this?

I decided to modify the watermelon breakfast juice recipe to try and use up some of the strawberry bounty in my kitchen, so now it's

Strawberry Watermelon Breakfast Juice
3 1/2 cups watermelon, cubed
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice (~1 juicy lime)
7 or 8 fresh strawberries, untrimmed
1 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped (optional, but recommended)
1/2 to 3/4 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
1/2 cup ice

Add watermelon, lime juice, strawberries, mint, ginger and ice to a blender and pulse until smooth. Do not blend for too long or it will get frothy. There is also no need to trim the leaves from the strawberries but do be sure to wash them first. For those with a powerful blender like a Vita-Mix or Blendtec, you probably dont even need to chop the mint or grate the ginger, but I do recommend it for better blending. I pulsed the juice six or seven times on the variable speed setting of 7 on my Vita-Mix and the juice came out perfect.

This recipe makes about two tall glasses of juice, or approximately 32 ounces.

Final thoughts: this juice is fantastic with or without mint, I've made it both ways; I do, however, think the mint balances everything out and adds some depth to the flavor of the juice. I also think this juice would be great with some vodka, rum or tequila, although I have yet to try it. Let me know what you think.

Strawberry Watermelon Juice

11 comments:

  1. I'm pretty sure vodka, rum and tequila work well in anything...but this juice looks and sounds pretty delightful without them! I'm always looking for new drinks like this in the spring and summer, so I will definitely be trying this!

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  2. Hi Michelle, no doubt! Let me know what you think once you've tried it. It's great with or without strawberries and the original with mint is great!

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  3. Kismet that I found you today, I have 1/2 a watermelon in the fridge and this sounds delicious! For once I have ALL the ingredients!

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  4. Hi Joycee, I'm glad you found my site too! Did you make the juice? What did you think?

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  5. So jealous. I want a Vita-Mix.

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  6. Hi mixbakestir: The Vita-Mix is The.Best.Small.Kitchen.Appliance.Ever.

    Invest and be happy!

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  7. This is amazing,I didnt want to add the ginger at first,but Im glad I did,thanks for sharing this!If you won't mind I'd love to guide Foodista readers to this post.Just add the foodista widget to the end of this post and it's all set, Thanks!

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  8. Love your site. This is the perfect pre-workout drink - and pink! Gotta try ♥

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  9. I have loads of mint in my garden...your so right :-) it balances all the flavors ( partic melon) out beautifully !

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  10. Hi Stacey, thanks!

    Hi Ruairi, this is a great way to use up your mint. Watermelon juice in the morning, mojitos at night!

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  11. wow just made this and it is soo good. the mint and ginger add a really interesting dimension. sweet yet super refreshing and i can just taste the vitamins pouring into my bloodstream!

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