Beet, Carrot, Pear Juice

Happy New Year PIP Family! We're so excited to get you your first boxes of the new year. We're also eager to get back on track after a season of indulgences and say hello to a healthy 2020! This first box of the new decade makes it easy to start fresh! It's filled with colorful fruits and veggies that are beneficial for our bodies. I wanted to kick off this year here on the blog by personally telling you about our new approach to recipe sharing for 2020 and by showing you one of my own favorite recipes that helps energize me to run a business and a household of five.

I am excited to announce that this year, once every month we will be partnering with a local restaurant to show you how local chefs are using our Perfectly Imperfect Produce to create a beautiful and delicious dish in their restaurant! We'll feature some of your favorite spots and introduce you to some of the hidden gems throughout various neighborhoods here in Northeast Ohio. We'll move throughout the region and share different ethnic flavors too! We're pretty pumped about some big name restaurants who have already agreed to partner up with us. On Fridays, you'll get your weekly blog post from us sharing the featured chef's recipe for the week along with some more details about the restaurant itself and the chef who prepared the dish! We'll also be sharing original recipes from local bloggers using our produce AND customers just like you! Contact me at ashley@perfectlyimperfectproduce.com if you'd like us to post one of your original recipes!

Now let's jump into this week's recipe fresh from my own kitchen! This delicious homemade juice is packed to the brim with vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Beta Carotone, Lycopene, Lutein, as well as plenty of fiber. It will energize you to go make 2020 the best year yet!

I'm not really a fan of "juice cleanses" per se, but now and then (especially after a period of overindulging) I like to make some fresh juice to help flush out the extra toxins in my body and give myself a nice hefty boost of vitamin C. This helps keep away the potential cold and flu germs that have been shared during all the family time we've been spending with relatives.

This week's box provided the perfect combo of items for juicing. Here's one of my favorites. If you don't have these items on hand you can improvise. Juicing is really one of the BEST ways to use up imperfect produce. Toss in those old cucumbers that are looking a little past their prime or throw in the greens that are getting wilty. Wrinkly limes or spotty apples are always a staple in my juices as well. Who cares if a carrot has three legs? Once you juice it, the taste is... perfection! If you don't have a juicer, no worries. You can also try this in a blender and then pour it through a sifter to eliminate the pulp.

BEET, CARROT, PEAR JUICE

1 Perfectly Imperfect beet (I used this week's gold beet)

2 Perfectly Imperfect carrots (I used one purple and one orange)

1 Perfectly Imperfect pear

3 Perfectly Imperfect celery stalks

1 Perfectly Imperfect orange

1 Perfectly Imperfect lemon

Directions

Wash all ingredients. You do not need to peel the carrots, but I typically do like to chop the larger items like beets, pears or citrus into quarters just to make it a little easier to fit everything into the juicer. One by one press each item through the juicer into a pitcher or cup below. After you've put all items through, give the juice a nice stir and sample for taste. If you prefer it a bit sweeter, you could add another orange or pear. Chill. Enjoy! You can drink this as a stand alone meal or snack or pair with a healthy breakfast.

Speaking of juicing, did you know that we offer a Juicing Box every single week? It's all organic and it contains all the items you need to make delicious juices at home. Each week will be a little different depending on what we rescue, but you can expect to receive things like greens, carrots, celery, apples, pears, citrus, melons, pineapple, ginger and more! Check out the product on our site, here!

We hope you'll give this delicious juice a recipe a try as you kick of 2020! Don't forget to show us what you're up to in your own kitchen this year! We want to see you how you're getting creative turning our "ugly produce" into beautiful meals! Tag us @perfectlyimperfectproduce and email me at ashley@perfectlyimperfectproduce if you'd like us to feature one of your recipes here in the coming weeks!

Cheers to a healthy, happy new year!