Sometimes I stare in my fridge and cupboards with no clue about what to do for lunch.

Nine out of ten of those times, I end up making a juice. Slow, of course.

I’m a big fan of slow juicing and my friends know this. They often ask me what I put in my juices. When I mention orange, apple and carrot, they nod in approval. When I talk about celery, beetroot and ginger, I usually get raised I eyebrows. And when I add broccoli, turmeric and cabbage to the list, I know the corners of the lips will turn down in a sign of disgust and disbelief.

The reactions are predictable and—call me evil—I like the shock effect.

Yet, regardless of what people think, I keep on juicing, not in the least when I have left-over veggies or overripe fruits lying around.

That’s what I tell non-believers: almost any kind of vegetable and fruit can be juiced. Excess pumpkin from jack-o-lanterns? Juice it! Overripe tomatoes? Juice it! Leftover fruit salad from last night? Juice it! There are an unlimited number of recipes possible.

Not once have I had the exact same juice twice, in all the years that we’ve been juicing at home. I say we because, to be fair, it’s my husband who does most of the juicing.

However, when I go for it, my rule of thumb for the mix of ingredients is one of each category:

– something sweet: apple, pineapple, watermelon, carrots, etc…
– something bitter/pungent: grapefruit, wheat grass, radish, parsley, spinach, etc…
– something sour: lime, lemon, kiwi, pomegranate, etc…
– something spicy, if so desired: basil, garlic, turmeric, etc…
– for more volume, I add something without overpowering taste: cucumber, courgette, salad, etc…

From this basis, I go crazy. The combinations are different every day, depending on what’s in season, what we have in the fridge that needs to be consumed and what I crave to satisfy my taste buds. It’s very simple and straightforward.

I could leave it at this and just tell everybody to get juicing.

However, since, in general, people like to play it safe and need to follow recipes, here’s what my fridge and instinct dictated today.

Ingredients for 600 ml of Ruby Red juice (lunch for one, or a drink for two)

– a big handful of red grapes (sweet)
– a small beetroot, washed and peeled (sweet)
– a leftover broccoli stalk (bitter)
– two navel oranges, peeled (sweet/sour)
– a piece of ginger, peeled (spicy)

The result? A beautiful, super healthy, fresh, perfectly balanced, bright red juice with a kick.

Done and dusted in 15 minutes, including cleaning and washing the juicer.

No time is no excuse, even when it’s called slow juicing.

Enjoy your lunch!

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Author: Yaisa Nio

Editor: Emily Bartran

Photo: Pixoto / John Loydall; Author’s Own