Juicing is an easy way to introduce fruits and veggies into your food regimen.  I’m not one to eat an entire plate of kale on its own, but mixed up with some of my favorite juicing ingredients, not only is the bitter taste disguised, but I am feeding my body with power foods all at once. As a bonus, blended with banana, apple chia seeds and carrots it tastes great!    

If you have never juiced before, don’t worry! It’s not as intimidating as those bulky blenders make it look. The important thing is to find combinations that you like, and slowly branch out to new ones. When formulating for your juice, always start with a base. Fruits and veggies produce the liquid in your drink, therefore producing the most volume. (For the beginners out there, it’s ok to start with the majority of your base being fruit.) Carrots, berries, apples, celery, cucumber, wheat grass and sweet potatoes are just a few bases to begin with along with the sweet taste of beets and cucumbers. 

Next add leafy greens! It might be easy to assume that by adding your least favorite part of a salad to your juice, the taste is going to take a turn for the worst. Here’s a secret, that I’ll give to you completely free! Spinach disguises the taste of kale. Really?? Yes! Really! So load it up! The amount of vitamins and minerals that this pair offers is impeccable and you’re not going to want to miss out on it. To add more flavors and anti-oxidants to your juice, add mint leaves, ginger, parsley lemon/lime or even honey to taste. 

It’s important that when juicing, that you remove any skin, rinds or peels that the fruits and veggies may have. Juicers are meant to finely grind what you mixing, the blades are not meant to break down anything other than the leaf or fruit interior. 

When juicing, it is best to drink it right away, but you may store up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Make sure you store your juice in an airtight container…Mason jars, while trendy these days make for a great juicing vehicle. 

Now all you have to do is buy a juicer. There are so many juicers on them market, that will meet the needs of all budgets. The Cuisinart Juicer and Breville both offer low and high end juicers. It seems this holiday season the Magic bullet made the top list for its compact size and east cleaning features. 

Start your new juicing journey with these three recipes:

Green Juice Blend

1 C. Pineapple

1 Green apple

1 Green pear

6 Kale leaves

Orange Juice Blend

1 Mango

1 C. Pineapple

10 Carrots

2 Orange

Purple Juice Blend

½ C. Blueberries

Handful of mixed berries or Strawberries

½ head of medium red Cabbage

½ C. Cranberries

You’re probably used to seeing green asparagus, and for good reason: It’s the most common. But asparagus also comes in white and purple varieties, which you can find at farmer’s markets during the season and also specialty gourmet shops. When shopping for any kind of asparagus, though, look for bright color, compact tips and thick, upright stems. And when it comes to storing it, it’s best to eat it right away—but asparagus can be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days; just place the stalks upright in a glass of water (like you would flowers in a vase) and cover them loosely with plastic wrap.

When you’re ready to actually eat your asparagus, you’ll be lucky to know that prep is generally quick. If you want to discard tough stems, just grab the middle of the spear and snap off the end; you’ll be left with just the tender stalk and tip. And if you’re cooking with white asparagus, the outer layer should always be peeled.

Below is one of my favorite ways to use asparagus—in an elegant soup. But please do share your favorite ways to prepare this delicious vegetable, too!

Chilled Asparagus Soup with Caviar, Crab and Avocado

3 Tbsp. butter

2 small leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise, thickly sliced (about 3 cups)

1 1/2 pounds asparagus, ends trimmed, spears coarsely chopped

4 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth

3 cups chopped spinach leaves (about 3 1/2 ounces)

6 tablespoons flaked fresh crabmeat

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon minced shallot

3/4 cup diced peeled pitted avocado

6 teaspoons good-quality black caviar (such as osetra)

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add asparagus and stock; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer until asparagus is tender, about 8 minutes. Add spinach, cover and simmer until wilted, about 4 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Transfer soup to large bowl; season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool, then cover and chill until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Mix crabmeat, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and shallot in small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix avocado and remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice in another small bowl; mash coarsely. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place tomato can or biscuit cutter in center of 1 soup bowl. Spoon in 1 tablespoon avocado mixture; smooth top. Spoon in 1 tablespoon crab mixture; press lightly to compact. Spoon in 1 tablespoon avocado mixture. Top with 1 teaspoon caviar. Carefully lift off can. Repeat in remaining soup bowls with remaining timbale ingredients. Ladle soup around each timbale. Serve immediately.