Pineapple Mint Juice

I love juices that combine sweetness and acidity in a most delicious and refreshing way. Pineapple and minneolas have topped my list of favourite fruit this year. Being sweet and only mildly acidic, they work so well together in this juice. With extra zing from lemon and the cooling taste of mint, the juice is instantly comforting and energizing.

When it comes to fruit, I prefer blender juices - they save time and are more satisfying, as they retain fiber. This recipe is blissfully simple: just put everything in the blender and whiz until smooth.

Aside from being extremely delicious and fun to make, the pineapple mint juice is equally nourishing, providing a high dose of nutrients that are readily available for absorption. It is a fantastic source of vitamin C, fiber, manganese, B vitamin complex (especially folate) and provides a good amount of calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium.

Enjoyed regularly or as part of a juice feast, this juice has many health benefits, including antioxidant and detox properties, immunity boost, improved digestion, clearing/reducing mucus, preventing cold and flu, or easing the symptoms. Being low in calories, it is also great with weight loss. The high fiber content provides a slow-release energy boost, making you feel full for longer.

I ate a lot of pineapple this summer. With 3 for £1 offers it was hard to resist the desire to test a few juice ideas. I'd peel them all, juice one straight away and cut the other two into chunks and store them in the fridge in airtight containers and consume them over the following couple of days. Using chilled pineapple makes the juice taste even more refreshing. If you don't have access to minneolas, you can always use oranges or tangerines. I absolutely love this fruit, it's sweet, very easy to peel and yields plenty of juice.

Pineapple Mint Juice (made in a blender) - makes about 500 ml

• 2 cups (170 g/cup) pineapple chunks (fresh, not canned)
• 200 ml freshly squeezed minneola juice (from 2 large minneolas)
• 1 Tb freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 6 medium, fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped or torn

Put everything in your blender.
Blend for a few seconds until smooth.
Serve right away.
Drink slowly and enjoy every sip.

If your meals throughout the day contain enough fiber and you'd like this to be just a refreshing drink, you can strain it using some cheesecloth and discard the pulp. I did this to taste the difference (see first three pictures) and loved it both ways. You can also share the juice, but I like to drink the whole thing.

Tips

• if you don't like having bits of leaves in your juice, blend the first three ingredients, pour the juice in a jar, add the whole mint leaves, give it a stir, cover with the lid and refrigerate for half an hour. You can then remove the mint and enjoy the juice.
• for extra fiber, peel and use the minneolas whole, instead of juicing them in advance, making sure there are no seeds; the juicing step is a personal preference and it takes almost the same amount of time as peeling (I use a small manual juicer, as shown above).

For kids who are not fond of lemon and mint, just stick with the pineapple-minneola (or orange) combination, that is a guaranteed winner:) A ratio of 1 cup pineapple to 3 minneolas or oranges makes a delicious juice for them to enjoy.

Enjoy and spread the magic!:)

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