Cilantro Lime Juice
Cilantro Lime Juice!? YES. This refreshing juice is sweetened with apples and a bit of maple syrup, balancing the tanginess of the lime and concealing the taste of the added spinach. It also contains flaxseeds, and by adding flaxseeds you’re getting a plant-based source of omega-3. One tablespoon of flaxseeds contains 2g of omega-3s, which is even more than the recommended daily value!
A commonly suggested source of animal-based omega-3 is fish, such as salmon. But if you’re already prioritizing your health and making sure to get important nutrients like omega-3s, why would you consume fish? Seafood often contains heavy metals like mercury, and also saturated fat, PCB chemicals, and microplastics! Instead, plant-based omega-3 sources like flaxseeds can meet your nutritional needs, they’re very affordable, shelf-stable and have no health risks.
As for the Cilantro Lime Juice! I first made this juice a long time ago, and I’m not even sure what compelled me to make it. It was so good that I wrote down the recipe that very first time though, and although I loved it, I forgot about it and didn’t make it again for years!
Then, last Cinco de Mayo I was out with friends. (Can you tell where this is going?) We did a bar crawl and got margaritas at the first stop. I saw a cilantro margarita on the menu, and I know I love anything with cilantro, so I had to try it. It was so good, and reminded me of something… but I couldn’t remember what it was at the time. It was this juice! Many foods containing cilantro are savory and/or contain a lot of vegetables. Using cilantro in a sweet juice such as this one is a twist that will both surprise and satisfy your taste buds!
In my smoothie recipes, I often include a tip to freeze your ingredients beforehand. Because this is a juice, freezing your spinach, apple, lime, or even the cilantro is not necessary. However, in the list of ingredients below, I have included notes about keeping your fresh ingredients in the freezer, specifically the spinach and cilantro, if you find yourself not getting through all of it before it’s about to wilt.
And although this is certainly a juice, for this recipe, we are blending the ingredients in a blender. By thinning everything out with water, and not using creamy, thick ingredients, such as bananas, this recipe will indeed make a refreshing, light juice.
I choose to blend rather than actually “juice,” because juicing machines remove the pulp and all of the essential “fibrous materials” (the fiber!) from your fruits and vegetables. But fiber is a good thing! It is extremely important for proper health and nutrition.
Fiber helps the body regulate blood sugar—the sugar that’s in, for example, an apple, is balanced out by the fiber that is also in the apple. Fruits are a great source of fiber, since fiber is indeed needed to regulate the sugars that fruit contains. When you juice fruits and vegetables, the pulp that’s being taken out is all of the necessary fiber, so you’re just getting an excess of sugar. This can consequently lead to a spike in blood sugar, which results in the dreaded “sugar crash” later in the day.
By blending, we’re keeping in all of the good nutrients that these ingredients naturally have in them. Fiber also helps with managing appetite, so when you opt for blending instead of juicing, you’re likely to remain fuller, longer!
Spinach: This is a great recipe to sneak a lot of spinach in. Aesthetically, it creates an even deeper shade of green when blended with the fresh cilantro. It will make your juice taste very “healthy” without having you feel like you’re drinking grass! The ratio of the additional ingredients balances the taste perfectly, to make your juice sweet and inviting.
Apples: Apples have a high water content, so adding the apple slices not only provides a natural sweetener, but it helps the juice have a smoother consistency without needing to water it down too much.
Lime: Lime and cilantro go together like peanut butter and jelly. To simplify the preparation of this juice, simply peel the lime and throw it into the blender whole!
Cilantro: I use fresh cilantro for this juice. In my experience working with cilantro, in fresh recipes (juices, like this one, or salads, salad dressings, salsas, guacamole and other fresh dishes where cilantro is used) the dried, shelf-stable cilantro does not have the same effect as using fresh bunches of cilantro. You will not get that lovely green color, and it truthfully doesn’t even taste the same! Bunches of fresh cilantro can be found with the other herbs in the produce section. If you have difficulty using up all of your cilantro before it goes bad (this happens to me a lot) throw it in the freezer before it gets to the point that you have to throw it out. You can use the frozen cilantro for making more of this juice, or you can make other recipes with it like my Cilantro Lime Dressing!
Flaxseeds: This is purely for added nutritional benefit, once you blend all of the ingredients well you won’t notice it or taste it. Make sure you do blend well, though, because otherwise the flaxseeds could give your juice a gritty consistency.
Maple Syrup: The maple syrup adds a necessary sweetness, and although you do have the apples as well for a sweet component, they’re also rather tart. If you’re not big on maple syrup or added sweeteners, start with ½ tsp of maple syrup and go from there.
Water: Adjust the amount that you incorporate depending on your preference. Start with a small amount of water, and continue to add it gradually as you blend until your juice reaches the consistency that suits you.
Ingredients
2 handfuls of spinach
2 apples
1 lime
½ of a bunch of cilantro
1 T flaxseeds
1 tsp maple syrup
½ C water
Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend at high speed until smooth. If you have a tamper, you may need to use it to make sure everything is incorporated. Depending on the height and width of the bowl of your blender, it may be helpful to double the recipe and make two smoothies. Blenders with wider bowls sometimes have difficulty blending things in smaller portions if the blades don’t reach out to the sides far enough.
2. Pour into a glass and top with your favorite additions, such as sliced banana, cinnamon and chopped walnuts.
Stefanie is the founder of Life, Veganized, and a passionate vegan and animal advocate. She creates vegan recipes for all palates and resides in Los Angeles with her adorable puggle, Zeus.
