Suco da Luz do Sol

Sunshine Juice! It's all the rage here in Brazil. After seeing it on a news program, we decided to get a juice extractor and try it out. If you haven't heard about it, or it's not all the popular in your area, here are all the details you need to make it yourself. First you need to "germinate" some kind of nut or seed. I used sunflower seeds. You can see how they are germinated on the right. Then you need to clean your fresh fruits and veggies. The recipe calls for an apple, a cucumber, fresh mint, a very green leafy veggie (I used kale and found it bitter, but found spinach very nice), a carrot (or another root like beets or ginger, but I found ginger a bit too pungent for me), a vegetable (I have used chayote-chocho, squash and broccoli) and the sprouted seeds. I have added a few slices of melon to make it slightly sweeter.
You blend them all together in your blender and then you have to use a sieve and cheesecloth, etc. to strain the pulp. Me, I prefer the juice extractor. You don't even have to core or peel the veggies. God bless the store clerk you suggested putting a plastic bag in the pulp collector, because otherwise you have a huge mess of nasty pulp that sticks to the sides of the collector cup. With the garbage bag on the side you just lift it out and throw away the pulp. Of course, that seems a waste and we are trying to figure out how to use it, since we can't very well compost up here. I am amazed at the quantity of juice that is comes out. And it is so green. Only the carrot throws in another color.
I expected the juice to be kind of thick and chunky. Since I am so sensitive to textures, I was afraid that I would be revolted by that, but surprisingly, it is not thick. It is like any other juice. The apple and carrot (and with a little bit of melon) make it quite sweet. They say not the refrigerate the ingredients, but I do, since I hate anything lukewarm. Both João and I were quite apprehensive about how it would taste and so we both kind of had to work up some courage to actually do a taste test. I don't think we are too used to drinking anything green, although I don't know why that is so. Frankly I wouldn't say it's the most delicious juice I have ever tasted, but in it's own unique way, it's kind of good. I have tweaked the recipe some and tried to make it more palatable for us. That may not meet up to the standards of the LifeFood people. This juice comes from the raw food movement, called Lifefood. Me, I like everything well cooked, but I do know it loses vitamins in cooking. I also know I am not very patient to make and eat salads. So I figure this juice is a way of getting a good portion of the fruits and vegetables we need each day. Surprisingly the health clinics here in Brazil are recommending this juice to lower cholesterol and blood pressure and to lose weight. I know nothing is a panacea, but this little drink actually is very filling. So much so, that I am not hungry for hours and hours afterwards. I sure would be happier if it did lower my cholesterol! My bp is fine, thank you very much. Still, it doesn't hurt to try something new once in a while. So now you know all about Sunshine Juice. If you try it out, let me know what you think of it. We drink it for breakfast. Try it! You'll like it.