By KARMIC Kitchen Masterchef Renee Pantas

         

Soup (Serves 1)
1 cup of peas
1/4 avocado (large)
Large handful of watercress roughly chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lime
Small handful of mint, finely chopped
Small handful of basil, finely chopped
2 tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper

 

To serve
Natural Yoghurt
Microgreens
 

A good entry into solid foods after a KARMIC Cold Pressed Juice cleanse. Light, refreshing and full of green goodness, this soup is an absolute treat!

Green peas provide a good source of carbohydrates and contain high amounts of Vitamin-K, which assists in maintaining strong bones. The leafy green watercress also has potent anti-cancer effects and contains high amounts of lutein, beneficial for healthy eyes.

The acidity in the lime and the herbs also aid in digestion and detoxification of the liver.

1. Place the peas in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring up to the boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until cooked. Drain (reserving some of the cooking water) and pour into a food processor. Pour the olive oil over the peas and process for 40 seconds or until smooth.
2. Add the avocado, watercress, lime zest and juice, mint, basil and olive oil to the food processor or blender, together with the peas; blend until all ingredients are combined.
3. Continue processing whilst slowly adding reserved cooking water until you reach the desired consistency, season to taste with salt and pepper

Serve with micro-greens or extra herbs and a dollop of natural yoghurt and drizzle with a little bit of extra virgin olive-oil.

KARMIC Cold Pressed Juice – Melbourne

Cold Pressed Juice is a process of fresh juice production which extracts the nutrient-rich liquids from fruit and vegetables without the use of any heat and by limiting the aeration/agitation of the product. This is done by slowly grinding the raw ingredients, before being pressed & filtered from the plant cellulose at room temperature. The key advantages of cold pressed juice over other methods is two fold; firstly, there is no heat involved which ensures that the juice remains perfectly raw & unpasteurized – preserving the valuable enzymes. Secondly, there is limited to no aeration of the juice which has been shown to extend the window of availability of the raw nutrients from production to consumption by delaying oxidisation.

The benefits of consuming fresh, raw vegetable juices have been well documented & discussed over the last several decades. Most recently, there’s mounting evidence suggesting that frequently consuming juice as part of a detoxification program (“juice diet”) can have numerous health benefits. This has given rise to the popularity of Cold Press Juice Cleansing & Liver Detox Cleanses (replacing the likes of the ‘Lemon Detox Diet) as they contain the added benefits of concentrated anti-oxidants & minerals.

 Cold Pressed vs. Centrifugal

Compared to other juice methods of juice extraction, the Cold Press reigns supreme due to the ability to produce truly raw & natural juice. Perhaps the most common type of bench top juicer is the centrifugal model, which pulps the ingredients before extracting the liquids through a sieve using centrifugal (spinning) force. The blades & sieve on a standard centrifugal juicer rotate at roughly 10,000 – 15,000 revolutions per minute, which can both generate a considerable amount of heat & tends to mix a great deal of air through the juice. The end result is juice which can be above room temperature & ‘foamy’ – a sign that a lot of air has been mixed through & it is this which can decrease the bioavailability of some of the nutrients through oxidization and heat. Research suggests that the cold pressed juice is up to five times more nutrient dense then juices extracted using the centrifugal method.

Aside from the vast differences in nutritional integrity, another major advantage of cold pressed juice over a centrifugal juice is the taste and the colour. The juice tastes more like the produce that it was derived from and this gives it a body and flavour that is more ‘true’ to its original state. The reason for this is that the juice is pressed under the same pressure conditions we would chew the produce in its ‘whole’ state, creating a similar taste. Once you go cold pressed there is no going back.