About a month ago my girlfriend’s aunt gifted us with a slightly used Breville Juicer. Since then I have been obsessively making juices and experimenting with as much produce as I can. We are luckily located two blocks from the Italian Market in South Philadelphia which, if you aren’t hip to it, is a street of grocers who somehow sell their product at ridiculously cheap prices.( I’m talking $2 kale bunches, $1 bags of carrots, $2 strawberries…The place is gold)



While I’ve been on my juice craze I’ve been fantasizing about hosting a video blog called Juicy Records, in which I review albums while constructing dynamite juices. The idea was a joke but there really is something to pairing a quality juice to a quality album. A quality juice is comprised of 2-6 ingredients layered on each other in a way that creates a product completely unique to its own. Likewise, the pairing of produce you choose for a juice is essential to its product. In a quality juice each element should highlight its own flavor and compliment the other ingredients. Essentially, the ingredients should play off each other, similarly to how musicians writing and playing off each other, create a thoughtful piece of music. When the juice hits your lips or when you the music hits you ears, you should be wowed by the strength of the final product and accept that what your feeling is completely unique to the juice or to the record.

A good juice is like a group of musicians jamming in your mouth. Ya’ dig?

So let me paint you the picture of yesterday.

I go to the Italian Market and buy 2 big red beets, 3lb of Fuji Apples, a ton of ginger, and 1 bag of carrots. This runs me $7.00



I then get home and flip through the record collection, ending with Super Session featuring; Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper, and Steve Stills. This is a gem of a jam record and I actually dig this project more than any of the musicians’ other bands. You can feel the immediacy, the spontaneity, and the risks the musicians take on every track. There are so many good cuts on the album and it runs a decent hour long. My favorite aspect is that if you’re pulled away from the music by a distraction, it has a way of gripping you’re attention and forcing you to pay mind. It’s as if you suddenly realize the music sounds odd and you think, “hold up that ain’t right” and then they kick it back into the groove. It’s so damn irresistible.



So needles in the record and I prepare my cornucopia of produce. I thoroughly wash the ingredient and keep them next to the juicer.

Quick note: I’m on the fence about peeling since I started juicing, it doesn’t seem necessary and you can pick the skin out of the pulp if you intend on keeping the pulp for a cooking project. (correct me if I’m wrong here, I’ve been undecided since I started.)

So, I throw in my beets, carrots, apples, ginger, and mint fresh from the garden into my juicer. I save the beet, carrot, and ginger pulp in a separate container for veggie burgers I plan on cooking later that evening (read on for more).

The juice is a deep shade of red, almost blood red. The texture is thick as whole milk. The beets definitely hit your pallet first, followed by a rush of the other ingredients. The initial taste is very earthy with light fruit overtones that are followed with a refreshing finish of mint and ginger. I add a teaspoon of chia seeds for added protein and a textural bite.

Note: I used two apples but think it would have done well with 3. Also blueberries would have been fun addition to the mix.



Super Session Highlights

The juice is finished and I flip the record for some deep listening. The second track on the B side of the album is the musician’s covering Season of the Witch originally performed by Donovan. I love this version of the song it’s got a bit more soul, a bit more funk, and a bit more groove than the Donovan cut which was more in the vain of early psychedelic rock. The backing band has a ton to offer playing with that funky bass groove, and incorporating the tension of the piano organ. When they build into the huge chorus, the listener is practically begging for it to kick in. It’s a great track and my highlight of the album. I encourage you to find the record, it’s not a difficult find, I was able to pick mine up at a local thrift store for a buck so, if you happen to see her, nab it up!

Beet, Carrot, Black Bean, Quinoa Burgers

So I want to cook dinner later in the evening and as I mentioned I have the pulp of the beets carrots and ginger saved for veggie burgers. To make said burgers I follow these steps.



chop 1 medium onion and 2 cloves of garlic

Prepare 1 cup of quinoa according to instructions

Take 1 can of black beans and whip them lightly in a food processor

Prepare either one whipped egg or one chia egg for vegans (1 tbsp. chia to 3 tbsp. water)

Sautee the onion, garlic till soft and fragrant, then add the juice pulp (mine measured out to 3 cups)

Season the pan with salt and pepper. Allow everything to get nice and cooked through

then add in 2-3 tbsp. of mustard.

Transfer pan to large mixing bowl.

Add the cooked quinoa,

The black beans,

The chia egg,

And any additional seasons and herbs you would like.

(I included 1/4 cup fresh basil, and 3 Tbsp dried parlsey, 1 tbsp cumin, pinch of paprika, and garlic powder, finish with salt and pepper.)



Next chill the mixture for 20-30 minutes,

Start forming patties to your desired thickness, It makes about 10 patties.

Grease baking sheet and place burgers on the sheet.

Set oven to 375 degrees and cook for 15 minutes on each side. Add cheese and toppings of your choice.

Waste not, want not. They turned out great and you’ll be psyched by your efforts.

What’s not to love about healthy eating and healthy rock and roll.