Your Green Breakfast Boost

If you have trouble waking up in the morning as much as I do, wait 'til you throw back a shot of this.

Just a diminutive serving of this veggie-packed drink, with the fiery bite of black pepper and fresh ginger, will put a gallon-sized *WOW* into your morning.

Easy enough to make in less time than it takes to cook your steel cut oats.  But if you barely have enough time in the morning for instant Quaker, whip up a batch the night before and pour over a little crushed ice before serving.

TIP ALERT!  Fresh ginger is mad-easy to peel by simply scraping with the edge of a spoon.  Try this once and you'll never go back to the powdered stuff.  Unless you run out of fresh because you will be using ginger more often since it's so mad-easy to peel with the back of a spoon.

Was trying for a food52 photo style.  Almost nailed it.

I've made this recipe with a food processor and with a blender (at work for a smoothie program).  The blender pulverizes the ingredients a bit better, otherwise the taste is exactly the same.


Your Green Breakfast Boost
Yield:  8 shot-sized servings, or 4 small juice glass servings

3/4 cup ice water
1/2 cup crushed ice
1/2 English cucumber
1 small tart green or red apple
1/2 loosely packed cup kale, coarsely torn
1 knob fresh ginger
1 Tbl. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Cut cucumber into 5 or 6 pieces.  Core, peel and chop apple into a few pieces.  Peel ginger, then cut it up into a few pieces as well.

This is as smooth as I could get in my processor.

Place all ingredients into a food processor or blender.  Process 30-60 seconds, or until as smooth as you can get it.

Couldn't wait 'til I finished up the photography session.

Pour into shot or small juice glasses.  Serve immediately, or store in a covered pitcher up to a day.