V8 Juice Plus - Homemade and Healthy

Homemade V8 Plus Juice, nourishing and healthy serving of your favorite veggies in one delicious glass full! Along with 8 delicious wholesome veggies, this juice has fresh herbs and an apple to make it a V8 Plus juice.

Vegetable juice is probably the best way to have required serving of veggies for whole day, right at the start of day! With homemade version you can control the amount of salt and sugar. I don't add sugar in juices/smoothies. The natural sweetness of apple and tiny bit salt balances the acidity of tomatoes and makes this juice enjoyable for everyone - kids, adults or grands!

A raw diet is beautiful way to replenish your body with antioxidants, vitamins and lots of minerals in it's purest form. If I start sharing with your benefits of eating raw vegetables and fruits.. possibly this post will be longest post I will ever write. But, today, I'm here to share a homemade healthier V8 Juice recipe which is low-sodium, adjustable to your taste, and far more healthier.

First, confession time! I love V8 juices, specially vegetables and tomato juice. Even though the base ingredients in V8 series of juices i.e. tomato is made from concentrate but they taste really good. Almost like a chilled gazpacho! Actually, I may not enjoy a bottled orange juice as much as I will a bottled V8 tomato juice. I don't say orange juice is bad.. It is just my palate that likes everything savory. :)

V8 Juice Plus is my homemade version of V8 Juice that has that savory tomato-y flavor but far less sodium and really nothing from concentrate. Honestly, homemade version of V8 does need a 10 minutes effort to pick veggies from refrigerator, slice, juice and strain (if preferred)... but it's taste and healthy benefits are far more superior. 

Why V8 Plus? 

I call it V8 Plus for two reasons. One because I add a small bunch of herbs in juice such as parsley and basil. Original V8 juice recipe may not call for herbs but when I'm juicing a healthy concoction.. I like to keep benefits of herbs in mind.

Second reason for V8 Plus is an apple. I mean, a fruit in all vegetable juice.

Why Apple?

Well, because - an Apple a day keeps doctor away! Also, because sweetness of apple balances the acidity of lime and tomatoes which helps me keep this juice low-sodium. You know, salt balances the sour ingredients. Less sour means less salt needed.

The lush red color of original V8 juice is mainly because of tomatoes juice from concentrate. The homemade fresh vegetable juice cannot have that same color. Just so you know, I have used one pound tomatoes in 4 cups of juice. And still there was no deep dark red color anywhere. Only two things I can suggest if you are after thick slurp-y red tomato-y color juice is a) to skip all green veggies b) to not strain the juice.

Where option (a) is not my favorite, so my homemade version of V8 is rather orange in color.  Option (b) is totally okay for thick juice. I usually don't strain it.. But for pictures, a glass of juice with sediments was very difficult to shoot. So, I did strain it.

Friends, summers are so  hot this year. When you feel like open can of soda... opt for a healthier juice! If it can be homemade.. that is even better! Just so you know, this glass of veggie juice is paleo, gluten free, vegan, and also low sodium.

Please don't underestimate the power of a homemade juice. Since it is healthy, it does not mean it is boring! In-fact it is more versatile than you think. Like,

a) add some Worcestershire (not vegan) in it for Virgin Bloody Marry!
b) Add any leftover juice in a soup to enhance it's flavor.
c) Or add some sugar and freeze ice pops for a savory summer surprise! 

I was all cozy with summer tomatoes from past few days! So a tomato juice with big punch of raw vegetable nutrients was must to hit the blog! I hope you will enjoy this V8 Juice Plus version as much as my family enjoyed it!

So, friends, hunt veggies from refrigerator and juice one V8 today! Don't worry if you have different veggies or not all 9 ingredients. It is totally okay to try a variation! Now, this makes me ask you, what is your favorite one-glass wonder for breakfast?! Love to hear some ideas!!

Wish a you happy week ahead!

Cheers! -Savita