All of that juicing pulp!

Many chefs neglect their own health and wellness. When I started my personal chef business six months ago, I promised myself I would not sacrifice my own health and nutrition at the expense of my clients’ needs. In a search for routine supplements to support my healthy meals, I decided to try juicing. One of my clients does it regularly, and every time I’m in her kitchen, I’ve noticed the machine and all of its parts drying from morning use. 

I’ve been at it for three weeks, and I must say I feel better. My skin is softer. Mentally I am satisfied knowing I’m getting more than half of my daily fruit and vegetable requirements in one serving of juice. But quickly I was overwhelmed at how much pulp is produced. Essentially, all that fiber could go to waste. That bothered me, as I try not to waste anything in the kitchen! First I gave bags of it to my boyfriend, Lance to take to the farm where he is employed. The animals loved the pulp, of course! But then I started searching for ways he and I could consume the pulp, putting that vital fiber back into our own bodies. 

The following recipes are simple. Any kind of combination of pulp can be used. If you don’t juice, grate some carrots, apples, or celery. The recipes use 5 ¼ cups pulp in total, just under two days of juicing for me. So you can see how quickly the pulp piles up! Never fear, farm animals, Lance will still be bringing you the goods! 

Juice pulp muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

3/4 cup white flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (more or less as desired) 

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt 

2 tablespoons butter, melted 

1/2 cup honey or maple syrup

1 egg, lightly beaten 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

2 cups juice pulp (I used carrot, pineapple, and celery; or you can use 2 cups finely shredded carrots

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Make a small well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter, honey, egg, vanilla. Stir ingredients together until just combined. (Don't over mix). Fold in the juice pulp (or shredded carrots) until just combined. Divide batter evenly among the muffin tin. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Keep muffins in an airtight container (last for about 2-3 days) Or freeze.

Juice pulp crackers

Ingredients

3 cups juice pulp

2 tablespoons chia seeds

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/2 cup flour of choice

1 cup water

Kosher salt 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300. Combine the juice pulp, chia seeds, nutritional yeast and flour in a food processor. Add some of the water and blend the ingredients together. Repeat until you have added all of the water. Spread the mixture onto a nonstick baking sheet or baking sheet with cooking spray. Use a large spoon or a spatula to spread the mixture as thinly as possible to allow for crispiness. Sprinkle with Kosher salt.

Place on a lower rack and bake the cracker sheet anywhere from 30 – 40 minutes, or until it is completely dried up and crisp. Once you have a crispy cracker sheet, remove the sheet from the oven and using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, break the sheet up into individual crackers.

Juice pulp dip

Ingredients

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup sour cream or mayo

1/4 cup juice pulp

1 tablespoon seasoning (ranch, cumin/chili powder, Italian, etc.)

1 teaspoon onion powder

Dash Kosher salt

Instructions

Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl. Serve cold with crackers or cut raw vegetables.