Waste not, want not – right? We’re obviously married to our juicers, but that also means we’re constantly left with a lot of juice pulp each time we whip up a glass of greens, roots, citrus, and fruits. We’re constantly trying to cut down on our waste and find new or inventive ways to use all that leftover pulp, so we asked nutrition and wellness specialist Melissa Rousseau of M.Parke Studio to see if she had some pointers. And what she came up with were eight genius ways to use every last fruit-and-veggie drop…
I juice at home daily and I’m always left with vibrant mounds of pulp that, until fairly recently, I wasn’t sure what to do with. I felt terribly wasteful just tossing it. So I would either compost it or feed it to the chickens that lived next door. They actually adored it. And it was interesting to see the change in egg color when I was using turmeric more often.
I had always gone with the notion that the act of juicing takes out all the vitamins and minerals, leaving nothing left in the pulp. However, unless you are using a Norwalk juicer, the pulp can still be quite fortified with nutrients and is also super high in fiber. The most ideal time to utilize it is immediately after juicing so that it remains in its freshest state – or freeze it in glass containers for later use.
Aside from composting and feeding hungry chickens, here are my simple tips on how to use all the pulp that adds up day after day.
SMOOTHIES & WRAPS
Add a large handful from the morning’s juice into your mid-day smoothie to boost its fiber content even more. Also, spread a layer of pulp over your lunch wrap of choice before rolling it up.
SOUPS & STEWS
Use your leftover vegetable pulp by adding it to your homemade bone broths, soups, chilis and stews for an extra dose of healing and fiber.
BURGERS
Add it to your homemade meat burgers, veggie burgers and quinoa patties to elevate flavor, moisture and nutrition.
EGGS
Super boost your endless fritatta and quiche creations with a sprinkling of pulp over the top, or folded in.
ITALIAN
Enhance your lasagnas by adding veggie pulp in between the layers, sprinkling some on top of your homemade pizzas, and adding a few cups into your tomato sauces.
GUACAMOLE
Revitalize your regular guacamole recipe by adding 1/2 cup of your leftover pulp. I’ve tested both veggie pulp and fruit pulp in my recipe and they both taste amazing, but I stand firmly in the “avocado on/in everything” camp, so I encourage you to experiment.
PULP CRACKERS
And for dipping into that healing, nutrient-dense guacamole, I recommend whipping up some divine raw turmeric veggie crackers (recipe below).
RAW TURMERIC VEGGIE PULP CRACKERS
Ingredients:
3 cups vegetable juice pulp
1/4 cup watermelon or sunflower seeds
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp pink salt
1 tsp black pepper
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor.
Slowly add water until your mixture is well combined but resembles a sticky dough – depending on how moist your pulp was you may need less or more water, so adjust accordingly.
To dehydrate:
Spread the mixture evenly onto a dehydrator sheet. Set dehydrator to 41 C and dehydrate for 5 hours. Then carefully flip over. Continuing to dehydrate for an additional 8 hours will make them crunchy.
To bake:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the mixture as evenly and thinly as possible. Bake for 30-40 minutes until crispy.
Instead of pre-scoring them, I like to just break them apart in uneven shapes.
Dip into your favorite hummus, kraut or pulp-enhanced guacamole, or store in an airtight container for later.
