Juice Pulp Muffins

Ok, so for some of you this might require some trust. Pulp doesn’t sound appetizing, I know. Bear with me though, because these muffins are fantastic. They’re dense but moist, sweet and flavorful but without all of the added heaviness of regular muffins. Part of the new meal plan I started in August included a three day juicing phase. I borrowed a coworker’s juicer then immediately turned around and got my own. I loved it so much! I kind of always knew I would and for years have wanted to try it but honestly, I couldn’t bring myself to swallow the cost of one. Luckily, we got this juicer using Mike’s credit card points, so that’s a total bonus and I’m infatuated with the damn machine. I love how little time it takes to make a juice in the morning. I prep everything the night before, maybe 5 minutes of effort, then juice enough for two daily juices. Of course, the recipes are absolutely endless but the only one I’ve discovered that I don’t like involves beets and lemon. Blech! Anyways, I had a hard time with the amount of waste juicing induces. I compost everything, but I thought there was surely a way to use the pulp – afterall, it’s only vegetables and fruit. I found so many awesome ways! Like muffins, soups, salad toppings, stir fries etc! So I set aside the pulp from a carrot, apple, ginger, spinach pulp and started scouring the internet. (The pulp is freezable) I came across a paleo recipe for carrot cake requiring shredded carrot and I went from there. I had to adapt it quite a bit then adapt it a few times but so far, this is the best one. I even burnt a batch and they still tasted great! They’re packed with fibre, protein, healthy fats and all that good veggie goodness. I was hesitant to post them here because the nutritional value looks a little daunting. But honestly, they’re all natural and everything you’re consuming has been minimally processed and has no added sugars, chemicals or preservatives. Basically, all of the ingredients are happily digestible by your body. So do it – I eat one for breakfast with my coffee and one for my afternoon snack. Use any combination of pulp that sounds good to you! I started you off with my favourite.

Advertisement

Banana Bread with Roasted Strawberries

I found a ridiculously good twist on a classic banana bread. Roasted strawberries! I can’t believe how incredible the strawberries smelled while roasting in the oven. I wanted to eat them right off the pan. But I can assure you, the bread itself did not last long. I haven’t been able to bring myself to make it again because I’ll just eat it all. I made this for my family at my mom’s house. My Uncle is diabetic so I made one with chocolate chips and one without. They were both, REALLY good. Made with gluten free all purpose flour, it turned out moist, soft and not crumbly at all. Of course, you can make it with whole wheat or white all purpose flour. Whichever you have on hand and prefer.

Rutabaga Honey Cake

Last year I received a rutabaga in my CSA box (Community Supported Agriculture) Rutabaga was certainly one of those vegetables that reminds my adult self how much my childhood self despised them. They’re kind of flavorless but have a distinct earthy, tangy smell when cooked. Distinct like celery, without smelling like celery. I wanted to use it in a way that wasn’t a stir-fry, boiling or basically just eating it. *ick* So a quick google search netted me a version of this recipe. It was already a gluten free recipe, so that was cool. I made it then promptly died and went to heaven. I haven’t made it since, though I often think about it. My last CSA box had a huge rutabaga in it. I could easily make 4 of these cakes, so I opted for doubling the recipe. I hate wasting food! I didn’t have brown rice flour on hand so I used gluten free all purpose and coconut flour instead. I think it made the rutabaga stand out a bit more and still tasted delicious. I’m pretty confident in saying you can probably use any flour you have available to you, inluding wheat flour, but keep in mind the density and textures will change with each flour variation.

Coconut Sweet Potato Muffins

Holy smokes, where have these muffins been all my life? I like muffins to begin with but these are moist and light, not dense and heavy like some muffins. They have a great flavor, savory and not too sweet. It was a spontaneous decision to make them and I’m so glad I did. I saw the recipe on Pinterest, knew I had all the ingredients on hand and of course I had just finished cleaning my kitchen, so the timing was perfect. They came together in under ten minutes, which is really my idea of the best kind of baking. You can adjust the ingredients to use what you have on hand or to make them vegan if that’s what you prefer. The ingredients are simple and easy to come by. The recipe only makes 9 muffins and I’ll double it next time. A healthy treat for your and your family. I’m sure your kids won’t be disappointed!

Baking Powder Biscuits

I was having a down day today. Not that I was feeling down, just not interested in doing anything but watching movies. I wanted to make something for dinner that was so simple I wouldn’t have to think about it. Potato Leek Soup was the answer to that. I have had this recipe for biscuits waiting in the wings for a while now so when dinner was ready, I whipped ’em up and threw them in the oven. It was then that I discovered the potato leek soup wasn’t quite ready. I can’t even tell you how hard it was to not eat every single biscuit while waiting for the potatoes to cook. They’re SO good. And simple. And … good. Hunny! Pass another biscuit will ya?

Jalapeno Corn Bread

Ahhh corn bread. Crumbly, savory, moist and buttery. That’s what makes perfect corn bread in my mind. Fresh corn bread is like fresh from the oven bread; warm with some butter on it and it doesn’t get any better. In this case, add some fresh jalapenos (and maybe some bacon!) and they’re so perfect. The jalapeno doesn’t add spice so much as that yummy jalapeno flavor. If you want them spicier add a tsp of cayenne powder. Then all you have to do is bake ’em and eat ’em! This recipe makes a LOT so if you’re not going to share, you might want to half the recipe so you can eat them all while they’re fresh. Don’t forget the butter!

Banana Bread

… And oil free and lactose free … and DELICIOUS. I saw this on Pinterest and did nothing short of run to the kitchen to whip it up. 9pm and I’m baking. What in the name of all that is crazy is my life coming to? I had it out of the oven and cooling on a rack by 10 pm and a slice in my hand by 10:15. Because it came together so fast and I was so excited, I failed in the picture department. Sorry ’bout that. I’ll have to rectify the situation with another loaf. Rough life. Anyways, the recipe is simple, you don’t need any special equipment, except maybe a loaf pan – and an oven. It comes out very moist (even without the oil!), banana-ey with the perfect amount of sweetness. Don’t believe me? Try it. I’m ‘almost’ willing to pay for your ingredients if you don’t like it.

Easy Cheesy Brazilian Buns

You know how when you love something you REALLY love it? You’ll scream its praises to the heavens and name drop to everyone who pretends to listen. That’s how I feel about my favourite bakery. Mygoodness Gluten Free Bakery – on Broadway in Vancouver – is my go-to place for delicious gluten free treats and some seriously friendly smiles. (This little bakery has since closed to retail sales) These little buggers were not hard to fall for and even though they’re easy to make, I will still go buy Arlene’s because hers are a little different, just as tasty and her shining personality is simply just missing from my kitchen. But when I go, and she has sold all her “quejos”, I will come home quejo-less (but certainly not empty-handed!) and whip these up. Mike has described these as a perfect replacement for baking powder biscuits in his life. They’re chewy, cheesy, come together quickly in a blender or food processor and that is all she wrote. These are meant to be a treat. Think of them as a savory dessert. They’re not exceptionally healthy by any stretch of the imagination but they are delicious enough to warrant having them every week once in a while.

Peanut Butter Raisin Bars

I hate nuts. It’s true, I have a really hard time eating them in whole form. And up until recently I refused to eat anything that had nuts in it. Peanut butter has always been an exception to that rule. At least for the last decade or so. I’ve been trying to expand my horizons a little bit and get past the texture that a bite into a nut offers. The Lemon Curd Bars and my mom’s Almond Chicken were big stepping stones for me. I didn’t need to force myself to try these bars though. Gluten and dairy free and free from added sugar, this quick treat will put a smile on the face of any kid, big or little.

Lemon Curd Bars

Holy F-Bomb. That’s really all I should put here. But for the sake of not leaving you with the inkling of a curse (regardless of how positive it is!) I will lay it out for you. These are AMAZING! It would be so easy to make these 100% organic if you wanted to and even if you aren’t gluten free, you will still love them. I promise. Guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser! It was really hard to keep Mike out of the lemon curd until the base was cooled. He kept dippin’ his fork in it. Can’t blame him really, it would have been just as easy to throw some cool whip on it and eat it as is. These bars could hardly get any healthier. All of the fat is derived from natural ingredients like nuts, eggs and coconut oil. The WW points are high but I feel justified knowing that the ingredients are natural and healthy fats.