Hi everyone, thanks for all of the comments on my post yesterday about using sweeteners in my diet. I also got a couple of e-mails from people regarding this (temporary?) change in my habits. Just to re-cap, I’ve only been using dates or date sugar in the past year and a half or so to sweeten foods like green smoothies and the occasional dessert. The idea is that dates and date sugar are made from the whole food so they incorporate the fiber and all of the phytochemicals of the food (as opposed to virtually every other sweetener including sugar, maple syrup, agave, etc.). I tried and tried to reduce my consumption of dates to adjust my tastebuds to the natural flavor of fruit in these types of recipes, but the biggest problem I have had is enjoying green smoothies without any extra sweetness from dates. So, for at least a month or so, I am going to try using stevia and erythritol in moderation to see how it impacts my sugar cravings and my weight. Of course, I will keep you updated on my progress and any resulting recipes using these sweeteners.
Now onto the post of the day! I haven’t talked a lot about juicing on this blog. I did write about my juicer when I bought it just over a year ago here. Although I make juice about once a week or every ten days to drink as a beverage, I mainly use my juicer to make vegetable juice to use as the base for my vegetable and bean blended soups, like this beet-based version here.
I’ve also tried several times to make crackers or something from the juice pulp as opposed to throwing it away. I’m pleased to report that I finally made a cracker that tastes great! I started with my bowl of greens (kale and parsley) and fruit and vegetables (cucumber, ginger, one orange and one lime):
The juice was very, very green!
Rather than using the pulp from all of the veggies including the fruit which might have altered the flavor I was going for, I only saved the pulp from the kale and parsley to use in the crackers:
I then used my food processor to mix in the extra ingredients including flax meal, chia seeds, nutritional yeast, reduced sodium soy sauce and water:
I then plopped the mixture onto a baking sheet to go into the dehydrator (you could also use your oven if it has a fan and has a minimum temperature setting close to 135 degrees at the most):
I used a spatula to flatten it out as much as possible and then used a knife to score the batter into cracker sizes:
I flipped them once after 12 hours and then another 12 hours they were crispy and ready to eat!
I really like the flavor of these crackers, it’s pretty amazing that they are made from green pulp. The soy sauce and nutritional yeast pumps up the flavor and the pulp, flax and chia seeds give them a wonderful texture. I did a little photo shoot with them this morning:
Here is the recipe:
Crisp ‘n Tasty Green Juice Pulp Crackers – Makes about 12 crackers
Ingredients:
Pulp from 1 bunch of juiced kale leaves and stems and 1 bunch of parsley (about 1 1/2 cups of pulp total)
1/4 cup flax meal
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup water
Directions:
Combine ingredients in a food processor and whirl until combined. Pour mixture onto a dehydrator sheet or baking sheet and flatten as much as possible using a spatula. Then, use a knife to score batter into crackers. Dehydrate on 120 degrees for 12 hours and flip. Dehydrator for another 12 hours (24 hours total) or until completely dry and crispy. If using an oven, use the minimum temperature setting with the convention fan on and keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn. I did have not tried making them in an oven so I cannot recommend how long it will take to cook them (let me know if you try it this way!).
Yesterday was a busy day and my husband was so sweet to work on my light box for my food photography. I am really excited about using the box (it’s almost ready), I feel like I am on the constant search for good light! Just this morning, I had to go outside to photograph the crackers. Here’s what the “set” looked like next to the pool:
The “winning” shot:
Have a great day! Also, thanks to everyone who said they would share my blog or my Facebook page with friends to help increase my readership. Would it help to have something to paste into your Facebook status to share? If so, try pasting this: “Check out this great blog on healthy, plant-based living at http://www.carrieonvegan.com” Thanks again, friends!!!
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
those look quite tasty!
Carrie, you amaze me! I can’t wait to try these! I’ve been trying to figure out to do with all my veggie pulp and these look awesome!
Hi Gina! Thanks, but I can’t take credit for the idea of using pulp to make into crackers, although I did come up with this recipe on my own after a few dismal failures. I think I originally heard about it on the Choosing Raw blog. Do you read this one? It is excellent and the author (Gena) shares your name, although she pronounces it like “Jenna.” Here is the link: http://www.choosingraw.com.
We love our juicer and use it a few times a week – usually with carrots and fruits. We haven’t quite learned to do much with the pulp yet, since our oven doesn’t go low enough to dehydrate. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Even though people in the raw food world claim that dehydrating foods on higher temperatures can destroy helpful enzymes, I don’t know how much of this is fact. So, you can actually use your oven to make traditional raw recipes like these crackers. One website that I read (the link is here: http://www.choosingraw.com/choosing-raw-juice-pulp-crackers/) says you can bake the crackers in an oven at 325 for 30 minutes. I have tried this and it works pretty well.
I am a cracker junkie and those look absolutely delish! I bet they tasted as good as they look.
It looks very tasty, I can’t wait to try this. I recently started juicing and find this such a good idea to use the left-over pulp! Much cheaper than all the healthy crackers I find at health food stores… Thanks for sharing
I just discovered this today as I was searching for a way to not let all that beautiful veggie pulp go to waste (been juicing a lot, lately). I will try it out. I know this is a corny question, but… where did you get that pitcher? I love that it’s tightly sealed, and glass with a spout. Looks very practical for daily juicing.
Hi Dominique, sorry it took me awhile to respond to your question. I got the pitcher at Crate & Barrel years ago. I agree, isn’t it great? I love the tight-fitting lid. Let me know if you make the juice pulp crackers and how you like them!
Thank you for your recipe! We just started juicing and I have been trying to figure out what to do with the pulp. I made your crackers today, but I used mostly carrot and beet pulp – which doesn’t seem to be the best. I am looking forward to trying tomorrow using mostly green pulp. I didn’t have nutritional yeast, I put wheat germ and ground flax seeds instead. Do you ever add seeds or nuts? Thanks so much for your recipe! You have inspired me.
Hi Shoshana! Thanks for the note. You could absolutely add seeds to your crackers, hemp or sesame seeds would be fantastic. Sunflower seeds might work too, except they might be a little big. Let me know how your next batch turns out!
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