Pulp Kitchen: The Cookbook: How to Turn Juiced Pulp into Killer Dishes - Softcover

Vicki Chelf is an experienced natural foods cooking instructor, an accomplished artist, and an internationally recognized food writer. She has also served as head chef at a top natural foods restaurant. Ms. Chelf has written six cookbooks, including The Arrowhead Mills Cookbook and Cooking for Life.

What can be done with pulp? Quite a bit, actually. It can be added to breads, cookies, muffins, cereals, veggie burgers, loaves, pâtés, pancakes, porridges, pies, salads, soups, and all sorts of other wonderful dishes. In this book you will find dozens of kitchen-tested recipes that incorporate juicing pulp. But is there any nutritional value left in pulp after it has been through the juicer? Pulp is certainly a good source of fiber, but what else does it offer? The fact is that there are a number of studies that show pulp has nutritional value, proving that this byproduct is worth saving. It can contain minerals and antioxidants that actually enrich meals when added to recipes. I know how busy we all are. If anyone is going to use pulp in recipes, doing so better be easy. In light of this fact, Chapter 1 includes a chart that details how much produce is needed to create specific amounts of pulp, and also discusses how to save pulp for later use. It provides tips on how best to utilize the pulp and juice of certain vegetables and fruits, and describes the different types of juicers available for purchase, listing their benefits and disadvantages. All the information is designed to make the recipes in this book quick and easy to accomplish. Chapter 2 dives right into the recipes themselves, offering numerous breakfast ideas that incorporate the goodness of pulp. For some reason I am always inspired to use pulp at breakfast. Perhaps it’s from seeing too many commercials for high-fiber cereals when I was a kid, but pulp is great in the first meal of the day, which you will soon discover.

You may begin to crave some of these breakfast recipes, such as Peaches and Cream Summer Muesli (page 00), at other times of day, which is fine, as everything in this book is so healthful.

Like breakfast foods, baked goods are another fun way to take advantage of pulp. Chapter 3 is all about using pulp in baking. As you might expect, these goods tend to include wheat flour as well. Despite the bad reputation wheat has gotten in recent years, I personally don’t have a problem with using wheat flour. I believe it is an excellent food for most individuals. I understand, of course, that there are a lot of people who would prefer gluten-free recipes, so you will find a few such options here. Chapter 4 includes a number of soups, salads, and dressings. These recipes were more challenging to come up with, but the ones that made it in the book are those I liked enough to want to serve a second time. Truly, there are no recipes in this book that I don’t consider special, and nothing was invented just as a way to use pulp. Every dish is a delicious meal that uses pulp to its advantage, not as a gimmick. In Chapter 5 you will find recipes for delicious sauces, spreads, and dips. Pulp can be a wonderful base for chutneys and salsa when spiced just right. Pulp can also be made into delectable vegan spreads and pâtés that may be enjoyed on bread or crackers, or as a dip for raw veggies.

Pulp and main dishes go together like beans and rice, or cornbread and greens. Therefore, creating simple and tasty recipes for pulpy main meals was easy. Even my picky friend, who had been very skeptical about eating pulp, told me I should have made more Faux Salmon Burgers (page 00) for a get-together we were attending. She wanted seconds! In Chapter 6 you will find main dishes that are satisfying, delicious, and, for my vegan readers, made without animal products. When thinking about ways to use pulp in desserts, carrot cake is typically the first thought that comes to mind, but the array of marvelous desserts that can be made with pulp only starts there. Chapter 7 contains dessert recipes that benefit from the addition of pulp and lack of refined flours and sugar. I believe that even desserts should be healthful.

If you juice, then clearly you care about your health. If you are a healthful person, then you likely care about the health of the people for whom you cook. The recipes in this book were created without animal products or highly processed ingredients in order to make sure what you cook is as nutritious as it can be. You don’t have to be a vegan to enjoy the dishes in this book, though. These dishes are simply a great way to optimize your diet with some highly nutritious vegan food. I am so happy to have expanded my culinary repertoire with these recipes. They have made my diet healthier than ever. I have a feeling that when you try these meals, you will feel the same way.