MommaCat

Apple Banana Bars from Juice Pulp

As far as my juice pulp experiments go, this one is a wild success. I hope I can duplicate it next month.

There are many cracker recipes online.  The simplest one that did not intimidate me and got me to make crackers from vegetable pulp was from Raw Radiant Health. The chia cracker recipe was simple: soaked chia seed, pulp from green juice, Italian herbs, paprika, salt; mix and dehydrate.

I may try other more elaborate recipes later. I use the crackers with dips, spreads, and soups so they do not really need to be any fancier.  Since I am just looking for ways to use the pulp from my juices, that simpler recipe appealed to me. Did not make sense for me to spend more time and effort to "recycle" my pulp --- sort of a false economy.

I found the apple or fruit pulp diluted my vegetable crackers. It's fine if it's only an apple or less in the pulp mix, but any more than that just does not have the same crunch and flavor for me. I use a couple apples in the green juice I make for my niece. What to do with the apple pulp?

I separated the apple pulp and mixed in the soaked chia seeds. Mashed in a ripe banana to sweeten it and to give it the pliable texture. I had a couple leftover apple slices; chopped that up and added to the mix. Shaped it into a bar about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick and dehydrated it at 105F for 5 hours, flipped it over and dehydrated another 12 hours. Mmmm, it turned out quite well.  The banana made a big difference in taste, smell and texture. I may try adding some cinnamon next time.

I also spread a thinner version on the sheet. Those were ok --- more like a chunky fruit leather. I like the thicker bars better, chewy but more substantial.

Ready for the Day

Kale, romaine lettuce, celery, apples, and lemons.  All washed and prepared for the juicer.