Carrot, Orange and Ginger Pulp Muffins

I've been on a juice kick for about a month now.  Every time I juice I am left with this amazing pulp.  Sometimes it's celery, green apple and ginger, other times it's orange, carrots, beets and ginger.  This past week my breakfast juice has been carrots, orange and ginger.  Any of these combo's yields the most beautiful, amazing pulp that I feel guilty for just throwing away - it is so colorful and smells AMAZING!!!  I was putting it in the garden for the critters, but knew I could somehow repurpose it for our own enjoyment.   So, in my quest to recreate my pulp I came up with this muffin recipe and I am glad I did.  These are yummy right out of the oven, or warmed for 30 seconds with a dab of butter (yes, a healthy fat) or drizzled with honey.  Hope you enjoy these as much as we did, there will be more pulp recipes to come, no doubt! 

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 c white or whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• ½ c honey (I substituted with organic maple syrup)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (if you don’t have they still turn out yummy)
• 1 c applesauce (unsweetened, sweetened, regular, cinnamon, chunky…whatever)
• 1 cup juice pulp

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. 
3. In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
4. Make a small well in the center of dry ingredients; add butter, honey or syrup, egg, vanilla extract, and applesauce.
5. Stir ingredients together until just combined (do not over mix).
6. Fold in juice pulp until just combined (again, don’t over mix).
7. Divide batter evenly among muffin tin. 
8. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.
9. Remove and cool completely. 
10. Serve warm with butter or honey.  
11. Will keep in airtight container for 2 to 3 days, or freeze.

*These are good source of fiber; add scoop of protein powder for protein muffins

Chicken Pot Pie

Servings: 8 | Prep Time: 15 Minutes | Bake Time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS:

- Half of rotisserie chicken
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- Fresh sage, chopped (optional)
- Frozen peas, half to 1 cup
- Thyme (fresh or dried)
- Salt, pepper, turmeric (to taste; turmeric optional)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1-1/2 cups milk
- Butter (to sauté veggies)
- 1/3 cup flour
- 2 pie crusts
- 1 egg

DIRECTIONS Sauté veggies in butter till onions are translucent and carrots soften, add thyme and garlic sauté for few more minutes. Add chicken, stir in salt, pepper and turmeric, warm through. Add flour, stir well. Add broth and milk, stir constantly while sauce thickens. Spray baking dish with non-stick spray, line dish with bottom crust, use fork to poke holes in crust. Fill with pie filling. Top with top crust, tucking ends under bottom crust, crimp crust to seal. Poke hole in top center, brush with egg wash. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes, let rest for 10 minutes.