With more juicing comes loads of juice pulp and who wants to toss away the healthy pulp?  Not me!  I am the one that uses kale and collard stems in juices and cooks the greens and stalk of cauliflower instead of throwing in the trash.  So, it is only natural that I would find use for my juice pulp and indeed there are many uses. You can use the pulp to add fiber and nutrients into nut pates and a number one favorite is making crackers like the recipe below.

The ingredients are limitless and these crackers take minimal effort.  You can add seeds such as sunflower, pepitas, and sesame.  How about making pizza crackers and adding Italian seasoning and sundried tomatoes.  All up to your imagination.  So next time you look to discard your juice pulp, think again and make some crackers!

What do you do with your juice pulp?

Spicy Juice Pulp Crackers

Ingredients:
2 cups juice pulp
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1 cup water
salt (be conservative, gets saltier when dehydrated)
2 large garlic cloves
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp paprika

Directions:
Soak the seeds in the water until gelled.

Mix all ingredients and spread on teflex sheets.

Dehydrate until the top is dry and flip onto the grate sheets.

Score with a knife or pizza cutter.

Dehydrate until fully dry.

I call this juice simple green because it has only two ingredients, kale and apple.  Ok, technically three because a little water is added as well.  Once I said the words “simple green” I immediately went back to the days when we started using Simple Green cleaning products.  Back when green, non-toxic cleaners were not mainstream. Well just the other day I heard that Simple Green may not be that simple or green.

Actually Women’s Voices for the Earth (gotta love that name) did testing on several products including Sunshine Makers’ Simple Green and posted the results in their Dirty Secrets report.  Unfortunately, Simple Green which has been marketed as a non-toxic and environmentally safe product was found to have chemicals that cause cancer, pregnancy complications, neurodevelopment problems, and allergies.  Ok, this totally shocked me because Simple Green was the product of choice when I was cleaning and preparing my sister’s home for two of her home births!

What does this have to do with juice.  Nothing at all.  But I do assure you that this green juice is simple, green, chemical free (as long as you use organic products and clean water), and is good for the environment and your body.

The picture above is what was remaining after I gulped down about 2 cups.  The recipe below made about 3 cups juice of course depending on the amount of water used.

Simple Green Juice

Ingredients:
2 apples
several dino kale leaves (about 3 cups loosely packed)

Directions:
Blend with some water and strain through a nut milk back or paint strainer bag.  Add ice and enjoy.

So while creating my masterpiece, my vegan nori wraps, I thought about the workings of inspiration.  How someone, something, can ignite something in you that moves you to action or can altar the way you think.  Then I started thinking about what inspires me.  Of course, good food inspires me to cook good food .  But another thing that inspires me is the success and advancement of others.

For instance, I was in the gym recently and a young woman was doing pull ups.  I so want to be able to pull up my own body weight and found myself in awe at how graceful and easy she made it look.  I was moved and for the subsequent weeks have increased the weights that I am lifting and pushing through to the next level despite the challenge.  I am driven by others success because it is proof to me that I can reach my goals.

As much as I enjoy being inspired by others, I also want to be an inspiration to others.  Hence Spring Vegan and many other things that I do.  If a picture that I post or a recipe that I share ignites something in a reader then my goal is accomplished.  I want to leave someone’s life better than when I came.  Share tools, ideas, motivation, to help them achieve the success they are looking for.

And after all of this wonderful thought, the sushi was done!  Bon appetit!

So what inspires you?

Vegan Nori Wraps

Ingredients:
1 sheet nori
Sunflower sprouts
Cilantro
Alfalfa and broccoli sprouts
Avocado
Carrot, julienned
spring salad mix

Spicy Special Sauce:
Cashew butter
Lemon juice
Ketchup
Cayenne

Directions:
Mix some cashew butter, lemon juice, ketchup and cayenne in a bowl and adjust ingredients to taste.

Lay out your nori sheet on a bamboo sushi mat rough side up.  The key with nori/sushi wraps is to ensure that the ingredients are even all of the way through.

On the edge closest to you start layering the sunflower sprouts and cilantro with some of the leaves slightly hanging over the edges.

Add your alfalfa or broccoli sprouts and your spicy special sauce.

Finally add the avocado, carrots, and spring salad mix.

With your bamboo mat, roll and tuck the nori away from you until fully rolled.

Let sit for a minute seam side down before cutting.

I love red velvet cake and not too much of a fan of chocolate cake.  Why is that?  Honestly, I do not know, I mean are they really different?

Well this smoothie is no cake but it has the red chocolate cacao goodness that you get from a red velvet cake but without the unhealthy aspects. Every ingredient is jam packed with awesomeness for your body. It’s superfood!

If you have not started to make homemade almond milk from scratch, I highly recommend you start making almond milk at home now. Not only is the taste delicious, it’s nutritionally better than the store bough variety. With unadulterated almond milk you are getting the natural benefits of the almonds without all of the nasty fillers and unnatural ingredients. Almonds alkalize the body, benefit the nervous system and brain health, and support cardiovascular health.

Our bodies seem to assimilate vitamins, nutrients, and minerals from whole foods better than when they are added.  So, enjoy this smoothie chocked with whole foods and tell me how you like it.

Vegan Red Velvet Smoothie

Smoothie Ingredients:
1 1/2 bananas
1 1/4 cup almond milk
juice from 1 small beet
2 tbs cacao nibs
1 date
2 tsp maca
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbs goji berries

Topping:
cashew butter (raw)
lemon juice
maple syrup

Directions:
Soak date and goji berries in the almond milk overnight. You do this to rehydrate so that they blend better.

Make a sweet cashew cream with cashew butter, lemon juice and maple syrup.

Add all of the smoothie ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth.

Pour in a glass, top with the cashew cream and enjoy!

So I had tons of green stuff one day and was craving some junk food.  Understand, my junk food is usually seasonal and leaning more towards the healthy side.  But all in all, it satisfies my junk food (i.e. fat) cravings.

I tried fried lemons a spring or two ago and really liked them.  The tart taste against the seasoned batter is awesome.  With my meal, the oven fried lemons surely offset the oil from the garlic fries.  Lemons, mushrooms, and potatoes are all spring season gifts.

2 things I want you to know.  1. Nothing on the plate was deep fried or even pan fried for that matter.  They were all cooked in the oven. 2. I have no specific recipe but can give you some guidance on how to create your own Spring Vegan Junk Food!

What healthy junk food do you like to eat?

Oven Fried Garlic French Fries

Ingredients:
Potatoes
Garlic
Oil (I used coconut)
Salt
Parsley

Directions:
Set your broiler to high.

Cut potatoes and toss with a little oil.  Place on a long cookie sheet leaving room for mushrooms and lemons.

Start the fries about 3-4 minutes before adding the mushrooms and lemons.

While the food is in the oven, warm a small skillet with oil, crush some garlic and wait 5 minutes.  Add the garlic to the oil and keep on low.

Once the fries are done, plate, top with garlic and tiny bit of oil, and dried or fresh parsley.

Dill Cornmeal Crusted Mushrooms and Lemons (oven fried)

Ingredients:
Crimini mushrooms
Lemon
Cornmeal or almond meal
Seasonings: Dill, Salt, Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Cayenne (whatever you fancy)
Flax and Water

Directions:
Make a flax and water slurry and toss in the mushrooms

Slice the lemon very thin.

Mix cornmeal or almond meal and seasoning.

Toss mushrooms in cornmeal followed by the lemons.  Place on cookie sheet and spray with a little oil (I use a spray bottle with oil).

Broil for about 5-7 minutes (until brown) and flip.  Broil for a few minutes more being careful not to burn your goodies!