Aside from the few weekend trips I've taken this month, I've been developing an almost daily habit of including a fresh squeezed juice into my diet. If you have ever tried out juicing for yourself, I'm sure you noticed the amount of pulp that gets discarded at the end of each juicing session.
Inspired by the recipe I found in Pressed Juicery's JUICE book (and excited about the money I would be saving from the coffee shop next door to work), I decided to put my carrot pulp to good use and bake some gluten free carrot muffins.
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 cups carrot pulp**
- 1 cup gluten free flour
- 4 organic eggs
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract Juice of half a lemon
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup fresh blueberries
**If you do not have a juicer, you can substitute grated carrots for pulp.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 F and place a tray of water in the bottom of the oven.
2. Line baking pan with parchment paper or grease dish/muffin tins (I used coconut oil spray in a mini bread loaf pan).
3. In a large bowl, mix the carrot pulp, flour, eggs, butter, baking soda, brown sugar, and cinnamon together and set aside.
4. In a smaller mixing bowl, combine the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, vanilla, and lemon juice. Now add this mixture to the large bowl and stir together. Stir in the walnuts and chocolate chips and lastly, add in the blueberries, being gentle with them to keep their shape.
5. Pour the carrot batter into the baking dish, flattening the top. Sprinkle any extra nuts, berries, or chocolate chips you want on top and bake for 40-60 minutes (keep an eye on the bread and bake until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean).
6. Allow the bread to cool for about ten minutes. Then remove from pan, slice, and enjoy! The bread will keep best in an airtight container for up to three days, but to be honest, I couldn't even keep them that long! :P
This was such a quick and easy recipe, one that's sure to be repeated in my kitchen over and over. I know I'll be changing up my ingredients to keep it fresh and find what flavors I love most. Let me know how it goes for you and what your favorite combinations are!
