I’ve been busy re-organizing, working on my classes and workshop, and at the same time trying to get back to some healthier, empowering habits (such as juicing) – - I haven’t been as diligent as I used to be and frankly I feel it! Not only that, but my ‘neglect’ shows! My skin, eyes, and nails aren’t as vibrant as they used to be! So here I am, bringing my juicer back out on to the counter top and trying to once more get in the habit of using it – daily!

I prefer juiced drinks over blended drinks. There is a difference between the two. With blended drinks the pulp is part of the drink; juicing removes the pulp. There are great arguments for which is better for you nutritionally, but personally I prefer ‘juicing’. I feel less ‘full’ and I can easily drink a full glass at one sitting.

I’m often asked what I do with left-over pulp so I want to share a few ideas . . .

Make some delicious dehydrated crackers with the pulp. Add some seasoning, flaxseeds and/or sunflower seeds and create some marvelously light nutritional crackers.

To a thick dressing, add pulp and some seasonings to create a terrific veggie dip..

Add to any recipe (e.g. bread, cookies, burgers, pate etc) to ‘bulk it up’

Add to seed cheese with some diced up veggies and seasonings.

Use in veggie or nori wrap.

Add to soup.

Create ‘treats’ your animals will love by dehydrating pulp in patties or add ‘as is’ to their dry mix. If your animal is raw, serve with their raw meal. The pulp provides a better supply of fiber and nutrients than cereal-based pet foods.

As a last resort, blend it with some water and pour the mix in your garden!

One Credit union location New York Youngstown Lewiston Porter Federal Credit Union the leftover almond pulp.

A light, airy, nutritious Chocolate Snack to curb any chocolate cravings!

Recipe By Beth Wilke, Raw Food Chef and Teacher

If you’re looking for a way to drop the calories, lose excess weight, and gain bounds of energy while still consuming a nutritiously dense meal, SOUP is your answer. Soup is classified as a ‘liquid’ food or ‘blended’ meal and is typically made with a variety of veggies. Easy to digest, soups can easily supply you with nutrients you may be missing. By not heating soup over 118 degrees, all the nutrients and enzymes remain intact. You get more ‘bang for your buck’ with every nutritious sip of soup! Also because of its high water content, soups prevent dehydration which is not only aging but can cause low energy among other things (e.g. dizziness, feeling hungry, blood sugar disorders, cramping, etc)

Soup is a GREAT way to keep you from ‘over-eating’, something we are all guilty of. Consuming soup before a meal will give you a full feeling due to its high water and fiber content and nutritional concentration (assuming the soup is vegetarian/vegan). Starting your biggest meal of the day with a cup of soup is a ‘sure fire’ way of lowering your calories while boosting your immune system. It also ‘fires up’ the digestive enzymes in your mouth allowing for easier digestion of the food to follow.

On the raw food diet, preparing soup is extremely easy. There are several ways to make it. You can blend all the ingredients in a high powered blender at once, or you can blend the ‘stock’ until warm then pour over veggies in a bowl; or you can prepare the ‘stock’ (using warm to hot water is the fastest and easiest way) then ‘top’ with garnish or veggies. Adding sprouted beans, peas, lentils, and grains makes for a more condensed, thicker soup.

Even being a raw food consumer, warming soup is easy. If you warm your soup in a pan on the stove keep a careful eye on it to see the soup doesn’t heat over 118 degrees – a thermometer is a handy tool or you can check the temperature with your clean finger to see it is not getting too hot. You can also warm your bowl of soup in the dehydrator 1-2 hours at 135 degrees (the safest method), or in a high speed blender. Yes, the Vita-Mix blender and those other high speed blenders can ‘boil’ water if left on for a length of time. I personally find it faster and easier to warm the soup on the stove while maintaining a watchful eye on the temperature, use a double boiler if you’re not confident you can remove the pot when the soup starts to warm.

If heating a soup that has an avocado in it, bring the soup up to the temperature you desire and then blend in the avocado last. Remember to make preparing warm soup easier, bring your veggies to room temperature helps simplify preparation and warming time.

Warming spices and seasonings will give you a ‘warm’ feeling when the temperature outside drops. Hot peppers, Cayenne pepper, ginger, wasabi, horseradish, black and white pepper, coriander, and turmeric are all considered warm, energy enhancing spices and/or seasonings that make great additions to your soup dish.

So lets not forget the power of SOUP and just how easy and versatile this dish is! Experience just how energizing, healing and delicious soup is.

Bon A Petite
Beth Wilke, Raw Food Chef