Christina Najjar

Healthy(ish) Candied Walnuts (paleo)

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Happy Halloween! I have chosen this day to come back from the dead to bring you some candied walnuts. In my rather long absence, a lot has changed in my life (for the better). I finally started nutrition school. I thought it was going to be great. In reality, it is so much more. I get to learn about the topic I love the most, in the method I love the most, that is, holistically, with amazing and supportive people around me.

Candied walnuts made with coconut palm sugar or maple syrup

I’ve been on a bit of a candied walnut kick, lately. I can’t tell you how many batches of these I’ve made since Canadian Thanksgiving. I don’t think I’ve made them twice the same way, though. Since starting nutrition school, I’ve made a commitment to myself never to buy white sugar again. So, I decided to provide you with two recipes of candied walnuts (which can also be used with pecans, by the way) in order to let you decide which way you prefer your refined-sugar-free candied walnuts. While I very much enjoy both recipes, my personal favourite is method #2, though it doesn’t win by much.

Healthy(ish) Candied Walnuts

Method #1

Ingredients
1 cup walnut halves
3 tbsp maple syrup

Directions
Line a baking sheet (or any flat surface) with parchment paper.

Over medium heat, combine the two ingredients in a medium saucepan. Toss the walnuts around in the maple syrup every minute or so until the maple syrup starts to bubble slightly. At that point, start mixing it more often. As the walnuts become more difficult to toss around, make sure to keep them moving, otherwise you’ll end up with a big sticky blob.

They’re done when there no longer is any maple syrup swimming at the bottom of the saucepan, and the syrup on the walnuts starts to look granulated (about 5-10 minutes). At that point, quickly transfer the walnuts to the baking sheet and spread them out to prevent them from sticking to each other.

Let cool and transfer to an airtight container.

Method #2

Ingredients
1 cup walnuts halves
1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
1 tbsp coconut oil

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Toss every 30 seconds or so for the first 2-3 minutes. After that point, keep the walnuts constantly moving.

They’re done when the oil-sugar starts to get really sticky and looks darker (about 5-10 minutes). At that point, quickly transfer the walnuts to the baking sheet and spread them out to prevent them from sticking to each other.

Let cool and transfer to an airtight container.

Spicy Double Chocolate Cookies (vegan)

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I decided to make these spicy double chocolate cookies because of a very specific craving. Have you ever tried that Lindt Chocolate Bar with jalapeno? I quite like it, but because of the dairy, I try to avoid eating it (though I do sometimes indulge in chocolate with dairy). I’m a fan of the combination of spiciness with chocolate.

Spicy Double Chocolate Cookies

Today was my first day off in a while. I had just worked seven days in a row, and the days off I’d had before that were spent studying for the last exam of my degree. I was able to relax for the first time in a long time. I got in the mood to bake, and I thought of Fettle Vegan’s Dark Chocolate Rosemary Cookies. I made these once, and they were quite tasty. However, because I’ve been craving spicy chocolate for a while, I decided to use the base for that recipe, but to change up the spice. By the way, if you ever do want to try making rosemary cookies, I strongly recommend you try Fettle Vegan’s recipe.

These are addictive, so make sure you have people to share these cookies with. The spice proportions I provide are just enough to give the cookies a bit of a kick, but if you want the cookies to actually be straight up spicy, you’re going to have to increase the amount of cayenne pepper.

Spicy Double Chocolate Cookies (vegan)

Ingredients
1 cup teff flour
1 cup almond flour
2/3 cups cocoa powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp flaxmeal
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or up to 1/2 tsp for spicier)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup water or non-dairy milk
2 tsp vanilla
Chocolate chips to taste (I used 1/2-3/4 cups mini chocolate chips)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine all the dry ingredients. Add in the wet ingredients and mix well. Spoon out cookie dough balls on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 11-12 minutes. Let cool for a minute or two, then transfer to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Coconut Popsicles (paleo, vegan)

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One of my dear friends recently moved a few hours away. We talk food a lot, and she gives me all kinds of recipe suggestions and requests to post on here. Her list of dietary restrictions is worse than mine, but includes most of my dietary restrictions.  Her latest request was for popsicles. She’s a big fan of coconut, so I went for straight-up coconut popsicles this time. If you’re wondering what I mean by “straight-up coconut”, check out this recipe for raspberry cream popsicles I posted last year. It’s a coconut based recipe, but the popsicles aren’t coconut flavoured.

Homemade coconut popsicles

Last week, I mentioned that it was finally warming up in Canada. I know it’s technically still only Spring, but one never knows how long to expect the nice weather to last. We didn’t really get much of a summer last year, and then Winter was exceptionally long. For this reason, I’m jumping right into Summer-mode, lest Summer be over in the blink of an eye.

So, Nic, this one’s for you. And for anyone who enjoys coconut, summer, popsicles, or any combination of those.

Coconut Popsicles

Ingredients
1 can full fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp coconut shreds

Directions
Take the can of coconut milk out of the fridge. Slowly turn it upside down and open it. That way, the thicker part of the coconut milk will be at the bottom and the liquid qill be at the top. Drain the liquid, or save it for something else (try adding it to smoothies).

Scoop out the fatty part of the coconut milk into a bowl. Mix all ingredients well and pour into popsicle moulds. Freeze for at least 4-6 hours (depending on your freezer).

Makes about 3 popsicles (depending on the moulds you use) so multiply as needed.

Chocolate Pudding (vegan, paleo, sugar free)

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Well, friends, it is finally starting to look like spring in Canada. It sure took Mother Nature long enough! It’s just about popsicle season! Speaking of popsicles, last year, I was planning to post a chocolate popsicle recipe. There was a little problem with my freezer at the time, though. The popsicles I made kept the consistency of pudding. So, I ate some very cold chocolate pudding. I did end up figuring out how to adjust the settings on my freezer so that it froze properly, and made raspberry cream popsicles a few weeks later.

Homemade chocolate Pudding

Avocado-based chocolate pudding is nothing new in the vegan and food sensitivities world. However, I find that most recipes complicate things by adding ingredients that don’t need to be in the pudding. For example, milk (cow’s or non-dairy) will do nothing but water down the perfect creaminess of the avocado. I also find that adding vanilla extract takes away from the richness of the cocoa, rather than complementing it. So, I like to keep my chocolate pudding recipe nice and simple. Let’s say it becomes a “dark chocolate pudding”.

P.S. If you want to make this into popsicles, all you need to do is place the mixture into popsicle moulds. It works well, provided that your freezer is actually functional.

Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients
1 large ripe avocado
1 tbsp cocoa powder or raw cacao
Maple syrup to taste (a couple tablespoons should do)

Directions
With a large spoon, scoop the avocado out of its skin. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Put it into function until you have pudding. Eat the pudding. That was complicated, wasn’t it?

If you want to turn it into chocolate mint pudding, add a splash of peppermint extract.

Makes only 1 serving, so multiply as needed.

Apple Crumble (vegan, paleo, white sugar free)

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A while back, I posted this recipe for apple crumble. It was a bit of an experiment that gave me some interesting results. It’s a good breakfast crumble, but it’s not something I would make for dessert on a regular basis.

When I make apple crumble for others, I make a different recipe. After making this recipe for some dinners and being asked for the recipe a few times, I decided to share the recipe here. The crumble portion is a little less crunchy than in most recipes. This one has a blend of different textures.

Apple crumble

As with most things I cook or bake, I have a tendency to simply add ingredients until the mix looks right, rather than measuring them. This time, I made the effort to measure them so that I could share the recipe. I recommend making this for guests when you’re unsure about what to make for dessert. It’s easy and allergy friendly (aside from nuts), and accommodates all kinds of different dietary choices.

Apple Crumble (vegan, paleo, white sugar free)

Ingredients
2 apples, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp almond meal
2 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp coconut palm sugar
1 tsp cinnamon, split into 1/2 teaspoons

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.

Place the chopped apples in an even layer in a baking pan. Sprinkle half the cinnamon over the apples and toss around until the apples are evenly coated.

Mix the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl. Try to spread the mix evenly over the apples and bake for 20-25 minutes. Makes 2 servings, so multiply as needed.

Chocolate Puffed Rice Squares (vegan)

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Sometimes, my inspiration for recipes comes from things I ate when I was younger and really enjoyed. I never let me food sensitivities limit me in what I can eat. Instead, I figure out all kinds of alternatives. That’s what I did with these chocolate puffed rice squares.

I lived in Lethbridge, Alberta between the ages of 8 and 15. There, I went to a tiny French school. At lunch time, two students would run the canteen, but it was more like a plastic bin of snacks. Every once in a while, my mom would give me 50 cents to get myself something I liked. There were these squares I really liked.

I didn’t actually know what they were until recently, when I took to the internet. I was disappointed to find out that they contained wheat puffs and corn syrup.

There was a bag of puffed rice sitting around in the pantry for a while. Over the week end, the bag was staring at me. I tried one single puffed rice. The taste brought me back to those puffed wheat squares, and so I set out to make an allergy friendly version.

I was surprised to find that my allergy friendly recipe turned out very much like the wheat and corn syrup squares. This works well as a last minute potluck item because the work is done in 5-10 minutes, and then simply needs to cool down.

Chocolate Puffed Rice squares

Chocolate Puffed Rice Squares (vegan)

Ingredients
5 cups puffed rice
1/4 cup Earth balance buttery spread
1/2 cup brown rice syrup (thick syrup is key!)
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp brown sugar or alternative
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla

Directions
Grease a square pan (about 9×9) and set aside.

Combine all the ingredients except the puffed rice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Mix well and bring to a boil. Do not remove it before it boils. Once it reaches a boil, turn off the heat and mix in the rice puffs until evenly coated. Transfer to the greased pan. If you need it to set quickly, you can put the pan in the fridge (though you need to be careful about rapid temperature changes if you’re using pyrex). This makes 9 servings, but the recipe can easily be doubled.

Breakfast Double Chocolate Muffins (vegan)

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A few months back, my naturopath recommended that I eat more protein with breakfast. When that happened, I researched which flours contained the highest amount of protein and made muffins based on that. It turns out that oat flour does contain a decent amount of protein, but that it doesn’t have the best texture and properties for baking. I had to make a few batches of these before getting them to be actual muffins.

With that said, I leave it up to you to decide whether you want to make these muffins or not. If healthiness is the biggest factor for you, I recommend these for you. If you’re looking for the best chocolate muffin in the world, keep looking. These aren’t horrible, but the texture is just not quite right.

Part of the challenge with these muffins is that I refused to add xanthan gum, so figuring out the right amount of chia meal for oat flour and almond meal proved to be a little tricky.

Because I find vegan chocolate chips expensive and sometimes a bit disappointing, I buy a 70% dark chocolate bar and break it into chunks. I welcome you to do the same.

Breakfast Double Chocolate Muffins (vegan)

Ingredients
3/4 cup almond meal
3/4 cup oat flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp chia meal
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup flax milk
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Chocolate chips or chunks to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 375F.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. In a smaller bowl (or a large measuring cup), combine all the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Mix well and let it sit for a couple of minutes to allow the chia meal to absorb some of the liquid. I let it do that while I turn my chocolate bar into chocolate chunks.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the muffins comes out clean. Makes 12 regular muffins.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies With Cinnamon Glaze (vegan)

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Pumpkin spice cookies with cinnamon glaze

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! Last night, we celebrated with my family by having the typical feast. Turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and all the other good stuff. Usually, come dessert time, I sit at the table and look around at everyone’s plates while they enjoy all sorts of delectable treats. This time, my mom suggested I bring a dessert so that my partner and I could join in after dinner.

So, what’s the best Thanksgiving dessert? Pumpkin pie, of course. There was already going to be pumpkin pie, so my mom suggested I make cookies instead. Because I refused to eat pumpkin for 20 years, I now feel the need to make up for all the pumpkin I’ve missed. This is how these cookies came to be.

This recipe makes really soft cookies. If you want them to be a bit less soft, you can try any combination of the following: change the sugar proportions so that there is less brown sugar than regular sugar; use less xanthan gum; bake them a bit longer.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies With Cinnamon Glaze (vegan)

Ingredients
For the cookies:
1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup potato starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp corn free baking powder
1 cup brown sugar (or healthier equivalent)
1/2 cup sugar (I used organic cane sugar)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup oil of your choice
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 tbsp vanilla extract

For the glaze:
1 cup icing sugar*
2-3 tbsp milk of your choice (I used coconut)
3/4 tsp cinnamon

*You can buy icing sugar made with tapioca starch instead of cornstarch, but I find it pricey so I make my own by putting organic cane sugar in my food processor until it’s a fine powder and adding tapioca starch and/or arrowroot powder. I use a sugar to starch ratio of about 4:1.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the apple sauce, oil, pumpkin puree and vanilla. Mix until well blended.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a baking sheet. These won’t move much (if at all) during baking so give them the shape you would like them to have. Bake for 15-18 minutes.

Move to a cooling rack

For the glaze, combine all the ingredients and drizzle over the cookies. Alternatively, you can dip the cookies directly in the glaze.

Chai Spice Cookies – updated (vegan, paleo, sugar free)

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UPDATE – 10/13/15 – After a few people commented that these chai spice cookies flattened out completely for them and after experiencing that myself, I edited the recipe. I also decided to include a starch free version using xylitol.

I started making these fantastic little chai spice cookies a year or two before posting the original version of this recipe on my food blog. Then, when I found out that I was going to be working in a wellness clinic where many people with Lyme disease come through, I decided to make a Lyme-friendly version of this recipe.

Chai spice cookies

Chai Spice Cookies – updated (vegan, paleo)

Ingredients
2 cups almond meal
1/2 cup tapioca starch (or arrowroot starch)
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup coconut oil (in solid form)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix in the oil, maple syrup, and vanilla until completely blended.

Drop the cookie dough on a cookie sheet. These cookies won’t flatten a whole lot when baking, so make sure to press down the top a bit.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. These cookies will not look golden when they’re done. Makes two dozens.

Chai Spice Cookies (vegan, low carb, sugar free)

Ingredients
2 cups almond meal
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup xylitol
1/4 cup coconut oil (in solid form)
1 1/2 tbsp dairy free milk alternative
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix in the oil, dairy free milk, and vanilla until completely blended.

Drop the cookie dough on a cookie sheet. These cookies won’t flatten a whole lot when baking, so make sure to press down the top a bit.

Bake for 12-14 minutes. These cookies will not look golden when they’re done. Makes about 20 cookies.

Note: xylitol can cause bowel sensitivity. If you don’t regularly consume xylitol, eat sparingly to avoid being glued to the toilet or having unpleasant bloating.

Orange Almond Chocolate Biscotti (vegan, paleo)

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Homemade orange almond chocolate biscotti

Oh, sweet vacation time. I’d say it was well deserved, too. Here’s a summary of what I’ve done in the last two days: lunch with my family, being a lazy bum. I slept 10.5 hours one night and 11.5 hours the other night. I know I could still sleep a long time during the rest of my vacation.

Since none of the things I’ve made so far during my vacation have been particularly bloggable, I bring you this biscotti. The pictures didn’t turn out great, but it tasted good, and that’s what counts. Truth be told, I don’t actually like biscotti, but my mother does. Her birthday is in a few days, so I did a trial run of the biscotti to make sure I’d get it right. We had lunch for her birthday yesterday while my sibling is in town. Because of how things have been at work, I didn’t get a chance to make it for her yesterday, but I told her I’d bring her a batch of biscotti sometime soon.

I based it off of this recipe.

Orange Almond Chocolate Biscotti

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups tightly packed blanched almond meal
1 tbsp arrowroot powder 
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp orange juice (from a fresh orange)
Zest from one orange
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate or cocoa nibs

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add in the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Spread the dough in a nice rectangle, about 2-3 inches wide at most. Bake for 20 minutes.

Let cool completely (about an hour). Then, preheat the oven to 250F. Slice crosswise into pieces no more than an inch thick. Turn the pieces so the cut side is flat. Bake for 10 minutes, turn them over and bake another 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the biscotti sit in the oven while it cools down.

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Christina Najjar - Natural Nutrition

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