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Detox salad

May 10, 2013 by Christina Najjar Leave a Comment

The people around me must be getting tired of hearing about this detox I keep talking about. Unlike lots of other detoxes, it’s not harsh, and doesn’t work by depriving your body of its essential nutrients. The idea is to cut out toxins by going vegan, gluten free, sugar free, and alcohol free for a week, and to eat organic as much as possible. During that week, you eat foods with detoxing properties. Here is the link to the website.

This salad is more than some side dish. The quinoa provides protein, making this a full meal. For added protein (and tons of other nutrients), you could even sprinkle some hemp hearts on there, but I prefer to use hemp hearts in places where I won’t taste them as much.

Instead of cooking one cup of quinoa by itself, I made the salad at the same time as the cilantro lime quinoa, which is also good detox food, and which will keep in the fridge for a few days as well. The good thing about quinoa is that you can make enough of it over the week end and keep eating it for most of the week without having to constantly cook more.

Detox Salad

Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, lightly packed
4 large leaves kale, ribs removed
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 cup cooked quinoa – for raw, soak overnight
1 tbsp + 1 tsp (4 tsp) raw apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. It will be good for at least three days in the fridge (provided that your greens aren’t already at the end of their lives).

Make Ahead Meals in Jars (vegan)

May 7, 2013 by Christina Najjar 16 Comments

You may have already read my post about slowcooker freezer bags. If so, you know I’m a fan of preparing food ahead of time to cut down on preparation time when my schedule gets hectic. Right now, it’s getting hectic. I have a lot on my plate, and not in the tasty, big belly, burping kind of way.

With my upcoming move, I need to empty everything in my pantry. On the plus side, I’m guessing I’ll be saving on groceries. But on the downside, it could get boring quickly. So, I’ve attempted to make some interesting dry meals in jars to keep things interesting.

Make Ahead Meals In Jars

Apple Raisin Oatmeal

Ingredients
2 cups oats
1/2 cup each: coconut shavings, raisins, and chopped dehydrated apples
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions
Add the mix to 5 cups of boiling water. Cover it and let it simmer. Stir occasionally. Remove it from the heat after 10 minutes and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving. You can add a few tablespoons of sugar to the dry mix, but I’d rather add a sugar free sweetener once it’s cooked. Serves 4.

Curried Coconut Red lentil soup

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups red lentils
1/4 cup coconut
1/2 cup dehydrated onion flakes
2 tbsp parsley flakes
1 1/2 tsp turmeric – replace the cumin and turmeric with curry powder if you’re missing one of them
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
1 veggie bouillon cube*

*I buy mine in the bulk section of natural food stores. Make sure to read the ingredients, as some contain gluten and/or corn. The ones I buy have a bit of maltodextrin, but I haven’t been reacting to them. I’m supposed to mix them with two cups of water, but I find it makes everything too salty, so I use 1 cube per 3 cups of water.

Directions
Add mix to 7 cups of boiling water. Simmer covered, stirring occasionally. Cook for 30 minutes. Serves 4.

Note: the amount of spices in this recipe reduces the required amount of broth, which is why 1 bouillon cube is enough for 7 cups of water.

Apple lentil soup

Ingredients
2 cups green lentils
1/2 cup dehydrated apple slices, cut up
3 tbsp dehydrated onion flakes
1 tbsp parsley flakes
1 tsp ground ginger
2 veggie bouillon cubes
1 bay leaf

Directions
Add mix to 7 cups of boiling water. Simmer covered, stirring occasionally. Cook for 30 minutes. Serves 4.

Quinoa Rice Bowl

Ingredients
2/3 cup quinoa
2/3 cup rice of choice (make sure its the 2:1 water to rice ratio kind) – I use Uncle Ben’s Wholegrain Perfection
1/3 cup dehydrated veggies
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 veggie bouillon cube

Directions
Add mix to 3 cups of boiling water. Simmer covered, stirring occasionally. Cook for 20 minutes. Serves 4.

Note: you can play around with the quinoa and rice proportions as long as you have 1 1/3 cup total of rice and quinoa. I would usually put more quinoa, but I ran out this time.

And there you have it, 4 meals prepared in jars in next to no time!

Ginger Beef Stew (with slowcooker option)

April 22, 2013 by Christina Najjar Leave a Comment

Today was my last day of exams. This is the part where I should get excited. Somehow, I can’t seem to be able to find it in me to be excited. I start spring courses next week. After the spring courses? Summer courses. And after that, it’s the fall courses. It feels like it never ends.

I know my meat posts are really rare. I don’t often cook meat, and when I do, it’s for supper, and it’s too dark to take pictures. I really should figure out my lighting situation, because some of the dinners I cook are pretty neat.

The secret to this stew is the ginger. If you’re unsure if you’ve put enough, add more. And when you think there’s enough, add more. And when you think there’s too much, add more. I’ve made it in the slowcooker and on the stovetop, and the stovetop one turned out better.

Ginger Beef Stew (with slowcooker option)

Ingredients

1 package beef cubes – about 1 lb

2 zucchinis, chopped

2 green peppers, chopped

2 onions, chopped

1 potato, chopped

4 cups beef broth

3 cloves garlic, minced

About two inches ginger, cut into small cubes

Black pepper to taste

Optional: a sprinkle of cayenne pepper

Sesame seeds to garnish

Instructions

Stovetop: Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan, except for zucchini and green peppers. Bring broth to a boil and then reduce to simmer. After half an hour, add in the zucchini and green peppers, and leave in for another fifteen minutes. Serve in bowls and sprinkle sesame seeds on each portion.

Slowcooker: Combine all ingredients in slowcooker. Cook on low for eight hours. Serve in bowls and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Vegan Zucchini “Fettucine” Alfredo

April 18, 2013 by Christina Najjar 9 Comments

Back before my days of dietary restrictions, I would eat tons of fettucine alfredo. I would get excited when my mom would buy me TV dinners. After choosing to eliminate dairy from my diet, I experimented with a coconut milk based alfredo sauce. I got it right the first time, thankfully.

I personally enjoy brown rice pasta, but the paleo man in my life doesn’t as much. The day I made this meal, I was actually going for zucchini patties, but when I started trying to shred the zucchini, it looked more like fettucine. I decided to give paleo fettucine alfredo a try instead. I cut and crushed the garlic, only to find that I didn’t have any coconut milk. If you’ve ever seen my pantry-type shelf, you know how ridiculous that is. I had to run to the corner store to get some, and run back home quickly to finish making this meal before work.

I made the mistake of getting the sauce JUST to the right thickness before adding in the zucchini. After the zucchini cooked a bit, it made the sauce more watery.

Vegan Zucchini “Fettucine” Alfredo

Ingredients
3 medium zucchinis
1 can coconut milk – light or full fat
Oil of choice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions
Using a veggie peeler, turn the zucchinis into fettucine over a fairly large bowl. I found that the core didn’t shred very well, so I’d suggest saving it for something else (such as making broth).

Heat oil up in a saucepan over medium heat and add the garlic. When the garlic starts to brown, add in the coconut milk, the salt, and the black pepper. If using full fat coconut milk, I would suggest adding in a bit of water so that the sauce is just a tad thicker than you like it. You may end up using less than the entire can. If using light coconut milk, turn the heat up as high as you’re comfortable with. Keep stirring once it starts to boil to evaporate some of the milk.

If you like raw zucchini, you can stop when the sauce is the thickness that you like. Remove it from the heat, add it to the zucchini, and serve.

If you want to cook your zucchini a bit, evaporate the sauce a bit more than how thick you like it. Add the zucchini and cook for about 2 minutes. Its juices will thin the sauce out a bit.

Another Vegan Chickpea Curry

April 10, 2013 by Christina Najjar 2 Comments

It’s that time again. Exams. That period of time when I forget to eat. Or maybe I forget to cook. I’m not really sure. What’s worse is that my birthday is always right around the beginning of exams. I’m one of those people who like to celebrate their birthday on the day of. Since it’s during exams, I have a little dinner with my friends at a restaurant or pub every year, followed by a little dessert. I just finished baking a batch of lemon cupcakes. Yes, sadly, I have to make my own birthday treat this year.

I know I already posted a chickpea curry a couple of months ago. That one had a veggie broth base with coconut milk. This one here has a tomato paste base, similar to a chana masala. You would usually find recipes for chana masala with actual tomatoes. Since my belly monsters were getting bored, they decided to start rejecting tomatoes, in addition to all the usuals. For some reason, I can still digest tomato paste. So while this won’t be your authentic chana masala, it’s still quite tasty.

This is one of those meals you can make out of your pantry, unless you add cilantro. The cilantro is optional, but if you like its taste, I do recommend adding it. It really adds *something* to the curry.

Another Vegan Chickpea Curry

Ingredients
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 tbsp cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger paste – you can find this in a jar in the spice section of grocery stores (or blend ginger with a bit of oil)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups water
About 1 small can tomato paste (or less)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
2 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or about 3 1/2 – 4 cups cooked chickpeas
Salt to taste
1/2 – 3/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Directions
Heat oil on medium heat. When it’s hot, add cumin and toss around for about a minute to make it fragrant. Add garlic and ginger paste and toss around for another minute. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add water, tomato paste, lemon juice, turmeric, and garam masala. When it’s well mixed, add the chickpeas. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to low. Simmer until the chickpeas are cooked to your liking. I like mine soft, so it takes about 15-20 minutes.

In the meantime, wash and chop the cilantro. When the chickpeas are cooked to your liking, remove from heat. Add in the cilantro and serve.

Garlic Parsley Spaghetti Squash (paleo, vegan)

March 29, 2013 by Christina Najjar 2 Comments

I love that spaghetti squash is healthier than pasta. It’s also a tad more versatile because you can add sauce to it, but you can also choose to fry it. I could even go as far as to say I prefer it over pasta, but that seems like a big statement to make.

The first time or two that you make spaghetti squash, it can seem like a lot of work. But, I guarantee that after a couple of times, it becomes much easier. Spaghetti squash is a great way to get a few more vegetable portions in for the day without realizing.

Garlic Parsley Spaghetti Squash (paleo, vegan)

Ingredients
1 spaghetti squash
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
Small handful parsley, chopped
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Directions
Preheat oven to 375F.

Start by cutting the squash. Put it down on the counter, take a sharp knife, and anchor it in the middle, at a 90 degree angle (to cut lengthwise). Pull the knife down so that it is parallel with the counter/table/cutting board. Repeat on the other side. If you can’t get the knife down through the skin at the bottom, cut as much as you can, and then break the two halves apart.

Place the halves flat side down on a baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes. To know if it’s cooked, try inserting a knife into the skin. It should go through easily. Overcooking will caramelise the spaghetti squash.

Let it cool down a bit before handling, or use oven mitts. Take a fork and scratch the spaghetti strands out. They go crosswise for the most part. If the strands don’t come apart and you get hard clumps instead, the squash isn’t cooked thoroughly. Place it in the oven another few minutes.

Heat some cooking oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the garlic for a minute or two, until it’s really fragrant. Add the spaghetti and the salt. Toss around constantly to avoid turning the spaghetti into mush. A minute or two before it’s cooked to your liking, add the parsley and continue to toss around.

10-Minute Creamy Chickpea Salad (vegan)

March 25, 2013 by Christina Najjar Leave a Comment

I’m a fan of chickpeas. They’re a tasty frugal option. They’re also really versatile. They can be used as snack, a dip, a main course, or you can turn them into a quick and easy chickpea salad.

Really, your imagination is the limit. Maybe my next kitchen challenge will involve turning whole chickpeas into some kind of dessert. I have no idea if that would be any good.

If you want solid avocado pieces in this chickpea salad, make sure that the avocado you use isn’t too ripe. I used a really ripe avocado when I made it this time, and it disappeared into the dressing. It did contribute to the creaminess, but the dressing is already plenty creamy. I think I’d rather have actual pieces of avocado to provide more texture and to offer different flavour options in different bites. I find it makes my meals more interesting.

10-Minute Creamy Chickpea Salad (vegan)

Ingredients
1 large can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or about two cups cooked chickpeas)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 avocado, chopped or mashed
3 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp water
2 tsp coconut aminos
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground ginger
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions
Combine the chickpeas and veggies in a large bowl. In a small or medium bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and mix well before pouring in the large bowl. If you want the dressing to be extra creamy, opt for mashed avocado.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Makes 3 servings.

Vegan Pureed Red Lentils

March 11, 2013 by Christina Najjar 2 Comments

When I do groceries, I make sure to put away the cold items right away, but I often find myself distracted before I’ve had time to put all the dry items where they belong. Bags accumulate on the ground until I’m fed up and decide to put everything away. Last time I cracked, I realised I didn’t have enough room on my “pantry” shelf to put everything where it belongs. An assessment of all its items brought me to the conclusion that I need to start using the various grains I’ve accumulated.

I decided to start with red lentils. They’re so easy, practically foolproof, and quite to my liking. It’s one of those meals I like to make when I haven’t had the time (or the will) to do groceries in a while. To make it more interesting this time, I added in some green pepper, but I usually make it without veggies, and play around with the spices instead.

Vegan Pureed Red Lentils

Ingredients
1 cup red lentils
2 cups water or veggie broth
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Salt to taste

Directions
Rinse the lentils. In a saucepan, place lentils, water/broth, and garlic. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes. About halfway through, add in the rest of the ingredients. Serve over rice.

Rice Noodle Bowl with Creamy Vegan Poppyseed Dressing

March 7, 2013 by Christina Najjar Leave a Comment

My nemesis: rice noodles. I lovelovelove rice noodles. Impossibly so. My naturopath pointed out to me that the amount of starch I eat could eventually put me at risk for diabetes. A few months back, I had a little talk with myself (yes, I do that). I used to buy a package of rice noodles every time I’d do groceries. I’d make myself the gluten free equivalent of ramen noodle soup and the package would be done within 2-3 days. My new rule is that I can only buy rice noodles when I have an actual purpose for it.

Last week, I went to Freshii with my friend and ordered a rice noodle bowl with poppyseed dressing. It was SO GOOD. As I was eating it, I knew I had to try to make poppyseed dressing at home. Over the week end, I went on a vegan corn free mayo hunt. It exists, so don’t despair!

In honour of my amazing Freshii meal, I decided to use the dressing on rice noodles. I threw in some of my favourite veggies, but I pan fried them a bit. It was so good that I ate the whole thing in one day. If you’re wondering, it makes about 2.5-3 servings.

Rice Noodle Bowl with Creamy Vegan Poppyseed Dressing

Ingredients
1 block rice noodles
1 zucchini, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
Green part of 1 green onion, chopped

For the dressing:
2 tbsp vegenaise (Earth Island is corn free)
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1+ tbsp agave nectar
2 tsp poppyseeds
White part of the green onion, finely chopped

Directions
Prepare the dressing first to allow it to sit for a bit before serving. It will soften the poppyseeds and bring out the flavour of the green onion. Combine all the dressing ingredients and mix very well.

Prepare rice noodles according to package directions. When cooked, drain and rinse with cold water.

In the mean time, place chopped veggies in a frying pan over medium high heat. You can add some oil or just a bit of water, if you prefer. Toss the veggies around until they’re cooked to your liking (about 7 minutes for me).

Add the cooked veggies to the rice noodles and pour the dressing on top. Toss around to coat evenly and serve right away. If you have leftovers, pour in a bit of extra olive oil before refrigerating.

Apple Chicken Breakfast Sausage

March 6, 2013 by Christina Najjar Leave a Comment

I have recently found out that I can’t peacefully digest regular sausage. This quite saddens me, because the Sausage Kitchen in the Byward Market here in Ottawa makes amazing gluten free sausage. I’m thinking the problem might be the high fat content. But hey, no biggie, since I have a healthier alternative anyway.

So, you thought low fat food had to be bland? Think again. I buy extra lean ground chicken sausage and use molasses to stop it from being dry. I like to fry it on the stove top with a bit of oil, but you could make it in a non-stick skillet without oil, or probably in a non-stick pan in the oven.

This recipe is really simple, and yet seems complicated enough to an outsider to be able to make this to impress a carnivore. I find it’s also really nice as leftovers.

Apple Chicken Sausage

Ingredients
1 small package ground chicken, about 1 lb
1/2 apple, chopped finely (Granny Smith works well)
2 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp rosemary leaves
1 tsp salt
Black pepper to taste

Directions
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least three hours, though overnight is preferable.

To form into patties, I suggest using plastic gloves, especially if you have long nails. Because of the molasses, the mixture will be stickier than most ground chicken recipes. Patties of about two inches in diameter seem to be perfect. Alternatively, you can roll them, but keep in mind that it may need to cook longer, which could possibly make them turn out less moist.

Place patties in a lightly oiled skillet. If you don’t want to use oil, make sure your skillet is non-stick. Cook on medium heat for about 7 minutes. Turn the sausage and cook for another 5 minutes. Using a lid makes it cook faster and more uniformly. Makes about 4 servings.

Detox salad

Make Ahead Meals in Jars (vegan)