Christina Najjar

Chickpea curry (vegan, slow cooker option)

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Not having a car is usually not a problem, since I don’t have to worry about exorbitant insurance costs, and I feel like I’m being green. I do, however, wish I had a car when my food stock starts to deplete. I barely ever go for groceries in the winter because I’m a wuss when it comes to the cold. When I do buy groceries, I make sure to buy canned, frozen, and fresh veggies that I can chop and freeze myself. That way, I can avoid going shopping for longer. Then, I make meals like this chickpea curry.

The only fresh produce I use in this chickpea curry are the potatoes and the onions, which last practically forever when stored properly. It takes me all of three minutes to chop them, and the rest is either taken out of my freezer or requires opening a can. I like to make this curry in my slowcooker because it literally takes me 7 minutes of work. You can, however, make this on the stove top.

If you want a more traditional chickpea curry, try my other recipe.

Chickpea curry (can be made in slowcooker)

Chickpea Curry (vegan)

Ingredients
1 can green peas, drained and rinsed – or about 1 1/2 cups frozen
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Large potato, cubed
2 small or 1 large onion, chopped in large pieces
1-1/2 cups frozen carrot and green bean combination
About 4 cups veggie broth
2 tsp each: turmeric, ground ginger, ground coriander, ground cardamom
1 tsp each: cumin, garam masala, cayenne pepper
1 can full fat coconut milk

Directions
Slowcooker: Combine all the ingredients except the coconut milk in a 6 or 7 quart slowcooker. Make sure the contents are completely submerged in broth. For crunchy veggies, set on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. I like my veggies soft so I set it overnight on low for 10 hours. About 20 minutes before it’s done, add the coconut milk. I like my curry really coconutty so I add the whole can, but you can definitely put less. Serve over rice.

Stovetop: In a soup pot, combine all the ingredients except the coconut milk. The veggies don’t need to be completely submerged for this method, so if you like less liquid in your curry, you can reduce the amount of broth. You’ll need at least 2 cups of the broth, though. Cook for about 40 minutes on medium or low heat. You want it to be boiling, but not boiling over. A few minutes before the end, add desired amount of coconut milk. Serve over rice.

Note: If you like your curry to taste really strong, you may need to increase the amount of spice. I keep the amounts of spice low so that I don’t end up smelling like curry.

3 Ingredient Chocolate Ice Cream (vegan)

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I know some people consider ice cream to be a comfort food, but I never really have. I do enjoy it, but ice cream cravings are so rare for me. The cravings that led to this chocolate ice cream weren’t a common occurrence.

A few weeks ago, on a Saturday night, I went for drinks with a friend. We were both pretty tired and started yawning uncontrollably around 9pm. When we left the pub, I decided I NEEDED chocolate ice cream. That night, I ate dairy (something I never do).  I also bought ingredients to make a dairy-free ice cream that wouldn’t cost me $7 for a tiny tub for the next time a craving hit.

This isn’t a recipe to make at 1am (unless you go to bed at 4) so plan ahead. I like to keep a can of coconut milk in the fridge at all times, just in case.

3 Ingredient Chocolate Ice Cream (vegan)

Ingredients
140g of 70% dark chocolate (check the ingredients for milk)
1 can full fat coconut milk
1/3 cup maple syrup or honey

Directions
Refrigerate the coconut milk at least 2 hours ahead of time.

Break the chocolate into pieces and put it in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time until it’s just melted, stirring every time. Make sure not to burn it. Mix the honey or maple syrup into the melted chocolate.

Open the can of coconut milk. Scoop up all the solid stuff out of the can. You can drink the water at the bottom, add it to smoothies, or brush it into your hair not long before showering to make it shine (though it’s not as potent as the thick milk part). I used a new bowl for the coconut milk because the chocolate bowl was pretty hot from the microwave. Mix all the ingredients together until it’s all blended. Place in freezer and remove every 45 minutes to give it a good stir. It should be done after about 2 hours, depending on your freezer.

Roasted Chickpeas (vegan)

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It’s easy to find gluten-containing snacks with a crunch. Chips, pretzels, crackers, you name it. While there are gluten free versions of all of these items, they’re not always as good. Not to mention that they’re not the healthiest snacks in the world either, and they tend to cost a fortune. Some also replace the gluten with other allergenic grains. Roasted chickpeas to the rescue!

When I made these, this time, I had a bit of a cold and was looking for a vegan source of zinc. While pumpkin seeds fit the bill, I wasn’t in the mood. Unless they have the shell (i.e. when you dig them out of a fresh pumpkin), they lack the crunch I wanted. The only thing with roasted chickpeas is that they’re kind of dry, so it’s almost necessary to have a beverage handy while eating them.

I’ve provided you with a recipe to dress them up, but essentially, you can season roasted chickpeas however you please.

Roasted chickpeas

Roasted Chickpeas (vegan)

Ingredients
1 can chickpeas
1/2 tsp each: salt, black pepper, chili powder

Directions
Preheat oven to 425F.

Drain, rinse, and dry the chickpeas as much as possible. I run a paper towel over them to absorb some of the water. You can add the seasoning to the chickpeas in a bowl, but I do it all directly on the baking sheet and toss them around to cover them evenly.

Bake until the chickpeas are crunchy and toasty looking. For me, that’s about 45 minutes, but it depends on the brand of chickpeas you use and how well you managed to dry them. Remove from the oven every 15 minutes to toss and then put them back in the oven.

Update: my friend followed the recipe and said that his chickpeas burned, so I suggest keeping a close eye on them after half an hour.

Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats (vegan, no added sugar)

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Overnight oats are such a convenient concept. They take just a few minutes to put together, and then time and your fridge do the rest of the work. If this is your first time trying overnight oats, I’m warning you that some people don’t enjoy the texture. Personally, I’m really picky with textures, but I really enjoy overnight oat texture.

Overnight oats are versatile too. I like apple as a breakfast flavour, but really, you can keep the milk, oats, and chia seed proportions intact and flavour it as you wish. Some of my other favourite flavours include pumpkin spice and chocolate nut butter.

You can make a few tweaks to boost the nutritional content of this recipe. Chia seeds are a great source of healthy fats, but our bodies can’t access the fats in whole chia. While this may alter the texture a bit, you can grind the chia seeds before throwing them in, making the fats more available.

Additionally, if you’re only going to eat adequate protein for one meal, breakfast should be that meal. It helps “set the tone” for how your blood sugar levels are going to behave that day. This is especially important for diabetes, hypoglycemia, and hormonal conditions like PMS, PCOS, endometriosis, and infertility. To boost the protein in these overnight oats, I like to add some ground hemp hearts or hemp protein powder.

Apple cinnamon overnight oats

Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats (vegan, no added sugar)

Ingredients
3/4 cup non-dairy milk
1/3 cup gluten free oats
2 tbsp chia seeds
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Splash of vanilla extract
3 tbsp unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 apple, chopped
Optional: maple syrup, honey, or stevia to taste

Directions
In the evening, combine all the ingredients except the apple sauce and the apple in an individual bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, add the apple and the apple sauce before serving.

Hummus in 5 minutes (vegan)

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When I was little, my mom used to make authentic Lebanese hummus regularly. I’m not going to lie. I hated it. I’d put up a fight every time she’d try to feed me the smallest amount of hummus. Then, when I became a vegetarian in high school, I discovered store bought hummus. It doesn’t taste like the authentic stuff, but hell, it’s so much better!

Until recently, I didn’t know that I had a functional food processor. How is that possible, you may ask? I had a food processor sitting in a box in my apartment, but when I had tried to use it in the past, I hadn’t assembled it properly. So, when I tried turning it on, nothing happened.

Every time I wanted hummus, I would dish out the $5 for a small container of store-bought hummus. Then, last week, it dawned on me that I keep all the ingredients for hummus on hand. No need to do groceries to make it, and it’s super healthy! And this time, when I used my food processor, it worked!

I like to use canned chickpeas because it’s so effortless, but you could just as well cook them from scratch. I decided to adapt this recipe to make it taste like the store bought stuff. More lemon, less tahini. More yummy, less icky.

Homemade hummus

Hummus in 5 minutes (vegan)

Ingredients
1 large can chickpeas (19oz/540mL)
1/3 cup reserved chickpea water
5 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp tahini
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp salt

Directions
Drain the can of chickpeas into a cup so that you can add some chickpea water to the humus. In a food processor, add all the ingredients and process for 1-2 minutes, stopping at least once to scrape down the bowl.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (Vegan)

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I always buy bananas that I can’t seem to use fast enough. They turn brown on me and then I feel like I can’t eat them. I really hate throwing food away, especially when it feels like I’m throwing nutrients away! Read Well-Being Secret’s post on the health benefits of bananas here. My baking inspiration this time gave me these oatmeal cookies.

If you’re sensitive to oats, I’m terribly sorry. Next time I post some goodies, they’ll be oat free. The good thing about this recipe is that you can add something like cranberries or whatever your favourite cookie garnish is, or you can omit the chocolate chips altogether, and it’ll still be delightful.

WARNING: These cookies are addictive, so once they’ve cooled down, put a few cookies on a plate, and lock the rest away and protect them with an obstacle course.

Banana chocolate chip oatmeal cookies

Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/2 cups brown sugar (or vegan sugar alternative)
2 1/4 cups oats (I use Only Oats brand because it’s gluten free)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup oil
2 ripe bananas
1 tbsp water
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
Chocolate chips of your choice to taste (I think I used 1/2 or 3/4 cups)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas and add the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix well. Because bananas vary in size, you may need to add a bit of oil to properly blend the ingredients. Add the chocolate chips.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls (or more) on a greased cookie sheet. If you use stoneware, you don’t need to grease it. Flatten the dough a bit with the back of the spoon.. Make sure to leave a bit of space between the cookies. They’ll expand a bit, but not as much as regular cookies. Bake for about 14 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown.

Falafel Patties (vegan, sugar free)

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Balancing school, work, and other life demands is usually quite time consuming. This is one of the many reasons I’m a fan of out-of-the-pantry recipes. I suppose they’re the equivalent of “Just add [insert select ingredients]!” mixes for those not afflicted with Belly Monsters Syndrome. Falafel patties are great for those days when I just don’t have time to get to the store.

Homemade falafel patties

I like to know I’m not eating all kinds of weird chemicals, and I have to do it on a budget. When I go to a health food store, I stock up on gluten free flours that I buy in bulk to save money. I always have lemons on hand for my daily lemon-hot water, but you could just as easily use bottled lemon juice if that’s what tickles your pickle.

While this is not your traditional falafel, you can treat it as such. I like mine with lemon tahini dipping sauce, but do as you wish. You can shape them into smaller patties or cut them up to add them to wraps.

Falafel Patties

Ingredients
1 cup chickpea flour
2 tsp parsley flakes
3/4 tsp garlic salt (or garlic granules and salt)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup warm water
2 tsp lemon juice
Oil for frying

Directions
Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium or large bowl and mix well. Mix in lemon and hot water. Let sit for about ten minutes for the water to get absorbed a little. The batter should be fairly thick, but not solid.

Lightly oil a frying pan. Over medium heat, drop batter by tablespoonfuls and spread it a bit with the back of the spoon. Cook for three minutes. Flip and cook for an additional two minutes.

For my lemon tahini dipping sauce, I just mix tahini and lemon at a 2:1 ratio, but experiment and see what you like.

Saturday Morning Pancakes (vegan)

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The biggest chunk of my morning routine consists of delaying getting up. This leaves me little time to do everything else one does in the morning, so I end up having to choose what’s more important to me. It’s sad to say, but doing my hair is higher on my list of priorities than breakfast. I drink my cup of lemon hot water and my shot of apple cider vinegar while I do my make up, I brush my teeth, and then I’m out the door. I tell myself I’ll just eat a nut bar at work (if I had a nickel for every time I also skipped the nut bar…). As you can imagine, pancakes before work are as likely as beach weather in January.

Vegan pancakes that can be made without sugar

On the odd day, I do like to have a nice breakfast. There’s nothing like pancakes to keep you full until your next meal. I’ve experimented a lot with vegan and gluten free pancakes. It should be said that it hasn’t been an easy one to figure out. This recipe is the closest I’ve ever gotten to gluten-textured pancakes, but it’s not quite the same, so be warned.

Vegan Pancakes

Ingredients
1 flax egg – 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp warm water
1/3 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup starch – I do half potato starch, half tapioca starch
1/2 cup + 1/3 cup brown rice flour
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp corn free baking powder*
4 tsp maple syrup
1 3/4 cups non-dairy milk
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla
Oil for frying

Directions
Start by preparing your flax egg by mixing the water with the flax. It needs to sit for about 5 minutes. Beat well until it looks frothy.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Then, in a separate bowl (or a large measuring cup), combine the wet ingredients. Pour the flax egg and the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix well. The batter will be thick, but it should be a bit runny. If it doesn’t spread out in the bowl on its own, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. You still want it to be thicker than gluten-containing pancake batter.

Pour oil in a frying pan and let it warm up over medium heat (or slightly lower). Using a ladle, pour a bit of batter in the frying pan. You’ll need to spread it with the back of the ladle. After about 3-4 minutes, flip it and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

*For a more crepe-like consistency, omit the baking powder and increase the amount of milk until the batter is quite runny.

Apple Kale Salad (vegan, paleo)

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When I buy kale, I start dreaming about all the meals and green smoothies I’ll be able to make. There’s only so much I can make with one bunch of kale though, and I don’t buy more than one bunch for fear of wasting it. This time, I went for an apple kale salad.

Apple kale salad

This salad is wonderful for so many reasons. It’s high in iron and other essential nutrients. It’s easy to make on a student budget. Also, it’s filling. And most importantly, it’s tasty.

Apples are the #1 item on the Dirty Dozen list, and kale is about to make its way onto the list (update 03/31/16: kale is on the 2015 list). If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I suggest you have a look at this. While this is the US version, it’s not very different from what you should expect in Canada. If you can use organic apples and kale, I highly recommend it. If not, wash your kale really well and peel your apple.

Apple Kale Salad

Ingredients
About 6 large leaves of kale
1 granny smith apple
Pumpkin or sunflower seeds to taste (I used about a handful)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
0.5-1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp raw apple cider vinegar

Directions
Cut up the kale leaves, removing the ribs. In a small bowl, mix the wet ingredients together. Cube the apple into bite size pieces when you’re ready to pour the dressing on the salad. The lemon in the dressing will stop the apples from darkening. Sprinkle seeds and toss well. The kale leaves will soften up a bit after a few minutes. Serve right away.

Ginger Lemon Jello (vegan, paleo)

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I’ve been toying with the idea of starting a food blog for quite some time, but my lack of camera and photography skills have stopped me until now. I still don’t expect my pictures to be good for a while, but please bear with me! Putting my work on the internet feels a bit scary, but I decided to take the leap. I figured this jello would be a good place to start.

Ginger Lemon Jello

During a much needed grocery trip on Boxing Day, I had a hard time finding lemons. All that was left were bags of 8 organic lemons. If you ever buy organic food, you know that it doesn’t last as long as the alternative. Well, ever since, I’ve been making all sorts of desserts using lemons in the hopes of not having to waste any food.

This jello is both vegan and sugar free. Once in a while, I like to do a seven-day detox cleanse. Basically, I follow a vegan, gluten free, sugar free, alcohol free diet for a week. Dessert options can feel limited when you detox. Until you make this jello, that is. The ginger and lemon both help the detox and make this jello seem like a fancy dessert.

Ginger Lemon Jello

Ingredients
2 cups water
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp grated ginger
2 tbsp agar flakes (reduce to 2 tsp if using agar powder)

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring just to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour into recipient of choice (single servings or one big bowl both work) and refrigerate for at least an hour to have it thicken. It won’t be completely cold so if you can leave it in a bit longer, I would suggest you try it.

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Christina Najjar - Natural Nutrition

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