Christina Najjar

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Ginger Carrot Butternut Squash Soup (paleo)

November 21, 2014 by Christina Najjar Leave a Comment

I have a tendency to buy pre-cut butternut squash, but today, I decided to peel and cut a whole one for ginger carrot butternut squash soup. I feel like I’ve barely taken my face out of my books recently. I remember when I was younger and my mother told me that cooking was an enjoyable break from her work, and I thought she was strange. I definitely understand the feeling now. As much as I enjoy what I study, it’s nice to see some colour, instead of black words on a white page.

Ginger Carrot Butternut Squash Soup

I’m sad to say that we now have snow. I suppose I should expect it, but I never seem to get used to it. The weather’s been making me crave warming foods. A hot soup really helps, but I wanted that extra little bit of warmth, so I thought ginger was in order. No regrets.

Ginger Carrot Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients
1 small squash, chopped (Check my butternut squash recipe for help on chopping it)
4 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 inches gingeroot, peeled and grated
1 clove garlic, pressed
4-6 cups veggie broth (just enough to cover the rest)
Salt and pepper to taste
A bit of oil for frying

Directions
Heat a bit of oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the ginger and toss around for a minute or so, until the ginger starts to brown a bit. Add the onion and garlic and toss around until the onion is translucent. Add the carrots and squash and toss around for about a minute.

Pour in the broth. If you like your soup thick, add in just enough broth to cover the veggies. If you want a thinner soup, you can add an extra cup or so. Boil for about half an hour, or until the carrots and butternut squash are soft, then remove from heat.

With an immersion blender, puree the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. Optionally, you can add a bit of coconut milk to make the soup extra creamy.

Filed Under: Paleo/Grain-Free, Recipes, Soups, Vegan Tagged With: corn free, dairy free, egg free, gluten free, grain free, nut free, paleo, side, soup, soy free, vegan

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 vegan meals in jars

Make Ahead Meals In Jars

Apple Raisin Oatmeal

Make ahead vegan meals in jars

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

Make ahead vegan meals in jars

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

Make ahead vegan meals in jars

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

Make ahead vegan meals in jars

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!

Filed Under: Mains, Recipes, Vegan Tagged With: breakfast, corn free, dairy free, egg free, gluten free, main course, nut free, soup, soy free, vegan

Cream of Broccoli Soup (vegan, slowcooker option)

April 4, 2013 by Christina Najjar 2 Comments

Do you want to know something funny? There are lots of foods I never thought of eating before knowing about my food sensitivities. Then, after I discovered I was limited in my food choices, I started expanding my menu. For instance, I never ate cream of broccoli soup back when I could eat dairy.

Truth be told, I never liked “cream of [insert ingredient]” soups when I ate dairy. But now that I’ve discovered what I can do with coconut milk, so many new things seem appealing. The good thing about coconut milk is that it contains the healthy kind of fats.

Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable, or what you may know as the cabbage family. The awesome thing about cruciferous vegetables is that they have a ton of health benefits. They have great anti-cancer benefits. Additionally, they help support the liver’s detoxification processes.

Broccoli is high in vitamin K, which helps with coagulation. It also contains lots of vitamin C, which is great for the immune system, and is an antioxidant. Additionally, it has all kinds of B vitamins, which provide you with energy, and help support the reproductive system, manage stress, and so many more benefits. And finally, I want to mention that it contains lots of chromium, which helps reduce sugar cravings.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Cream of Broccoli Soup (vegan, slowcooker option)

Ingredients
Large bunch broccoli, cut into florets
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cups veggie broth
1 cup full fat coconut milk
Black pepper to taste

Directions
Slowcooker: place all the ingredients except for the coconut milk in a 6 qt slow cooker (or slightly smaller). Cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours. With a hand blender, blend the ingredients. Add the coconut milk and continue cooking for an additional half hour.

Stovetop: Bring all the ingredients except for the coconut milk to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. When the broccoli is really soft, about half an hour, blend the ingredients and add the coconut milk. Cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Store extras in an airtight containers. Makes 4 servings.

Filed Under: Paleo/Grain-Free, Recipes, Slowcooker, Soups, Vegan Tagged With: corn free, dairy free, egg free, gluten free, grain free, nut free, paleo, soup, soy free, sugar free, vegan

Curried Cauliflower Soup (vegan, slowcooker option)

March 18, 2013 by Christina Najjar Leave a Comment

During busy periods, putting some time aside to cook something tasty can be quite difficult. It is during those times that I am thankful that I occasionally think ahead. I prepare freezer slowcooker bags to save myself some time. I simply chop all the ingredients for a given recipe that I freeze in a zipper bag. Then, when I’m too busy to cook a meal, I simply empty the content of the bag into my slowcooker. This is something that can easily be done with my curried cauliflower soup.

This soup is really simple if you have an immersion blender. If not, a potato masher will do. Or a rock, if you really have to. What I like the least about making this soup is the part where I cut the cauliflower and little pieces fall on the ground and get stuck to my feet. That’s why I often stop myself from buying cauliflower. But not for this soup.

You may have heard by now that it’s important to include a variety of vegetable colours in your diet to eat a variety of nutrients. However, for some reason, people tend to forget that white vegetables should also be eaten. Cauliflower is loaded with vitamin C, which helps support the immune system, and is an important antioxidant.

Curried Cauliflower Soup

Curried Cauliflower Soup (vegan, slowcooker option)

Ingredients
1 medium cauliflower head, cut into florets
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp each: cumin, ground ginger, turmeric
1/2 tsp garam masala – or add 1/2 tsp more ground ginger instead
3 cups veggie broth

Directions
In the slowcooker: put all the ingredients in a 6-qt slow cooker or smaller. Cook on high for 4 hours (or 8 hours on low). Then, blend the soup using an immersion blender or potato masher.

On the stove: put all the ingredients in a soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes, or until the cauliflower is really soft. Then, blend the soup using an immersion blender or potato masher.

Filed Under: Paleo/Grain-Free, Recipes, Slowcooker, Soups, Vegan Tagged With: corn free, dairy free, egg free, gluten free, grain free, nut free, paleo, side, soup, soy free, sugar free, vegan

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