Christina Najjar

Ginger Carrot Butternut Squash Soup (paleo)

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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.

Daal Soup

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If you’re getting tired of reading about how much I love Indian food, I thank you, because that means that you’ve read at least a couple of my posts. Whenever I go to an Indian restaurant or order take out from one, I make sure to order a daal soup. I initially thought it was made from red lentils (they turn yellow when cookied) but I couldn’t figure out how to get the texture.

Before we met, my partner and I both had the same favourite restaurant. We were both regulars there, so the first time that the owner saw us together, he seemed happy for us. Everytime we’re in, he comes to our table for a few minutes to catch up with us. Last time we were there, I chose that moment to ask him about daal soup. So there you have it.

Daal Soup

Ingredients
2/3 cup split yellow moong lentils
6 cups water
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground ginger
4 tbsp chopped cilantro
Lemon to garnish

Directions
Combine everything but the cilantro and lemon in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Simmer for at least 45 minutes, then turn off heat. Use a wire whisk to squish the lentils at the bottom of the pot.

Pour into serving bowls and add 1 tbsp chopped cilantro and a slice of lemon. Squish the lemon with your spoon to let out some of the juices. Makes 4 servings.

Veggie Broth

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Homemade veggie broth

Believe it or not, when thinking about my dietary restrictions, broth is the biggest pain in my behind. To get to the grocery store, I have to walk up a steep hill and then back down. That’s not too bad in the summer. The part that’s difficult is the walk back, while I’m carrying all my groceries. With the amount of broth I use in my cooking, I’d have to give up other groceries to manage to carry it all home. For a long time, I enjoyed using bouillon cubes because they weigh virtually nothing. I’d settled for gluten free cubes that contained minimal amounts of maltodextrin, but even that has been bothering my stomach lately.

The beauty of broth is that it can be made from frozen veggie scraps. However, when you go through broth faster than fresh veggies, it becomes necessary to find a recipe using whole veggies. You can modify the recipe I’m providing as you wish. Just make sure to include carrots, celery, and onions. You can add bell peppers, zucchini, parsley, or anything that comes to mind, as long as you avoid the broccoli and cabbage family.

I’ve mentioned before how much I dislike the texture of celery. For that reason, when I buy celery, I use it in recipes that call for completely watering it down, and I freeze the rest. I wrote a post about chopping extra veggies for future slowcooker meals. When I’m too lazy to do that, I freeze celery stalks so that I can use them in broth at a future occasion.

Veggie Broth

Ingredients
2 large carrots
2 stalks celery
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp rosemary
2 bay leaves
7 1/2 cups water
Salt to taste

Directions
Cut the large veggies in half. Put all the ingredients in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Cook on medium-low heat for an hour. Strain the broth and use within a week, or within a few months if you freeze it.

I like to freeze part of it in a large mason jar, and the rest in an ice cube tray for those recipes that call for small amounts of veggie broth (or as a substitute for oil when frying veggies and/or grains).

Butternut Squash Soup (vegan, paleo)

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This butternut squash soup came to be because I always want to experiment with food. I didn’t really eat squash growing up, unless you count that phase of raw zucchini in salads my mom went through about ten years ago. That phase didn’t last very long. My sibling and I made sure of that. The convenience store at school sells butternut squash curry which I do enjoy, so I thought it was time I gave it a try in the kitchen.

Butternut squash soup

Winter squashes are always interesting to deal with. If I cut some everyday, I’ll end up looking like The Rock. Except with hair. I do have to say that butternut squash is easier to deal with than spaghetti squash. I should add that this recipe is not for you if you’re looking for 5 minute prep. For another butternut squash soup, try this recipe.

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups veggie broth
1 tbsp chili powder
A bit of oil for frying (optional)

Optional garnish: coconut milk and more chili powder

Directions
Start by peeling the squash until it becomes bright orange (you usually need to peel two layers). This can easily be done with a veggie peeler. The skin is pretty soft. Cut off both ends. Remove the seeds and the other goo inside. Slice crosswise into 1 inch slices, and chop the slices into 1 inch cubes.

Heat a bit of oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Toss around every so often until the veggies become fragrant and the onion and celery are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the other ingredients. Bring to a boil and cook until the squash is soft, about half an hour (depending on how big your pieces are). Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to puree the soup.

Cream of Broccoli Soup (vegan, slowcooker option)

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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.

Curried Cauliflower Soup (vegan, slowcooker option)

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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.

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Christina Najjar - Natural Nutrition

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