Christina Najjar

Stuffed Peppers (Paleo)

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Hot foods, like stuffed peppers, somehow seem to make the transition into cool weather much easier. Usually, the arrival of fall means the beginning of my whining about winter. However, this year, after having had such an amazing summer and a late arrival to fall, I couldn’t help but get lost in the beauty of fall.

Stuffed peppers

Since I’ve been playing dodgeball about three times a week and been doing weight training workouts on the side, my body’s been begging me for more protein. A smoothie with 18 grams of protein just won’t do anymore. I decided to make stuffed peppers for breakfast instead. People generally tend to give me a look of “umm, okay, really?” when I eat dinner foods for breakfast, but dinner for breakfast is my absolute favourite.

I took 15 minutes last night to prepare the filling and stuff the peppers so that it would all be ready to go today. The beauty of this recipe is that it’s so quick. It can then be made in the oven or in the slowcooker while you’re at work or running errands.

Stuffed peppers (paleo)

Ingredients
4 medium or large bell peppers of different colours
Approx. 1 lb ground meat of choice (I used chicken)
1 small cooking onion, finely chopped
1 small zucchini, quartered and chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp black pepper
Salt to preference

Directions
Preheat oven to 400F (unless using slowcooker).

Mix together all the raw ingredients except for the bell peppers, then set aside. Cut off the tops of the bell peppers and remove the seeds. Pack the filling inside the peppers.

Cook in the oven for about an hour or in the slowcooker on low for 8 hours. Makes 4 servings.

Can be prepared in advance and cooked the next day as long as expiry dates of all ingredients are being respected.

Mexican Spiced Chicken (Paleo)

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This Mexican spiced chicken came to be because lately, I feel like I keep eating the same meals over and over., Finding time to constantly come up with something new and palatable feels draining at times. I don’t want to buy condiments or spices for something I’ll be making one time. Then I would have to store the remainders, and I so badly want to downsize my kitchen. Every time I move, I have more boxes for all my kitchen stuff than for the rest of my apartment combined.

Mexican Spiced Chicken

Additionally, easy recipes tend to require ingredients I choose not to eat when I’m at home. Why when I’m at home? You may already know this about me, but I very much believe in an 80/20 lifestyle. 80% of the time, I eat really healthy things that makes other people cringe but that I absolutely enjoy. Then, when I go out, I’m free to enjoy anything I like, as long as it respects my food sensitivities.

This Mexican spiced chicken worked out well because I got to come up with something new to make using things I already had at home. It’s easy and quick to put together.

Mexican Spiced Chicken

Ingredients
4 chicken legs with backs, skin on, bone in
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
To taste: salt, pepper, cayenne pepper
OR use a Mexican spice blend

Directions
Preheat oven to 375F.

Rinse the raw chicken and dry with paper towels. Mix the spices together in a small bowl and spread evenly between the four pieces of chicken.

Cook the chicken for about half an hour or until fully cooked. If you like your chicken extra crispy, broil until the top is brown, but watch it closely. Serve with vegetables for a complete meal. Makes 4 servings.

Black Bean Brown Rice Bowl (vegan)

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I wasn’t able to come up with a better name for this meal. It would be easy to put the word “Southern” in front of the dish name, but that would be false advertising. It is a black bean meal. It has brown rice. You serve it in a bowl. It is a complete protein, though, so eat up! The thing I like about this meal is that it can be eaten hot or cold. If you let it sit overnight in the fridge before serving, the flavours blend together for extra tastiness.

Black bean and rice bowl

It looks like this summer will give me a hard time blog-wise. My apartment is on the warmer side. It’s 24C outside right now, and it already feels too warm indoors to use the oven or the stove. I guess that’s what happens when you live on the 5th floor with massive windows but only a small window opening. Let’s wait and see what happens when it’s 45 degrees in July. I do have plans to do a mostly raw detox at some point when I have more time to cook, so maybe this summer will be more about no-cook recipes.

I rushed home yesterday after work to cook this and write this post. My schedule’s been so packed. I’m still working full time (and beyond) while taking summer courses, with the hope of finishing my bachelor’s degree in July.

Black Bean and Brown Rice Bowl

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked brown rice
2 cups water
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, finely chopped
Approximately 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (or salsa)
1 can black beans, drained
Salt to taste

Directions
Combine rice, water, and chili powder in a small to medium pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until all the water has been absorbed.

In the meantime, chop the bell pepper and the onion and slice the mushrooms. Cook in a skillet or a frying pan with a bit of oil over medium low heat until the onion is translucent, then remove from heat. When the rice is done cooking, combine all the ingredients together and serve.

Mushroom and Fennel Seed Pasta Salad (vegan)

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I know it’s so cliché, but pasta salad is honestly the easiest thing to bring to a potluck. When I worked in an office, half the potluck dishes were pasta salads. With my food sensitivities, I usually only get to feast on these dishes with my eyes.

Roasted mushroom and fennel pasta salad

In theory, going vegan sounds really great to me. I don’t like the thought of eating all sorts of antibiotics and hormones. I can’t afford organic meat. Also, it helps to take into consideration the ethical and environmental aspects of going vegan. However, every time I go vegan, I find myself losing too much weight. Because my metabolism works extra hard, I need to eat a lot of protein to keep weight on.

…Oh, the joys of my belly monsters. I would love to eat tons of legumes. However, those little buggers seem to run my life, and I find myself having to avoid lots of decent sources of protein. I manage to sneak all kinds of inoffensive protein into my morning smoothies, but what about the other meals? That’s something for me to ponder for a while.

While brainstorming for weight-gaining ideas with friends and family, the idea of pasta salad came up. I know it’s not as high protein as some other items, but it’s a start. I find that most vegan pasta salad recipes online are rather disappointing. They mostly just use pasta as a replacement for lettuce. I decided to give my pasta salad a different burst of flavour. The fennel seed really complements the mushroom flavour.

Mushroom and Fennel Seed Pasta Salad

Ingredients
150g/5oz pasta of your choice (I used brown rice fusilli)
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp fennel seed
Olive oil to coat pasta (the amount will depend on the type of pasta you use)
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions. When finished, drain and rinse in cold water. Drain well and add just enough olive oil to coat completely without having it swimming in oil. Set aside to cool.

In the meantime, heat a bit of oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the mushrooms and the fennel seed and keep tossing them around. The idea is not the make the mushroom toasty. You just want to cook it a bit and have it pick up the fennel seed’s flavour.

When everything has cooled down, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.

Makes 2 servings, so multiply as needed.

Comfort Food Chicken and Veggies (paleo)

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This comfort food chicken meal is the kind of dish I make when I don’t feel like making anything fancy. Those who have tried it rave about how good it is, though.  What’s great about it is that it’s a one pot meal. You can leave it on the stove and come back and check on it every 10-15 minutes to make sure it hasn’t caught fire.

Comfort food chicken and veggies

In other news, I finished my exams for the semester today. This means that I have two consecutive compressed courses left, and then I will have completed my undergrad. It’s taken me extra long to complete this degree, so it definitely feels like a relief to be getting to the end of it, finally.

Comfort Food Chicken and Veggies (paleo)

Ingredients
4-6 bone-in, skin on chicken legs/backs/thighs/breasts (choose your favourite)
2 large carrots, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 cups butternut squash cubes
1/2-1 cup green beans
1 cup button mushrooms
1 small or medium onion, cut in half and sliced
1/4-1/3 cups chicken broth
2-3 tsp rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp oil

Directions
In a large “cooker” (like a deeper frying pan with a lid), heat the oil over medium high heat. Salt and pepper the chicken. Place skin down into the cooker and brown for about 5 minutes, then flip it over and brown for another few minutes. Add in the butternut squash, carrots, broth and about half of the rosemary. Salt and pepper some more. Lower heat to medium high and cover for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, add the rest of the ingredients. You can add a bit more salt and pepper. Make sure that there is still a bit of broth in the cooker. If not, add just a bit more. It will make the chicken nice and tender, and will give you a nice gravy-like sauce at the end. Cover and cook for another 15-20 minutes.

Not-Your-Traditional Pizza (vegan, tomato free)

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Some people may find vegan alternatives to old favourites quite disappointing. I love melted cheese, but I have yet to find a vegan cheese I enjoy (Daiya is not for me). I do love pizza, though. So how do you stop vegan pizza from being disappointing? Read closely, because I’m about to drop some wisdom… You need to stop making vegan alternatives resemble their conventional counterparts.

New pizza idea

So what does that look like, for pizza? Well, for one, you need to make the crust really tasty. I’ve had a hard time finding a pizza dough recipe that really tickled my tastebuds, so I came up with a recipe on the spot. I’m eating my pizza as I type this out, and I have to say, it’s really hard to concentrate while in pleasure-land. Yes, this crust is orgasmic. I’m more of a sweet girl than a salty girl though, so if you don’t like sweeter dough, I can tell you right now that this recipe isn’t for you.

In the spirit of making vegan pizza a new kind of pizza, I skipped the tomato sauce. Instead, I brushed olive oil with minced garlic allover the crust, and made the pizza all about the toppings. I’m not one to eat until I’m completely stuffed, but I just did. I’m finishing up the last few bites of the pizza as I write this. Yep, I ate the whole thing in one sitting.

Not-Your-Traditional Pizza (vegan, tomato free)

Ingredients
For the crust:
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup sweet rice flour
1/3 cup sorghum flour (or an extra 1/3 cup brown rice flour if you don’t like the flavour)
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp organic cane sugar (or whatever you have on hand)
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp vinegar
1/2 cup water (or less)

For the sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced

Toppings to your heart’s desires – I used yellow bell pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, green onions, and spinach

Directions

Combine all the dry crust ingredients in a bowl. Add in the oil and the vinegar, and about half of the water. Mix well and keep adding water, bit by bit, until you can form a dough that doesn’t crumble. I found it easier to mix with my hands.

Line a baking sheet or stoneware with parchment paper. Spread out the dough to form a thin crust. Bake for about 7 minutes, then remove from oven.

While the crust bakes, mince the garlic and add the olive oil for the sauce.

When you take the crust out of the oven, pour the sauce on top and spread it out. Let the crust absorb the oil while you chop your toppings.

Now, pile on the toppings. Go on, don’t be shy. Then, bake until the toppings are done to your liking. Makes 2-4 servings.

Spinach Dahl (vegan)

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A while back – 34 weeks ago, as pinterest tells me- I pinned The Honour System’s recipe to eventually try out. I had a bit of difficulty finding time, ingredients, and convenience to make the spinach dahl. The recipe was always in the back of my head when I bought spinach, but I always seemed to have other projects for the spinach I was buying. I also never wanted to overbuy in case it all ended up being thrown out.

Spinach dahl (lentils)

I ended up making the spinach dahl differently from the way The Honour System made it. I just went with the flow and it worked out really well for me. That’s not to say that the original recipe is any less tasty. I do encourage you to check it out and make whichever version you prefer. I was planning to add the coconut milk, but I did a taste test and decided that it was perfect as is. I’m sure it would be a great addition though!

Spinach Dahl (vegan)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups split red lentils
4 1/2 cups water (reduce this amount by 1/2-1 cup if you cover the pot during cooking)
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 package spinach (142g/5oz)
Oil for frying

Directions
Heat up the oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add the onion and the spices and toss around for a few minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add in the red lentils and the water. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

In the meantime, cut the spinach into strips (make a nice big pile on your cutting board and go at it with a large knife). It doesn’t need to look perfect.

When the lentils have dissolved enough to make a nice puree 20ish minutes later, turn off the heat and mix in the spinach. Serve over brown rice. Makes 4 servings.

Cabbage Fried Quinoa (vegan)

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Sometimes, I like to be able to take little shortcuts in the kitchen. If you’re a really busy person (who isn’t?), any tips and tricks to speed up cooking can be helpful. For instance, if you’re cooking grains, make a large quantity for the week. Then, use the grains in a few different recipes. For instance, if you cook quinoa, you may want to make a quinoa salad, fried quinoa, and a quinoa stew.

Here’s another help hint. When I don’t have time to chop veggies to fry, I pick up a bag of coleslaw or some variation on it. I find that cabbage is one of the veggies that develops the nicest flavours when fried.

To give you an idea of how much I enjoy this meal, let me put it into perspective for you. Out of all the recipes I’ve posted on here since I started my blog, I can count on one hand the recipes I make on a regular basis. I mostly like to experiment with new meals, but I keep a few tasty and easy meals that I can make when time is not my friend.

Cabbage fried quinoa

Cabbage Fried Quinoa (vegan)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup dry quinoa, cooked and refrigerated (makes about 4 cups, give or take)*
Bag of slaw mix
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp chili powder (or more)
Salt and pepper to taste (go generous on the pepper)
Oil for frying

*To cook quinoa, bring 1 1/2 cups dry quinoa to a boil in 3 cups water and cook for about 20 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Refrigerate until completely cooled down.

Directions
Heat up a bit of oil in a large frying skillet over medium heat. Add the quinoa and toss around to get it heated up nicely.Since it’ll have been refrigerated, it won’t stick to itself. When the quinoa is nicely heated up (about 4-5 minutes), add in the slaw mix. Cook until it’s done to your liking, tossing every couple of minutes. Add in the rest of the ingredients and keep tossing a bit until nicely coated.

Pudla (Vegan Chickpea Flour Pancakes With Veggies)

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When I went to see my naturopath last week, she told me that I need to eat more protein with breakfast. Because breakfast is a rare occurrence around here, I wasn’t surprised to hear that. While I do try to make overnight oats for any day that I start work at 8 or earlier, I always seem to think I’ll have time for breakfast with later shifts. But who am I kidding… I did do some research and found this thing called “pudla”.

Forums are loaded with good ideas, though those ideas don’t all work for me. Pudlas, however, seem to work well for me. They’re chickpea flour based vegetable pancakes from Indian origin. I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned how much I love Indian food, but I LOVE IT. Oh what? Half my recipes are Indian food? Oh, I guess I must have mentioned it before!

To be honest, I have no idea if my pudla recipe is anything close to the real thing. I found guidelines for making these pancakes and I added the spices with inspiration from onion bahji. If you don’t have fennel seeds, you can skip them, but it brought these savory pancakes to a whole new level.

Chickpea flour pancakes (pudla)

Pudla (Vegan Chickpea Flour Pancakes With Veggies)

Ingredients
2 cups chickpea flour
1 tsp each: baking soda, salt, turmeric, cumin powder
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 medium sized white mushrooms, sliced
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
Oil for frying (optional)

Directions
Combine the dry ingredients. Mix in the wet ingredients. Add the veggies.

Heat a bit of oil (if using) in a frying pan over medium heat. Pour a quarter of the batter into the pan and spread evenly. When the top looks like it’s not liquid anymore, flip the pudla over and cook for another couple of minutes. Makes 4 pancakes.

Make Ahead Meals in Jars (vegan)

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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!

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Christina Najjar - Natural Nutrition

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