roast sweet potato topped with quinoa, kale + cranberries

Serves 6

Poppy cooks…

1. Cut 
   3 sweet potatoes in half lengthways, lay on a baking tray, drizzle with 
   olive oil, season with 
   celtic sea salt + cracked black pepper and roast in a 180˚ oven for 1 hour
   
   
2. In a medium pot, cook 
   1 cup quinoa (you can use white quinoa, red quinoa, or a mixture of both) in 
   2 cups vegetable stock and set aside
   
   
3. Saute 
   diced onion in 
   olive oil
   
   
4. Add 
   4 cups chopped kale (about half a bunch) and 
   1/4 cup dried cranberries and sauté until kale is soft
   
   
5. Stir through cooked quinoa and scoop mixture onto cooked sweet potato halves

cranberry chicken wraps

Serves 4


A perfect packed lunch solution for kids, road trips or picnics. We have used free range chicken tenderloins as they are always as their names alludes to - super tender - but you can use chicken thighs, breasts or even turkey.

Poppy cooks...

1. Grill
   500g free range chicken tenderloins with
   celtic sea salt + pepper in
   coconut oil until cooked through, then shred into a mixing bowl.
   
   
2. Add
   6 tablespoons (1/2 cup) Norganic mayonnaise,
   half a bunch of chives, finely chopped,
   avocado, chopped; and mix together.
   
   
3. Spread
   mayonnaise onto 
   4 (1 packet) Old Time Bakery certified organic gluten free wraps, lay some
   shredded green cabbage or lettuce down the centre of each wrap, spoon chicken mixture and then sprinkle some
   dried cranberries.

broccoli + zucchini bake

Serves 4

Ingredients

red onion, diced

broccoli, cut into small florets

2 zucchini, sliced

celtic sea salt + cracked black pepper

crushed chilli flakes

hot filtered water

1/2 cup rice milk

4 free-range organic eggs

ground nutmeg

handful basil, chopped

Method

1. Saute onions in a frying pan with olive oil until softened
2. Add broccoli and zucchini, season lightly and add a pinch of crushed chilli flakes to taste. Add a dash of hot filtered water to the pan to soften the vegetables, and add more as necessary
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, pinch of celtic sea salt and a pinch of ground nutmeg until fluffy
4. Stir basil through egg mixture
5. When vegetables are softened and slightly browned, place in a baking dish and pour egg mixture over the top
6. Bake in a 180°C oven for about 30 minutes

Notes
If you are not following a dairy or lactose free diet, then sprinkle with cheese before placing in the oven.

yoghurt chicken with a broccolini, beetroot + seed salad

Serves 4

Ingredients: chicken

1/4 cup coriander, finely chopped

1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

garlic clove, crushed

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind

1 cup coconut yoghurt

500g free-range chicken tenderloins

Ingredients: salad

250g broccolini, diagonally cut into 5cm lengths

250g cooked beetroot, chopped

1 tablespoon sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon pepitas

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

gluten-free soy sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

juice of 1/2 lemon

celtic sea salt + cracked black pepper

small handful chives, chopped

Method

1. Combine chicken ingredients (except the chicken) in a bowl. Add chicken and thoroughly coat in mixture and allow to marinade for as long as you like
2. Blanch broccolini
3. Combine seeds in a bowl and mix together with a dash of soy sauce
4. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and seasoning
5. Serve broccolini and beetroot with seeds sprinkled and lemon dressing drizzled on top
6. Grill chicken on both sides until cooked

Notes
You can bulk up this meal with a small bowl of jasmine rice. Any leftovers can be turned into wraps for lunch the next day too!

pumpkin soup

At Poppy Loves Pear, we are not only about tasty and healthy food, but also easy food. We live in an age where everyone is time poor, so we need to work smart as much as working hard.

I love pumpkin soup, and stumbled across this La Zuppa Roasted Pumpkin soup which has no nasties in it and tastes beautiful. I could make pumpkin soup myself, but this product saves me the time and mess. Simply pour into a saucepan and bring to the boil on the stovetop and it is done!

As the label says, it has no artificial additives, is gluten free and dairy free. The ingredients list is simply: water, 38% pumpkin, potato, onion and salt. It is fast food, but it is healthy and tasty fast food. It is a great pantry staple to draw upon for those stressful days when cooking is the last thing you have the head-space to do.

I find this to be a great lunch time meal when I have no time to cook. It serves 2, and I usually accompany it with 2 slices of toasted gluten-free bread (I will give you my top tips for gluten-free bread in another blog post) and with cracked black pepper and pepitas sprinkled on top.

I buy La Zuppa from Farmer Jacks in Claremont or Subiaco. Here is the La Zuppa website for more information: http://lazuppa.com.au

quick spaghetti

Similar to my previous post on gluten-free pizza, gluten-free pasta is a great pantry staple that you can whip up very easily and quickly for lunch, or for dinner when you don't feel like cooking anything too labour intensive.

Pictured is some gluten free spaghetti with asparagus, semi-dried tomatoes and seaweed sprinkled on top.

After boiling your pasta, you can add anything that is in your fridge and pantry: tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, any vegetables in your fridge or freezer, tinned tuna or salmon, fresh or dried herbs etc.

gluten-free pizza

Serves 1

Ingredients

gluten-free pizza base

organic + sugar free tomato paste

Topping suggestions

sliced onion, caramelised

garlic

avocado

roast pumpkin

roast capsicum

grilled eggplant

zucchini

olives

herbs (fresh or dried)

coconut yoghurt

Method

1. Spread tomato paste over pizza base
2. Add desired toppings
3. Bake in oven and drizzle with coconut yoghurt before serving

Notes
There are a variety of gluten free pizza bases available on the market - I quite like Bodhi Bakeries Wheat Free Pizza Bases available online which I find serve 1 person per pizza base.

This is a great option for a quick lunch, of for those nights you don't feel like cooking. It is also a great way of using up any left-over vegetables in your fridge. Be creative with your flavour combinations!

Are there any other brands of pizza bases you have tried that you would recommend?

kaffir lime chicken with cucumber + mango salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 cups jasmine rice

16 kaffir lime leaves, centre vein removed, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

60ml (1/3 cup) lime juice (or juice from 1 fresh lime)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 lebanese cucumbers, halved lengthways, thinly sliced diagonally

mango, sliced

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup coriander

160ml (2/3 cup) coconut cream

500g chicken tenderloins, chopped (or pork)

Preparing the salad

Method

1. Cook rice
2. Combine 16 lime leaves, garlic, lime juice & oil in mixing bowl. Add chicken, coat, cover & place in fridge to marinade for 4-6 hours
3. Place cucumber, mango, onion & coriander in large bowl to make salad & toss
4. Drain chicken and cook in a non-stick frying pan
5. Serve rice, top with salad & chicken, and spoon over coconut cream to serve

The finished product!

Notes
Kaffir lime leaves can be quite hard to cut, so feel free to use kitchen scissors instead!