Serves 2
Poppy cooks...
- Preheat oven to 190ºC.
- Place
5 carrots, sliced into discs,
1.5 tablespoons raw honey,
1 tablespoon olive oil and
pinch of celtic sea salt on a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes or until slightly caramelised.
- In a freezer bag marinade chicken by combining
500g chicken tenderloins,
2 teaspoons ground sweet paprika,
2 teaspoons ground coriander,
2 teaspoons olive oil and
pinch of celtic sea salt + cracked black pepper.
- While carrots are still baking, make salsa verde by blending
handful parsley,
1/4 lemon, juiced,
1.5 tablespoons olive oil,
1.5 tablespoons filtered water,
pinch of celtic sea salt + cracked black pepper in a small blender to ensure a smooth consistency.
- Once the carrots are cooked, combine with
two large handfuls of spinach,
2 sprigs of parsley, minced,
1/4 lemon, juiced.
- Pan fry chicken until cooked, adding a little olive oil if necessary.
- Serve carrot salad, place sliced or shredded chicken on top, then sprinkle
2 teaspoons currants and
2 teaspoons pepitas over each serve and drizzle with salsa verde.
Serves 5
Poppy cooks…
- Boil
1 cup quinoa in
2 cups filtered water until all the water is absorbed, then set aside.
- Blanche
1 cup frozen edamame beans until done, then set aside.
- Finely slice or chop in a thermomix
1 cup carrot and
1 cup purple cabbage, then set aside.
- Prepare the dressing by whisking together
1 tablespoon tahini,
1 tablespoon filtered water,
2 teaspoons tamari sauce,
1/2 teaspoon olive oil,
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar,
1/2 teaspoon honey,
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated ginger, then set aside.
- Grill
500g chicken tenderloins seasoned with
celtic sea salt and
cracked black pepper being careful not to overcook.
- Shred chicken.
- In a saucepan combine
1/4 cup coconut amino sauce,
1/4 cup manuka honey,
1.5 tablespoons orange juice,
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar,
1 teaspoon arrowroot flour,
2 teaspoons grated ginger,
garlic clove, minced,
2 teaspoons olive oil and
small pinch of chilli flakes over medium heat until it begins to boil, about 2-3 minutes.
- Return shredded chicken to the pan with sauce and toss to coat chicken.
- Assemble bowls by either combing or layering quinoa, carrot, purple cabbage, shelled edamame,
avocado, diced, teriyaki chicken and tahini dressing.
- Garnish with
black and white sesame seeds and
shredded seaweed.
Serves 4
Poppy cooks…
- Between 12 to 24 hours before you plan to cook this meal, put
500-600g organic diced beef in a large pot or french oven and season with
celtic sea salt + cracked black pepper.
- Add
750ml red wine (1 bottle),
3 sprigs fresh thyme,
2 bay leaves,
5 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks,
half an orange cut into wedges,
onion, cut into rings, and
2 garlic cloves, sliced. Place in the fridge to marinate.
- When you are ready to start cooking, heat some
olive oil in a frying pan, remove the beef from the marinade and brown on all sides, then set aside.
- Place pot with marinade on the cooktop and bring to the boil, then lower to a simmer.
- Add chuck steak back into the pot with
170g tomato paste and
2.5 cups of hot filtered water and leave to cook on low with the lid on for 2 hours or until meat is tender, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid for approximately another 30 minutes for the liquid to reduce to form a thick sauce.
- In a separate pot, boil
1.5 kg royal blue potatoes, peeled and diced until they crumble with no resistance when pierced with a fork. Drain water and mash with
tablespoon nuttelex and
1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt.
- Serve mashed potato topped with stew mixture, making sure to discard the bay leaves and orange peels.
Serves 4
Whenever cooking with beetroot, I like to buy "Love Beets" beetroot which is already cooked and peeled into 250g portions. There are no preservatives, just 100% real beetroot, but it saves a lot of time and mess!
This recipe is great for lunch, or you can use smaller squares of toasted bread to make an interesting canapé when entertaining. You can even ditch the bread all together for a straight up salad.
Speaking of gluten free bread, my favourite so far is Lifestyle Bakery's Soft 'n Light Chia + Quinoa Bread - it is packed full of goodness and super tasty. As the name alludes to, it is light and fluffy unlike many other gluten free breads which are either really dense and strangely sweet in an attempt to disguise the bland taste with sweeteners.
Poppy cooks…
- In a medium bowl, combine
250g beetroot, cooked, peeled and diced,
5 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped,
zest of 1/2 an orange,
1 teaspoon ground cumin,
3 tablespoons Norganic mayonnaise,
1 tablespoons coriander, chopped and
1/4 teaspoon celtic sea salt.
- Serve on toasted
gluten free bread.
Serves 4
This is my first recipe using certified pure therapeutic grade essential oils in cooking. My naturopath introduced me to dōTERRA and I have been blown away by the power of these essential oils in all areas of holistic health. I will have to write more about them another time, but this recipe uses dōTERRA's lavender oil which you can substitute with fresh or dried lavender.
Poppy cooks…
- In a large stock pot or dutch oven, heat up some
olive oil and brown
700g lamb, diced with
celtic sea salt + cracked black pepper.
- Add
onion, diced,
3 carrots, chopped,
3 celery sticks, chopped and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add
3 garlic cloves, minced,
orange zest and juice,
2 sprigs rosemary,
1 drop of dōTERRA lavender oil,
2 cups pinot noir,
2 cups chicken stock and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, covered for 2 hours (or up to 5 hours if you have the time to make the lamb meat really tender), stirring occasionally. If the dish starts looking dry, add more stock; or if there is too much liquid, remove the lid.
- Before serving add
1 tin cannellini beans and stir through.
Serves 10
Despite containing no gluten, dairy, refined sugar or nuts, this Christmas cake tastes even better than traditional Christmas cakes. I made a single cake, but you can use the same recipe to make individual single serves using pudding moulds. Depending on your dietary requirements, you can serve with cream, coconut cream, or for added indulgence, white chocolate sauce with cognac & vanilla bean by "a bit on the side" (a local Denmark brand who make THE BEST sauces and preserves which are all gluten free).
Poppy bakes…
- Around 12 hours before you plan to bake the cake, soak
400g currants,
175g raisins,
175g sultanas,
50g dried cherries in
4 tablespoons of cognac (you can also use brandy or cherry liquor).
- Preheat the oven to 135˚C.
- Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, cream together
220g unsalted butter at room temperature and
220g coconut sugar until light, pale and fluffy (approximately 5 minutes).
- Slowly add
4 lightly beaten eggs whilst using the whisk attachment.
- Gently fold in
200g plain gluten-free flour,
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg and
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice.
- Gently fold in soaked fruits,
zest of 1 orange,
zest of 1 lemon and
1 tablespoon of molasses.
- Pour mixture into cake tin and cover with a circle of baking paper with a small hole cut out of the centre.
- Bake towards the bottoms of the oven for 1.5 hours and then cool on a wire rack.
- Using a skewer, make small holes in the cake; and once a week (or twice before serving), feed the cake with a drizzle of cognac. Use a basting brush to spread the cognac over the surface for an even colour.
Serves 4
- Cook
2.5 cups of jasmine rice.
- Boil
300g beetroot.
- Preheat oven to 180C.
- Mix together
4 tablespoons olive oil,
2 tablespoon ground cumin,
4 garlic cloves, minced,
1/2 teaspoon of celtic sea salt + cracked black pepper and
1kg chicken thigh, diced in a large baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. This can be done up to 24 hours ahead of time to marinade.
- Once the rice is cooked, stir through
2 spring onions, diagonally sliced,
handful coriander, roughly chopped,
2 mint leaves, roughly chopped and the beetroot, peeled and diced.
- Make dressing by mixing together
orange, juice + zest,
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar,
2.5 tablespoons olive oil,
celtic sea salt + cracked black pepper, to taste. Stir through rice salad.
- Serve salad with chicken on top.
