lasagne

Serves 4

This is a favourite of mine and Ella and is a family crowd pleaser. I love this reduced dairy version as we seem to be able to tolerate ghee and cheese in small doses.


Poppy cooks...

1. In a large pot add
   onion, diced,
   3 cloves of garlic, minced,
   1/2 teaspoon dried basil,
   1 teaspoon dried oregano,
   1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary,
   400g tin diced tomato,
   carrot, diced,
   3 celery stalks, diced,
   1/2 zucchini, diced,
   red capsicum, diced,
   500g mince (beef, pork, chicken, lamb or turkey),
   6 button mushrooms, sliced,
   100g tomato paste,
   1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar,
   1 teaspoon honey,
   1.5 teaspoons celtic sea salt,
   pepper to taste with
   2 tablespoons ghee, cooking on medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
   
2. In a small saucepan add
   750g rice milk,
   3 eggs,
   45g ghee,
   1.5 teaspoon dried onion powder,
   1.5 teaspoon garlic powder,
   0.75 teaspoon honey,
   1.5 teaspoon celtic sea salt and
   55g tapioca flour, stirring with a whisk until it thickens.
   
   
3. Preheat oven to 180ºC.
   
   
4. Grease a large lasagne dish with ghee and cover bottom with some of the bolognese sauce.
   
   
5. Place a layer of
   gluten free lasagne sheets on bottom of dish (I soak mine in water for just a few seconds to stop them curling), cover with half the bolognese sauce and a third of the white sauce.
   
   
6. Place a second layer of lasagne sheets, the remaining bolognese sauce and the second third of white sauce on top.
   
   
7. Place a third layer of lasagne sheets and the remaining third of white sauce on top. Sprinkle some
   grated cheese on top and cook in the oven for 30 minutes.
   
   
8. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

chia pudding

Poppy makes...

Serves 2

1. In a large measuring jug combine
   2/3 cup filtered water,
   1/3 cup rice milk,
   2.5 tablespoons white chia seeds,
   1/8 teaspoon vanilla bean powder and
   1 teaspoon maple syrup with a fork.
   
   
2. Leave for 10 minutes, stir again then pour into serving bowls, glasses or containers.
   
   
3. Serve with
   seasonal fruit and/or some
   chocolate buckinis.

Feel free to double or triple this recipe to make more serves if you prefer to make a large batch or simply larger serves. 

oat + goji berry pikelets/pancakes

Makes 24 pikelets, 7 medium pancakes for stacking or 2 large pancakes

This is a great breakfast or snack for adults and kids alike that is easily frozen. It reminds me of hot cross buns - yummmmmmm.

Poppy cooks...

1. In a mixing bowl stir together
   1 cup quick cooking rolled oats*,
   1 cup oat milk,
   1 egg and
   1/4 cup maple syrup.
   
   
2. Stir through
   1/2 cup gluten free plain flour,
   2 teaspoons baking powder,
   1 teaspoon cinnamon.
   
   
3. Stir through
   1/2 cup goji berries (or sultans if you prefer).
   
   
4. In a pan, with a little
   coconut oil, pour batter to whatever size pancakes/pikelets you want. I find 1 tablespoon is a good pikelet size and 3 tablespoons is a good pancake size. Flip them over when the first side is cooked and they are firm enough to flip. Remove once second side is cooked. (Note: these pancakes look much darker than "normal" pancakes but they actually taste better when they are darker in my opinion).

Serving suggestion:

Make 2 large adult sized pancakes with this mixture (or 2 large with about 4 pikelets if you are a 2+1 family like we used to be), topped with coconut yoghurt, seasonal fruit, maple syrup or my favourite, I will heat some frozen berries in a pot slightly to defrost and warm them. Now that we are a family of 5, I double this recipe for breakfast and use leftovers in the kids lunchboxes through the week (if we are lucky enough to have any leftovers).

Some other options I have tried and tested is replacing the cinnamon with vanilla protein powder (great for my growing toddler and during pregnancy), or replacing the cinnamon with açai powder to supercharge these healthy pancakes!

Order:

I'm in the throws of figuring out an online store, but you can now buy this pancake mixture ready to cook for $16, pick up from the Perth city area. Leave a comment or send a private message to my Facebook or instagram accounts to order xx

* When I write quick cooking rolled oats, I'm referring to the whole grain oat that is essentially the same as rolled oats but rolled thinner and cut finer so is a more suitable texture for this recipe.

chocolate + avocado mousse cake

Serves 12

Poppy bakes…

1. Line a cake tin with baking paper.
   
   
2. Mix together
   1 cup gluten free self raising flour,
   3 tablespoons cacao powder and
   1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt.
   
   
3. Beat in
   2 eggs,
   4 tablespoons coconut oil,
   6 tablespoons maple syrup,
   3 tablespoons rice milk and
   teaspoon vanilla extract.
   
   
4. Pour into cake tin and bake at 185ºC for 25 minutes, then allow to cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge to chill.
   
   
5. Blend
   2 avocados,
   4 tablespoons cacao powder,
   1.5 tablespoons coconut cream,
   6 tablespoons coconut oil,
   4 tablespoons maple syrup and
   tablespoon vanilla extract.
   
   
6. Pour mousse on top of cold cake and set in the fridge.

creamy zucchini pasta bake

Serves 4

Poppy cooks…

1. Saute
   zucchini, diced,
   2 carrots, diced,
   handful green beans, chopped,
   1 cup purple cabbage, diced,
   4 garlic cloves, minced,
   pinch of italian herbs (such as marjoram, basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme), celtic sea salt + cracked black pepper in
   olive oil, then set aside.
   
   
   
2. To make sauce heat
   1 tablespoon nuttelex and
   2 tablespoons olive oil in a small saucepan, then add
   4 tablespoons brown rice flour or buckwheat flour and stir with a whisk to form a paste.
   
   
   
3. Slowly add
   2 cups rice milk, followed by
   1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes,
   1 teaspoon garlic powder,
   1 teaspoon celtic sea salt,
   1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg,
   1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar and
   1 teaspoon dijon mustard, stirring on low heat until it thickens.
   
   
   
4. Cook
   500g buckwheat pasta or brown rice penne in accordance with packet instructions.
   
   
   
5. Drain the pasta then combine in a baking dish with zucchini, 
   1/2 cup semi sun-dried tomatoes, quartered, sauce and sprinkle with
   chives, chopped.
   
   
   
6. Bake in a 180ºC oven for 20 minutes or until it starts to crisp on top.

strawberry muffins

Serves 12

Poppy bakes…

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC and prepare 12 muffin cups.
   
   
2. In a large mixing bowl combine
   1/2 cup sunflower seed flour,
   1/2 cup brown rice flour,
   1/2 cup coconut flour,
   1/2 cup millet flour,
   1/2 cup gluten-free plain flour,
   2 tablespoons coconut sugar,
   1 tablespoon tapioca flour,
   2 teaspoons baking powder,
   1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt and
   1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg.
   
   
3. Add in
   2 eggs, beaten,
   1/4 cup olive oil,
   1/2 cup maple syrup,
   1 tablespoon vanilla extract and slowly beat to combine.
   
   
4. While beating, slowly add in
   1 cup rice milk.
   
   
5. Fold through
   1 punnet strawberries, diced then spoon mixture into muffin cups and bake for 25-30 minutes.
   
   
   

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.