sausage + roast pumpkin salad

Serves 4

Poppy cooks…

1. Place
   500g pumpkin, cut into chunks, on a roasting tray with
   olive oil,
   celtic sea salt and
   cracked black pepper and roast in a 180˚C oven until it starts to caramelise
   
   
2. Cook
   1 cup of quinoa in
   2 cups of hot filtered water
   
   
3. Cook
   4 gluten free beef sausages in a fry pan or on the barbecue, then slice diagonally
   
   
4. Combine pumpkin, quinoa, sausages and
   2 cups of baby spinach in a bowl
   
   
5. Garnish with
   basil leaves and a drizzle of
   balsamic vinegar

strawberry cake

Serves 10

Ingredients

250g fresh strawberries

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1/2 cup EVOO

1 egg

1.5 cups gluten-free self raising flour

1/2 cup rice milk

Method

1. Line a medium loaf tin or cake tin with baking paper
2. Halve enough strawberries to cover tin and set aside. Chop remaining strawberries
3. Beat together sugar, oil and egg on high for 5-8 minutes until thick and creamy
4. Fold in flour and milk
5. Fold in chopped strawberries
6. Pour mixture into tin and top with halved strawberries
7. Bake in a 170˚C oven for 70 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean
8. Stand to cool before serving

Notes
For added texture to this light and fluffy cake, try adding quinoa flakes!

beetroot + potato salad

Serves 4

Poppy cooks...

1. Boil
   500g (approximately 3) royal blue potatoes, peeled and chopped in a pot of filtered water with a pinch of
   celtic sea salt until tender, then allow to cool.
   
   
2. To make dressing, whisk together
   2.5 tablespoons mayonnaise,
   3 sprigs tarragon, finely chopped,
   1 garlic clove, crushed,
   2 teaspoons capers (approximately 9), finely chopped,
   1.5 tablespoons white wine vinegar,
   1.5 tablespoons oil and a pinch of
   celtic sea salt + cracked black pepper; and keep in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
   
   
3. Prepare
   150g radish (approximately 3), finely sliced and
   250g beetroot, cooked, peeled and diced.
   
   
4. To serve, add dressing to potatoes and toss, place in serving bowl, top with radishes and beetroot in layers and garnish with some extra
   tarragon.

Notes
As I have mentioned in previous posts, Love Beets produce pre-cooked and pre-peeled beetroots with no preservatives or added nasties - a great time saver! They are available at most IGAs in the fresh vegetable section.

avocado + egg crispibreads

Per serve

Ingredients

Orgran Multigrain Crispibread with Quinoa

egg, boiled and chopped

1/4 avocado, diced

cracked black pepper

Method

The method is, there is no real method! Just pile the ingredients on the Crispibread for a quick snack. Obviously, this is more a concept than a recipe - so feel free to use toasted gluten-free bread, corn crackers, rice crackers or any other type of base. You can smash the avocado instead of dicing it, and add any ingredients you have to hand. I quite like adding dried cranberries for a sweeter version.

blueberry muffin top cookies

Makes approximately 30 cookies

My husband was very accurate in describing these cookies as tasting like muffin tops! They aren't your usual crunchy cookie but soft just like the best part of any blueberry muffin. The brand of coconut yoghurt and gluten free flour you use will impact on the texture of the cookies, but regardless, they are yum.

Poppy bakes...

1. Preheat oven to 190°C and line baking tray with baking paper
   
   
2. Using a spatula, mix together
   1 cup coconut sugar and 
   1.5 cups coconut yoghurt.
   
   
3. Add
   1 egg and
   1 teaspoon vanilla essence and mix together, then set aside.
   
   
4. Stir together
   2 cups gluten free plain flour,
   2 teaspoons baking powder and
   1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt.
   
   
5. Add wet ingredients to dry and fold together.
   
   
6. Gently fold in
   1 punnet / 1 cup blueberries.
   
   
7. Spoon desired sized mounds on to baking paper with adequate space in between and bake for 10-20 minutes or until golden.
   
   
8. Cool cookies on a wire rack before eating.

For an energy boosting snack, team these cookies with a glass of coconut water

Notes
These cookies are beautifully soft with a slightly chewy texture, so be sure to carefully lift them off the baking tray using a flat spatula when placing them on a wire rack to cool.

salmon with a summer salsa

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/4 red onion, finely diced

green chilli, seeds removed and finely diced

red capsicum, finely diced

mango, cubed

avocado, cubed

lemon juice

4 potatoes, cubed

hot filtered water

celtic sea salt

nuttelex

4 salmon fillets

Method

1. Toss red onion, chilli, capsicum, mango, avocado and a squeeze of lemon juice together in a salad bowl and set aside
2. In a pot, add potato with enough water to immerse potato. Cook until tender, drain and mash
3. Add nuttelex and salt to mashed potatoes to taste
4. Cook salmon skin side down first until crispy, then turn over until cooked through
5. Divide mashed potato amongst serving plates, place salmon fillets on top followed by salsa. Garnish with micro herbs

Notes
This is a perfect dish for the warmer months. For a lighter meal, you can omit the mashed potato. Another alternative is to swap the mashed potato for mashed cauliflower.

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.

popcorn cacao squares

Makes approximately 12 squares

Ingredients

8 pitted medjool dates

1/2 cup finely desiccated coconut

3/4 cup raw organic cacao powder

3/4 cup coconut oil

2 teaspoons honey

2 cups organic popcorn with salt

Method

1. Finely chop dates and then blend into a smooth paste
2. Over a low heat combine dates, desiccated coconut, cacao powder, coconut oil and honey
3. Take mixture off the heat and stir through popcorn
4. Spread into a slice tin and set in the freezer for 20 minutes
5. Remove from freezer and cut into desired squares

Notes
This sweet snack not only tastes good, but is packed full of flavonoids which act as natural antioxidants!

potato + cauliflower hash

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 potatoes, diced

1/2 cauliflower, cut into small florets

40g (small handful) gluten-free spaghetti

onion, chopped

2 teaspoons mixed herbs

4 eggs

Method

1. Roast diced potatoes with olive oil, celtic sea salt and cracked black pepper for 40 minutes, or until crispy and golden
2. Blanch cauliflower until it begins to soften
3. Bring a small pot of water to the boil and cook spaghetti until al dente
4. In a large frying pan, cook onion until golden
5. Add cauliflower, spaghetti, roasted potato and mixed herbs.  Combine
6. Make 4 slight indents and crack an egg into each indent
7. Cover and cook until eggs are cooked to your preference (I like the yolk to still be runny)

Notes

This is a great dish on its own, or accompany with sausages or steak. My favourite sausages are Peppercorn's Extra Lean Chicken Sausages which have a fresh lime flavour, are gluten free and contain no artificial flavours or colours! I buy them from Farmer Jacks in  Claremont or Subiaco. Even the container is guilt-free being 100% biodegradable and compostable!

http://www.peppercornfood.com.au/Products/Sausage_Range/Extra_Lean_Chicken_Sausages.php

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

cumin spiced chicken on a beetroot rice salad

Serves 4

Poppy cooks...

1. Cook
   2.5 cups of jasmine rice.
   
   
   
2. Boil
   300g beetroot.
   
   
   
3. Preheat oven to 180C.
   
   
   
4. 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.
   
   
   
5. 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.
   
   
   
6. 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.
   
   
   
7. Serve salad with chicken on top.

vegetable + bean soup

Serves 4

Poppy cooks...

1. In a large soup pot, heat
   1 tablespoon coconut oil.
   
   
2. Add
   1 bunch kale, stems removed and torn,
   onion, diced,
   3 garlic cloves, crushed,
   carrot, diced,
   zucchini, diced,
   red capsicum, diced,
   1/4 cup coriander, chopped,
   1/4 cup parsley, chopped,
   1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds,
   1/2 teaspoon ground cumin and
   1/4 teaspoon ground paprika. Saute uncovered over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables start to soften.
   
   
3. Add
   2.5 cups filtered water and
   2 teaspoons celtic sea salt, cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
   
   
4. Stir in
   2 400g tins of red kidney beans, drained and mashed and
   2 400g tins of black beans, rinsed. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occassionally for 10-15 minutes.
   
   
5. Serve with desired garnish such as cracked black pepper, pepitas, coriander and flax seed oil.

Notes

You can also serve with gluten-free bread or coconut yoghurt. The use of cumin is a great source of iron and was used traditionally to help relieve allergy symptoms, reduce heartburn and improve digestion.

lamb quinoa

Serves 3

Method

1. Cook
   2 onions, halved and thinly sliced with
   olive oil in a large frying pan until soft and golden.
   
   
2. Add
   500g lamb mince and cook until well browned.
   
   
3. Stir in
   4 garlic cloves, minced and
   1 tablespoon ground cumin for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
   
   
4. Stir in
   1 cup quinoa,
   red capsicum, finely diced,
   1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce,
   chilli powder, to taste (optional),
   pinch of celtic sea salt and
   2 cups filtered water.
   
   
5. Cover and simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes, until quinoa is almost cooked (add extra water if necessary).
   
   
6. Stir in
   1 cup frozen peas,
   2 tablespoons currants and
   sprig parsley, chopped.
   
   
7. Serve once peas are cooked and all the liquid is absorbed with a
   lemon wedge.

Notes
The fresh lemon juice really makes this dish pop. If you like chilli, feel free to slice extra red chillies and put on top as a garnish, or you can even try it with coconut yoghurt to counter-balance the hot chilli!

This is a great dish that uses pantry and freezer staples, so is great when you have run out of fresh ingredients and don't have time to go to the markets or shops. AND...it's a one-pot-wonder!!!

passionfruit, coconut + chia cake

Serves 8

Wet ingredients

2 eggs

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup rice milk

1/4 cup honey

1.5 tablespoons nuttelex

1/3 cup passionfruit pulp

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon celtic sea salt

Dry ingredients

1 cups gluten-free self-raising flour

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup fine desiccated coconut

1/4 cup ground chia seeds

Method

1. Prepare 18cm round cake tin by greasing with coconut oil
2. Preheat oven to 180°C
3. In a food processor or hand-blender, mix wet ingredients until well combined and smooth at medium-high speed
4. Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl
5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix gently to combine
6. Spoon mixture into a cake tin and bake for 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean
7. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving

Notes
You can sprinkle extra desiccated coconut or passionfruit pulp for decoration. It also tastes great served with vanilla coconut ice cream. 

The cake pictured above was baked using double the quantities of ingredients to serve 12 larger pieces. I found that the centre of the cake didn't cook as well being a very moist mixture. That is why this cake recipe is also great for making muffins...

Does Poppy want a passionfruit, coconut + chia muffin? Sleepy face with ears pulled back in confusion.

carrot cake

Serves 12

Poppy bakes...

1. Preheat oven to 170°C. Grease a 20cm round cake tin lightly with oil, and line with baking paper.
   
   
2. Roughly stir together
   1 cup gluten free self-raising flour,
   1/2 cup gluten free plain flour,
   1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda and
   1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon into a large mixing bowl.
   
   
3. In a separate medium mixing bowl whisk together
   1/2 cup coconut sugar,
   3/4 cup olive oil,
   1/2 cup raw honey,
   3 eggs and
   1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
   
   
4. Peel and grate
   300g (approximately 3) carrots and set aside.
   
   
5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and combine with a wooden spoon.
   
   
6. Stir in grated carrot.
   
   
7. Pour mixture into the cake tin and bake for 1 hour.
   
   
8. Allow to cool before removing from cake tin

If you want to 'fancy' this cake up, finish with this amazing buttercream frosting...

1. Place
   120g coconut sugar into Thermomix and mill 20 seconds / speed 10.
   
   
2. Insert butterfly whisk; then add
   250g nuttelex,
   1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and
   60g rice milk and mix 3 minutes / speed 3.
   
   
3. Spread over top of cake (you might find you have more than you need) and decorate with a sprinkling of
   activated buckwheat.

coconut water

As the weather is very slowly starting to warm up, I thought it was fitting to talk about coconut water. When I feel like I need an energy pick-me-up in the warmer months, or when I have a beach volleyball training session or match, I drink coconut water. Not only does it taste great, it contains 5 key electrolytes and is very hydrating. Here are some handy facts about 100% pure organic coconut water:

1. Coconut water is a liquid naturally present in the centre of a young coconut
2. It is clear and contains no fat or cholesterol unlike coconut milk and coconut cream which is derived from coconut flesh
3. There are no preservatives, no colouring and no additives
4. It is naturally rich in 5 key electrolytes - potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium and phosphorous
5. Being rich in potassium (more than four bananas), coconut water can help reduce muscle cramping during exercise
6. It is a natural isotonic beverage with the same level of electrolytic balance present in human blood
7. It is more hydrating than water, being a great natural sports drink
8. It has fewer calories, less sodium, and more potassium than a sports drink
9. It boosts your immune system naturally
10. Contains chemicals that counter fatigue
11. Increases metabolism and weight loss
12. Aids in circulation
13. Detoxifies and fights viruses
14. Fights against stress
15. Balances body pH
16. Clears complexion
17. Is a great hangover cure
18. Is best served cold