shop local

Over the last few years, I have noticed a major shift in my values as my understanding of the world has evolved. When it comes to spending money, I have realised that I don't "need" more material items like clothes, shoes and bags, and have ultimately started to invest more in my future. And no, I don't mean a house or other major investments. I mean investing in my health, the health of my family, and the health of my community.

One particular aspect of this ideal, has been a major shift in my food shopping decisions. I stopped shopping at Coles and Woolworths a couple of years ago and made the baby step to shopping at IGA. It sounds easier than it is, as we always tend to stick with whatever is familiar, and for me, going food shopping with my mum every week as a child was a Coles excursion. I then started incorporating getting my fresh produce from the local markets, organic growers and farms.

Due to the nature of these suppliers, it often meant going to more than one destination each week to get the ingredients I needed to cook meals. A couple of friends suggested I try shopping online with Aussie Farmers, but I never really bought into the whole online food shopping ritual.

Now, as our business is growing, and our workload is increasing, I find meal planning super important. Once I week I plan every meal and every snack for the coming week. It means we always have what we need without having to rush to the shops at the last minute, and no food goes to waste. We also eat a lot healthier.

After seeing a promotion for Aussie Farmers, I thought it made sense to give it a go. I knew exactly what I needed from my meal planning exercise, and it meant I wouldn't have to drive anywhere or spend any time searching for the produce and groceries I needed.

I was very impressed with the Aussie Farmers customer service over the phone - the people were friendly, efficient, knowledgeable and helpful (and local). Their website and mobile device app were great too, showing what was available according to my local farmers.

Poppy licking her lips in anticipation with our very first greengrocer delivery

Our local franchisee delivered our first greengrocer delivery and was super friendly. He introduced himself to my husband and explained a little bit about himself, leaving his direct contact details in case we had any queries, and ended the conversation with "we will see you next week". The old school milko is back!!!

The meat and bakery goods subsequently got delivered through the night, and were left in a handy freezer bag, that you leave out for them to re-use each time.

The service has been impeccable…we just can't wait to see Aussie Farmers expanding there available produce as they sign up more local farmers. On a selfish level, it is surprisingly satisfying to know you are supporting local farmers and suppliers, through a business model that gives so much back to the community in general. Check out their website to find out more: http://www.aussiefarmers.com.au

The beautiful contents of our very first greengrocer box

[Edit: I found this video made by a resident in Iowa but the principles apply to everyone everywhere. Support local, sustainable, community-based practices! Click here to watch]

pork + pineapple salad

Serves 4

Poppy cooks...

1. Cook
   2 cups brown basmati rice and leave to cool (best to cook rice earlier in day or night before).
   
   
2. In a large frying pan, saute
   shallot, finely sliced, 
   2 cups red or green cabbage, shredded and
   1/4 pineapple, cut into pieces in
   olive oil until onion is slightly browned.
   
   
3. Add cold rice,
   punnet cherry tomatoes, halved and season with
   gluten free soy sauce and
   cracked black pepper to taste. Toss for 3 minutes and set aside.
   
   
4. Season
   pork fillet with
   celtic sea salt + cracked black pepper and cook in frying pan.
   
   
5. Slice pork and serve on bed of fried rice.

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

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!!!

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.

sultanas + pepitas

I may not have mentioned before what I do for work, but my husband and I run our own building design + interior design practice in Perth. As any owner of a small business will tell you, it is hard work. But we love it!

Eating well to maintain our health, productivity, concentration + creativity is key. And knowing easy-to-cook meals and easy snacks makes our aim to eat well a whole lot easier! I tend to eat lots of smaller meals through the day and one of my favourite snacks is a handful of no-fuss sultanas and pepitas. Being allergic to nuts rules out a lot of other options, so pepitas are my nut alternative. The nutty flavour of the pepitas, and sweetness of the sultanas, go perfectly together.

It is important to find a good brand of sultanas that are juicy as they do vary between brands. I prefer sultanas over raisins as they are plumper, sweeter and juicier. The benefits of sultanas are:

1. They are a great source of energy
2. Contain vitamins B1, B2, magnesium and calcium
3. Reduces inflammation and fever
4. Aids recovery from kidney and liver diseases
5. And new research shows raisins are a good source of inulin which is great for colon health

Pepitas are even more exciting:

1. Pepitas contain amino acids and unsaturated fatty acids
2. Contain minerals such as calcium, potassium, niacin and phosphorous
3. High in most of the B vitamins, and vitamins C, D, E and K
4. Rich in beta carotene that can be converted into vitamin A as needed by the body
5. Rich in the eye protective carotenoid, lutein
6. Snacking on one handful of pepitas provides 9 grams of body building protein, along with manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, iron, copper and zinc

Here is an extract from naturalnews.com on some other health benefits of pepitas:

Pepitas are chocked full of monounsaturated oil that has been shown to interrupt the triggering of prostate cell multiplication by DHT, a product of testosterone conversion. The omega-3 fats found in pepitas are also being studied for their potential prostate benefits. The significant amounts of carotenoids in pepitas are of interest to researchers because men with higher amounts of caroteoids in their diets have a lowered risk for prostate enlargement. The high zinc content of pumpkin seeds adds to their prostate protective virtues. 

Another reason for men to eat zinc-rich pepitas is their effect on bone mineral density. Although osteoporosis is usually thought of as a women's disease, it can affect older men, a group that suffers 30 percent of the hip fractures. 

Pumpkin seeds offer powerful anti-inflammatory properties. The addition of pepitas to the diet was shown to work as well as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in reducing symptoms of inflammation. And they did this without any unwanted side effects or threat to the liver. 

In fact, pepitas have recently been shown to be protective of the liver. In a recent study reported in the December, 2008 journal Food Chemistry and Toxicology, mice fed a mixture of pumpkin seeds and flax seeds showed their lipid parameters decreased significantly compared to controls. Plasma and liver fatty acid composition showed an increase of alpha linolenic acid and linoleic acid, monounsaturated acids, and a decrease of stearic fatty acids. Plasma and liver toxins decreased, and the efficiency of their antioxidant defense systems was improved. 

Phytosterols are compounds found in plants with chemical structures similar to cholesterol. When the diet contains high levels of phytosterols, blood levels of cholesterol are reduced. Phytosterols also enhance the immune system response, and can help reduce the risk of developing certain cancers. They are present in high amounts in seeds and nuts. Pistachio nuts and sunflower seeds are the richest in phytosterols, with pepitas coming in third of all the nuts and seeds usually eaten. 

The oil in pepitas has an excellent ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acids. This ratio is important for cellular function and oxygenation. It is also why pepitas make hair glossy, skin clear, and energy levels high.

In a nutshell, they are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

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?

tofu paella

Serves 6

Poppy cooks…

1. Add1 tablespoon coconut oil and
   onion, diced to a rice cooker and stir occasionally for 5 minutes.
   
   
2. Stir through
   red capsicum, diced for a further 3 minutes.
   
   
3. Add
   2 garlic cloves, minced,
   2 cups arborio rice,
   500ml vegetable stock,
   1.5 cups hot water,
   tin of diced tomato,
   1/4 teaspoon saffron,
   1 teaspoon dried thyme,
   1 teaspoon sweet paprika,
   1 teaspoon celtic sea salt and
   1 teaspoon cracked black pepper, stirring occasionally until rice cooker has finished cooking.
   
   
4. Stir through
   1 cup peas and
   350g silken tofu, chopped and leave in the rice cooker to warm through before serving.

Notes
Some rice cookers need a certain weight before they will turn on - simply apply a bit of pressure to the bowl if your rice cooker won't turn on with just the onion in it to begin with. My easy rice cooker version can also be replicated in a large pan. If preferred, firm tofu can be used by cutting into cubes and frying off prior to the method described above.

kale + tomato spaghetti

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 packet gluten-free spaghetti

2 tablespoons olive oil

red onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 bunch kale, chopped

1 packet cherry tomatoes, halved

pepitas

Method

1. Bring 2 litres of water to the boil in a large pot. Add gluten free spaghetti and gently stir to prevent spaghetti sticking together
2. Remove from the heat once spaghetti is al dente and drain water
3. In a non-stick frying pan, heat oil
4. Add onion and garlic and stir until brown
5. Add kale and toss until wilted
6. Add tomatoes and toss until softened
7. Add kale mixture to spaghetti, combine and serve with pepitas on top

Notes
Feel free to grate some parmesan cheese on top to serve as pictured above if you are not following a dairy free diet

oven roasted chickpeas

Serves 1-6

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coconut oil

400g can of organic chickpeas

1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt

OPTIONS:

pepper

1/4 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon coconut sugar

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C
2. Place coconut oil in a medium or large sized baking dish. If necessary, place in oven until coconut oil is melted
3. Rinse and drain chickpeas and soak up extra moisture with a kitchen towel
4. Place chickpeas in baking dish with coconut oil
5. Toss through chosen seasoning and spices
6. Back in the oven for 30 minutes or until they start popping and are crunchy

Notes
This is a great guilt-free protein packed snack! It is a good idea to bake them in a deep dish rather than on a baking tray, as when they pop they can make a mess of your oven

moroccan lamb soup

Serves 4

An excellent winter warmer that is hearty and filling. Feel free to accompany with gluten-free bread or make your own toasted gluten-free herb bread.

Poppy cooks…

1. Boil
   1/2 cup quinoa in
   1 cup of hot filtered water until all the water is absorbed and then set aside.
   
   
2. In a large pot over medium heat, place
   2 tablespoons coconut oil,
   2 cloves garlic, minced,
   1/2 teaspoon ground coriander,
   1.5 teaspoons ground cumin and
   3/4 teaspoon turmeric. Stir for 1-2 minutes.
   
   
3. Add 2 lamb shanks and toss to coat with spices until lightly browned on all sides.
   
   
4. Add
   2 purple carrots, sliced,
   2 orange carrots, sliced, 
   1/2 red capsicum, diced,
   1 cup pumpkin, diced,
   400g tin diced tomatoes,
   500ml gluten-free vegetable stock,
   celtic sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste and bring to the boil.
   
   
5. Add
   1 cup hot filtered water, reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 2.5 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Add more water if required.
   
   
6. Remove shanks, shred meat and add back to the pot.
   
   
7. Add quinoa into the pot and stir through.

chocolate + strawberry cake

Serves 2

Ingredients

4 tablespoons gluten free self raising flour

4 tablespoons coconut sugar

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

3 tablespoons rice milk

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 egg

punnet strawberries

coconut ice cream

Method

1. Combine all ingredients (except strawberries and ice cream) and whisk well with a fork
2. Cut strawberries into bite-size pieces and add
3. Pour into a mini cake tin, small oven-proof bowl or 2 ramekins (or you can mix it in the bowl you plan to cook it in)
4. Bake in a fan forced oven at 180 degrees for 30 minutes
5. Serve with your choice of coconut ice cream and strawberries

Notes
You can double, triple or quadruple this recipe to make a larger cake. I like being able to make a single serve cake for my husband and I for a one-off bit of indulgence. You can also cook this cake in the microwave by cooking on high for 1.5 - 3 minutes. Pictured below is an organic coconut ice cream I have come across called Coco Luscious...

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!