slow cooked beef cheeks

Serves 4

This recipe is best prepared the day before you intend to serve it!

Poppy cooks…

1.  24 hours before cooking, in a large pot combine
   4 beef cheeks,
   knob ginger, grated,
   4 spring onions, finely chopped,
   5 cloves garlic, minced,
   red chilli, finely chopped,
   1 teaspoon chinese five spice,
   2 teaspoons coconut sugar,
   1/3 cup rice wine,
   1/4 cup tamari sauce,
   1/2 cup filtered water, place the lid on the pot and leave to marinade in the fridge.
   
   
2. The next day, pour over
   1 cup beef stock and place on low heat for 4 hours or until the beef cheeks are tender and all the fat is rendered.
   
   
3. While the beef cheeks are cooking, in a rice cooker cook
   2 cups jasmine rice with
   bunch of pak choy, chopped or any other asian greens in the steamer insert.

lamb stew

Serves 5

Poppy cooks…

1. Heat a drizzle of
   olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven.
   
   
2. Season
   700g lamb shoulder, diced with
   celtic sea salt and brown in batches, then set aside.
   
   
3. Add to the pot
   onion, diced,
   3 carrots, chopped and
   2 cloves garlic, minced and cook until the vegetables soften.
   
   
4. Add
   tin diced tomatoes,
   500ml beef stock,
   2 sprigs thyme,
   1 sprig rosemary and the lamb, bringing to a boil then reducing to a simmer before placing the lid on for 2 hours.
   
   
5. Stir through
   1.5 cups butternut pumpkin, cubed and cook for another 20 minutes or under the pumpkin is cooked.

lamb, rosemary + orange cassoulet

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…

1. 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.
   
   
2. Add
   onion, diced,
   3 carrots, chopped,
   3 celery sticks, chopped and cook for 5 minutes.
   
   
3. 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.
   
   
4. Before serving add
   1 tin cannellini beans and stir through.

beef stir fry

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 cups jasmine rice

onion, cut into wedges

500g stir fry beef

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons manuka honey

2 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce

2 tablespoons tamari sauce

red capsicum, sliced

tray of baby corn, chopped

Method

1. Marinade beef in garlic, honey, soy sauce and tamari sauce for a minimum of 10 minutes
2. Cook rice
3. Saute onion in a wok or large frying pan on medium to high heat
4. Add beef, capsicum and corn and toss until cooked
5. Serve with rice

Notes
To save time, you can marinade the beef up to 24 hours before cooking.

french beef stew

Serves 9

Poppy cooks...

1. In a slow cooker place 
   500g organic diced beef,
   2 onions, cut into chunks,
   5 celery stalks, cut into chunks,
   600g carrots, cut into chunks,
   600g potatoes, cut into chunks,
   100ml tomato paste,
   750ml filtered water,
   150ml dry cooking sherry (or 40ml red wine vinegar and 110ml extra water),
   4 teaspoons coconut sugar,
   3 teaspoons celtic sea salt,
   cracked black pepper, to taste,
   3 teaspoons dried basil and set on medium for 5 hours.
   
   
   
2. 250g green beans, chopped and
   3 tablespoons of tapioca pearls, to slow cooker and set on medium for another 2 hours.
   
   
   
3. Cook
   6 cups rice using whichever method you prefer.
   
   
   
4. Serve stew on top of rice.

chicken risotto

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g chicken tenderloins, chopped into bite-size pieces

olive oil

celtic sea salt + cracked black pepper

onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 cups arborio rice

500ml chicken stock

1 cup hot water

tin of diced tomato

1 cup sliced green beans

2 tablespoons basil leaves, sliced

Method

1. Cook chicken in rice cooker with oil and seasoning. Remove and place in a separate bowl
2. Cook onion and garlic in rice cooker. Add additional oil if necessary
3. Add rice and toss to coat with oil
4. Add stock, water and tomato. Stir and cover with lid
5. When most of the liquid is absorbed (but before the rice cooker turns itself off) add beans and stir through
6. When the rice cooker turns itself off stir through chicken and basil leaves

Notes
If you don't have a rice cooker, the same method can be used on a cooktop or in the oven. If you don't have fresh green beans, frozen green beans work just as well, or even peas. Feel free to grate fresh parmesan cheese if you aren't avoiding dairy.

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!!!

jerk chicken with pineapple

Serves 6

You can adjust the heat of this one pot wonder by either de-seeding all the chillies or leaving them whole. You can also use any cut of chicken you prefer, or even roast a whole chicken!

Poppy cooks...

1. To make the marinade, place
   2 red chillies, 1 deseeded,
   3 garlic cloves,
   handful coriander,
   handful parsley,
   2 sprigs thyme,
   1 lime, zest and juice,
   3 tablespoons coconut sugar,
   1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon,
   1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg,
   1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt,
   1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper and
   1.5 tablespoons olive oil in a food processor and pulse until combined.
   
   
2. Poor the marinade into a plastic freezer bag, then add
   1kg chicken thigh fillets and massage the marinade into the chicken. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.
   
   
3. Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a roasting pan with foil.
   
   
4. Scatter chicken in roasting pan and roast for 40 minutes until golden.
   
   
5. While the chicken is cooking, cook
   3 cups jasmine rice in
   6 cups filtered water.
   
   
6. Blanch
   2 cups green beans, sliced diagonally in hot filtered water.
   
   
7. 10 minutes before the chicken is finished, add
   2 cups pineapple, cut into pieces to the roasting pan.
   
   
8. Serve rice topped with chicken. Add green beans to roasting pan and toss with roasting juices before serving pineapple and green beans.