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.

braised lamb shanks

Serves 4

Poppy cooks...

1. Heat
   1 tablespoon coconut oil in a large pan (with lid) and brown
   4 lamb shanks, then set aside.
   
   
2. Saute
   leek, cut lengthways in half and sliced,
   2 celery sticks, diced,
   3 carrots, diced and
   6 garlic cloves, sliced until soft.
   
   
3. Add lamb shanks back in with
   2 cups red wine,
   4 cups beef broth,
   10 sprigs thyme,
   4 sprigs of rosemary,
   teaspoon celtic sea salt and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for at least 2.5 hours with the lid on, or until meat falls off the bone.
   
   
4. In the meantime, boil
   2kg sweet potato, peeled and chopped, then drain and mash.
   
   
5. This stage is optional, but I like to remove the lamb shanks, shred the meat and return the meat to the sauce to mix through. If necessary, you can let the sauce reduce with the lid off while shredding the meat and add
   2 teaspoons cornflour to thicken the sauce too.

lentil ragu with cauliflower mash

Serves 4

Poppy cooks...

1. The day before you make this dish, soak
   1/2 cup puy lentils in
   filtered water.
   
   
2. Add to a pan
   onion, finely diced,
   carrot, finely diced,
   celery stick, finely diced,
   2 garlic cloves, minced,
   2 sprigs thyme,
   sprig rosemary,
   bay leaf with
   olive oil on medium heat.
   
   
3. Once the onion is translucent, add drained lentils and
   3 tablespoons tomato paste, cooking for 10 minutes.
   
   
4. Add
   tin crushed tomato,
   1.5 cups filtered water,
   1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt,
   cracked black pepper, to taste,
   1/4 teaspoon nutmeg,
   pinch of cinnamon, turning heat down and simmering (if ragu looks dry, add more filtered water at any point).
   
   
5. In a large pot, saute
   2 garlic cloves, sliced in
   3 tablespoons olive oil and
   sprig thyme.
   
   
6. Add
   cauliflower, cut into small florets coating in oil for 5 minutes then add
   1/2 cup filtered water and put a lid on pot until cauliflower is soft (add more filtered water if needed at any point).
   
   
7. Add
   1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar to ragu and stir.
   
   
8. Put cauliflower in thermomix with
   1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt and blend on speed 5, scraping bowl down and mixing as necessary to get an even consistency.
   
   
9. Serve
   handful rocket onto each plate, cauliflower mash next to that, then spoon ragu on top, and finish with
   flax seed oil, drizzled and
   cracked black pepper.

roast potatoes

Poppy bakes...

1. Preheat oven to 190ºC.
   
   
2. Add
   1.5kg Royal Blue potatoes, peeled, chopped, rinsed to a large saucepan.
   
   
3. Cover with
   filtered water and
   pinch of celtic sea salt; and parboil for 8 minutes.
   
   
4. Drain into a colander to steam dry for 3 minutes.
   
   
5. Shake colander to fluff up potatoes and place on a baking tray.
   
   
6. Drizzle
   coconut oil over and season with 
   celtic sea salt and cracked black pepper, toss to coat and roast for 30 minutes. (You can pause before roasting and pop in fridge until ready to cook).
   
   
7. Using a potato masher, squash each potato.
   
   
8. In a small bowl stir together
   3 tablespoons coconut oil,
   bulb of garlic, smashed,
   splash of red wine vinegar and
   bunch of rosemary and pour over potatoes, putting back in the oven for another 40 minutes.

baked eggs in tomato kale

Serves 4

Poppy cooks…

1. In a large deep frying pan, heat a swig of
   olive oil over medium heat, then add
   onion, diced,
   2 carrots, finely diced,
   celery stick, finely diced and
   3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped, stirring frequently until browned.
   
   
2. Stir through
   1 clove of garlic, minced,
   sprig of rosemary and
   2 sprigs thyme for one minute.
   
   
3. Add
   bunch kale, finely chopped and cook until the kale has softened.
   
   
4. Add
   1 tablespoon tomato paste,
   tin of diced tomatoes and
   celtic sea salt + cracked black pepper, to taste, simmering for 8 minutes.
   
   
5. Make four wells and crack
   4 eggs into each of the wells, either covering the pan or placing the pan in the oven until the egg whites are cooked.

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.