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.

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.

tropical crumble

Serves 8

Ingredients: fruit mixture

1 mango, cubed

1 pineapple, cubed

3 tablespoons coconut sugar

1 vanilla pod, de-seeded

Ingredients: crumble 

1 cup gluten-free flour

1/4 cup coconut sugar

5 tablespoons nuttelex

1/2 cup fine desiccated coconut - toasted

Method

1. Combine mango, pineapple, coconut sugar and vanilla pod in a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes
2. Combine flour and nuttelex using a fork
3. Add coconut sugar and coconut and combine
4. Freeze crumble mixture for 10 minutes
5. Top fruit with crumble mixture and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown

Notes

If you want to make individual serves, simply spoon the fruit into ramekins before topping with crumble mixture and baking in the oven. You can also halve the amount of desiccated coconut and substitute with quinoa flakes.

noodle stir fry

Serves 4

Poppy cooks...

1. Blend
   juice of 1 lime,
   1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper,
   3/4 teaspoon ground ginger,
   4 tablespoons tamari sauce,
   2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar,
   3 tablespoons manuka honey and
   5 medjool dates, pitted in a food processor until dates are fully broken down and set aside.
   
   
2. In a wok or non-stick frying pan scramble
   4 eggs, whisked with a drop of olive oil and set aside.
   
   
3. In the same wok/pan, heat
   olive oil over medium heat before adding
   500g chicken tenderloins, diced with
   celtic sea salt + cracked black pepper for 3 minutes.
   
   
4. Add
   onion, thinly sliced and
   5 garlic cloves, minced until chicken is fully cooked and onion is browned. Drain any excess liquid.
   
   
5. Stir through
   1 packet of konjac or rice noodles, prepared according to instructions on packet,
   3 baby zucchini, julienned,
   2 carrots, julienned and
   2 spring onions, diagonally sliced tossing until ingredients start to stick to the pan.
   
   
6. Pour sauce over ingredients and stir to combine. Cook until sauce is absorbed/reduced.
   
   
7. Before serving, stir through egg and
   1/2 cup coriander, chopped.
   
   
8. Serve with
   lime wedge and garnish with
   coriander.

Notes
If you like spicy food, just increase the amount of cayenne pepper in the sauce. And if you aren't allergic to nuts like I am, then top this dish with some toasted cashews.

beef sausage cassoulet

Serves 4

Ingredients

packet of Peppercorn Food Company Extra Lean Beef Sausages

onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 potatoes, diced

410g tin of crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon organic tomato paste

500ml organic chicken stock

400g tin of cannellini beans

1/2 bunch thyme sprigs

2 bay leaves

Fresh thyme

Method

1. Cook sausages and set aside
2. In a large pot, saute onion and garlic
3. Add potatoes, tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, cannellini beans, thyme and bay leaves. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes
4. Remove lid, add sausages and simmer for a further 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the sauce is reduced

Notes
Depending on the type of sausages you use, season with celtic sea salt and pepper to taste before serving.

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.