On one of Yumi's hikes, the hikers went bananas for Gemma's Cheesy Vegan Kale Chips, based on this recipe.

The question was: Would the yumminess translate to home?

Good news is:

YES!

So with a fair bit of pride, Yumi wants to share her version of the recipe, which leans into her love of spice (and allergy to garlic and onion):

YUMI'S BEST-EVER CRUNCHY VEGAN "CHEESY" KALE CHIPS

Prepare 1 big bunch of good kale, washed, dried and torn off the inedible spine in big pieces

In a food processor or blender, mix:

400g cashews, soaked for a couple of hours or overnight

100g nutritional yeast

2tsp flaked salt

100ml macadamia oil

1 tsp ground white pepper

1 tsp chilli flakes

1/2 tsp ground ginger

60 ml water

zest and juice of one good, juicy lemon

Massage or wipe the cheese mixture onto every kale leaf. This is a long and somewhat tedious process so before you get your hands dirty, have a podcast ready. (Can I recommend 'Ladies, We Need to Talk'?)

Spread each leaf out onto your drying racks or oven tray. They dry better if not clumped together and not folded or scrunched.

In a dehydrator: on the highest setting for about 10 hours.

In the oven: at 120C for around 2 hours, but check. Some spots on the trays will be hotter than others.

Store the crispy chips in an airtight container.

Any leftover cheesy mix can be stored for 4 days, or frozen until needed.

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Yumi has a dilemma.

A beloved friend has given her a sourdough starter!

Now what?

Do you really want to take care of another living being?

Your hosts also lament the demise of printed food magazines that they have loved and appreciated over the years!

DATE SWIRL

240g sour cream

1-2 tbs date syrup

Gently swirl the two together (but don't fully mix) and serve on pancakes, on sticky date pudding, etc.

THE FULL RECIPE HERE

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Feedback can be ...alarming? Unwelcome? But in Simon's case, it was feedback from a parent at his kids' school that reminded him of just how good a crispy chickpea can be!

So what else to do with the idea?

A coeliac-friendly, vegan delight, this is CLASSIC Food Fix: Simple, quick to prepare and within reach for the average home cook, but with STUNNING results.

METHOD

Drain and rinse 1 tin of chick peas, dry them well, then crush them with a rolling pin or another tin.

In a large frying pan, heat 4tbs of olive oil.

When hot, add the chick peas and spread them out.

Give them time to crisp up, stirring occasionally.

When you're pretty sure they're ready and crispy, add two finely sliced garlic cloves and fry for another 30 seconds.

Take off the heat and add the zest of 1 lemon, a handful of finely chopped parsley, and season well with salt and pepper!

Serve on top of pasta, salads, a tomato carpaccio, a tuna rice bowl or on top of a bowl of roasted vegetables.

Store in an airtight container!

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ENGLISH CULTURE?

Simon loves sharing where he's from and frankly, these delightful insights always go down well, especially with a strong mug of English Breakfast tea. Today he waxes lyrical about something I've heard of but never really experienced: the Flapjack

SIMON'S SUPER SIMPLE FLAPJACKS

200g butter

200g brown sugar

200g golden syrup

Melt together in a saucepan until smooth

Stir in 400g of rolled oats

Press into a 20 x 30cm square tin

Add whatever yummy nutty thing or fruity thing you want. Or leave plain!

Bake 180C for 20mins.

Allow to cool in the tin then slice into bars or squares. It should last a couple of weeks! Take it on hikes, to work, football, etc.

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Yumi kicks off the episode with a confession that SOUNDS bad but if you're an over-worked, under-slept working parent, you probably get it.

And HOW GOOD IS FRESH CHEESE?

Get some inspo for how a little tub of bocconcini could level up tonight's meal XX

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If you've been referred to this podcast because one of your friends knows you like camping - this episode is for you!

Yumi is a keen hiker and so a lot of the food she makes in *normal* life, she's assessing as to whether it could be repurposed as something lightweight and long-lasting that could come on a multi-day hike.

This recipe, from Meera Sodha's wonderful book EAST - delivers.

Of course, Yumi has to make adjustments, so her version is:

In a HEAVY BASED PAN

Fry up 2 stalks of curry leaves with 2 cinnamon quills, 1.5tsp of finely grated fresh turmeric, 1 lightly bashed lemongrass stalk, cut into 3, tbs black mustard seeds, 2 long red chillies, 1.25tsp salt.

Add a pre-chopped fennel bulb OR onion.

Fry until the onion or fennel is soft.

After 10-15 mins, add in 150g - 200g of dried red lentils, 2 tins of coconut milk and a tin of water. Stir well.

Cook for about 25 - 30 mins until the lentils are soft and creamy.

Top with some crispy fried curry leaves! DELIGHTFUL!

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Both your hosts tend to obsess over foods, recipes or ingredients and deep-dive with said specialty before turning to grab a new obsession.

For instance, Yumi (me) right now is in the thick of trying to make the perfect Char Kway Teow (fresh, wok-fried Malaysian noodles that are beyond excellent when done well).

Simon revisits one of his past obsessions, sweet paprika, and is delighted to find a new way to cook with it that is both super-simple, and fast.

The sweet paprika that Simon recommends looks like this.

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In this episode, Yumi confronts Simon with something questionable he did with a shot of coffee... And she then razzes him about how she improved his own recipe!

FULLY LOADED PECAN BROWNIES

Line a 20cm square cake tin.

Put the oven on to 180C

Melt in a bowl over hot water 125g chopped butter and 100g dark 85% chocolate,

Remove from heat and allow to sit for a moment.

Quickly add in 3 beaten eggs

300g (1 1/2 cups) white sugar

115g (3/4 cup) plain flour

30g (1/4 cup) Dutch cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Then stir through 180g of pecans. This batter will be very stiff!

Bake for 30 mins. No less! Be careful not to overdo it and have your nose on HIGH ALERT for any burning smells.

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