Makes 18 gyoza

Ingredients

• 1 cooked chicken breast, cut into small pieces
• 50g /½ cup of shredded carrot and white cabbage
• 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
• 1 and ½ tablespoons of soy sauce
• some freshly ground pepper
• 18-20 gyoza wrappers

Cooking

• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 1/8 cup /30mls of water

Dipping Sauce

• 1 thin slice of ginger, peeled
• 1 and ½ tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of seasame oil
• ½ teaspoon of lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon of water
• 1 scallion , finely chopped

Method

To make the dipping sauce – place a  slice of ginger, soy, sesame oil,  lemon juice, sugar, fish sauce and water into a small dish and stir. Finally add the sliced scallions to the dipping sauce.

For the gyoza  -Place the chicken, shredded carrots and cabbage into the blender and pulse once or twice until the mixture clumps together. You don’t want to process too much, or the mixture will be dry- it needs to be just roughly chopped. Add the ginger, soy and pepper and stir together with a spoon. You should end up with a chunky chicken and vegetable paste.
Organize a clear space/ counter top where you can make the gyoza. Have a small ramekin/cup of cold water on hand to wet the edges of the gyoza. I used this video as a guide to folding the gyoza.

Place the gyoza wrapper on a plate. Next, place one teaspoon of the chicken filling in the center of the gyoza wrapper. You want to get the filing as close to the center as possible and keep the edges of the wrapper clean. Using your finger, wet the edges of the gyoza wrapper with a little water. Pinch the gyoza wrapper in half, encasing the filling, to form a half moon shape. Close the wrapper by pleating the edges together using your finger. The video demonstrates this quite well. Pinch the edges with your finger to ensure a tight seal. Continue to make the rest of the gyoza in the same way.

Use a skillet / frying pan with a lid to cook your gyoza. It’s essential you have a lid to steam the gyoza. Add the olive oil to the skillet and place over a medium high heat. Add the gyoza to the skillet and leave cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Once they are evenly browned on both sides, add the water and place the lid on the skillet. Allow the gyoza to steam for about 5 -8 minutes, until  all the water has evaporated. Remove from the pan and serve straight away with the dipping sauce.

Have you heard of magic cake? – it’s called magic cake because it’s essentially one cake batter that separates into three layers when cooked. More science than magic really, but we food bloggers like the word magic better  So, I attempted to make my own magic cake this week and made a lemon version. There have been alot of magic cakes popping up on food blogs lately – chocolates ones, coffee ones, nut ones and plain old vanilla ones. I looked at a few different blogs and they are all the basically the same recipe, so I am not sure who started this whole trend. When I was making it, it reminded me a little of a soufflé. Then I wondered if perhaps it started out as soufflé recipe, that went wrong and instead of proclaiming it to be a disaster, someone called it a ‘magic cake’! It’s a fun cake to make, and it’s cool when you cut it open and see the three layers. If you like custard you are going to love this cake. The bottom layer tastes like hardened custard, the middle later is gooey custard and the top layer is like fluffy cake. The lemon helps makes it all taste light and fresh. It’s not too sweet, so they make a nice alternative to lemon bars. They taste heavenly straight from the fridge. So, why not make your own magic cake this weekend and marvel at all those lovely layers. I made this version gluten free, but normal wheat flour will work equally well.

Ingredients

• 110g / ½ cup of butter
• 4 egg whites
• 4 drops of vinegar
• 4 egg yolks
• 150g / 1 and ¼ cup of icing sugar
• Zest of a lemon, finely chopped (about ½ a tablespoon)
• 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 110g / 1 cup of all purpose  flour/ gluten free flour
• 480ml / 2 cups of millk
• Extra icing sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 160 C / 325 F. Grease an 8 inch square tin with butter, you could equally use an 8 inch round tin.
Melt the butter and leave aside. Next, beat the egg whites and vinegar with an electric whisk, until they form stiff peaks.
In a separate large mixing bowl beat together the egg yolk and sugar with a hand whisk. Beat until well combined. Then, add the melted butter, lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix together, and then add the flour, followed by the milk. It’s quite a sloppy batter, so  that’s why I recommend using a hand whisk rather than an electric beaters.

Fold the egg whites into the batter, but only fold in one third at a time. You want to fold gently, however you still want to fold it in enough to get rid of all the big lumps. Once the egg white is all folded in, pour the batter into the prepared tin and place in the oven.
Cook for 45 – 60 minutes. When cooked it should have a slight wobble in the center like jelly, but not too much of a sloppy jiggle The top should be a nice golden brown. I left mine in for 50 minutes.
Allow to cool completely for at least three hours.  Once it has cooled, place a sheet of parchment paper covered with icing sugar on a flat work surface. Using the back of a knife carefully trace around the edge of the tin to loosen the edges from the side. Then invert the cake onto the sheet of icing sugar and cut into squares.  Turn the squares sugar side up and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Like most people, I enjoy tortilla chips and guacamole with a beer. Tortilla chips are  great and tasty, but not the most nutritional snack I know. So, I am always trying to think of a healthier snack to enjoy with a drink. This week, when my veggie box arrived I was confronted with some knobbly looking Jerusalem artichokes – over here they call them sunchokes. I kind of prefer the name sunchokes, as they are part of the sunflower family, so it makes sense to have sun in the title. They taste a little like artichokes, but are no relation whatsoever. They also have no connection with Jerusalem! So, from now on I am sticking to the name sunchokes! (Oh, America, you’ve changed me already). I have eaten sunchokes in restaurants before, but I have never actually cooked a sunchoke. It’s one of those veg, you pass by in the supermarket and think … hmmm…and then you go pick up some other vegetable which you are more familiar with! So, sunchokes were my new challenge this week. I know they make a delicious soup, earthy and creamy. I know they are a great side dish with meat or fish…but I didn’t know they also make a great chip. I sliced them up finely and mixed with some olive oil and seasoning and baked in a hot oven. And, voila the tastiest and yummiest snack I’ve had in ages. They definitely rival the courgette chips and sweet potato fries …dare I say it they taste even better. I paired them with a limey guacamole and devoured the lot. So, next time you are in the supermarket and spot these odd, knobbly looking vegetables, pick them up and make some sunchoke chips. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Ingredients 

• ½ pound / 225g of sunchokes
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of paprika

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scrub the sunchokes, so that the skin is perfectly clean. Using a sharp knife, slice the sunchokes into thin discs. Place the discs into a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika.  Toss the sunchokes in the olive oil and seasonings so that they are all covered in oil. Place the sunchokes in a single layer on the baking sheets, and put in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn the sunchokes over so they get cooked on both sides.  Put the sunchokes back in the oven for a further 10 minutes. They should be a nice golden brown color and crisp on both side.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool while you make the guacamole.

For the guacamole -Mash  the avocado flesh with a fork. Add a good splash of lime juice.  Season with  chili powder, salt  and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.  Mix well together with a fork, and serve straight away with the sunchoke chips.

I love blood oranges – they look so dramatic when you cut through the flesh. It’s like an orange with added drama. You rarely see them though, so whenever I do, I always have to buy at least one. Usually I just eat them as they are. However, this week when my veggie box arrived I found some delicious friends for my blood oranges -soft green spinach and perfectly pink radishes. So, I whipped up this simple salad to enjoy on a beautiful sunny spring evening in Seattle. This salad is a riot of color and tastes really citrusy and refreshing. The yogurt dressing is delicious with the sweet blood oranges and the peppery radish. The pistachios add a sweet and salty crunch. It’s a great appetizer and a delicious supper to enjoy on a sunny afternoon.

Ingredients

• 2 Radishes, washed and sliced into thin circles
• 1 blood orange, peeled and sliced into thin circles
• 1 orange,  peeled and sliced into thin circles
• 1 cup of fresh spinach leaves, washed and dried
• 1 tablespoon of roasted and salted pistachios, shelled and chopped

Dressing

• 1/2 cup of plain yogurt /plain Greek style yogurt
• 1 small clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon of smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon of cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Ingredients

• 4/ 5 slices of bacon
• 4 eggs
• Olive oil
• Salt  and pepper
• Paprika

Kale Chips 

• 3 big Kale leaves
• ½ teaspoon of cumin
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

Method

Begin by preheating the oven to 200 C/ 400F . Grease 4 compartments of a muffin tin with olive oil.  Wrap a piece of bacon snugly into the muffin tin. Cut off the excess bacon. Use the extra bit of bacon for the bottom of the cup. You basically want a neat cup of bacon with no gaps. Continue to line the other three muffin cups. Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and precook the bacon for 5 -7 minutes. I left mine for just five minutes, and they could have done with a few minutes more to get a crispier finish.

When the bacon is just beginning to crisp up, remove from the oven. I recommended that you separate the egg whites from the egg yolks, and then carefully put an egg yolk in each of the bacon cups and then tops with the egg white. It’s likely that you won’t need all the egg white, so that’s why it’s better to separate the eggs first. (I learned the hard way

Once the eggs are in the bacon, place the muffin tin back in the oven and cook for about 15 minutes. It may take less, but you want to make sure the egg whites are firm before removing from the oven. Season with salt, pepper and paprika and serve.

You can cook the kale chips at the same time. For these, I greased another muffin tin with olive oil. I then broke the kale into small pieces and removed the tough inner stem. I placed the kale pieces into a large bowl and coated them with olive oil, and seasoned with salt, pepper and cumin. Place the kale pieces neatly into the muffin tin compartments and cook for about 10 minutes at the same temperature as the eggs.

I love roasting root vegetables as it brings out all their natural sweetness. This tarte tartin starts out with roasted root vegetables which are then set into a bed of balsamic caramel, topped with herbs and cheese and covered with pastry. The result is absolutely delicious. This is a great meal for fussy vegetarians, or as a side dish with a Sunday roast. In a similar theme to my vegetable crumble, this is a traditional dessert recipe that is converted into a flavorsome savory meal with vegetables.  I used potatoes, onions and carrots, but I imagine this recipe would be equally tasty with parsnip/ beetroot/ sweet potato.  This dish looks a picture, but it’s pretty simple to pull together. It tastes scrumptious with a simple green salad.

Ingredients

• 6 Baby potatoes – yellow, red and purple, cut into half inch rounds
• 2 large carrots, cut into half inch rounds
• 2 shallots cut into thick rounds
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4  cup/ 50g of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• some freshly ground pepper
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced into thin slivers
• 1 tablespoon of fresh mixed herbs (basil, thyme and oregano)
• 40g / ½ cup of grated Gruyere or cheddar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Pastry

• 1 sheet of store bought puff pastry /short crust pastry

Method

Begin by preheating the oven to 400F/ 200C. Toss the chopped potatoes, carrots and shallots in the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place the oiled vegetables on a baking sheet in a single layer. Cook for 20 minutes, until just tender. Remove them from the oven and leave to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F / 180C.

Meanwhile, heat the sugar and the water in a skillet pan. Swill the water and sugar together from time to time. After about 5-7 minutes, the sugar will start to caramelize and turn a deep copper color. As soon as this happens, take it off the heat and add the balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Now, that the skillet is off the heat, scatter the herbs and garlic slivers on top of the caramel. Then carefully arrange the cooled vegetables on top of the caramel too. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the vegetables.

Roll out the pastry on a floured surface so that is big enough to fit as a lid on the skillet. Carefully place the sheet of pastry on top of the gated cheese. Tuck the edges of the pastry in. Brush the pastry with some beaten egg wash.
Place the tarte tartin in the preheated oven. Cook for 30-45  minutes, until golden brown on top. Once cooked, remove from the oven and carefully invert the tarte tartin onto a board or serving plate. Replace any vegetables that get stuck in in the pan. Serve with a green salad.