CHEEKY SLOW COOKED SPINACH AND CHICKPEA TAGINE

A few years ago we went on holiday to Morocco and it was there that I fell in love with one of their most famous dishes, the tagine. Named after the clay pot in which they are traditionally cooked in, there are many regional variations of this slow cooked stew but in my recipe I have taken some of the more classic tagine spices such as cumin, turmeric and cinnamon and used them to flavour a delicious vegetarian broth crammed full with chickpeas and an array of vibrant vegetables to create a truly wonderful meat free feast. 

HOLY GUACAMOLE BAR AND GRILL BALI (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

So at the beginning of this month I was very lucky to go for two weeks holiday exploring Bali and Singapore. I love Asian food in all its forms so I couldn't wait to try all the delights of these two regions. You might be surprised to see then that for our first meal away we actually ended up in Holy Guacamole, a Mexican bar and grill near our hotel in Legian. Well, when you're still adjusting to a country's time zone, temperature and culture sometimes it's best to stick a little too what you know.

GRILL ON THE ALLEY MANCHESTER (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

It wasn't the first time that we had visited Grill On The Alley in Manchester when we visited last month however when we received an email that they were offering discounts on table bookings so that people could sample their new menu and with a visit to the city planned, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to give them another shot. So, off we popped with our reservation ready to see what delicious new treats they were serving up this springtime.

THE EVERYMAN BISTRO LIVERPOOL (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

A theatre wouldn't be my first point of call when looking for somewhere to eat but when looking for somewhere to eat after going to see a matinee performance of the Everyman Theatre's Company production of Fiddler On The Roof (which was stunning btw!) we saw that they had their very own Everyman Bistro offering up food prior to evening performances. Somewhere to eat right where we were spending the afternoon? Made perfect sense to give them a try and so we made a table reservation and after enjoying the show we headed down into the Everyman's basement to take our seat.

BRILLIANT BUTTER BEAN AND VEGGIE SAUSAGE STEW

I think the best thing about the winter months is that you can crack out the soup and stew recipes and whip up a bowl of comfort in less than an hour. This veggie sausage stew is also very good for those trying to lose a few Christmas lbs. It's packed with an array of vegetables such onions, celery, sweetcorn and spinach as well as a tin of delicious butter beans and just simmers away on the hob whilst you crack with your evening so by the time you come to serve, the sausages will of soaked up the chili paprika sauce and become proper plump and moist.

EASY PEASY CHEESY VEG PASTA

On a horrible rainy week like the one we are having in Liverpool at the moment, sometimes all you want when you get in from work is a big plate of cheesy pasta. This doesn't have to be at the expense of your waistline though. By using a low fat cream cheese you can make a low calorie version that doesn't have to scrimp on flavor with the addition of chili and garlic to keep those taste buds dancing. Finish with some veg and a grating of parmesan and you can have this dish on the table in less than 30 minutes.

LULLY LEMON, MINT & MUSTARD GREENS

I've been getting more adventurous with my flavorings recently and this Sunday I decided that I would try using some lemons to flavor my vegetables. No biggy you might think but I've always had a bit of an aversion to using lemons in savory dishes after a bad lemon chicken incident in a restaurant once. I'm glad that I gave it another go at home though as the lemon, mint and mustard dressing that I mix through this selection green beans, leeks and peas really does give the greens a lully little lift.

STREET N4 FINSBURY PARK LONDON (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

We're back in the big smoke this weekend and with tickets to see a show at the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park we needed to find somewhere nearby to have  pre show nibble. How lucky for us then that Street N4 should be located right next door. When we saw that it sold burgers and burritos we were instantly sold so off we popped on the tube to go and see if the food tasted as good as it sounded.

LEFTOVER SLOW COOKED TUSCAN BUTTER BEAN SOUP

So you've made a big batch of my Slow Cooked Tuscan Style Butter Beans for your BBQ and even though they were super delicious you still had a load left over at the end of the evening. No one wants to throw away perfectly good food now do they so why not transform your leftover's into a delicious soup which you can either eat straight away or freeze and enjoy as a quick supper at a later day. All you need is a few vegetables and some garlic to act as the base of your soup, some fresh herbs to give the flavors a kick up the bum and a good vegetable stock.

TUSCAN STYLE SLOW COOKED BUTTER BEANS

I'm having a bit of a love affair with butter beans at the moment. Ever since I used them in my Thai Veggie patties and for my Tasty Thai Crab Cakes I've realized what an underrated gem they are. This recipe inspired by a Tuscan style of cooking uses just a few ingredients to make the beans the star of the show. By slow cooking the butter beans, they become really beautifully soft, creamy and infused with the flavors of garlic, sage and rosemary which they are simmered with. A fantastically simple recipe perfect for a lazy weekend.