STICKY AND SWEET MUSHROOM BAO BUNS

Asian cuisine is my absolute favorite and I love trying to create my restaurant favorites at home too. Last weekend I decided to try and make some of my own bao buns. I discovered a recipe by "£1 meals" chef Miguel Barclay for a no fuss yeast free bao bun and adapted them to create this vegetarian friendly version stuffed with sweet and sticky mushrooms which have been fried in honey, soy, garlic and five spice. As they don't need yeast, these bao buns are foolproof and can be whipped up in less than one hour. 

THE RETURN OF OUR PERFECT NUT ROAST

We loved our nut roast when we made it a couple of Christmases ago but then we neglected it! This year however we resurrected this old favorite and it was still as good as we remembered. So much better than a shop bought nut roast, this mixture of herb and garlic mushrooms and nuts is bound together with rice and cottage cheese to make a beautifully plump and moist roast that is perfect not just for Christmas but for the whole year. It’s even got a good glug of wine in it for good luck. Who could resist that?

HOST LIVERPOOL (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

We have visited Host up on Hope Street in Liverpool several times in the past and we had always had a great time. It was slightly surprising then when we realized that it had been quite a while since we had ventured through their doors. That changed one evening when we bought tickets to see a show at the nearby Everyman theatre and having looked at the what seemed to be completely new menu on their website from the one we had last time we came we decided to go and see if their treats were still as good as what we remembered. Off we went on a warm Saturday evening with great expectations!

PATARA LONDON (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

Searching around the Royal Albert Hall for somewhere to eat we stumbled across Patara's website and were instantly drawn to the promise of "Fine Thai Cuisine". We do love our Thai food and it was great to see that they offered a vegetarian banquet too. So on a warm Thursday evening we headed off to South Kensington, ready to tuck into some meat free delights! We had made reservations for our visit but we needn't of worried as there wasn't anyone in Patara when we rocked up. Great, we had our pick of tables and so we took a seat in corner of the dining room right by the window.

YUU KITCHEN LONDON (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

The discovery of Yuu Kitchen was once again another "using TripAdvisor to find restaurants close to our hotel" jobby. Still having a love affair with Asian food after our trip to Bali/Singapore, I loved the look their fun take on Asian classics, some of which had been given a fresh twist that sounded brilliant. There was only one way to find out if this was true and that was to go and try them for ourselves. 

MATTY'S VEGGIE "BB" CURRY

One of the food based highlights of our holiday to Bali recently was our meal at Skai Beach Club and the chef's signature chicken "Too-Too". This was a twist on the traditional Balinese be tutu dish, a fragrant and spicy yellow curry that is absolutely to die for. I've tried to recreate a vegetarian version here using Quorn pieces instead of chicken which I toss into my own slow cooked take on this yummy sauce along with some vegetables, which I'm calling my "BB" curry (see what I did there!).

POSH PORCINI AND CELERIAC SOUP

Don't get me wrong, I love a tin of Heinz cream of mushroom soup but you wouldn't dish it up at a dinner party for your friends and family now would you? What you need is a posh version which will blow the socks off your guests. It's also super simple to make so it's a stress free starter too. The posh elements in your soup come from the porcini mushrooms and the celeriac but you will get your money's worth as you will use all the mushrooms and the soaking broth to really add flavor to your soup whilst the celeriac give it it's body.

POSH PORCINI PATE

Vegetarian food has come a long way over the last 10 years. I'm not a vegetarian but with having to cook for one regularly, I've come to love meat free food and I've discovered ways to make it so tasty that I don't particularly miss meat on a day to day basis. One thing I'd never made before was vegetarian pate. Shop bought stuff is so expensive so when I saw a recipe for a version in Mary Berry's new book I instantly wanted to try it. Now Bezza is the queen of cookery but I thought of a way that I could make her recipe better; by using porcini mushrooms!

CHINESE VEGGIE SLOW COOKED "YEAR OF THE" ROOSTER

Saturday 28th January 2017 was the start of the Chinese Year of the Rooster and so to celebrate I decided to rustle up an Asian inspired dish but as it was a Saturday, I wanted to make something that would require a minimal amount of effort (well the weekend is a time for chilling isn't it?). This dish of five spice Quorn chicken slow cooked in a soy, ginger, garlic and chili broth was the answer to my prayers. All you need to do is add the ingredients into your slower cooker in stages and you'll build up a dinner that is defiantly going to get you in the mood for a party.

GUSTO LIVERPOOL (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

Gusto in Liverpool has been around for a few years now so this isn't the first time I've walked through their doors and I'm sure many scousers could say the same. It's in such a handy location for people heading off to the arena or for those you have taken a leisurely stroll around the docks for the day. I've never had a bad meal in Gusto but  the food has been better on some occasions then it has been on others. As part of a large booking, we traveled down to the waterfront one Sunday afternoon to see this visit has going to be one of those better trips or if we were going to leave still wanting more.

VEGGIE PEPPER "CHICKEN" CURRY

If you don't like spicy food then I suggest you turn away now! This veggie pepper Quorn chicken curry is a great dish for blowing away those January cobwebs with its intense chili kick and fiery pepperiness. Its definitely one that's not for the faint hearted! What's also great about this curry is that it's packed full of veggie goodness with a sauce made from fresh tomatoes and Greek yogurt so that it's also good for anyone who still wants to enjoy their curry night whilst being able to cut down on some of the calories. 

CHAMPOR CHAMPOR LONDON (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

Nestled away under the shadow of the Shard is Champor Champor. Much like the time we visited Grafene in Manchester, we had no idea how we found out about this Thai-Malay restaurant but we had bookmarked it for a visit next time we were staying in Southwalk. That time was this weekend so with a reservation made for 9pm, off we trotted! The entrance to Champor Champor is very unassuming but once you walk through the door you are instantly transported to the east. An array of Malaysian/Thai inspirations decorated the red walls; Buddhas, masks and even the cow that acts as their emblem was brought to life right above us.

GRAFENE MANCHESTER (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

Why we booked a table at Grafene earlier this month is still a mystery to us? Not in a bad way you understand but its just we can't remember where or how we discovered it! Having booked said table weeks in advance for a pre-theatre dinner we ventured up to King Street in the Deansgate area of Manchester city centre on quite a wet and windy Friday evening to see if there was method to our apparent madness.

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.

PING PONG ST KATHARINE'S DOCK (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

During a well earned week away and on our travels across the UK we thought it was time to revisit an old favorite of ours with a trip to Ping Pong Dim Sum situated at St Katharine's dock. This dim sum restaurant caught our eye many years ago and has now grown to have branches all over the capital and this would be the third time we have ventured under the shadow of the Tower of London for some of their Asian treats. Would it be a case of third time still delicious? We headed over to the docks to find out!

CREAMY "ALL ABOUT THE MUSHROOMS" PASTA

Sometimes you don't have all the time in the world cook a meal in the evening. As much as I like spending time in the kitchen, it's not always possible when life starts to get in the way. This doesn't mean you can't have fantastic food though and this is where this creamy mushroom pasta comes in. Showcasing a gorgeous porcini and chestnut mushrooms creme fraiche sauce, this fusilli dish is simply all about the flavor of the mushrooms with a touch of fresh parsley and topped with crispy onion to add a bit of pizazz. All yours in just under 30 minutes!

SIMPLE SLIMMERS VEGGIE STEAK AND MUSHROOM STROGANOFF

With my summer holiday booked it is now time to get working on that beach body. This is a nightmare for a foodie like me but it's OK! You can still have your favorite dishes if you just make a few little changes. This recipe for my vegetarian take on a beef stroganoff is automatically better for you as it uses Quorn rather than beef and the main calorie adding culprit, the cream is replaced with creme fraiche. Adding some peppers in to bump up the flavors is all you need to turn this classic dish into a guilt free feast!

BUSABA LIVERPOOL (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

Another restaurant opened in the old Stockton's building in Liverpool City centre last week and it's the one I was most looking forward to trying. I love Asian food so the prospect of a new Thai restaurant in the city was to exciting to resist and so, a couple of days after its official opening, three of us popped on over to Busaba on Hanover Street to see if our expectations could be matched.

SWEET AND SPICY SPEEDY STIR FRY

When you've had the most horrendous week in work, you want to walk in on a Friday evening and have one of your favorite meals without having to stand around for hours preparing and cooking it. This is where my sweet and spicy stir fry comes in. Asian food has to be my favorite and this oriental dish takes some of those classic flavors including the holy trinity of garlic, ginger and chili, mixes it with some Quorn chicken pieces, five spice powder, fresh vegetables, coriander and a liberal helping of sugar to create this super quick and simple dish.

FANTASTIC FENNEL SOUP

One day it will get warmer. Probably that one week in May when everyone goes mental and has to have BBQ's everyday until we are forced back inside for the rest of the year. Until then there is always going to be a need for delicious soups to warm up your core and get you through the chilly evenings. In my continuing endeavor to use fennel more, here is a fabulous vegetable soup which uses all parts of the fennel bulb alongside an array of other delicious herbs, veg and sweet potato (and a splash of red wine for good luck!).