RED HOT RICELLA SALSA

So as with every Christmas I got a great selection of new cookbooks as presents. Two of my favorites were Nigella Lawson's new offering and Rick Stein's Road To Mexico. Both are fabulous and both also contained a recipe for a roast tomato salsa. I didn't know which one to try first so I decided to bang both the recipe's together to create a "Ricella" salsa (see what I did there!). I've taken the red peppers from Nigella's recipe and combined them with the lime and coriander leaves from Rick's and the combination really works well.

SMOKY AND SPICY TEXAN TATERS

So it's bank holiday Sunday and I'm far too chilled out to be cooking up a big Sunday roast. I need something that's simple, quick and tasty and these Texan potato cubes are the perfect side to whip up under these circumstances. It's just diced potato, onion and peppers roasted in garlic, paprika, Old Bay seasoning and my old friend liquid smoke. In just under an hour you have a delicious tray of super special spuds and what makes these taters so simple to make is that you just chuck everything into a bowl, mix and transfer to a roasting tray. It really is that easy.

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. 

RAVISHING RED PEPPER PESTO PASTA

Last weekend I had a go at making my very own green pesto (recipe is here if you want to give it a go - it's really good!). This weekend to try and mix things up a little I decided to make a red pesto. Now it may not look particularly red in the the pictures I'll give you that but this version made with roasted red peppers and cherry tomatoes is super delicious and at the end of the day it is the taste that matters the most isn't it? Toss it around some of your favorite pasta and lunch can be yours in no time!

MARVELOUS MEAT FREE BBQ "PULLED PORK"

I'm always looking around for meat free alternatives of my favorite meaty dishes to make so I can enjoy them with the vegetarian at home and recently I've been noticing "pulled pork" made from jack fruit popping up more and more online and in magazines. I really didn't understand how a fruit could taste like pork but upon giving it a try I completely get it. Jack fruit breaks up into little strands to create that pulled pork effect and flavoring it by slow cooking in a homemade BBQ really does work. It's a revelation!

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!).

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.

BISTRO PIERRE LIVERPOOL (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

So having enjoyed the £12.95 pre theatre menu at Bistro Franc in my previous post and being lucky enough to have tickets to go and see Sheridan Smith star in Funny Girl at the Liverpool Empire last week, we decided to give their sister restaurant, Bistro Pierre a whirl. Their pre theatre menu offered a different selection of starters and mains so it's practically like visiting a completely different venue isn't it? Could Bistro Pierre offer a tasty trio of courses similar to that of Bistro Franc? We headed off to go find out.

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.

MATTY'S HOMEMADE CHEESE AND ONION SANDWICH SPREAD

Have ever tried Heinz sandwich spread? The pale slightly tangy concoction they sell in the little jars with the green label? Well this tastes nothing like it even though it was my homemade attempt to emulate it using an array of fresh vegetables and pickled gherkins chopped very finely and processed together with cream cheese, herbs and mustard powder. What I ended up with was a spread that is more like the cheese and onion spread you get on pre-packed sandwiches in supermarkets. Was I disappointed? Err no! It's super scrummy delicious.

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. 

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.

LULLY LULLY CHICKPEA CURRY

If you are not a fan of spending time in the kitchen then you probably have herbs and spices in your pantry that you bought yonks ago that are now sitting unloved in your cupboard. Set your spices free people! A curry made from scratch is so much more fragrant and tasty than a jar from the supermarket and is a great way to use up all those odds and ends. Once you've made your spice mix, all you need to make this curry is some fresh vegetables, garlic, ginger, tomatoes and chickpeas (of course!) and you are onto a winner.

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.

SUPER SLOW COOKED ROGAN JOSH

One of the best things about the weekend is that I have more time to play in the kitchen and when I'm feeling like I want a big plate of comfort food there is nothing better than getting the slow cooker out and making a delicious curry from scratch. No ready made sauces from a jar here, it's all about a homemade curry paste made with an array of herbs and spices and then frying it up with some onions and carrot before letting it simmer for hours until it's ready to be bulked out with some Quorn chicken and more fresh veg.

SMOKIN' SWEETCORN SOUP

It's time for another soup recipe now and this one uses the smoky flavors chipotle along with sweetcorn to create a kind of tex-mex vibe to this gorgeous soup which also blends sweet potato, pepper and veggie bacon to make a truly vegetarian treat. Fresh coriander (stalks and all), cumin seeds and garlic work alongside a hint of cayenne pepper thrown in for a bit of heat to produce a cuddle in a bowl that if you play your cards right, you can have on the table in just under 30 minutes. Quick, simple and tasty, what's not love!

BANGIN' BANG BANG SALAD

"Bang Bang" is a traditional Chinese dish which refers to the noise made by the bashing of the chicken normally served with the dish with a wooden mallet in order to flatten it and make it easier to shred and scatter over the top of the accompaniments. The chicken is then normally served with a satay like peanut sauce and that is where the inspiration for this salad has come from. As this is a veggie salad there is obviously no chicken, just lots of fresh raw vegetables dressed in that delicious nutty sauce, perfect as a side dish at your next summer BBQ.

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!

THE MUSSEL AND STEAK BAR EDINBURGH (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

When you're planning a trip to a new city you can spend a long time looking on the internet for fabulous places to eat but sometimes you just stumble across places when you're walking around and that is what happened on a recent trip we took to Edinburgh. Hunting out a place for a birthday dinner, we saw The Mussel and Steak Bar and the menu looked really tasty and special and so later that evening we walked from our hotel with empty bellies and high expectations ready for some of Scotland's finest seafood.