Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• eggs
• bell peppers – any colour, but I find red, orange and yellow the best. Green peppers are less tasty.

Filling / topping ideas (use any or all of my ideas, or whatever else you have on hand!):

• finely chopped broccoli
• finely chopped cabbage
• grated cheese
• minced garlic
• herbs (dried or fresh)
• olives
• a small dollop of pesto
• jalapeños

Recipe Video

Equipment

This recipe requires a large, non-stick frying pan (or two smaller non-stick pans, if you don’t have one big enough). You’ll also need to cover the pan to help the eggs cook through, so if your pan has a lid, that’s ideal.

My all-time favourite brand for cookware is Circulon – they’re perfectly non-stick, and they last for years. You can see my favourite pans in all of my recipes!

I’d recommend this one for your pepper fried eggs – it’s suitably large, wonderfully non-stick, an it has a sturdy lid. Find it on Amazon US / Amazon UK (affiliate links).

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s such a quick recipe – it takes no more than 5 minutes of effort to make! Mix ingredients –> eat. Perfect.
• Since the flavours only get better over time, it’s ideal for preparing in advance and keeping in the fridge for a couple of days until you’re ready to eat.
• The flavours are just incredible, especially considering how simple it is to make!
• Coronation chickpeas are super versatile – serve them on toast, as a salad topper, or just on their own as part of a vegetarian mezze.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. You’ll also need a couple of cupboard staples, like salt and pepper. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• canned chickpeas
• mayonnaise (regular or light is fine)
• spring onions
• dried fruit – apricots, raisins, or a bit of both!
• curry powder
• cilantro (or parsley)

Becca’s Top Tip

The recipe is easy to adapt with whatever mix-ins you feel like, so make it your own! You could swap the curry powder for your favourite spice, add some extra fresh and crunchy vegetables, or use Greek yogurt instead of mayo. See my creamy chickpea salad sandwiches for some more ideas.

Instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe – see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.

Step 1: Add all of the ingredients to a small mixing bowl.

Step 2: Mix well to combine. If you have time, leave the mixture in the fridge for an hour or so, or even overnight. Otherwise, they’re great eaten straight away too!

Step 3: Serve chilled, on toast or salad.

Becca’s Top Tip

Although these creamy chickpeas are delicious on all kinds of bread, I prefer to choose a crunchy kind, as it adds a nice bit of texture to the dish. Something like a crunchy baguette or a slice of toast is perfect.

Recipe FAQs

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• This cold spinach dip is super easy to make, and once you’ve defrosted the spinach, it’s literally as simple as ‘mix all the ingredients together’.
• It can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge until needed.
• The flavours are wonderful, with spicy chilli, garlic, fresh herbs, mature cheese, and more!
• You can switch up the herbs, spices and other mix-ins to suit your preferences – see below for some ideas.
• Any leftover dip can be used as a spread in sandwiches and wraps.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. You’ll also need a few cupboard staples, like oil, salt and pepper. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• frozen spinach
• bell pepper – red, orange or yellow peppers have the best flavour, and also bring a nice pop of colour to the dip.
• chilli. I’d recommend using a mild chilli, and only using a small amount – you can always add more afterwards, but you can’t take it away!
• fresh parsley
• grated cheese. Use a cheese with lots of flavour, like a nice mature cheddar, so you can add a lot of flavour with just a little bit of cheese.
• Greek yogurt
• garlic puree. Fresh garlic would also work, I was just feeling lazy!
• ground cumin

Becca’s Top Tip

For a fresher flavour, add the peppers and chilli to the dip raw. Or, if you want to mellow things a little, cook them in the pan along with the frozen spinach.

Ingredient Swaps

Feel free to make this recipe your own – it’s really easy to customise.

Here are a few ways you could adapt this recipe:

• For a richer dip, you can use a combination of mayonnaise and Greek yogurt, instead of just the yogurt.
• If you don’t have fresh chilli, use chilli powder instead (or skip it altogether if you don’t want any heat).
• Swap the ground cumin for any other favourite spice, e.g. smoked paprika or curry powder.
• Use garlic granules instead of fresh garlic / garlic puree.
• Add any additional raw veggies that you like, e.g. finely diced cucumber or grated carrot.
• I find frozen spinach to be the most straightforward option for this dip – it comes finely chopped, which gives a lovely fine texture to the dip, and you also don’t have to faff around adding handful after handful of fresh spinach to the pan. However, you can totally use fresh spinach instead if you have some to use up.
• You could swap the cheddar cheese for some crumbled feta, or any other cheese with a fairly strong flavour.

Instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe – see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.

Step 1: Defrost the frozen spinach in a frying pan with some garlic (I used garlic puree).

Step 2: Prepare the remaining ingredients; chop the pepper and chilli, and grate the cheese.

Step 3: Allow the spinach to cool down, then combine it with all the other ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Step 4: Serve chilled with crackers, breadsticks, or raw veggies to dip.

Becca’s Top Tip

Ideally, you should prepare the dip at least an hour before you plan to serve it, so it has time to chill fully.

Recipe FAQs

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The flavours are unreal.
• Since this is a slow cooker recipe, it’s a meal which pretty much cooks itself. You don’t need to keep returning to the slow cooker as it’s cooking – it’s very much a ‘dump in the ingredients and leave it for 4 hours’ kind of recipe, so you can be getting on with other things.
• This mushroom stroganoff is interesting and impressive enough to serve to guests (they don’t need to know how easy it was to make!). It won’t matter if the stew stays in the slow cooker for a little while longer, so it can be ready to serve up whenever you and your guests are hungry.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:

• mushrooms – I used chestnut mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, and button mushrooms.
• onion
• garlic
• smoked paprika – it needs to be the smoked kind, not sweet paprika!
• stock cube. I like to use a solid stock cube, as this recipe doesn’t require much liquid. If you want to use liquid stock instead, you won’t need much of it, so you might want to add some additional seasonings as well.
• sour cream
• fresh parsley

See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

Becca’s Top Tip

I like using a few different types of mushroom in my stroganoff, as it gives a nice variety – you get some large, chewy, meaty bites, and some smaller, rounder pieces. But if you prefer, you can just stick to one kind of mushroom, or use whatever you have on hand.

Equipment

This easy mushroom recipe requires a slow cooker. I use a digital Crock-Pot with a 4.7 litre (~ 5 quart) capacity, and this mushroom stroganoff fits perfectly. If your slow cooker is a significantly different size to mine, you may need to adjust the cooking time of this recipe slightly.

I’ve had this slow cooker since 2014 (!), and it’s never failed me. I would highly recommend it! You can get it on Amazon UK, or here’s a similar one from the same brand on Amazon US.

Check out my other slow cooker recipes if you’d like some more inspiration!

Instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe – see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.

Step 1: Add almost all of the ingredients to the slow cooker, and mix to combine.

Step 2: Cook on high for 4 hours, until the mushrooms and onions have cooked down to give a rich stew.

Step 3: Add the sour cream and fresh parsley.

Step 4: Serve with rice or pasta.

Becca’s Top Tip

Just like with most slow cooker recipes, this stroganoff sauce does end up on the thinner side, because the liquid doesn’t evaporate away. This isn’t a problem at all, but I would recommend serving your stroganoff with some garlic bread to help mop up any of that tasty sauce that’s left on the plate!

Stroganoff FAQs

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• These Mediterranean eggs are quick and easy to make, but so much more exciting than regular scrambled eggs.
• They would make the perfect weekend breakfast, or brunch for guests, when you want something a little bit special.
• It’s a really easy way to get an extra couple of portions of veg into your day!
• The recipe is a brilliant fridge-clearer – use whatever mix-ins you already have in the kitchen!

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. You’ll also need some kitchen staples, like oil and black pepper.

• eggs
• bell peppers. I actually used 3 mini peppers, as I thought the different colours would look pretty, but feel free to just use 1 regular pepper instead! Red, orange or yellow are the tastiest; green is a bit less sweet.
• cherry tomatoes
• spring onions (red or white onions would be fine too!)
• capers
• black olives
• feta cheese
• dried oregano (other dried herbs would also work, e.g. thyme or basil)
• fresh parsley

See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

Ingredient Swaps

Recipes like this are so easy to customise, depending on what you like / what you have in the fridge already.

Here are a few other mix-ins you could use in your Mediterranean scrambled eggs:

• minced garlic
• sun-dried tomatoes
• diced mushrooms
• asparagus
• finely chopped cabbage
• red or white onion
• grated cheddar cheese
• pumpkin seeds
• sweetcorn
• canned chickpeas

As long as try to stick vaguely (and I mean vaguely) to the Mediterranean theme, you can pretty much add whatever you like to this recipe, and it will probably turn out delicious. I never make these the same way twice!

Alternatively, try a different theme altogether – Mexican eggs, perhaps?

Step 2: Begin to cook off the peppers and onions. These take a little longer to cook than the other ingredients – but since it’s nice to retain a little bit of crunch, they only need a minute or two.

Step 3: Add the eggs and the remaining ingredients to the pan.

Step 5: Serve on a thick slice of generously buttered toast.

Scrambled Egg FAQs

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s super versatile – quick enough to make for a casual afternoon snack, but also fancy enough to serve to guests.
• It’s such a quick recipe, taking literally 5 minutes to prepare.
• The flavour is unreal – very moreish!
• It would make a great centrepiece to any sort of veggie platter or mezze.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this incredible white bean hummus:

• feta cheese
• white beans. You can stick with the traditional chickpeas if that’s what you have on hand, but I find that white beans make a smoother, creamier hummus.
• fresh lemon juice. Use the bottled stuff if you need to, but fresh is better.
• garlic. This goes in raw, so don’t be tempted to use more than one clove unless you’re certain it needs it!
• black pepper. I love the freshly cracked stuff, as it really packs a punch.
• salt – though you might not need much (or any), as the feta is salty too.

Optional extras:

• fresh herbs (chives work really well)
• extra virgin olive oil

See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

Becca’s Top Tip

Don’t forget to also buy something for dipping! I love using sticks of soft pitta bread, but you could also choose raw vegetable sticks, crackers, or whatever else you enjoy dipping.

Equipment

You’ll need a food processor to make this recipe.

I use a very old Kenwood food processor – similar in design to this one on Amazon US / Amazon UK.

The one I use is actually at least 20 years old – it used to be my grandmother’s! – so I will always recommend Kenwood, as it seems like a brand that’s built to last.

Instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe – see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.

Step 1: Add all of the ingredients to your food processor.

I like to keep a small amount of the feta cheese back to use as a garnish later.

Step 2: Blitz thoroughly until the mixture is as smooth as you’d like it. You can leave it with a little texture, or make it completely smooth if you prefer.

For a slightly looser, creamier hummus, you may need to add a small splash of water or extra virgin olive oil. I didn’t add either in these photos.

Step 3: Serve chilled.

Becca’s Top Tip

A wide, shallow bowl is always my first choice for serving dips, as it allows for easy dipping, and leaves plenty of space for garnish! This time I added a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a little extra crumbled feta, and some more black pepper. A bit of garnish really adds some wow factor, especially if serving to guests!

White Bean Hummus FAQs

The sauce is made by melting down soft goat cheese, which creates an irresistibly smooth, silky sauce that lightly coats the pasta noodles.

And much like my other creamy pasta recipes, this one can be adapted to use whatever vegetables you have in the fridge or freezer!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It can be on the table in just 15 minutes!
• It’s just as appropriate for a busy weeknight as it is for a fancy date with your partner
• It uses just a few simple ingredients
• It can easily be adapted to use whatever vegetables you have in the house

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this simple creamy pasta dish:

• mafalde pasta. I love mafalde as it has more of a bite to it than some smaller pasta shapes, but of course, any other shape of pasta will also taste great in the creamy goat cheese sauce.
• goat cheese. Make sure you choose a soft and creamy goat cheese, not a hard one, as this will be best for the glossy goat cheese sauce.
• parmesan cheese. You’ll need to choose a vegetarian version here. ‘Real’ parmesan is actually made with animal rennet, but I find that most generic ‘Italian hard cheeses’ are vegetarian. Bonus – they’re usually cheaper too! You can buy it pre-grated, or grate it yourself.
• spinach. I used frozen spinach, but fresh spinach will work just fine too.
• garlic. A good rule of thumb is to use one clove of garlic per portion, but you can certainly increase this if you’re a big fan of garlicky food!
• pesto. Basil pesto is ideal for this dish. You can use homemade or shop-bought.
• pine nuts. You can eat pine nuts as they come, but I definitely recommend toasting them, as detailed below, as it improves the flavour immeasurably.

See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

Becca’s Top Tip

There’s no need to look down on frozen vegetables! They’re just as nutrient-rich as fresh vegetables, and they also help to reduce food waste. Just take what you need, and return the rest to the freezer – no more half-bags of spinach left wilting in the fridge!

Ingredient Swaps

As with most of my recipes, this creamy pasta recipe is so easy to customise.

Here are a few ways you could adapt this recipe to suit you better:

• Swap the spinach for whatever other vegetables you have in the fridge or freezer. Pretty much anything will work – just be aware that a harder vegetable will take longer to cook. I’d recommend trying vegetables like peppers, mushrooms or asparagus, which can all cook very quickly in a frying pan.
• If you’re not a fan of goat cheese, try using another soft, melty cheese instead. Blue cheese, ricotta, mascarpone, or cream cheese should work nicely.
• Experiment with using different types of pesto (such as tomato pesto, for example). You could even swap it for fresh herbs instead.

Instructions

Here’s how to make this creamy mafalde pasta recipe.

Step 1: Begin to boil the pasta in plenty of water.

Step 2: While the pasta is cooking, fry off the spinach and garlic together. You can use a splash of oil if needed, but you might find it’s not necessary, especially if you’re using frozen spinach, as the water it releases is usually enough to prevent it from sticking.

Step 3: Add the goat cheese, parmesan and pesto to the pan, along with plenty of black pepper. Allow the cheese to melt down to create the smooth, glossy sauce. If the sauce seems too thick, add a splash of water to loosen it up a little.

Step 4: Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan. They only take a few minutes, and once they start to brown, they can turn quickly, so keep a close eye on them to prevent burning!

If you want, you can toast a few extra pine nuts, and save them to use up over the next couple of days. I love scattering them over salads and soups, crouton-style, like I did with this creamy mushroom soup.

Step 5: Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, along with the toasted pine nuts, and mix to combine.

I find a pair of tongs is the easiest way to toss pasta in sauce – I recommend ones with silicone tips, like these ones from Amazon US / Amazon UK, as they won’t scratch your non-stick pans.

Mafalde FAQs