Spicy Humous and a simple Greek Salad

Recently I have been hooked to this fascinating program, that BBC telecasts, Escape to the Country. It features really stunning country houses, cottages, with huge country kitchens and other character features to die for. That one hour is my day dreaming time.. having a relaxed life in lush green rolling hills and a nice chat by the fire place. Entertaining friends and family, in a large country kitchen with gossip and food, who would not like that :-0)

            After an hour of day dreaming, imagining myself to be just a home maker, working on my vegetable patch, I am knocked back to reality, with a frenzied life, my husband and me both working in demanding jobs, with hardly any time to talk during the weekday, leave alone cooking. Given the scenario, we end up relying on ready to eat food, anything that’s quick and easy!  When we shop for our groceries, we make sure we have a lot of ingredients for knocking up quick salads and something to go with the main course. Hummus (chickpea paste) somehow always makes it way into our shopping cart, and why not, it makes a very healthy lunch or dinner. All it needs is a little spicing up, once you have base hummus. Team it up with some nice salad and toasted pita bread. Pita bread is one of my absolute favourites (only with humous though.. can’t imagine myself eating it with anything else..). It’s a delight to have when toasted.. its nice and crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside!

So here’s the recipe for my once a week must eat dinner :)

For making spiced up hummus:

1. A box of ready made hummus, plain without any seasoning.
2. Citrus goes amazingly well with hummus, so don’t worry to go as lemony as you want.. as much of tang you can take.
3. A nice big table spoon of good olive oil.
4. 3-4 twigs of chives
5. a good pinch of dried or fresh dill
6. Coarsely ground black pepper
7. a pinch of paprika
8. a pinch of salt
9. some fresh leaves of mint

Here’s a simple way to put everything together:

1. Empty the box of plain hummus on to a plate and spread it out.
2. Create a small well in the center, where all the ingredients go in.
3. Squeeze the lemon first, then add drizzle the olive oil all over the hummus.
4. Sprinkle chive, dill, black pepper, paprika and salt.
5. Top it up with torn mint leaves.
6. All set to go!!

A simpler version of Greek salad:

1. A nice plum cucumber
2. Some cherry tomatoes, if you cannot find them, you can use the regular tomatoes too.. they taste as good.
3. A very good extra virgin olive oil.
4. A pinch of coarsely grounded black pepper and salt.
5. Half a lemon or to taste
6. Some chunks of Feta cheese.
7. Freshly chopped mint leaves

Getting the salad ready:

1. Chop the cucumber in chunks; I do not chop them very finely.
2. Quarter the tomatoes if they are cherry tomatoes, else cut the regular tomato in chunks, remove the seeds out of the tomato.
3. Take a nice big salad bowl, it makes tossing everything in easy.
4. Toss the Cucumber and tomatoes in the bowl.
5. Squeeze juice of half a lemon, add a healthy drizzle of olive oil.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Top up with chunks of feta cheese and freshly chopped mint leaves.
8. Salad ready!!

Pita bread can be toasted in the oven, but my experience with a regular toaster is equally good. Cut the pita bread into halves and pop them in a pop up toaster, it makes lovely toasted pita bread.

In about 15-20 mins, dinner is served. That is what you need when you have returned from a hectic, crazy day at work. It’s healthy, nutritious and gives you ample time to chat or well in my case tele!

Hope you enjoy it I certainly do :-)