I love crisps and sometimes instead of buying them I try to make a healthier option at home when I can. These chips are simply wholemeal pita breads cut into triangles, drizzled with oil and dusted with something spicy like chilli powder or paprika or whatever you fancy and then baked on a high heat for five minutes .
The hummus is another 5 minute job and loving all things spicy I love this harissa version from my new cookbook Enjoy!
Harissa Hummus
You will need:
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp rapeseed oil (or olive oil)
1 tbsp harissa paste
1 tbsp tomato puree
Method:
Drain and rinse the chickpeas and then use a food processor to blitz all the ingredients together adding more oil if you prefer a smoother consistency.
Enjoy with home-made pita chips.
simple!
‘Til next time, Sheila
After finally splashing out on a fancy food processor what better recipes to put it to the test with than with ‘Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals’ – Delicious, Nutritious, Super-Fast Food. So far I’ve tried 3 recipes from the book with great success. Now maybe it’s my faffing and to-ing and fro-ing from cupboards to fridge and back again but it takes me 15 minutes to get organised and then I’m ready to cook, so for me it’s more like 30 minute meals but I’m more than happy with that. So far I’ve tried out three recipes. The ‘Blackened Chicken – San Fran Quinoa Salad’ is amazing, the ‘Modern Greek Salad – Spinach, Chickpea & Feta Parcels’ are superb for the vegetarian in your life and finally the ‘Golden Chicken – Braised Greens & Potato Gratin’ is a winner for midweek family dining. If you’re simply after some tasty salad recipes then I’ve reproduced Jamie’s San Fran Quinoa Salad and the Modern Greek Salad on previous posts on the blog.
….Dunnes Stores.
Dunnes Stores has continuously developed and improved their homeware department over the past number of years and having designer Paul Costelloe on board – who is designing menswear for them now too – is an absolute coup. I’m loving his rustic/mediterranean influenced pottery range that’s in-store now. Their Carolyn Donnely e c l e c t i c range is well worth checking out too.
….Baking Bread.
Knorr kindly sent me a selection of their Create More sauces and Knorr Professional Mixed Herbs Puree. I made this gluten-free focaccia studded with olives, sun-dried tomatoes and rosemary and generously basted with their Professional Mixed Herbs puree mixed with some rapeseed oil. We like to dip our bread into a dish of olive oil with a floating slick of balsamic vinegar.
….Irish Tomatoes
I bought these delicious tomatoes in my local SuperValu last year and I’m delighted to see them back on the shelves again. They’re called ‘Irish Flavorita Tomatoes’ and as the name suggests they are lovely and sweet and flavoursome.
….Slipping into Summer
At last the sun has decided to breakthrough here in Ireland and after a long hard winter and a distinctly chilly Spring we’ve been given a tease of summer lately with a little bit of heat. As summer approaches I’m embracing salads and Jamie’s super easy recipes as previously mentioned. I’ve also experimented with another hummus, this time flavoured with harissa paste that has been lingering in the fridge for an unknown amount of time so its time to use it up! This Harissa Hummus is a quick and easy dip, perfect to entertain with, served with some spicy pita chips and something refreshing, crisp, white and chilled. Now that to me says summer.
For many of us summertime means that after a long day’s work there are still daylight hours in which you can hopefully sit outside and enjoy lingering sunlight. What better way to do this than with a glass of wine in one hand and something tasty to nibble on in the other. This super fast harissa hummus is the perfect accompaniment for that well-earned tipple.
You will need – for the Harissa Hummus: 1 x 220g can of chickpeas
1 tbsp harissa paste
1 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp tomato puree Method:
Drain and rinse the chickpeas and place in a food processor.
Add all the other ingredients and blitz to your desired degree of smoothness.
Lovely served with the Paprika Pita Chips below or any dipping Chips
You will need – for the Paprika Pita Chips:
Pita breads
Rapeseed oil
Paprika Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 200C/ Gas Mark 7.
Use a kitchen scissors to cut the pita breads into dip sized chips.
Scatter the chips on a baking tray, drizzle with rapeseed oil and sprinkle over with paprika.
Toast in the hot oven until nicely coloured and crispy – approx. 10 mins.
Chips best served hot and great with the aubergine dip.
Enjoy.
‘Til next time, Sheila.
