Hummus and Flatbread

Okay, yes baking is my thing but a while ago I used to make a lot of hummus and the story behind it is simply this: I love the idea of hummus I just hate the one that comes from the shops so I made my own. I always found the one from the shops tastes like sludge and doesn't have a great texture to it. I'd like a little bit more flexibility in my hummus and so - I give you my secret recipe for creating great tasting, spicy hummus with very little effort.

The flatbread is also low effort because I like simple things. When you're making stuff at home and you don't have all the fancy pants equipment of an Instagram poser, then you need something quick, easy and enjoyable and I think this recipe is just that. First, we will make the hummus and then, the flatbread.

Part 1: Spiced Hummus

Ingredients:

• 2x Cans of Chickpeas
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1/2 Tsp Pepper
• 1/4 Tsp Red Chilli Powder
• 1 Tsp Turmeric
• 1 Tsp Paprika
• 1 Tsp Low Salt Soy Sauce
• 1 Tsp Olive Oil
• 2x Tbsp Encona Original Red Chilli Sauce*

*This is optional, it is quite hot if you eat enough of it. If you don't want to put it in, swap it out for a lemon and herb sauce

How To:

1. Boil the chickpeas in some water until they start to separate slightly
2. Sieve them out and wait for them to dry*
3. Put all the spices into a blender with the oil, sauces and chickpeas and blitz them until it becomes paste-like
4. Put the hummus into a container and pop it into the fridge so everything can solidify a bit**

*Tip: I would say don't remove the shells entirely because it adds some texture to the hummus. Honestly, I hate it when people remove the shells and make it super smooth. It ends up having the texture of mashed potato. This is a personal taste thing though. After boiling, the shells should be easy to take off and so if you want a very smooth hummus, remove them.

**Tip: I find the solidification process important. When you reheat the hummus, it just means all those sauces that have been mixed in won't just turn watery once put in the microwave. If you serve it cold on the other hand, it will taste brilliant and cooling

Flatbread time!

***

Part 2: Flatbread

Let's take a look at this flatbread then. You won't need your oven for this one!

Ingredients:

• 250g Plain Flour
• 200ml Lukewarm Water
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 1 Tsp Pepper
• 1 Tsp Dill
• 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic

How To:

1. Blend together everything except the water
2. Add the water slowly to the mixture whilst it is still blending. Watch it come together as a dough and when it all sticks to the attachment (the dough should be sticky, not dry) - stop adding the water
3. Refrigerate your dough for about 30 minutes to an hour, this will allow everything to settle and the dough should become a bit more springy when you take it out

***

Once cooled...

1. When you take it from the fridge, split it into two or four pieces (depending how big you want your flatbreads to be
2. Roll them out to about half the thickness of your iPhone
3. Fry them over a medium heat in a large frying pan where they may lay flat
4. Turn them over now and again whilst making sure each side is equally oiled, but not overly wet
5. Once they have cooked, remove them from the heat and place them aside to cool
6. When they've cooled, chop them up into manageable bites (I like triangles) and place them on a plate
7. Serve them with your hummus

***

You can probably see that I have put some honey carrots on the plate too. These are easy. You cut your carrot into batons, sprinkle them with and pinch of salt and some honey and air-fry them on the 'max crisp' setting.

You're all done.

I really enjoyed making these and the best part about it is that any lactose and dairy can be swapped out for alternatives AND it's completely vegan. A great meal for everyone to eat. If you feel like being really adventurous then you can add a sprinkle of mixed nuts to the top of the hummus providing nobody is allergic.