Plant Chillies while the sun shines!!

This morning I awoke to dark, gloomy grey skies- however as the day progressed, the clouds parted and the sun appeared!
Therefore, I decided today was going to be a productive, green-fingered day!!
So I started with planting some herbs, which every chef and every kitchen cannot survive without, there is nothing like fresh, home-grown herbs to add instant flavour to any dish. And supposedly they're relatively easy to grow - I'll let you know when I reap what I've sown (hopefully) !!

In addition to planting herbs, I also planted some chillies - As I'm a complete hot and spicy fiend!!
I absolutely love chillis and thus spend a fortune every week on said chillies - they dont't come cheap or of great quality in the supermarket, so I'm hoping I can cultivate and grow my own chillies - so stay blogged on to see how I and my chilli plant get on!!

In the meantime, I'm forced to use the afore mentioned supermarket-bought chillies in my delicious spicy hummus recipe:

Spicy Hummus with Pitta Crisps

400g tinned chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
3 cloves garlic
1 red chilli
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 teaspoon course sea salt


Place all ingredients in a food processor or mini-chopper and blend until creamy.
Transfer hummus to serving dish or jar and serve with pitta crisps.

Pitta Crisps:

2 pitta ovals or rounds (cut into slices)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin powder


Place pitta slices on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with ground cumin powder.
Place seasoned pitta slices in a preheated oven, 350 F / 180 C / Gas 4, and bake for 4 - 5 minutes, until crispy.
Remove from oven and serve immediately with home-made spicy hummus.

Enjoy!