Lemony Hummus

I may have mentioned it here before that I really love watching movies. I have also been lucky enough to be an extra in some Irish based movies and I was very proud to be one of the featured ladies in the well acclaimed feature documentary His & Hers. What a fantastic experience that was, and if you haven't seen it I'd positively recommend you rent out a copy. It's beautifully shot, quite funny and extremely touching. This Ken Wardrop film will certainly carry you on a very emotional journey, so be ready for it!

Having four children in the past ten years has meant that myself and Diarmuid rarely go out for a night and I can honestly say that this has never bothered me. We love our night's in with a good movie and of course the obligatory mini feast to compliment the night. Even before we had the children, cinema trips and movie nights were always a fond way to spend time together. Our cinema fixes are now satisfied by outings with the kids and with so many fabulous children orientated films on the market, these jaunts are always lots of fun.

Since I'm on the topic of movies, I thought I should share with you what I heard on Ryan Tubridy's radio show, this morning. Ryan was speaking with Keith Duffy about a new initiative that I think is really fantastic. Keith's own daughter, Mia, has autism and he has spoken publicly about her condition on many occasions, heightening the awareness of the condition to so many people. I always admire his honesty on telling about the day to day life as a parent of a child with autism. He explained how a family trip to the cinema can often end in disaster, as the lighting and level of sound can be very troublesome for an autistic child. This morning his focus was on a new cinema initiative for children with autism, which will give families the opportunity to attend and hopefully have a very positive experience.  Here are the participating cinemas and  if you are interested in bringing your child to one of these movies the next one is ‘Beauty and the Beast 2D’ – it will be screened on Sunday 13th May at 11.30am at the Odeon Cinema at the Point, and Storm Cinemas in Naas, Portlaoise, Cavan & Limerick & UCI Cinemas in Blanchardstown, Stillorgan, Coolock and Newbridge. Maybe just ring the participating cinema to check availability.  

Lemony Hummus
There are many goodies that I like to include in my 'movie smörgåsbord' and I always have to have a few bowls of hummus or pesto for dipping some bread sticks and tortillas in to. There are many different types of hummus that I enjoy, but a zesty one with a little spice is my favourite. If you are not a fan of cumin, this can be replaced with ground coriander or some smoked paprika. 

Ingredients

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp greek yoghurt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 75ml olive oil

Method

1. Place all the ingredients into a mini chopper or a food processor. Blitz until smooth.
2. To serve, place in a bowl and drizzle with a little extra olive oil & a sprinkle of ground cumin.

Perfect as a dip or to accompany any spicy meal.