This is the lovely view across the bay at La Herradura (which is the Spanish word for horseshoe).
Don’t forget, there are only two days left to get your entries in for this month’s CBBH Photo Challenge: MULTI-COLOURED. New challenge starts on Wednesday!
Now that the good weather’s here, I’m always on the lookout for delicious and nutritious recipes for the summer months.
I’ve never been a big fan of Hummus or Guacamole, finding both chickpeas and avocado rather bland in their own ways. But combined, with a few extras thrown in – I’m loving my Hummamole, and I’m sure you will, too!
Here’s how to make it:
Ingredients
1 large avocado (approx150g after being peeled and pitted)
1 jar of chickpeas – drained and washed (approx. 150g)
2 fat cloves of garlic – peeled and crushed
1 small red onion – peeled and chopped
½ cup fresh cilantro – chopped (you could use fresh mint leaves instead, if you prefer)
2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 lemons – juiced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Pinch of hot chilli powder
A few twists of black pepper
Method
Simply throw all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Add a little water to thin out the consistency if you prefer.
I usually cut some batons of carrots, red and green peppers, celery and red onions for dipping in, and the Hummamole will keep in the fridge for a few days.
It’s as simple as that!
Other posts you might enjoy:
Easy No-Bake Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Cookies
Cost of living in southern Spain
CBBH Photo Challenge – Multi-coloured
OK, OK … I lied!
IKEA is really an acronym comprising the initials and location of the founder of IKEA – Ingvar Kamprad; Elmtaryd (the farm where he grew up) and Agunnaryd (his hometown in southern Sweden).
The company is the world’s largest furniture retailer, with stores in many countries, including Spain.
I wanted to pop along to IKEA to pick up some photo frames for a forthcoming Art and Photography Exhibition in Torre del Mar, where I will be displaying some of my photos in June. I haven’t visited my nearest store in Málaga for almost a year, but since my last visit some rather excellent solar panels have been erected as sunshades for cars parked on the 1400-space free car park.
What a innovative idea!
IKEA has invested €4.6 million installing solar panels not only on the car-park sunshades, but also on the roof of the Málaga store, which will produce 2,821 MWh per year – 64 per cent of the amount of energy the store used in 2012.
Did you know that the IKEA logo is blue and yellow to reflect the colours of the Swedish flag? Well you do now!
So, if you’ve recently moved to the Málaga area, and are looking for somewhere familiar to buy your stuff – this might be the place for you!
The Málaga store has the usual frustrating one-way, anti-clockwise layout, typical of every IKEA I´ve ever been in, whereby you have to walk around the whole store (and it´s a long way) to get to the exit – unless you spot the craftily concealed short-cuts.
IKEA is situated in the Bahia Azul commercial area near Plaza Mayor. If you know where Málaga airport is – well, it´s close by, just off the same road – MA-21 at Exit 2.
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 10am – 10pm (The store is also open some Sundays and Public Holidays, but it’s best to check the website before you set off)
Address: Av Velázquez, 389, 29004 Málaga, Spain
Website: IKEA website for the Málaga store (in English)
Do you have a degree in IKEA self-assembly furniture? I know I don’t!
Whilst you’re here, why not have a look at:
Spanish football: Estadio La Roselada, home of Málaga CF
AVE: Taking the Fast Track from Málaga to Madrid
CBBH Photo Challenge: MULTI-COLOURED
Sometimes they will be wearing cardigans. Often they have on their hats.
Sometimes they sit in the shade and other times in the sun (depending on the time of year).
One thing´s for sure – if there´s a bench in one of the white villages of Andalucía – there will be some old men sitting on it!
Bless ´em!
Related posts:
Particularly in spring and early summer, the hills around the Axarquía are a riot of colour, with a rich variety of beautiful wild flowers.
The blues and purples of the wild rosemary and lavender contrast with the golden yellow of the broom and gorse, which in turn make way for the pink Convulvulus and purple Vipers Bugloss. There are many varieties of wild Mediterranean orchids to be found, as well as irises, gladioli, stunning red poppies and pink and purple wild Sweet Peas.
The wild flowers reach their climax at this time of year in early May, as the oleanders on the hillsides and in the river beds signal the arrival of summer.
If you want to see wild flowers at their best, head off into the Parque Natural de Las Sierras de Tejeda y Almijara in the Axarquía.
Don´t forget to take your camera!
You might also like to look at:
Flowering snapshot of a January day around the garden
East of Málaga 
