Starting off simple.

Despite being largely sand and white dresses, the Middle East makes a good effort at satisfying your belly. And in my opinion, nothing tries harder than homous - it's so good, even the Israelis agree. If you have a blender of food processor, it's way cheaper to make your own than buy, and the recipe is easy to adapt. Get...

400g (16oz) chickpeas - which is one standard tin
2 tablespoons tahini - sesame purée probably available from any corner shop owned by an Asian
2 - 4 tablespoons oil... preferably hemp oil, it's good for you
juice from half a lemon, salt and some herbs and spices to taste.

Add more herbs than necessary for extra fancy.

Mix all the ingredients in a blender or a food processor, and blend on a high setting, until a smooth-ish consistency is achieved. Add a little water while blending to get a better texture. Spread it in a pitta bread, a tortilla wrap, or cardboard if you're desperate. If you need the extra calories after a hard winter or such, stir a few tablespoons of homous with a teaspoon of flour and chopped herbs, until a dough is formed. Fry this with a small amount of oil to create a healthy burger-substitute, making sure to add more flour as necessary to help it stick together in the pan.

And then you're done - a staple of many easy sandwiches, wraps and mezzes. All sorts of unnecessary extra ingredients can be blended - caramelized onions, tomatoes... be original!