Homemade Pita Chips

Once upon a time, Sam's Club sold a pita chip- in a huge bag, of course. I could not get enough of those chips. They were crispy, salty, and just a hint of garlic. Sadly, I have not seen the same chips on sale for about two years, and it has made me all sad and mopey.

Luckily, I ran across this recipe in an old issue of Family Fun in my doctor's office. I scribbled down the instructions and just cooked up a batch today. They are quite similar to the chips of yore, and pair really well with my favorite Cool Cucumber Dip.

You'll need:

6 pitas

1/3 c. olive oil

garlic salt

pepper

dried herbs (oregano or basil)

Preheat the oven to 400. Slice the pitas in half, and peel the sides off each other, so you'll have four half-circles. Cut into chip-sized pieces and arrange on a baking tray. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle garlic salt, pepper, and oregano on top. Bake for about 6-7 minutes until golden brown. Rotate the pan in the middle if you can remember it. 

Cool in pan on wire rack. Store in a Ziploc for a couple weeks. 

Make Yer Own Pita Bread

I am staring down the bread aisle. Three bucks plus for six pitas. Having a growing family, we are needing more pita loaves. (loaves? circles? slices?) We need more like eight for our favorite recipes; pita pizzas, pita tostadas, Moroccan garbanzo pitas! But six dollars? Sheesh!

That is what prompted me to look up just how hard it might be to make pitas? Turns out the answer is: well, kinda hard. But kinda worth it.

1 pkg. yeast
1/2 c. warm water
3 c. flour (I used 2c. white and 1 c. wheat- mostly because I ran out of white flour)
1 1/4 tea. salt
1 tea. sugar
1 c. lukewarm water

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 c. warm water. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Let sit 10-15 mins. until frothy.

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a depression in the center and pour yeast water in.

Slowly add 1 c. lukewarm water, stir until elastic. Place on a floured surface and knead for 10-15 mins, until the dough is no longer sticky.

Coat a large bowl with vegetable oil, toss in the dough ball, then turn it over so the whole ball is coated. Leave to rise in a warm place for about 3 hours, until doubled in size.

Once doubled, roll out to be a rope, and pinch off small pieces- about 10-12. Place the balls on a floured surface and let sit covered for 10 mins.

Preheat oven to 500 and make sure the rack is on the bottom. Put the baking sheet in there as the oven preheats.

Roll out each dough ball into circles about 5-6 inches and 1/4 in. thick.

Bake for 4 minutes, until it puffs up. Then turn flip them over and cook for another 2 mins. Remove each pita with a spatula and press the extra air from the bubble out. Immediately place in storage bags.

Can store in the pantry for up to a week or freeze in freezer bags for up to a month.

Moroccan Garbanzo Pita

I've been saving this recipe for summer, because it's cool and refreshing. Try it! And if you don't, just lie to me and say you did.

Pita Pockets
1 tbl ground cumin
1 tea. chili powder
1 lb. cubed chicken
4 tbl. olive oil
2 cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas) drained
1 c. green onion- chopped
1 gr. bell pepper- diced
1/2 c. fresh parsley- chopped
sour cream

Combine cumin, chili powder, and chicken into a plastic bag and shake to coat.
Heat 1 tbl. olive oil in skillet and add chicken- cook for 5 mins. Remove from heat.
In separate bowl, combine beans, 3 tbl. olive oil, green onion, pepper, and parsley. Add chicken.
Cut open pitas. Line pita pockets with sour cream and fill with bean mixture.

Note: easily make this dish vegetarian. exclude chicken, 1 tbl. olive oil and cumin. Combine all ingredients and fill pockets.
Also tastes great with tabasco sauce, salsa, or shredded cheese.

Pita Tostadas

This is such an easy dinner! And yes, I do have a fondness for pitas.

1 can refried beans
diced red onion
chopped green bell pepper
1 small can sliced black olives
1 small can diced green chiles
shredded cheese
shredded lettuce
salsa
sour cream

Arrange pitas on baking sheet. Spread beans evenly. Top with onion, pepper, olives, and green chiles. Bake at 425 for 8 minutes. As soon as they come out of the oven, sprinkle cheese on top. Then add salsa, sour cream, and lettuce.

Pita Pizzas

These are great for kids and parties! So easy, I could eat one every day. I make singles in our toaster oven for lunch sometimes.


Pitas
pizza sauce
mozzarella cheese- shredded
toppings- pepperoni, ham, chicken, olives, onion, green pepper, pineapple chunks, mushrooms, etc.

Preheat oven to 350, make up your own pita pizza and arrange them on cookie trays. Cook in the oven for 10 mins, until cheese is melted and golden.