I have a weakness for spicy food. I would destroy half a bottle of Frank’s Red Hot in a week if I had it my way. However, my occasional, yet severe, acid reflux loves to disagree with my tastes.
Ahh, sometimes my beauty amazes me. Meet my 21st birthday in Vegas, after taking down 20 plates at the Bellagio buffet, causing my stomach to lose the willpower to keep food inside of it. If you ever make it there, eat dessert first!
Middle Eastern spices are my personal favorite. I decided I wanted to embark on learning how to cook Indian and Pakistani food, so one of my coworkers, Asim, took me under his wing. He taught me about these spice mixes that have recipes on the back which you can find in most Middle Eastern supermarkets–I myself traveled down Lexington in the 20′s to find them. I purchased the mixes he suggested, and the shop owner, who took a liking to me, gave me some free mixes as well. I wish I took a picture of this guy; he was like the Pied Piper. Little children would run in and out of the store and he would give them candies to keep them at bay, while hitting on their mothers. Smooth moves mister shopkeeper.
One of the spice mixes he gave me, Garam Masala, lead me to my next recipe…
Middle Eastern Spiced Pita Chips
One recipe of these guys is a serving size, will put you back about 100 calories. It’s a great snack by itself, or shared with another along with some salsa or hummus!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala spice mix
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (I suggest kosher salt or salt from a salt grinder; it tastes better than finely ground salt.)
- 1 Weight Watchers whole wheat pita (They are only 100 calories each, wonderful!)
- Olive oil Pam (Yes, I use this in everything.)
Preheat the oven (or toaster oven, if you’re making just one pita) to 450 degrees. Cut the pita in half and cut each half into 8 triangles. Spray triangles with Pam. Throw them into a Ziploc bag and add salt and Garam Masala spice mix. Zip up and shake the bag, then pour out the coated pita pieces onto a greased pan. Bake for about 4 minutes, until they get crispy. Remove from oven and enjoy!
I suggest eating these crunchy delectables while still warm. Since they take 10 minutes at the most to throw together, they are also a great last minute hors d’oeuvre if you have unexpected company. The shopkeeper was right when he said how versatile this mix is. I can now see how he keeps all the ladies around! Just don’t tell Rico if you find me spending too much time around 25th and Lex…
I am such a huge fan of middle eastern food. I like using Josephs low carb lavash bread. I cut them up the same way and toss em in different spices. They come out really crispy and they store well.
If you come across somthing called espelette pepper powder, I would recommend getting it, if you like spicy. Addicting would be an understatement.