Friday, November 16, 2007

Pita Pockets

Dear Foodies,


Time for a recipe today after all the coffee talk. I present to you another of my week night wonders ! I absolutely loved this combo and had it twice in two weeks. I cook almost every evening and since I pack my lunch from home, I have to make something that will work well for the box. I bought some nice cucumber and that got me into the mood for a salad and so this dish was born. Paired with some yummy looking whole wheat pita bread that I found at the store, it was a perfect portion.

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup - Corn, fresh or thawed, frozen corn
  • 1/2 cup - Chickpeas (canned), drained and washed
  • 1/2 cup - Red onions, chopped
  • 1/2 cup - Cucumber, chopped (peel if necessary)
  • 1/4 cup - Sun dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/4 cup - Roasted red peppers, chopped
  • Salt, pepper & red pepper flakes for seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp - Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 Tbsp - Olive oil
  • Cilantro for garnish
Method:
  1. If using frozen corn allow it to thaw at room temperature or use the microwave.
  2. In a bowl, toss all the ingredients together...and...well thats it ! I know I did not need bullets for this, but I had to make it look like a recipe :))
Microwave the pita bread for 1 min and you will see it puff up. Cut in half and fill the pockets with this salad, top it off with some ketchup. A little aloo bhujia added some more crunch.

The whole thing was super filling and yummyy. I boxed up the salad and rolled up a pita bread in aluminum foil for lunch next day. I could fill the pita with as much salad as I wanted and the rest was delicious as is.

I repeated a similar salad but added a cup of cooked cous cous, since I ran out of cucumber and chickpeas. Even that tasted really good. The whole wheat pita has a nice nutty taste and is extremely filling too when paired with the salad. Take a look at a similar salad, called Fattoush, that I made for a Mediterranean themed dinner earlier this year. You can use any assortment of fresh vegetables that you have in hand and dress up the whole dish making it look like something really elegant but with '0' cooking involved. hmmmm, I must look for that Powerless event that was doing the rounds.


12 thoughts:

musical said...

Priya,

I love these simple pita-sandwiches. They are so sumptuous, and lovely quick-fix indeed! Makes me crave some :).

There's a falafel joint nearby, they sell something called a bean-wowshi (which is black-beans cooked with onions, parsley and spices, stuffed in two layers of pita-dough a baked)-tastes so good. i've made that with left over beans, by just filling a pita-pocket and they were yummy! Do try them, you'll love them!

Rina said...

Priya, these are perfect pockets. Yummy chatpatti. I shoul make some and blog too.

Priya said...


Musical, the bean-wowshi sounds awfully comforting in the cold weather I am having here. Will try it out this weekend. You must try these pita pockets, its such a fun way of eating salads etc., I toyed on the idea of making falafel , but was soon to realize that the real idea was to avoid cooking :D

Rina, Welcome !! Try the pita bread and I am sure you will find soo many other ways of enjoying them. I'm off to your blog now :)

Anonymous said...

Priya Pita pocket looks so delicious. Easy meal for any time.

KayKat said...

Yum! These look delicious - a perfect snack.

I really love stuff different things into pita pockets - marinated peppers and tofu are an awesome alternative too!

Red Chillies said...

Loved your idea for handy, healthy lunch. Btw, what about the sun-dried tomatoes? Won't that be a bit dry? Do you have to cook them?

Priya said...

Welcome all :)

It surely could not have got easier Madhu :)

Tofu,peppers and one pita bread left, your comment could not have a more perfect timing Kay :)

RC, I forgot the mention that the ones I got were bottled in oil, so I did not have to soften them. If using the dried ones, you could soak them in some warm water for a few mins.

Namratha said...

We just had Pitas with Hummus and Falafel for dinner, will surely try this salad with the leftover Pitas :) Looks great..

Meeta K. Wolff said...

This looks delish. Love the ingredients you have used!

Nabeela said...

Love filled pitas. As musical said, they go great with bean dishes too. I've filled pita with my refried bean recipe with some salad thrown in...a little unsual, but tasty nevertheless.

Mythreyee said...

Awesome sandwiches. A wonderful comfort food.

Anonymous said...

hmm....sounds good! shud try!! shud say innovative too!

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