Homemade Pita Chips

I made more pita the other night to go with some hummus and realized that I was not going to eat them all before then went bad. Turning them into chips was a great way to extend their life, especially after they are a day or so old. You can also flavor them in any number of ways; fresh or dried herbs, any spices from za'tar to garlic to italian to hot peppers, or top with cheese... The possibilities are endless


Pita Chips
pita
oil
salt and pepper


Pre-heat oven to 350. Cut the pita in half to create two circles then cut into wedges. 







Brush the pita with oil and season with salt and pepper and any other flavoring.





Bake for about 30 minutes until crispy. Enjoy!

Red Lentil Soup

Here is a great simple lentil soup. I was luck enough to have some paprika my in-laws brought back from Isreal, which added a nice touch, you can use Turkish paprika instead.


Red Lentil Soup 
olive oil
1 medium onion, diced 
1 - 2 celery stalks, diced 
1 carrot, diced 3 - 4 cloves garlic, diced 
1 - 2 tsp cumin 
1 - 2 tsp peprika 
2 bay leaves 
1 cup red lentils 
4 cups stock or water 
Salt and pepper to taste 


 Prepare the veggies. Then sauté in a large pot with a touch of oil and salt.


 


 After about 7 minutes, as the begin to soften add the garlic and cook another minute.


 


 Then add the spices, cook another minute and add the lentils and water.




 


 Cook over medium heat about 30 minutes until the lentils are soft. Then purée in a blender or use an 
immersion blender.





Season with salt and pepper. To serve top with a splash of hot sauce.

I was looking for something to do with some cauliflower and stumbled across this simple soup recipe from Saveur.com. 

Paprika-Spiced Cauliflower Soup

1/3 cup flour 
½ tsp. kosher salt 
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and chilled 
1 egg 
1 ½ tbsp. Hungarian hot paprika 
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped 
6 cups vegetable stock 
1 small head cauliflower, large stem removed, cut into florets 
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 
1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, stemmed and finely chopped


In a bowl, stir together flour and salt. Add in 2 tbsp. butter and using your fingers, rub into flour until pea-size crumbles. Add egg, and stir until dough forms. Refrigerate until ready to use.





Heat remaining butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add in the paprika and onion, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes.




Add vegetable stock, cauliflower, and carrot. Season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are cooked but still hold their form, about 15 minutes. 

 

Using a small spoon, portion out and drop all dumpling dough into simmering soup. Boil for a couple more minutes until the dumplings are cooked.

Top with parsley.

Brussel Sprouts in brown butter

Here is another easy preparation for brussel sprouts.

Brussel Spouts in Brown Butter
Brussel Sprouts, halved
Oil
Butter
salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy skillet, cast iron works best, heat oil and toss with the brussel sprouts. Cook for about 5 minutes until they are nicely browned.



Remove the brussel sprouts and add the butter to the pan. Heat over medium low heat until the butter begins to turn brown and takes on a nutty smell.




Add the brussel sprouts back to the pan and toss with the butter and season with salt and pepper.

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Spinach Souffle

I recently found myself with a bunch of extra egg whites. A savory souffle is a perfect way to use them. Serve with a salad and some bread and you have a great meal. Here I used this recipe, but replaced the sweet potato with spinach.

Start by sauteing the spinach.



Then drain, and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.



Mix the spinach into the base.



Enjoy!!

Pita Bread

Making pita at home is surprisingly easy. It only takes a handful of ingredients and a bit time. Its a great thing to do with the kids too. I found this recipe on one of my favorite bread baking sites the Fresh Loaf.

Pita
3 cups flour (I used half whole wheat half white)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tbs sugar
2 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups water
2 Tbs oil

Measure out all the ingredients and add to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.



Mix for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth. Place in an oiled bowl, and let rest about 90 minutes until doubled.




Divide the into 4 larger or 8 small balls. Let rest about 20 minutes. Meanwhile heat oven to 400 degrees.




Roll the dough out into a large circle about 1/4 inch think. Bake for about 5 minutes until puffy.

Cauliflower cassarole

I wasn't always a fan of cauliflower. Maybe it was the mushy texture or the generally bland flavor, but as time has gone on I've warmed to it. What better way to enjoy it than covered in cheese and topped with a crispy bread crumb topping. This recipe is basically the same as for Mac & Cheese, but with the cauliflower instead of pasta.

Cauliflower Casserole 

1 large head cauliflower, cut into large pieces

1 -2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 cups milk 

2 Tbs cornstearch

salt and pepper to taste

3 - 6 oz cheese (I used cheddar and gruyere)

about 1/4 cup bread crumbs

Preheat over to 400.

Warm the 1 3/4 cups milk with the garlic.

Meanwhile boil the cauliflower in a large pot of boil water for about 5 minutes, until just tender. Drain and set aside.

Mix the cornstarch with the reserved milk.

Slowly drizzle into the warm milk and cook until the sauce thickens. Turn off heat and add about half the cheese. Stirring until the cheese melts.

Add the cauliflower and season generously with salt and pepper.

Pour into a baking dish and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and cover with the bread crumbs.

Bake in 400 deg oven for about 30 minutes, until the top is nicely browned. Let sit for a couple minutes before serving.