Category: chips

Garlic Pita Chips and Hummus

Looking for a quick, easy appetizer to serve at your next party or family get together? Have you thought about making hummus and homemade pita chips? Trust me, your guests not only will love this, but they’ll be begging you for the recipe!
The garlic pita chips could not be any easier to make. They literally will take you 5 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes of oven time. I will NEVER buy a prepackaged bag of pita chips again… not with the preserves, unnatural flavorings and excess salt. These homemade pita chips are fresher, contain less sodium and have ingredients that you can actually pronounce!
As for hummus, it seems to be the new craze lately, perhaps because its healthy (loaded with iron, vitamin C, folate and vitamin B6), or perhaps because its just plain tastes good! Made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic, hummus is a perfect sandwich spread or dip.
Last weekend I had my parents and sister over for some grilled chicken. Just an hour before they arrived, I had the brilliant idea of making these amazing Cooking Light garlic pita chips to accompany the 7+ flavors of Zilks Foods hummus I had in the fridge. Zilks was kind enough to send me a variety of natural, gluten-free hummus flavors from their headquarters in Austin. I had been snacking on the hummus all week, but with only 2 people in our house, I needed to spread the hummus love and share a little. 🙂
Anyways…ready to learn how to make homemade pita chips? Here we go…
Spray each side of pita bread with cooking spray.
Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper and then cut each pita into 8 wedges. Place on a greased baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F or until golden brown.
That’s it, you’re done! Now time for some hummus!
Take your pick… Zilks has a ton of hummus flavors including Jalapeno & Cilantro Pesto; Roasted Red Pepper Pesto;  Basil Pesto;  Spinach & Artichoke;  Balsamic Roasted Garlic & Red Onion; Hatch Green Chili Pesto; Chipotle Sun-dried Tomato…. need I go on????
My favorite was the Balsamic Roasted Garlic & Red Onion… I never would have guessed that!
We had a great family night, and nearly demolished the hummus and pita chips. What did my husband (Matt) say, you ask? FYI – he can be picky and sometimes too honest for my liking!
Drumroll please………. he liked it!!!  Honestly I was blown away, because I had never before seen Matt, my extremely southern/country husband with a thick East Texas accent even put hummus in his mouth! My sister, mom, and dad approved as well.
For the hummus, you’ve got to try this brand called Zilks Foods. It’s an Austin-based company that prides themselves in clean, natural, great-tasting food. Their story is neat as well: the two partners, John Anderson and Bill McMeans “traded Wall Street and high finance insanity for Zilker Park and artisan food honesty.”
Not only do these guys sound smart, but when you buy their hummus, not only are you supporting an American-owned business, you’re support a local business in the Lone Star State of Texas!!! Talk about some state pride! Anyways, look for Zilks in your nearest Whole Foods Market or visit these guys on the web at www.zilksfoods.com and tell them I sent you!
Zilks Foods Hummus

Garlic Pita Chips
Ingredients
6 (6-inch) pitas
Cooking spray
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Coat one side of each pita with cooking spray. Sprinkle pitas evenly with garlic salt and pepper.
3. Cut each pita into 8 wedges; arrange wedges in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until crisp.

Yield: 4 dozen chips
Recipe from: Cooking Light – Annual Recipes 2008

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: 80 Calories | 0g Fat | 3.5g Protein | 16.5g Carb | 0.5g Fiber | 120mg Sodium 

Baked “Chips”


These are the only way that I will eat a potato. Most of you who know me know that I hate mashed or baked potatoes!!! The mushy texture is too much for me to handle and you should see my face when I eat them! Therefore, I will only eat oven-roasted potatoes because they are crispy. This recipe is quite good and comes from the “Barefoot Contessa Family Style” cookbook by Ina Garten. By the way, these go great with steaks, grilled chicken, pork tenderloin, or fish. Enjoy!

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise, then cut each half into thirds lengthwise.

Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary leaves.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes, turning to other side after 20 minutes.

Baked “Chips”
Ingredients
4 large baking potatoes, unpeeled
4 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary leaves

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Scrub the potatoes, cut them in half lengthwise, then cut each half in thirds lengthwise. You’ll have six long wedges from each potato.
3. Place the potatoes on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary. With clean hands, toss all the ingredients together, making sure the potatoes are covered with oil. Spread the potatoes in a single layer with one cut side down.
4. Bake the potatoes for 30 to 35 minutes, turning to the other side after 20 minutes. Bake until they are lightly browned, crisp outside, and tender inside. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.

Serves: 6