You know what causes me emotional turmoil? Unnecessarily spending hoards of money on things.
I am relentlessly scouring grocery flyers, shopping both virtual and physical sale racks, and looking for discounts upon discounts upon already-clearance-priced items.
We don’t eat out very often either because, well, let’s just be honest with ourselves for a minute here, usually, restaurants are grossly-overpriced for (a) product(s) that isn’t even all that good. We can cook delicious food. On a fairly-reasonable budget. And so we do.
Unless, of course, we’re talking about all-you-can-eat sushi. Then, we splurge.
Along similar lines, I absolutely cannot bring myself to buy pre-made packaged goods. For so many reasons. Tiny bags of, not-so-delicious, granola sold for $7.00, measly packages of kale chips for $6.00, or jars of cacao bliss for $12.00 cause me, a perhaps unreasonable amount of, grief. When these things can be made at home for a fraction of the cost, they taste better, and are healthier than their pre-packaged counterparts, wellll, yeah, there really is no alternative for me.
Pita chips are no exception to the aforementioned rule. Pita chips are so inexpensive, easy to make, and flavour-flexible. For $1.99, I made a literal mountain of pita chips. A nearly insurmountable one. Good thing I had guests.
Pita Chips
Ingredients
Pita bread (whole wheat or white)
Extra virgin olive oil
Seasonings of choice** (your own mix, or a store-bought blend)
Directions
1. Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Cut open your pitas so that you have single “sheets” of pita bread (alternately, you could keep them whole (two-layered) and have thicker chips).
3. Lightly brush one side of the pita with olive oil (I brushed the rough side), and lightly & evenly sprinkle with your seasoning(s) of choice.
4. Repeat the process until all of your pita rounds are oiled and seasoned.
5. Pile a few pitas up at a time and cut them into chips (triangles, rectangles, etc…you could even get super-fancy and use sharp cookie cutters to make particular shapes for a party!)
6. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, in single layers, seasoned side up, and bake at 375 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Keep an eye on them after the 4-minute mark. They are thin and can burn quickly if you’re not vigilent. Once they are lightly browned, remove from the oven and allow them to cool. They will crisp up even more as they cool.
7. Serve alone or with your choice dip(s).
These can be made either savory or sweet (topped with a cinnamon-sugar mix and served with a finely-diced fruit salad, sweet cream-cheese dip, or dessert hummus).
**I used a blend of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ground caraway, ground celery seed, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and parsley.
For delicious dip ideas, check out the dips & spreads section of my recipe index. You’ll find both sweet and savory options, built to satisfy.
Such as…
…among many others!