Pita Pockets

Last week a few members of the group put their computer literacy skills to the test by being in charge of using the Come Dine With Us laptop to find healthy recipes that could be made at the club.

They found this fantastic low calorie starter, which is bursting with flavour and incorporates lots of nutritious ingredients.

As the group have proven to be brilliant bread makers (See previous blog entry Baking bread) they decided to make their own Pita breads for this dish.

Firstly for the actual Pita Breads we used:


Preparing the Dough



1/2 Cup of Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 Tsp Yeast
1 Tsp Sugar
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Oil
A little Water

Combine all the ingredients except the oil, using enough water to create a soft dough. then add the oil and knead.

Then cover and leave to prove for about 15 minutes, the group were impressed that the dough doubled in size during this time.

Then  press the dough lightly to remove the air bubbles.

Divide the dough to 3 equal portions and roll out into a circular shape which is about 1/4 of an inch thick.

Then heat a griddle on a medium heat and cook the Pita's for a minute on each side until a cavity forms in the breads.

Then cut in half and leave to cool while you prepare the filling and the dressing.


The Filling:

                                                                 1 Cup of Cooked Chickpeas- We used Tinned.


Blending the Ingredients

 3 Tbsp of chopped Parsley
1 Tbsp of chopped onion
1 Tbsp of chopped Garlic
1 Tbsp Low Fat Yoghurt
1 Tsp White Pepper
1 Tbsp of Lemon Juice
A pinch of Salt

Combine the Chickpeas, parsley, onions and garlic in a mixer and blend to a smooth paste.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the Yoghurt, pepper, salt and lemon juice and mix well.

Then divide the filling into 6 equal portions and keep aside.

The Dressing
1 Slice of Whole meal Bread
1/3 Cup of Yoghurt
1/4 Tsp Sugar
3/4 Tsp Oil
A Pinch of Black Pepper
1/2 Tsp Mustard Powder
1/2 Tbsp Parsley
A pinch of Salt

Combine the Bread, yoghurt, sugar and oil and blend in a mixer to a smooth paste.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the pepper, mustard powder, parsley and salt and mix well.



Using a slicer to chop the carrots...



Divide it into 6 equal portions and keep aside.

Garnish:

Cabbage Leaves

Grated Carrot

Grated Cucumber



...and cucumber



Putting your Pita's Pockets Together:

Just before serving, arrange a few cabbage leaves evenly in a pita bread and stuff it with a portion of the filling.

Place a little carrot and cucumber on top followed by a portion of the dressing.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 5 more pita pockets.

 The homemade pita's were great and well worth making from scratch and the flavours of the filling and the dressing worked really well together.

The group thought that this made a colourful and wholesome lunch. As a group we discussed how it was a great vegetarian option as the chickpeas are a good source of protein and carbohydrates, providing us with lots of energy for the day.