Mediterranean Nachos
A great beach-house snack.
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Whole-grain pita chips stand in for tortilla chips in this Mediterranean twist on nachos. Topped with ripe tomatoes, garlicky chickpeas and a cilantro-tahini sauce, this shareable snack is the ultimate warm-weather finger food.
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Ingredients
- 4 9-inch whole-wheat pitas (TIP: Look for Lebanese-style pita, which is typically thinner than other varieties.)
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided (TRY: California Olive Ranch Reserve Miller’s Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
- 4 tsp za’atar (TRY: Frontier Co-op Za’atar Seasoning)
- ¼ cup ice cold water
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced, divided
- ½ cup loosely packed cilantro + additional for garnish
- ¼ cup tahini
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped, divided
- ¼ tsp each sea salt and ground black pepper (TRY: Simply Organic Ground Black Pepper)
- 1 15-oz can unsalted chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
- ½ yellow bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup crumbled full-fat feta cheese
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut each pita in half horizontally, opening up pockets to peel apart into 2 thin pieces each. Brush bread with two-thirds of oil and sprinkle with za’atar. Place pieces on a large baking sheet and bake until crisp, stirring halfway, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Break pita into large pieces, about the size of a large tortilla chip. Arrange pieces in an even layer on sheet. (MAKE AHEAD: Pita chips can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container.)
3. In a food processor, blend together ice water, one-half of lemon juice, cilantro, tahini, one-third of garlic, and salt and pepper until smooth. Set aside.
4. In a large nonstick skillet on medium, heat remaining one- third of oil. Add remaining two- thirds of garlic and sauté until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add chickpeas, remaining one-half of lemon juice, all the lemon zest and a splash of water and mash with a potato masher until chickpeas are crushed and mixture is heated, 3 minutes.
5. Spoon chickpea mixture over pita. Sprinkle tomatoes, bell pepper and cheese over chips.
6. Just before serving, bake nachos for 5 minutes, until heated through. Drizzle with tahini sauce and garnish with additional cilantro (if using).
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1/8 of recipe
- Calories 332
- Carbohydrate Content 45 g
- Cholesterol Content 8 mg
- Fat Content 14 g
- Fiber Content 7 g
- Protein Content 12 g
- Saturated Fat Content 3 g
- Sodium Content 459 mg
- Sugar Content 4 g
- Monounsaturated Fat Content 6 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat Content 3 g