Southwest Pita Crisps Recipes

SOUTHWEST PITA CRISPS

Steps:

• Arrange oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 2 large shallow baking sheets with foil.
• In small bowl, stir together vegetable oil, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne. Lay 1 pita round on cutting board. Brush both sides with oil mixture and sprinkle one side with 1/4 cup Cheddar. Cut into 6 triangles and place, cheese side up, on baking sheet. Repeat with 5 more pitas (3 pitas per sheet).
• Bake 6 minutes. Remove pans from oven, turn chips over with tongs, and bake until golden and crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer crisps to a rack and let cool.
• Repeat process with remaining pitas. Store airtight at room temperature up to one month.

PITA CRISPS FOR SPINACH DIP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Split pita breads in half horizontally; brush cut sides with olive oil. Cut each round into eight wedges.
• Arrange, cut sides up, on two rimmed baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until golden and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes.

SOUTHWESTERN SALSA AND SPICY CORN CHIPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl, combine salsa, cilantro, scallion, and Southwestern marinade mix. Set aside.
• Working in batches, pour a single layer of chips on baking sheet. Very lightly coat with vegetable oil spray. Lightly sprinkle with taco seasoning. Bake for 5 minutes. Repeat until all chips are seasoned.
• Serve chips on a large platter with a bowl of the Southwestern Salsa.

SOUTHWEST PITA CRISPS

Steps:

• Arrange oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 350°F Line 2 large shallow baking sheets with foil.
• In small bowl, stir together vegetable oil, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne. Lay 1 pita round on cutting board. Brush both sides with oil mixture and sprinkle one side with 1/4 cup Cheddar.
• Cut into 6 triangles and place, cheese side up, on baking sheet. Repeat with 5 more pitas (3 pitas per sheet).
• Bake 6 minutes. Remove pans from oven, turn chips over with tongs, and bake until golden and crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer crisps to a rack and let cool.
• Repeat process with remaining pitas. Store airtight at room temperature up to one month.

HIGH'S HUMMUS WITH PITA CRISPS

Steps:

• TO MAKE THE HUMMUS: Combine the chickpeas, garlic, cayenne pepper, cumin, paprika, salt, lemon juice, and tahini in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add just enough olive oil through the feed tube to get the mixture turning, usually about 2 tablespoons. (Too much oil at the beginning will prevent the finer pieces of chickpea from grinding smoothly, creating a coarse blend.) Scrape down the sides. Run the processor until the chickpeas are ground completely. Once the mixture is smooth, slowly add up to 4 tablespoons more olive oil to achieve a silky consistency. The folks at High's say, "Run your machine a long time. We almost whip it." I let the machine run for another 3 minutes or so. Spoon the hummus into a serving bowl; set aside.
• TO MAKE THE PITA CRISPS: Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a knife, slit open the pitas along their edges and pull each apart into 2 rounds. With a pastry brush, lightly paint both sides of each pita half with olive oil. Sprinkle both sides with salt and cut each round into 8 wedges. Lay the pita wedges in a single layer on baking sheets. Bake until light golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes.
• To serve, drizzle olive oil over the hummus and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Accompany with pita crisps, Greek olives, and chopped fresh tomatoes.
• Tahini is made by pulverizing sesame seeds into a paste with a consistency similar to peanut butter. Many regular grocery stores stock tahini, so ask for help if you can't easily find it yourself, or try stores that specialize in Middle Eastern food.

CHEESY PITA CRISPS

Steps:

• Split each pita pocket in half. Cut each into two triangles; place split side up on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. , In a bowl, combine the margarine, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper; stir in the Parmesan cheese. Spread over triangles. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. , Bake at 400° for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

EAST MEETS WEST GUACAMOLE & SPICY PITA CRISPS

Steps:

• Scrape avocado pulp into a medium bowl.
• Roughly mash avocado & mix in red onion, water chestnuts, garlic, cumin, 5-spice, sesame chile oil, cilantro leaves, lime juice and salt. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Slice each pita into 8 wedges.
• Separate each wedge by pulling it apart three-fourths of the way.
• In small bowl combine cumin, paprika, 5-spice, garlic powder, sesame seeds and salt.
• Spray each pita with oil. Immediately sprinkle with spice mixture to coat lightly.
• Transfer to baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes until golden and crisp.
• Drain crisps on paper towel and transfer to platter.
• Garnish guacamole with cilantro sprigs and sliced green onions.
• Serve with pita crisps.

PITA CRISPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375. Split pitas horizontally. Brush interiors with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Cut each pita half into 4 to 6 wedges. Arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool. Pita crisps can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

SOUTHWEST SPANAKOPITA BITES

Steps:

• In a small skillet, saute red pepper and onion in oil until tender. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in 1/2 cup spinach (save the rest for another use). Stir in the cheese, corn, beans, jalapeno, cumin, chili powder and salt., Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface with a short end facing you. (Keep remaining phyllo covered with a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.) Spray sheet with butter-flavored spray; cut into three 14x3-in. strips. , Place a scant tablespoon of filling on lower corner of each strip. Fold dough over filling, forming a triangle. Fold triangle up, then over, forming another triangle. Continue folding, like a flag, until you come to the end of the strip. , Spritz end of dough with spray and press onto triangle to seal. Turn triangle and spritz top with spray. Repeat with remaining phyllo and filling. , Place triangles on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, mash avocado with the mayonnaise, sour cream and vinegar. Serve with warm appetizers.