Greek “Nachos” with Baked Chickpeas

I’m obsessed with Greek food right now. Maybe it’s because some of the key ingredients in Greek cuisine: cucumbers, yogurt, and tomatoes are cooling and perfect in the summertime. Or maybe it’s because I’m always looking for ways to use chickpeas and beans to amp up the texture and protein in my recipes. Either way, when I saw this recipe for baked chickpeas as a topping for Greek “Nachos” – I knew I had to try it out!

Crispy homemade pita chips topped with creamy, warm, baked chickpeas, a homemade cucumber-tomato relish, and a drizzle of lemony tahini yogurt sauce makes this an absolutely satisfying but still light and delicious supper.

It actually reminded me of a healthier version of Indian “Dahi Papdi Chaat” — where “Papdis” (fried mini tortillas) are topped with “Dahi” (yogurt), potatoes, chickpeas, and other toppings of your choice. “Chaat” literally means “lick” – which is no surprise since with both the Indian version and the Greek version, you will end up licking your plate clean

The baked chickpeas really make this dish: baking brings out the flavor of the chickpeas and makes the typical canned chickpea into something more complex.

The Ingredients

For the chickpeas

• 4 15-ounce cans cooked chickpeas
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 yellow onions, quartered and thinly sliced
• 8 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1.5 cups vegetable broth

For the fixings

• 3 tomatoes
• 6 mini english cucumbers (or 1 large english cucumber)
• 1 small red onion, diced
• lemon juice (to taste)
• salt/pepper (to taste)
• 1 cup Whole milk organic yogurt (or low-fat)
• 1/4 cup tahini
• Fresh whole wheat pitas, cut into chip-size pieces
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 clove garlic, minced

The Directions

Step 1: Heat oven to 375°F. In a large, oven-safe heavy pot such as a Dutch oven, heat olive oil in the bottom of the pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add garlic and saute for 5 minutes, until everything is wilted. Add cumin, coriander, paprika, cayenne and salt, and cook for 1 minute. Add canned chickpeas and 1.5 cups broth. Bring mixture to a boil and boil for one full minute. Place a lid on the pot and transfer it carefully to the oven. (Note: If you don’t have a dutch oven, you can make the chickpea mixture in a pan on the stove and then transfer to a casserole dish to bake in the oven).

Step 2: Bake chickpeas for 25 minutes. When they’re done they will be soft and fluffy and will look like this:

Step 3: Dice your tomatoes, cucumbers, and onion and toss with 1 tsp olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.

Step 4: Make your yogurt / tahini sauce by combining 1 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup tahini, 1 clove garlic, salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste — thin out the sauce with 1-3 tbsp water as needed. Meanwhile, bake your pita chips: Cut the pitas into chip-size wedges. Arrange on a large baking sheet and spray with olive oil cooking spray, sprinkle with salt. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.

Step 5: Assemble! Top the pita chips with 1 cup of the chickpeas, 1/2 to 1 cup of the tomato mixture and a few tbsp of the yogurt sauce. Eat and enjoy.

The husband absolutely loved this recipe, said it reminded him of the Indian “Chaat”, and Layla gobbled it up so fast it was gone from her plate before I had even taken a couple bites!

 

 

 

from The Picky Eater: A Healthy Food Blog http://ift.tt/1KbPYSP