Pita Pita!

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Guess who's back in Michigan?!? Now my lovely RVA readers can read about the wonderful cuisine to be found in another town. My return to MI kicked off with a trip to Pita Pita! - a Mediterranean grill in Ypsilanti. My sister had a dentist appointment so my mom took her there after and, of course, they brought some leftovers back for me.

They got one of the delish chicken pita rolls - the garlic sauce is off-the-charts good (there is no cucumber but it is similar in taste to a really garlicky tzatziki) - to this day I can't figure out what they put in it: garlic, Greek yogurt, and sour cream I think... Here is a recipe - it looks like what Pita Pita! uses, but I haven't tried making it before. They marinate the chicken in a great blend of spices and retain the juiciness of the meat. To the roll they add a few slices of pickle and tomato along with the sauce and chicken. Oh it's so good!!! My mom said she's going to have them cater my sister's graduation party.

My sister got the baba ganoush and hummus plate served with pita and a lemony parsley salad. The hummus was good, but the baba ganoush was the most amazing thing EVER. I think they grill the eggplant first - and they find a way to make the mixture really smooth. I could eat it forever.

Sorry, no pics this time, but I'll take some at the party!

Homemade Hummus: Flavored Your Way

I have to say I am kind of in love with hummus. It's the perfect lunch for me because I have a cute little baby Tupperware that I can just throw in my bag and walk out the door with. I make a batch over the weekend and have it for the entire week. This makes packing a lunch easy and I don't make random lunch purchases because I didn't have enough time the night before to make quinoa or a sandwich. It's also incredibly affordable! I mean, my one jar of Tahini ($6) has allowed me to make at least 6 batches of hummus and I have probably 4 more to go. What else you put in your hummus is your business, so be creative!

The first time I made hummus it tasted great, but I couldn't get over the texture. No matter how much I pulsed that thing, it still had tiny chunks. Then I read this post from Eating Bird Food. It changed my life...and my hummus. Thank you!!!

The trick to silky smooth hummus is peeling the chickpeas. It honestly doesn't take that long - I just do it while I am watching TV or something since I can never sit still anyway. Boil a pot of water, add the peas, cook for about 3 minutes, drain, and the shells should pop off easily.

The second trick to smooth hummus is to add enough water. Start with the amount I list below and add more about 1 Tbs at a time until it's as smooth as you want. It will harden up over time, too, so keep that in mind.

Yummy Hummus! (courtesy of the Whole Foods app and my little grey cells)

One can of chickpeas = 1 batch for me

Boil and shell one can chickpeas as directed above.

Put into a food processor (I have a mini-one) or any device of the like.

Add 1/4 cup water, 2 Tbs olive oil, 2 Tbs Tahini, salt and pepper to taste, 1 tsp lemon juice, a sprinkle of paprika, and a dash of Cayenne if you like some heat.

Pulse until smooth.

Taste and season accordingly.

Store for about a week - you can spritz with lemon before serving, or add some parsley.

Tastes great with carrot spears and pretzels!