Homemade Hummus & Pita Chips

Yesterday, while I sat in the hair salon waiting for my 13yo to get blue streaks in her hair, I picked up a copy of Family Fun magazine, and found a recipe for homemade hummus and pita chips. I copied the main parts of it into a memo on my cell phone, and my mouth has been watering ever since.

I did a surprisingly good job interpreting my phone memo, because I tried it today and it turned out very tasty! Basically, it was just a can of chickpeas (drained & rinsed), juice from a lemon, tahini, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, a little olive oil, some water, cumin, and a sprinkling of salt - all whirred together in the food processer. Then, I guess because it looked pretty, a very small amount of olive oil drizzled on the final product.

The pita chips were made from cut up whole-wheat pita bread, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with garlic powder, salt, and Italian seasonings - and then baked in a 400 oven for about 6 minutes. They turned out very light and crispy and tasted perfect with the hummus!

 

Edit: I found the actual Family Fun recipe online here.

How to Eat Mexican Food in Pittsburgh

It is hard to find really good Mexican, or Tex-Mex, food when you live in Pittsburgh, but I'm a Texas girl and I have my ways. It's also hard to keep Mexican food low-cal, but it is possible! How's this for today's lunch...

 Two Chicken Tacos: 335 calories

1. Go to the Strip District downtown and buy freshly made corn tortillas and a small block of chihuahua cheese at the Mexican grocery store.

 

2. Shred some boiled chicken and chop a very small onion. Grate just a little bit of the chihuahua cheese and set aside. Fry 1/3 cup shredded chicken and 2 tablespoons chopped onion in 1 teaspoon of olive oil for a few minutes. Set aside and keep warm.

3. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a small pan. Fry 2 tortillas until they start to bubble and are soft (just a few seconds).

4. Fill tortillas with the shredded chicken and onion, 2 tablespoons grated cheese, 2 tablespoons chopped tomatoes, and as much cilantro as you like. Roll up and eat.

Yummy! These two tacos are only 335 calories. Believe it or not! No extra seasoning required, either - they are delicious because of the chihuahua cheese and cilantro - which means, very low sodium content also! See calorie breakdown at the bottom of the page.

5. If you have a glass of non-Mexican cabernet sauvignon with your meal, add 100 calories to the total. :)

Calorie Breakdown:

2 corn tortillas: 100
2 teaspoons olive oil: 80
1/3 cup shredded chicken breast (skinless, boiled in water): 90
2 tablespoons chopped onion: 10
2 tablespoons grated chihuahua cheese: 50
2 tablespoons chopped tomatoes: 5
Cilantro: 0

Total: 335 calories