Mediterranean Vegetable Pitas with Spicy Squash Dip

I made this Spicy Squash Dip with some leftover chickpeas (garbanzo beans) about 3 weeks ago and it kept really well in the fridge, so I decided to make some Mediterranean pita bread sandwiches with the remaining dip. The dip is great served warm on pita breads or flat-breads alone for an appetizer, but it really added a special flavor to the sandwiches.

Mediterranean Vegetable Pitas

Ingredients:

whole wheat pita breads

Spicy Squash Dip (see recipe below)

extra virgin olive oil

red wine vinegar

1/4 c. chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley

Equal amounts: cherry tomatoes (quartered), cucumber (thinly sliced and quartered), and red onion (thinly sliced and quartered)

feta cheese (low-fat OK)

In a bowl or small container, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and flat-leaf parsley with a little olive oil and vinegar, then crumble some feta cheese into the mix, and season with salt and fresh ground pepper. The mixture is to taste, so add more cheese, oil, vinegar or seasonings as desired. The mixture is even better if left to chill overnight in the fridge before serving, as the veggies will marinate in the dressing.

To assemble the sandwiches, toast pita bread in the toaster oven until warmed and slightly browned. Cut an opening along 1/2 of the pita edge (not on the flat face). Heat 3-4 tablespoons of Spicy Squash Dip per pita in the microwave for 30-45 seconds, or until warm. Spoon dip into each pita bread opening and spread over bottom half of pita. Spoon in chilled vegetable & feta mixture until pita feels almost full, and enjoy warm!

The dip recipe came from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics.

Spicy Squash Dip

1 15 oz. (425g) can pumpkin puree

1 15 oz (425g) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 tsp whole cumin seeds, toasted

1 tsp whole mustard seeds, toasted

1 tsp whole coriander seeds, toasted

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

To toast seeds, place them in a heavy skillet over medium high heat and shake pan back and forth until seeds are aromatic and start to take on color. Transfer toasted seeds to a spice grinder or mortar and grind into a fine powder. Set aside.

Combine the pumpkin, the mixed ground spices, olive oil, chickpeas, salt, pepper, lemon juice and thyme leaves in a food processor. Process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Serve immediately, or let cool and refrigerate.