Welp, it’s Monday. I have a lot of things that I need to share with you. So let’s just get to it!

1. I got an iPhone. My life has officially changed… I don’t know if it’s for the better since I’m pretty obsessed. This weekend my godson downloaded like 5 ninja apps. He also read my texts. Yes, quite entertaining. Oh and obviously I now have Instagram. I basically just take photos of food, brown butter, and things that don’t matter. SO COOL, right? Wrong.

2. I’m headed to NYC this week! Eeeek! Can you believe that I’ve never been before? I am SO excited. I’ll only be there a few days, but trust me,you are going to want to see the recap. We’re staying in the Trump tower! I also really need some incredible restaurant recommendations so send them my way puhhhlease?

3. My birthday is in like, a month and 10 days… but who’s counting? ANYWAY due to this immediate holiday coming up, I have to start thinking about what I really want to do. I have concluded that I need an incredible meal, followed by a HOMEMADE pumpkin pie served with real whip cream. Really, it’s all I want. Or a trip to Greece. Either one would work.

4. That being said, Thanksgiving is soon. There will be epic desserts on this blog in the next coming weeks. Bear with me as we expand our waistlines… OR you could just make the recipes for other people and give them yoga pants for Christmas.

5. This HUMMUS needs to be made by you. Also bonus points if you make homemade pita chips and eat it for breakfast because you know that’s what I did. I have to thank the fabulous Giada for the inspiration. I have to thank myself for slathering it over everything in sight.

My basil plant is still producing huge leaves, so I decided that it was time to use them up. Holy italian-hummus-love this is GOOD. The basil, garlic, and white bean hummus makes the perfect appetizer and is pretty great on just about anything.

Hummus on sandwiches. Hummus for breakfast. Hummus snacking is totally good. I would know, I dipped carrots, snowpeas, and every veggie imaginable in it. At one point I contemplated putting it on a granola bar, but decided that was taking it too far. But I don’t know. It might still happen.

Oh and the whole making your own pita chips thing? Probably the easiest thing you could ever do. I usually buy the 100 calorie whole wheat pita bread. Western Bagel makes an amazing high-fiber, lower-carb pita bread, but feel free to use any you like!

So how do you make homemade pita chips?

It’s so easy! All you do is cut your pita into 8 wedges (or triangles), place them in a bowl with a bit of olive oil and toss to LIGHTLY coat the pita chips. Alternatively, you can always use olive oil cooking spray. Next, season your pita chips however you desire. I season mine differently every time. Often I use garlic salt and cumin or cinnamon and sugar; for a bit of kick I like chili powder and a drizzle of fresh lime juice. It really just depends what you’ll be serving them with! Once you have your chips seasoned to your liking, all you have to do is bake them the oven at 375 degrees F for about 8-10 minutes or until they are crisp and golden, turning once halfway through baking time.

They turn out a golden brown, crunchy, and unlike any store-bought pita chip! Trust me, you’ll be addicted!

I also have a very big announcement coming soon, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, get your healthy snack on.

Garlic White Bean Basil Hummus + Homemade Toasted Pita Chips

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

A delicious, fresh tasting appetizer that will please any crowd.

Author: Monique of AmbitiousKitchen.com

Recipe type: Snack, Appetizer

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 3 (6-8 inch) whole wheat pitas
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil, or olive oil cooking spray
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (15 ounce) can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4-6 large basil leaves
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling on top

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Cut each pita into 8 wedges. and place wedges in a large bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil or spray with olive oil cooking spray and gently toss to coat. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt all over wedges adding other spices if desired; toss again to coat.
3. Arrange on an ungreased baking sheet and bake about 8-10 minutes, until pita chips are golden brown. Flip over once halfway through baking. Cool on pans.
4. Meanwhile to make your hummus: combine beans, garlic, lemon juice, basil, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a couple of times until the mixture looks somewhat chopped. Add in the 3 tablespoons of olive oil while the machine is still running. Let process until the mixture is creamy.
5. If the mixture appears to be too thick, add in a teaspoon of water at a time to thin it out. Otherwise, season with additional salt and pepper to your liking and drizzle the top with a tiny bit of olive oil. Dip away!

Notes

The hummus should be stored in the refrigerator and can be made 1 day ahead. The pita chips should be kept at room temperature in a container. This recipe was adapted from Giada De Laurentis Everyday Italian cookbook.

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