A Picnic with Panache

This recipe is adapted from The Healthy Kitchen cookbook, one of my favorites. It is a bit more labor intensive than the things I usually make, but it is delicious and worth every minute of chopping, dicing, marinating, cooking and assembling. We took this as a picnic dinner on the first night of our vacation this past weekend. Warning: some of these ingredients (Tahini, whole wheat pitas) are not to be found in stores such as Wal-mart. Try hitting a Sprouts, Sunflower Market or Whole Foods type of a grocer.


Orange Chicken Pita with Vegetables and Tahini Dressing

1 TBSP Italian Seasoning
1 can garbanzo beans

Marinade
1 cup orange juice
1 TBSP paprika
1 tsp. tumeric
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Tahini Dressing
1/4 cup *tahini
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1/2 cup orange juice
1 TBSP lite soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 TBSP chopped parsley

Pita Filling
2 whole tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped red or yellow bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup grated low-fat cheddar

6 whole wheat pita breads

Cook the beans in a pot of water with the Italian seasoning for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Mix marinade ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover and refrigerate overnight or as long as possible. Bake in marinade at 350 for one hour. Slice and let sit in juice as it cools.

Mix dressing ingredients and whisk for one minute.

Mix vegetables with garbanzo beans. Stuff each pita with chicken, veggies and dressing. Enjoy the fruits of your labors!!

*Note: Tahini is sort of like peanut butter made from sesame seeds.


Thanks for the help, Chloe!