It was Sunday afternoon, and my family was sitting around reading, when everyone looked up almost at once and said, “ I’m hungry.” Of course, they don’t get up and get anything themselves, they all look at mom, right? Well, the complaint in my house from my children, as you can imagine, is, “Why don’t we have any junk to eat in the house? Why do you have to be the food doctor?”
So I decided to make something that was fast, would taste great, and that was really feel good food: whole wheat pita chips, with a twist.
The other day I picked up a small bottle of cold-pressed merlot grapeseed oil flavored with chipotle peppers*. I wasn’t sure what I’d do with it, but I thought it would be fun to try. It had just the right zing, even just for dipping.
Grapeseed oil is known for its high flash point, or smoke point. This means it can withstand high heat while cooking and will not burn as readily as other oils. This quality has made grapeseed oil a choice of many gourmet chefs around the world. Grapeseed oil is recognized as a heart-healthy cooking oil. It is high in antioxidants and vitamin E. It has about half the saturated fat of an olive oil and early research has shown that it may help to raise HDL and lower LDL cholesterols.
I had whole wheat pita bread that I had bought the day before, brushed them with the grapeseed oil, sprinkled them with Kosher salt, cut them into triangles and baked them on a cookie sheet at 350o F for 20 minutes, flipping them at 10 minutes.
I barely got them out of the oven before everyone was eating them and loving them. They are crispy and salty with just the right amount of zing, with the plus of whole wheat. Served with hummus, they are great. It was a huge improvement on the plain whole wheat pita that can be a hard sell to kids sometimes, and even adults.
*I found the oil at a store called Oil & Vinegar.
Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner