I think the time may have come for me to start wearing a bib.
(Aprons are too matronly; I’d rather be a kid).
I was in the midst of preparing these delicious pita pockets last week – a little music going on, slicing and dicing into the tomatoes, squeezing the lemon, drizzling the oil. All was rolling along tickety-boo until I realized that we were out of milk. It was pushing up against the dinner hour and my sons were having friends over so I decided to dash out the door and pick up a few things. Apparently, I neglected to give myself a little once-over before exiting the house.
Not good.
It wasn’t until the friendly – and no doubt well-intentioned – produce fellow at the grocery store asked me ‘what’s for dinner?’ with a telling smile that I snapped out of my kitchen coma and realized that I was wearing the recipe on my shirt. Literally. Splotches of tomato, streaks of green parsley (likely in my teeth too), and drizzles of oil splattered liberally across my belly. Even a couple of chunks of Kalamata olive managed to go rogue on me. I was mortified.
Briefly.
Then I giggled most of the way home.
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White Bean & Feta Pita Pockets with a Lemon Delicious Vinaigrette
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2 cups cooked white beans (any variety), well rinsed if using canned
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1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
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12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
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1/2 English cucumber, chopped
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1/2 cup feta cheese, crumpled or chopped
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1/3 cup purple onion, chopped
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1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives, cut in half
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1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (great way to use up your garden parsley!)
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3 whole grain pitas, sliced in half
For the Vinaigrette
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 heaping tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp honey
- Sea salt & pepper to taste
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Notes:
These pita sandwiches are one of our favourite lunches year-round. They are so simple and satisfying, not to mention (but I will) bursting with nutrients. You can use any vegetables you happen to have in the fridge for this recipe – it’s a great way to clean house! Substitute lentils, tofu, tempeh or edamame for the beans, as desired, to create a different taste and nutrient composition each time.
You can also play around with the dressing to see what works best for you. Here’s another one of my favourites: Fresh Raspberry Vinaigrette.
Directions:
Makes 6 pita pockets (6 halves).
Assemble ingredients while you cook white beans on stove-top.
Remove cooked beans from heat. Rinse the beans in cool water and allow them to drain. Gently pat dry.
Place beans, bell pepper, tomatoes, cucumber, feta, onion, olives and parsley together in a large bowl and mix gently to combine.
Meanwhile, assemble vinaigrette ingredients in a small container with fitted lid. Shake well before pouring dressing over salad ingredients. Mix carefully to combine taking care not to mash contents. The idea is to have just enough dressing to flavour the contents without drenching the pitas.
Distribute the bean mixture among the 6 (or more) pita pockets and enjoy!
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Looking for more mouthwatering meatless meals?
Whether you are a vegetarian or simply wanting to vary your diet and expand your nutrient repertoire, here are some other tasty ideas to keep you motivated.
Simply click on the titles below for recipes.
Brown Rice & Cannellini Bean Sliders with fresh Peach
Pan Seared Sesame Tempeh
Haha sometimes it’s better someone tell you quietly about something wrong, than having silent stares by many people. You reminded me that I’ve been looking for a nice apron for over an year. Anyway, what a colorful and healthy delicious meal! I love pita bread and my kids love putting things in it. They can be amused easily by this kind of thing. Thanks for the delicious recipe!!
Loving all the veggies in the pita pockets :) How funny that you ran out without thinking (trust me – I’ve done stuff like that). Side note, I have a couple aprons that I absolutely love and wear every time I cook, I’ll send you an email with the link.
hahahah that’s amazing! I’m with Amy, definitely sounds like something I would do. On the rare occasion, I’ll actually wear an apron, but I’ve accidentally worn that out before, and often forget to take it off while eating dinner. Anyways, all of these meals sound so healthy and delicious. YUM. :)
I do the same thing! At the urging of my very self-conscious 12 year old she now inspects me before leaving the house!
Omgosh,
I’d love for you to make my lunches, Kelly.
And I ADORE the Spicy Thai Soup. All of those tastes would be like a birthday party inside my mouth!!
Xxxx Love.
I love vegetarian food and hope to “steal” some food ideas from you to convince my husband and child to enjoy their meatless dishes… Now following you at Twitter :D
You ARE my long lost sister of the virtual kind…. you have NO IDEA how many times I leave the house with flour on top of my head, and the worst is that Phil even kisses me goodbye and later, when I arrive home fuming at him, says “you always look beautiful to me, I guess I didn’t notice” ;-)
yeap. Flour on head. Parsley on teeth. Tomato sauce splattered on white shirt. That is so me!
I would have been giggling too! Of course I go out of the house like that at least once a week (and over the weekend for milk too!). I love these pitas. Would you believe we’re having something very similar for dinner tonight! Ours have chickpeas in place of white beans. :)
I was looking for something to eat on the way down from the cottage on Monday, Kelly, this is perfect timing. I think I’ll have to resort to a tin of chic peas instead of cooking them from scratch as it’s cottage closing weekend (can you believe it?) and I’ll be too busy. The flavours you’ve chosen to include are wonderful but in the essence of efficiency, I think I’ll clean out the fridge and use up what I have on hand. Thanks again for the inspirations
PS. I’m all over that Spicy thai Coconut soup with Ginger, Linme and Vermicelli…
It’s so great to explore the amazing meatless options that never cease to amaze me. Gorgeous and a must try. Pitas and the rest too.
Sissi is right some greek yoghurt with that would be killer or sour cream. I wish I could make that tomorrow, but I dont have a cooker till day after. =I
Nice round up, by the way. =)
Your bean pita pockets look and sound absolutely scrumity! Packed full of healthy flavours.
:-) Mandy
Heeheehee…I know what you mean about the ambiant kitchen splatters… let’s just say my entire house is due for a not-so-quick once-over after the long weekend ;0).
Heeheehee…I know what you mean about the ambiant kitchen splatters… let’s just say my entire house is due for a not-so-quick once-over after the long weekend ;0).
Awww, thanks Kay! Glad you enjoy.
10% is indeed delightful… whenever I visit my mom she always has some Greek lemon yogurt in that range – or higher – and I tell you, it’s pure heaven. Have a great day Sissi!
Thanks Lynn – the pita salads do have that look and feel of summer… yeah!! I’m not done with the season quite yet ;0) Let’s hope it’s a gorgeous fall too!
If a look of sheer horror counts as grace then I rocked it! :).
Hey Sister!! It is a pretty wonderful life… ;-).
Lunch/Lupper/Supper soon I hope.
You’re hilarious!!! The bib would be quite the visual… funny girl ;0)
Haha, you’re absolutely right, in fact I almost worked that into the post – there are some pretty sexy aprons these days… I’ll need to investigate that more closely ;-).
Hey Jen! It was quite the sight ;-). Yes, you could absolutely bring these to the office – just pop the salad contents into a container and assemble sur place. Hope the family’s doing well – gearing up for another year! (too fast…)
Looks great for office lunch too! Love the dirty shirt, wish I’d seen it.
mmmmm…the pita pockets look so yummy!
Totally my kind of comfort food! Show me a pita and i’ll make a moreish something with it :) ! But aprons: I must have at least half a dozen hanging behind the door – and I may be of matronly age, but my friends would have hysterics hearing me so described! Haven’t you heard ogf gorgeous colourful, ones with witty and naughty sayings – yes, weel, one can be somewhat corny whilst cooking :) !
Wahahahaha!!! That’s so cute! Ok, maybe not right at that moment but Think about this …. next time you go out in a hurry, don’t forget to take the bib off first! Now that would get a stranger response than “what’s for dinner?”
I love bean salads. Putting in a pita pocket … a picnic comes to mind :)
What great healthy meals. I love the look of the rice and bean sliders.
I find I tend to wipe my hands on my trousers when I am cooking and then look down in horror at the mess. I must remember to avoid going out like that.
hehe, Kelly, I though I was the only one who made a mess on myself in the kitchen. My mom always said this to me “why can all the kids in the neighborhood wear one outfit all day and I have to change you THREE times?” – it’s still true! But if the results are this good, I don’t care! :)
Ahhahaha you go girl! I bet you rocked that look ;-)
Kelly, thinking of you bustling around in your kitchen, happy as a peach, makes me smile. What a wonderful life!
I started laughing at your comment about matronly aprons, but I am totally giggling right now about your run to the store. I bet you handled it with grace, though. :) Those pitas sound delicious as does the spicy Thai soup. Keep on (carefully) slicin’ and dicin’!
mmm… These look so tasty, perfect for the warm weather we’re having. Fantastic photos too! Thanks for providing some other great looking meatless meals.
Lynn
Haha I loved your story my friend :D
And these bean pita wraps just look so addictively delicious, in major love :)
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Haha…I’ve run out of the house with flour on me from quickly wiping my hands on my shirt!! Just grin and bear it, right?! Well, you’ve solved my dinner delimna for tonight, I just have to run out for the pita….and I’ll check myself at the mirror before I head out!
I’m definitely going to try some of these recipes. Their flavors sound very exotic!
Kelly, I keep on repeating in my head “pita pockets, pita pockets…” It sounds so cute! The pockets look delightful, I almost don’t notice the lack of meat, and I’m sure they would be perfect with some Greek yogurt ;-) (I still keep on looking for a light version, in the meantime I am tempted to buy more of the 10% fat… It’s so good!).
Thank you for reminding of these delightful meatless dishes. I don’t often have vegetarian meals (it has to be at least an egg…), but feta and tofu are among rare products that can substitute meat or seafood for me. (Psychologically of course).
Your hilarious story reminds me I should start wearing apron when I cook (I always forget unless it’s something as vicious as cherries or blueberries).
I can honestly say, you’re the one person that has gotten me to actually experiment with beans. I am still not a huge bean person but I am definitely eating more of it.
hahaha, omg, this would totally happen to me. At least he knew you were making dinner and weren’t just a slob! I don’t even attempt to begin cooking without an apron…i splatter way too much. I wish I could my kitchen counter, stove and floor could wear an apron too ;) This looks totally delish!