Pita Pizzas Three Ways
Pita Pizzas Three Ways
Chewy pitas are grilled over an open flame, then topped with three different toppings-two with smoky white bean dip, seasonal fruit, and fragrant herbs and nuts, and one with hummus and ingredients inspired by the mediterranean. Enjoy this healthy vegan and oil-free meal on your trip camping in the great outdoors.
Pita Pizzas Three Ways
Ingredients:
- 3 whole wheat pitas
- 1/2 Batch Smoky White Bean Spread
- 1 peach, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp slivered almonds
- Fresh mint, thinly sliced for garnish
- 2 handfuls arugula
- Balsamic glaze, for garnish
- 3 whole wheat pitas
- 1/2 Batch Smoky White Bean Spread
- 1 pear, thinly sliced
- 1/4 tsp dried lavender
- 2 Tbsp slivered almonds
- 2 handfuls of arugula
- Balsamic glaze, for garnish
- 3 whole wheat pitas
- 1 cup hummus
- 2 tomatoes on the vine, thinly sliced
- Fresh basil, for garnish
- 2 Tbsp kalamata olives, halved
- Fresh oregano, for garnish (optional, but delicious!)
- 2 handfuls of arugula
- balsamic glaze, for garnish
Instructions:
- Burn your campfire down to very hot embers
- Carefully place a grill over your campfire
- Carefully place all pitas on the grill and allow them to cook for about 2-3 minutes, depending on the heat from the fire. Remove from heat. The pitas should be toasted, not burned.
- On the toasted side of each pita, smear a generous amount of the smoky white bean spread and/or hummus. Then add all toppings EXCEPT the arugula and balsamic glaze.
- Place the pitas back on the grill (toasted and topping side up) to allow the other side of the pita to toast (about 2-3 minutes, depending on the heat from your fire).
- Carefully remove each pita from the grill. Top with a sprinkle of fresh arugula and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Allow to cool a for a few minutes before serving.
- Either cut the pitas into 4 pieces to share, or allow each person to claim their own whole pizza. A serving size is 1 1/2 pita pizzas per person.
Notes:
About the recipe:
All over the internet where new WFPB folks gather, I’ve seen a recurring question: what do I eat when we go camping??
It’s a fair question when you’re accustomed to cooking hotdogs and burgers. If vegan mock meats are off the table, what do you make?
My husband and I love camping and backpacking. Food eaten around a campfire ALWAYS tastes better and there’s nothing better than pulling a Laura Ingalls Wilder by cooking over hot embers and making home in the wilderness. I usually make my Mind-Blowing Sweet and Smoky Chili ahead of time when we go camping. Burrito bowls with my refried beans are another staple. But I wanted to create something for families that would be interactive for kids and involved cooking directly over the fire. To test this recipe, I used our Pendleton fire pit which we won in a raffle.
These three different flavors were creating to suit different palates. The Mediterranean Hummus recipe is great for children and picky eaters. The Smoky peach is a crowd pleaser, wowing all of my test subjects (my in-laws). The Smoky Pear and Lavender is perfect for the foodie. If you make all three of these, every member of the family is sure to be impressed.
I would recommend eating this on your first night of camping, so you don’t need to store the greens and spreads very long. Be sure to bring a spatula- you’ll want it when it’s time to take the pizzas off the fire.
RECIPE NOTES:
To toast the pitas (not burn them), aim to cook over hot embers rather than flame. A little flame is okay, but we don’t want it licking the bottom of the pitas.
If you only want to make one of these flavors, rather than all three, my vote is for the Smoky Peach!
To avoid using hummus with oil (aka store bought hummus), I always make my own. There are so many oil-free hummus recipes floating around on the internet, I haven’t even bothered to post my own. Let me know if you’d like me to remedy that.
Don’t skip the balsamic glaze! The slight acidity makes each of these pizzas SING and the fruit POP. If you want to buy it at the store, it’s usually kept by the balsamic vinegar. If you want to make it yourself, you can use the recipe I used, which is linked in the recipe box above.
CAREFUL WITH THE LAVENDER. If your kids are helping you make these, definitely supervise this step. Lavender can quickly become overwhelming and make your food taste like soap. Just a teeny sprinkle is sufficient. If you don’t have lavender, I think a bit of fresh thyme would be lovely in its place.
To get more detailed photos, I used less arugula than the recipe calls for (and less than I would normally use). To get in a serving of cruciferous veggies, I pile on as much arugula as I can before drizzling with the balsamic glaze. The amount of arugula you use is up to you :)
I hope this camping recipe keeps your family full and gives them something fun to do. Camping while WFPB requires a bit more planning than just buying burgers and hotdogs, but it’s lots of fun and EVERYONE will be jealous of your colorful food.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know! Tag me on Instagram @notlikemama. I love to see your versions of my recipes.
Have fun in the great outdoors!
Happy Cooking,
Courtney