Chickpea Shawarma

I have a love-hate relationship with running. Mostly hate. Well, probably all hate.

I just got back from a little vacation up in the Blue Ridge Mountains, (a surprise from my guy - isn't he the cutest?) where we happily spent days hiking in the mountains. It was hot, sweaty business, but totally worth it for the amazing views that greeted us along the way. The views were the reward.

View from Sharp Top Mountain, as a cloud passed around us. If you've never stood in a cloud before, I would highly recommend it!

But running is another story. Something about hauling my butt down the sidewalk in 86 degree weather, past fast food places smelling of trap grease and identical townhomes doesn't serve well to motivate. Boooorrrrring. Maybe I need a new running route. Maybe I just need to stop running. I'm kind of leaning toward the latter. That's acceptable, right?

So after yesterdays lovely run, my guy and I whipped up these tasty chickpea shawarma pockets to refuel. They were amazing. The pockets are stuffed with spicy curried chickpeas, and topped with creamy garlic and lemon tahini dressing. Add in some freshly picked tomatoes and escarole from the garden, and you're ready to stuff your face! Today the house still smells slightly of curry, and I'm entirely ok with it. In fact, I'll probably make it again later in the week, because it's perfect for lunches at work.

I had homemade tahini on hand, but feel free to buy it pre-made. However, it's super easy to make yourself, and definitely cheaper!

Chickpea Shawarma
Servings: 2-3

Ingredients

For the chickpeas:
1.5 Tbsp. sunflower oil (or any other high temperature oil)
1 Tbsp. curry powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. onion, minced
1 - 15oz. can chickpeas, drained
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp. greek yogurt

Tahini Dressing:
1 tsp. tahini (pre-made is fine, instructions to make it yourself are included below)
2 Tbsp. yogurt
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. onion, minced
1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
Black pepper to taste

To Assemble:
Pita bread
Escarole, shredded (or any preferred greens, really. I just pulled what I had in the garden)
Sliced cherry tomatoes
Sliced onion (optional)

To prepare homemade tahini:
Note: you will have extra! It will store in the fridge for ~1 month

Ingredients
1 cup sesame seeds
1/3 cup olive oil, more if needed

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a small baking pan with parchment paper and add seeds. Toast sesame seeds for about 6 minutes. Remove from oven and toss the seeds with a spatula, then return to the oven. Toast for an additional 5-6 minutes.  Do not allow seeds to brown.

Once removed from the oven, allow seeds to cool - roughly 20 minutes.

Pour sesame seeds into a food processor and add oil. Blend for 2 minutes, or until a smooth paste forms. The paste should be thick, but pourable. If the paste is too thick, add additional oil by the teaspoon until a reasonable consistancy is reached.

Prepare Tahini Dressing

In a bowl, mix all ingredients. Set aside.

Cook the Chickpeas

In a frying pan, add oil, curry powder, garlic and onion. Saute over med-high heat for roughly 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.

Add chickpeas and vinegar. Cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and yogurt.

Assemble Pita

Slice a pita in half to use as a pocket. Stuff the pita with chickpeas, shredded escarole, sliced tomato and onion.