Six months have passed since our son Larson was born. And in those six months, he’s turned from an infant into a real boy. He wears jeans and loves dogs. He has a favorite book and song, eats off a spoon, and drinks water from a cup. He smiles all the time and shrieks when he’s tossed into the air. He responds to his name, rolls over, and grabs anything he sees (typically it goes straight into his mouth). How it’s possible to learn all these things in six months is pretty astounding.
In those six months, Alex and I have changed too. We’re experts at making a bottle in a split second at 4:00 am, and falling right back asleep after it’s gone. We can detect even the faintest cry during nap time, and have mastered new troubleshooting sequences (pacifier? hungry? dirty? sleepy?). We’ve memorized Larson’s favorite book and favorite song, and know just where to tickle him when he needs to squeal. Before we had kids, I used to be worried: will I lose my personality? Will I become a new, boring-er version of myself? Will life as I know it be gone forever? Luckily, so far Alex and I have found that life with Larson is far better than life without him. We might get less sleep and not go out quite as much, but we still have our lives, our friends, our passions—and a whole new awesome person to share everything with.
I also assumed I’d grow to resent cooking once Larson came along, but I love it more than ever. Cooking has grown to be my creative outlet, and that inner desire has not gone away while caring for a tiny human. To keep doing it, we’ve adjusted our lifestyle a bit to support it—we’ve become more organized, utilize nap times for prep, and so forth. And that’s how, even though we’ve got a 6 month-old in tow, we can make healthy snacks like homemade za’atar pita chips without it seeming like a chore.
These chips are a creative take on homemade pita chips using another homemade ingredient: za’atar. Za’atar is a traditional Middle Eastern spice blend. Typically za’atar contains toasted sesame seeds, thyme, sumac, and salt. Sumac is a Middle Eastern spice that’s made of ground sumac berries; it’s bright red, and has a bright citrus flavor. Sumac is easily available online, and you can find it in some groceries. Why buy sumac instead of a za’atar blend for these chips? Well, you absolutely can buy za’atar instead. But if you do buy sumac, you’ll have it on hand for other uses like sprinkling on pita, over yogurt dips, and making fattoush bowls: with the added bonus that you can also make za’atar when the need arises.
And why put za’atar on your pita chips? We’re firm believers that unexpected flavors help us to slow down. These chips taste more complex than the typical healthy snacks, which makes us pause and enjoy the flavors instead of shoveling one-note chips into our mouths. Making them at home also gives a fresh, clean quality to them that is unlike a storebought pita chip, which typically contains stabilizers to preserve the flavor and texture.
How to dip these za’atar pita chips? I’ll let you decide, but here are a few of our favorite dips to make these into healthy snacks—and we’ve got a new main dish recipe with them, coming soon. A few dips to go with za’atar pita chips:
- 5 Ingredient Classic Homemade Hummus
- Hot Wings Hummus
- Very Verde Dip
- Greek Yogurt & Chive Dip
- Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip
Looking for healthy snacks?
Healthy snacks can be as easy as a handful of roasted salted almonds and dried cherries. However, if you’re up for making a simple recipe, here are a few of our favorite healthy snacks:
- 5 Ingredient Classic Homemade Hummus
- Vegetable Hummus Tortilla Rollups
- Very Verde 3-Ingredient Dip
- Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies
Did you make this recipe?
If you make this za’atar pita chips recipe, we’d love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment below or share a picture on Instagram and mention @acouplecooks.
This recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free. For gluten-free, use gluten-free pita bread.
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 6 pita breads
- Olive oil
- Sumac
- Dried thyme
- Fine sea salt
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet for about 2 to 3 minutes until just golden, then remove from heat.
- Brush each pita with olive oil on both sides, and cut into 8 wedges each with a pizza cutter. Place them in an even layer across two baking sheets.
- Sprinkle the tops with thyme, sumac, sesame seeds, and sea salt. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pita.
A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living
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