Low Calorie Pita Chips

I am always on the lookout for low-calorie foods and low calorie snacks that are not only healthy for you, but that are also yummy. Pita chips are one of my favorite, nearly guilt-free pleasures. I have eaten and served my own special low-cal pita chips on many occasions, and they have all of the flavor of more fattening chips which means that they always fly off the table at any gathering. Making your own pita chips puts you in control of their fat and calorie content. Here is my own recipe for all to enjoy; feel free to monkey around with it to make it your own by substituting different spices for the onion powder, garlic, or cumin.

Here are the ingredients you need to make your own low calorie pita chips:

• 6 six-inch whole grain pitas
• Low-cal cooking spray
• 1 tsp. onion powder, garlic, cumin or Mrs. Dash (or other spice of your choosing)
• Pepper

To begin, preheat your oven to 350.  Slice each whole grain pita into eight pieces, and then slice each piece in two to create sixteen triangular shaped chips per pita.  Spray your baking dish with low-cal cooking spray. 

Note: I personally recommend avoiding cooking sprays. In this recipe, I use the Norpro Stainless Steel Sprayer Mister manually with my own EVOO – extra virgin olive oil – in lieu of cooking spray.  This keeps the propellant that is found in sprays, like Pam, out of my food.

Arrange the chips in a single layer on the baking sheet. Spray or mist with cooking spray or EVOO, depending on which method you choose to use.  You can use more than one baking sheet if you want to make more chips. I usually make two sheets at once so that I can have chips for later on without the fuss of making them. 

Sprinkle the chips with your choice of seasoning. Bake chips until crisp. This is usually about fifteen minutes or so, depending on your oven.  Store any extra pita chips in an airtight container. They will still be fresh for several days, and you can invariably freeze them to ensure freshness until you’re ready to eat them! 

This recipe serves six people at just around 45 calories per serving with no trans-fats or cholesterol and two grams of protein.  I like to serve low-cal pita chips with salsa, hummus, or other dips. The weight watchers points are hard to calculate since it depends what oil/cooking spray you use, but each serving should be between 1-2 weight watchers points.

And if you don't have time to cook and want a crunchy snack you may want to try out: baked kettle chips, low fat granola, or low calorie trail mix.

Enjoy!
Juliet

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