Lunch Recipe: Whole Wheat Pita with Kale & Asiago
I totally owe Emma for this lunch idea: salad-stuffed pita pockets. See, I’ve been making some variation on this for lunch nearly every day lately. Here’s my latest combo, which I highly recommend: Fresh green kale, tossed with olive oil, stuffed into a toasted pita along with plenty of savory cheese.
I have been trying to eat more vegetables at lunchtime, and this has been one of the easiest, most delicious ways to do that. Simply stuff a pita shell full of greens — you can pack half a bag of pre-mixed salad into a pita!
I’ve been mixing this up, too, adding a little extra protein for some lunches and dinners. I slipped slivers of prosciutto into an arugula-stuffed pita and ate it with a handful of tiny winter clementines a few weeks ago. Last week I prepped salad pitas but also layered in smoked salmon. This was the perfect lunch for a road trip that day (I put the pitas in a small cooler to keep the salmon chilled).
My favorite combo, though, is a whole wheat pita stuffed with kale. Kale is so toothsome and meaty; it is delicious and satisfying, and it just feels more robust than more delicate salads. This particular pita is also the perfect way to use that smoked olive oil I talked about earlier today. A little smoked oil, drizzled over kale — it’s terribly delicious.
I am fairly petite, and I sit at a desk all day, so a whole pita stuffed with cheese and kale is a great lunch. If you like this idea but want a little more food, try adding some meat, like sliced chicken. Or eat this alongside a few handfuls of roasted almonds.
Whole Wheat Pita with Kale & Asiago
Serves1
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- About 3 cups
roughly chopped kale
- 2 teaspoons
olive oil (ideally this smoked oil!)
- 2 teaspoons
rice vinegar
- 1/2 ounce
Asiago or Parmesan cheese, shaved into thin slices
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
- 1
whole wheat pita
Instructions
Toss the kale with the olive oil and rice vinegar. Toss with the sliced cheese. Taste and add salt and pepper.
Use a grill or the broiler to heat and toast the pita. (If using the broiler, broil for about 2 minutes, flipping halfway through.)
Cut the pita in half and use your fingers to stuff each half full of kale. Eat promptly, while the pita is still warm.
To pack this and take it to the office: Simply toss the kale with the dressing and the cheese and pack it in a separate container from the pita. At the office, warm the pita in the microwave or toaster oven, then stuff and eat.
(Images: Faith Durand)