Grilled Pitas with White Bean Basil Spread and Roasted Tomatoes

I’m currently en route to Colorado for a wedding and running on very little sleep, so I thought we’d do a casual Friday thing today. Food first, then some random musings and internet fun?

These Grilled Pitas with White Bean Basil Spread and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, peeps. Hot damn. I’ll eat pretty much anything on a warm pita, but this spread is ridiculous. It’s like a buttery smooth hummus, but lighter, and kicked up with the subtle sweetness of fresh basil (which also turns it a rather fetching shade of mint green). I could eat the stuff with a spoon (and I have), and it’s great as a dip, but slathered on grilled flatbread and topped with bursting cherry tomatoes and lots of shaved Parmesan…

Mind-blowing.

(I haven’t used that word in at least a month, right?)

They also happen to be insanely easy. Whip up the spread (maybe make a double batch?) while the tomatoes are roasting, grill your pitas for a couple minutes on each side, and assemble these bad boys. It shouldn’t take you more than 25 minutes, tops. And since they’re great for lunch, dinner, or cut into quarters and served as fancy finger food, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to make/crush them. That said, please get on it ASAP. We only have like 10 more days of perfect tomatoes.

Now that we’ve covered the food, I thought I’d share some clickable things that have made me very happy this summer because sometimes it’s nice to reflect, yes?

Let’s get to it.

10 Happy Things from Summer 2015:

1. Announcing The Dude Diet book and amassing an army of wonderful recipe testers. Getting to know so many blog readers through the recipe testing process has given me serious warm fuzzies, and the book is going to be so much better thanks to their incredible culinary skillz, feedback and moral support. (Hey, you guys! I love you.)

2. Justin Beiber’s comeback. It’s not that I was ever that into the Beibs, I just thought he was really talented and sweet, and when he started peeing in buckets and being a d-bag, I was disappointed. So, I was obviously thrilled when he did karaoke with James Cordon, sang to some newlyweds, and started winning back hearts (including mine) all over America. And even though his crying (and hair) at the VMAs made me uncomfortable, I now can’t stop listening to What Do You Mean. Just me?

3. This picture. Also this one…

Sorry. Was that NSFW? I would really like to make a Kim Kardashian-esque selfie book with just pictures of shirtless Logan drinking cocktails in different locations. So if anyone has a friend at Rizzoli, feel free to pitch that for me. Working title: “Pure Sex” by Logan Unland. (Photography by Serena Wolf.)

4. This Australian dude making puns and annoying his girlfriend in IKEA. I watched it for the first time on a plane and found myself awkwardly crying/chortling the entire time.

5. Adrianna’s blog. I’ve been reading it for a while, but she killed it this summer, and I feel like you might dig her recipes and writing style. (She’s sassy.)

6. Odd Mom Out. If you haven’t seen it, I’m VERY excited for you.

7. These remixes of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac, and Sexual Healing. Jamz.

8. Re-reading Rebecca Harrington’s diet columns for The Cut. She’s the one that wrote the article about Gwyneth that made me get in a fight with my mom. This Pippa Middleton one gets me every time.

9. Yogaglo. Just in case I haven’t mentioned it enough times already. If you’d prefer to roll around on your mat at home vs. in a public setting, I highly recommend you check it out.

10. Cocktails. I drank so many epic cocktails this summer, but these roasted strawberry mojitos were my favorite. And since it’s still HOT out, you could definitely get away with making a giant batch this weekend.

Happy Friday, peeps! Please feel free to share your own happy links/thoughts in ze comments. I’m writing a book, and I like to procrastinate.

Grilled Pitas with White Bean Basil Spread and Roasted Tomatoes

Author - Serena Wolf

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 3 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• ¼-½ teaspoon crushed red pepper depending on your heat preference
• Kosher salt
• 4 Whole Wheat Pitas
• 1 ounce shaved Parmesan cheese
• For the spread:
• 1 15.5- ounce can cannellini beans
• 12 fresh basil leaves
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

• Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Spread the tomatoes on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic and sprinkle with crushed red pepper and a pinch of kosher salt. Toss to coat.
• Roast the tomatoes for 18-20 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and their skins are bursting. Let cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, place the beans, basil, garlic, lemon juice and salt in the bowl of a food processor (or high-powered blender). Process until smooth, scraping down the bowl a few times if necessary. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Process for 30 seconds more until the spread becomes light and fluffy. Transfer to a bowl and briefly set aside.
• Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the pitas and cook for 1-2 minutes per side until grill marks appear.
• Spread each pita generously with the white bean basil spread. Top with roasted cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with Parmesan. Serve whole, or slice each pita into quarters with a sharp knife.