Recipe: Pita wedges with green olive tapenade

Dietitian's tip: The secret to this Mediterranean-inspired appetizer is to use good-quality green olives. Look for a brine-cured version such as Cerignola, Lucque, Manzanillo, Picholine, Provencal, Sevillano or Sicilian.

 

Ingredients

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Arrange the pita bread wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until crisp and lightly golden, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a small frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, oregano and the red pepper flakes, if using, and saute until the tomatoes are tender, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and slowly bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until the liquid has evaporated, about 6 minutes. The mixture will be thick. Remove from the heat, spoon the mixture into a small bowl and let cool completely.

When the tomato mixture has cooled to room temperature, add the olives and lemon zest. Stir to combine. The tapenade may be made ahead, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before using.

Spoon 2 teaspoons of the tapenade onto each pita wedge, sprinkle evenly with the parsley and divide among individual plates — 4 wedges per plate. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Analysis

(per serving)

Serving size: 4 pita wedges
Calories	113	Cholesterol	0 mg
Protein	4 g	Sodium	554 mg
Carbohydrate	20 g	Fiber	3 g
Total fat	4 g	Potassium	149 mg
Saturated fat	1 g	Calcium	25 mg
Monounsaturated fat	2 g

MAYO CLINIC HEALTHY WEIGHT PYRAMID SERVINGS

Vegetables	1
Carbohydrates	1

• Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid tool
• Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid: A sample menu

DIABETES MEAL PLAN EXCHANGES

Starches	1
Nonstarchy vegetables	1

• Your diabetes diet: Exchange lists

DASH EATING PLAN SERVINGS

Grains and grain products	1
Vegetables	1

• DASH diet: Guide to recommended servings
• Sample menus for the DASH eating plan

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