Recipe of the Week: Greek Tostadas

I wanted to keep this new recipe we used from Parents magazine without keeping the whole magazine (or hard copy of the recipe), so here it is!

Chickpea Paste
1 15 oz can chickpeas
1 TBs olive ol
1 love garlic
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/8 tsp cumin and salt, each
Lamb Mixture
1 tsp olive oil
8 oz ground lamb (we did use lamb, but turkey or beef would be fine)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Additional layers
4 whole Greek pita flatbreads, warmed (we spread all the ingredients out onto six)
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped plum tomatoes
1 cup chopped cucumber
12 pitted black olives, halved
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (optional)

1. To make the chickpea paste, rinse and drain the chickpeas and then puree chickpeas with remaining ingredients. This can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to a week.

2. To make the meat, warm oil over med-high heat. Add meat and cook until browned. Drain fat. Season with remaining spices

3. To assemble Greek Tostadas, spread chickpea puree on top of each pita. Top with lamb mixture, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and a dollop of Greek yogurt if desired.

My kids (aged 5, 3, and 1.5) each gobbled it up. They especially loved the pita bread and complained we didn't give them a full circle (we cut one up for them to share). Neither my husband nor I are big fans of cucumber, but we both noted how delicious it was on these tostadas. This is an easy dish to involve the kids in, as you can put out all the different layers and let them assemble their tostada on their own. I've found a little ownership over what is on their plates always gets my kids more excited about trying new foods. It also helps to talk about the different regions of the world the food comes from, and they loved hearing (what little we know) about Greece!