Last night I went out to a Greek place on Larchmont with a few new friends I made at a screening. It was late and we really just wanted something light to share. So we ordered a combination of three Greek dips that came with warm, fresh, grilled pita bread. I could have eaten just the pita, but the dips were good, particularly the whipped caviar. I confess I generally try and stay away from refined starches, but if you can resist a plate of warm pita, clearly you’re some form of inhuman. By the time we were done there was a little bit of two of the dips left over and I ended up being the one to take it to go. By this time all the pita was gone, but I figured I’d find something to do with the dips eventually – vegetables or something. When I got home and unloaded the bag to put the dips in the fridge, I discovered that the restaurant was nice enough to include an extra stack of their pita triangles… bastards. I confess I was in the mood for something sweet, but didn’t want to go out and tempt myself to spend yet more money and buy something horrible. Thanks to the Greeks, I had all I needed.
I turned my oven to 375 degrees and prepped my pita. I brushed each one with olive oil, then dipped them in cinnamon and sugar I mixed together in a bowl. I placed them on a sheet pan and baked them until they were good and crispy, about 10 minutes. Now the chips are good by themselves, but I felt, considering the theme of the evening, a dip was in order. So, I took two scoops of the raw almond butter in my fridge, placed it in a bowl, added a big handful of chocolate chips, and stashed it in the microwave for 45 seconds until it was warm and melty. Then, I stirred it together with a dash of vanilla and a pinch of cardamom (because I’m pretentious that way… really I just wanted an excuse to use it, it’s been on my shelf for months), and voila. Dip. Easy, resourceful, delicious, and supremely starving artist.