December is here! The month of Christmas… the time of the year that we bake the most! I too had a lot of fun the previous years, baking some of my favorite Xmas desserts; Non-Alcoholic Christmas Cake, Alcoholic Christmas Cake, and Gingerbread Cookies. Although I do bake quite often, over the years I’ve started to grow a liking towards spicy flavors and took that as my inspiration for this Christmas. So here you go, a cupcake recipe from my pantry but with a twist of spicy gingerbread cookie flavors.

As I said before, these cupcakes are so different from the regular ones because they are spiced. The addition of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice gives it an aromatic flavor which reminds you of Christmas and the holidays. When you pull them out of the oven, your whole house literally starts to fill with the warmth and aroma of these spices, it’s pure bliss… I’m short of words to describe how good that feels!!

And to take the flavors of this beautiful dessert to another level, I have topped them up with Cream Cheese Frosting… a match made in heaven! A combo which keeps you craving for more…

Now if you want to impress your guests with some fun-filled theme-based presentation, top the frosted cupcakes with cute little gingerbread man icing decorations and Christmas sprinkles. The ones I’ve used were bought from Michael’s but you can also find them at Amazon here.

If you are in search for a good Gingerbread Cookies recipe, check out my Gingerbread Cookies post, it is a winner recipe and a definite crowd pleaser!

Merry Christmas & Happy Baking…!

Follow me on Instagram, try out the recipes and tag #pepperdelightblog to all your pictures of Pepper Delight recipes you prepare. Rate us if you love it!

Print

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Kick off this year’s Christmas Party and Impress your Holiday Guests with these Spicy Tender Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cupcake, gingerbread, gingerbread cupcakes

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 16 cupcakes

Author Akhila

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

• 1½ cup flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp allspice
• ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 1 egg (at room temperature)
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup molasses
• ½ cup milk (at room temperature)

For the cream cheese frosting

• 1 block (8oz) cream cheese (softened)
• ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 3 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Gingerbread man icing decorations (optional)
• Christmas sprinkles (optional)

Instructions

For the cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
• Prepare dry ingredients by sifting flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg and allspice in a large bowl. Keep aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add brown sugar and beat until combined.
• Add the egg and beat, followed by adding molasses.
• Add the dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with milk and beat until they combine well and the batter turns out smooth. The consistency of the batter is thick.
• Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them a little over half way full.
• Bake in the oven for 22-24 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow it to cool completely before frosting.

For the cream cheese frosting

• In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Slowly add powdered sugar and vanilla extract, beat until smooth.
• Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and decorate the cupcakes as desired.
• You may store any leftover frosting in the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature before using it again.
• Decorate with gingerbread man and Christmas sprinkles as desired (optional).

The post Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting appeared first on Pepper Delight.

This post is sponsored by Florida Crystals® and is also my entry to the Florida Crystals® “Pure Joy Blogger Recipe Challenge”. Although I have received samples of their products, all the opinions in this post are entirely my own.

A few more days to go for Thanksgiving and I’m already excited to shop, celebrate, & enjoy! So how are your preparations coming along? Is your menu for the big dinner ready? This year I’ve decided to team up with Florida Crystals® and present you a twist to the usual classic desserts, with a 3 layered surprise. An orange cake, in a creamy orange buttercream frosting, glazed with a cranberry drip, and topped with sugared cranberries! It’s an absolute delight of holiday flavors; moist, tangy, fruity and tarty…!

The base orange cake has Florida Crystals® Organic Raw Cane Sugar as one of its main ingredients, which makes a great substitute to regular granulated sugar. Its fine golden crystals with a delicious hint of molasses, make it ideal for all baking recipes. The orange cake alone without the frosting is itself a delight to savor.

For the buttercream frosting I have used Florida Crystals® Organic Powdered Raw Cane Sugar, which is perfect for frostings, icings, sugar cookies and no-bake cheesecakes. I’ve also used both of Florida Crystals® sugars in the cranberry drip, which is the highlight of this recipe. The tarty glaze complements all the other flavors and keeps you asking for more with each bite.

The sugar-coated cranberries are an optional element, but it surely adds to the beauty of the cake with a winter outlook. This cake is perfect for any occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, Thanksgiving or Christmas Holidays.

Florida Crystals® are the only certified organic raw cane sugar grown and harvested in the US. You can check out their products online and order through your retail shops by visiting their Products page here.

You can also order through Amazon here.

Follow Florida Crystals for more recipe ideas and other updates on Facebook, Instagram, & Pinterest.

Happy Baking & Happy Thanksgiving…!

Interested in more Cake recipes? Check out my Cakes & Desserts Archives here.

Follow me on Instagram, try out the recipes and tag #pepperdelightblog to all your pictures of Pepper Delight recipes you prepare. Rate us if you love it!

Print

Orange Cake with Cranberry Drip

Layers of Moist Orange Deliciousness with a Creamy Buttercream Frosting, Balanced in a Cranberry Glaze … The Holiday Cake of your Dreams …!!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword apricot cake, cranberry, orange cake, thanksgiving

Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Cooling Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 3 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Akhila

Ingredients

For the orange cake

• 1¾ cup flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ cup softened unsalted butter
• 1½ cup Florida Crystals® Organic Raw Cane Sugar
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup orange juice
• Zest of one large orange

For the orange buttercream filling and crumb coat

• 1½ cup softened unsalted butter
• 1½ cup Florida Crystals® Organic Powdered Raw Cane Sugar sifted
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp orange juice

For the cranberry drip

• 1 cup cranberry
• ½ cup Florida Crystals® Organic Raw Cane Sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 cup Florida Crystals® Organic Powdered Raw Cane Sugar sifted + more

For the sugar coated cranberries

• 1 cup cranberries
• 2 tbsp + ¼ cup Florida Crystals® Organic Raw Cane Sugar
• 2 tbsp water

Decoration

• Orange swirls
• Freshly sliced oranges
• Sugar coated cranberries

Instructions

For the cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line three 6-inch pans with parchment paper, apply butter to the pan and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients by sifting flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar, beat until combined.
• Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by adding vanilla extract and zest of one orange.
• Add the dry ingredients in 2 sets alternating with milk and beat until they combine well.
• Add orange juice and give the batter a one last beat on low or until mixed well. The cake batter will be slightly dense.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 mins until a toothpick or a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 15-20 mins.
• Unmold the cakes carefully to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.

For the filling and crumb coat

• Beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar and 1 tbsp orange juice, beat until it turns out smooth.
• Add 1 tsp or more orange juice as needed for desired consistency. Make sure your frosting is not runny or too thick, it should be spreadable.
• If the frosting seems loose, refrigerate it for some time to thicken.
• For the sugar coated cranberries
• In a saucepan, combine 2 tbsp sugar with water and cook on a medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
• Add the cranberries into the saucepan and stir to coat them well in the sugar syrup.
• Transfer the cranberries onto a wire rack and allow them to cool for 30- 45 minutes.
• In a small bowl, take the remaining ¼ cup sugar and roll the cooled sticky cranberries in it until they are sugar coated properly. You can also do this in batches to carefully coat each one of them.

Assembling the cake

• Level the top surface of all the cakes by shaving off the uneven portions.
• Place your cake base on a turntable / cake stand.
• Apply a little frosting on the center of the cake base and spread. This helps the cake to stay tight and not slide off.
• Place the bottom cake on the center on the cake base.
• Apply a thin layer of frosting on top of the cake in the center and level it leaving ½ inch gap from the edges of the cake.
• Place the middle layer cake on top and press gently so that the excess frosting oozes out of the sides, if any.
• Repeat step 5.
• Place the third/final cake upside down on top of the frosting, so that the flat bottom of the cake faces upwards. Gently press and apply a thin layer of frosting on top of the third cake. Using a spatula, level the top and the oozed out frosting around the sides of the cake to form a thin and evenly covered crumb coating.
• Refrigerate 30 minutes for the crumb coating and filling to set properly.
• Now apply the final coat of frosting on top and around the cake, starting from the bottom to the top. Scrape down the excess frosting using a scraper. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes before pouring the cranberry drip.

For the cranberry drip

• In a medium saucepan, cook cranberries with cane sugar, lemon juice and water.
• Cook until the cranberries pop open, and then lightly mash them so that it turns into a thick sauce. Switch off the flame, strain the sauce and keep aside.
• In a separate bowl, add the powdered sugar and mix the strained sauce 1 tbsp at a time and whisk well. Repeat until it forms a thick pourable glaze. If the glaze turns out thick, add the leftover sauce if any or water to thin it out. And if thin, add more powdered sugar to thicken the glaze.
• Pour the glaze over the cake and allow it to fall through the edges to create that drip effect.
• Decorate the cake with sugar coated cranberries, orange swirls, orange slices if desired.

Notes

1. If your cake feels dry or crumbly after baking, brush some simple sugar syrup over the cake to retain it moistness and texture.
2. Grease your pan properly to avoid any cracks or holes in your cake. This helps the cake to slide through the sides of the pan easily.
3. Pick the cake with the prettiest bottom for your topmost layer. Use the ones with cracks or holes for the middle or bottom layers.
4. Decorate the cake after placing on a turntable.
5. Use a strong/sturdy scraper to scrape down the excess frosting from the sides of the cake.
6. Refrigerate the crumb coated and fully frosted stages of cake to set properly. You can even bake the cake in advance and frost the next day to manage time.

The post Orange Cake with Cranberry Drip appeared first on Pepper Delight.

So, another eventful year is coming to an end with a lot of excitement over the time, and I am here writing my last recipe before the holidays; wrapping up on a sweet note with a Traditional, Old Fashioned Christmas Fruit Cake, aka Plum Cake. With a backdrop of my hometown, Plum cake races me back to my childhood days and memories, as it is a very famous dessert in Kerala, especially during Christmas. I do not know the history behind its origin, but I believe it was the Britishers who brought the original dried fruit variety of the cake to India. A common misunderstanding of the cake going by its name is it being made of the fruit Plum, but actually it refers to its plumped ingredients; the dry fruits which swell up over its soaking period. Funny, isn’t it?

The highlight of this cake is the aroma of the spices (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg), and the alcohol soaked fruits. The longer the fruits n nuts being soaked, the better it’s flavours. I recommend soaking them for a minimum of 2 days before baking the cake, so that the flavours sum up. This Christmas I started my preparations earlier, and hence got a chance to soak my fruits for a month. You can even keep them for up to 6 months; now that would be heavenly, right?

There is usually no icing on a traditional Christmas cake, but variations with Cream Cheese or Whipped Cream are also popular. The cake is intensely rich and moist and is a perfect balance of sweetness from the smoky caramel syrup and the dry fruits. This cake makes a great addition to your holiday table as a dessert, or as a Christmas gift for your family and friends.

And if you planned to go this year with a non-alcoholic version, check out my Non Alcoholic Christmas Fruit Cake recipe, Trust me…it’s the Best!

Here are a few ingredients options for you before you plan your bake, I highly recommend going through them:

• Dry Fruits varieties: Raisins / sultanas, apricots, dates (seedless), prunes, currants, figs, tutti fruit, glazed cherries, dried unsweetened cranberries.
• Nuts: Cashews, Almonds, Walnuts, Pistachios, Pecans.
• Soaking liquid (alcoholic): Rum, Brandy, Cognac, Amarula, Baileys Irish Cream.
• Soaking liquid (non-alcoholic): 100% grape juice, apple juice, orange juice, or water.
• Spices: Dry Ginger powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, cardamom.

Enjoy baking, Merry Christmas…!!!

Follow me on Instagram, try out the recipes and tag #pepperdelightblog to all your pictures of Pepper Delight recipes you prepare.

Print

Christmas Fruit Cake/Kerala Plum Cake

Indulge yourself to a Holiday Treat, loaded with Fruits n Nuts soaked in Rum… an Old fashioned Christmas Fruit Cake aka Kerala Style Plum Cake…! Moist, Rich, and Luscious… just how you would have wished your perfect fruit cake to be…!

Course Dessert

Keyword christmas fruit cake, fruit cake, kerala plum cake, plum cake

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Akhila

Ingredients

For soaked dry fruits

• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• 6-8 apricots
• 5 dates (seedless)
• ½ cup cashews
• ½ cup almonds
• 1 cup rum (or more)

For caramel syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup water

For cake

• 2 cup flour + 2tbsp
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter (1 cup) (softened at room temperature)
• 1½ cup powdered sugar
• 4 eggs (at room temperature)
• zest of one orange
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp cinnamon powder
• ½ tsp dry ginger powder
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• 2 tbsp rum (from the soaked dry fruits)

Instructions

Preparation of fruits

• Chop dry fruits n nuts into bite size pieces, and transfer to a dry glass container. Pour the rum into the container and ensure that the contents are completely immersed in it. Place its lid and keep the container tightly closed.
• Soak the fruits for at least 2 days, you can even preserve them up to 6 months; I soaked mine for 4 weeks. Shake the jar every alternative day and keep refilling it with extra rum as the fruits start absorbing it.
• You can use 2 to 2 ½ cups of soaked fruits and nuts while baking a cake.
• For soaking instructions and other tips, refer the notes section below.

Preparation of caramel syrup

• Add the sugar and 1 tbsp water into a pan and heat on a medium flame.
• As the sugar melts, turns golden in color, and bubbles, lower the flame and give it a quick stir. When the color changes to dark brown, switch off the flame and take the pan off the heat.
• Now carefully add the rest of the water a tablespoon at a time and stir. Your dark colored caramel syrup is ready. Keep it aside to cool down, stir in between.

Preparation of cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a 9 inch nonstick springform pan with parchment paper; on the bottom and and along the sides extending 2 inches above the rim of the pan. Butter the paper thoroughly and set aside.
• Drain the rum soaked fruits and keep the liquid aside for later use. To the drained fruits, add 2 tbsp flour and mix to coat the fruits; this helps preventing them from sinking to the bottom of the cake while baking. Keep aside.
• Separate egg whites and yolks. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, set aside.
• Prepare the dry ingredients by sifting flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Keep aside.
• In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat butter and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed, this helps to mix it evenly.
• Add egg yolks followed by grated orange zest, vanilla extract, cinnamon powder, nutmeg and dry ginger powder. Beat well.
• Add the cooled caramel syrup, dry ingredients, and the beaten egg whites in two batches, beat lightly until well combined.
• Now add the flour coated dry fruits into the batter along with 2tbsp of the drained rum. Do not beat, instead fold in all the ingredients thoroughly with a spatula. The batter is ready, it will have a slightly thick consistency.
• Pour the batter carefully into the prepared baking pan and bake for 55-65 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 10-15 minutes.
• Gently run a knife around the edges of the pan and then unlock it. Move the cake to a wire rack keeping the lined parchment paper intact and let it cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar (optional).
• Once cooled you can remove the paper, and the cake is now ready to be served.
• To store, you can wrap the cake in an aluminum foil and keep in an air tight container at room temperature for a week. Refrigerate thereafter.

Notes

1. Soak dry fruits in alcohol to enhance the flavour. I recommend soaking for at least 48hrs but you may do so for days, weeks, or even up to 6 months. The more it soaks, the better it tastes.
2. Chop the fruits to be soaked into bite sized pieces. Use a clean air tight glass container to soak and store. Shake the jar or stir every alternate day as it helps to rehydrate the fruits and not dry out. Fill with extra rum as needed.
3. After draining the soaked dry fruits before baking the cake, coat them in a few spoons of flour. This helps the fruits to stick on to the batter while baking and prevents from setting down to the bottom.
4. Be cautious while preparing the caramel syrup, the melted sugar is very hot and will boil intensely when water is added. It can burn you if not carefully handled, also ensure to remove the pan from the flame when adding water.
5. After removing the baked cake from the pan, allow it sit on a wire rack to cool down at room temperature. Do not remove the parchment paper from the pan when the cake is hot, it might crumble.
6. Wrapping the cake in an aluminum foil helps it to retain moisture and prevent drying out.
7. You can keep the cake in an air tight container at room temperature for a week. Refrigerate thereafter.
8. If you want to make your cake boozy, you can brush the left over drained rum from the soaked fruits over the cake, once it is cooled from the oven. For those who prefer an aged/matured cake, you can bake it in advance and daily brush it with the remaining rum and wrap it back in the foil, until the day of serving / Christmas. 

The post Christmas Fruit Cake / Kerala Style Plum Cake appeared first on Pepper Delight.

So officially summer is here, and so are the summer fruits! Cherries, Plums, Apricots, Peaches, Berries…and for me that’s the perfect time to bake yummy goodies with all the fresh fruits. If someone asks me what my favorite dry fruit is, I will say “Apricots”. I also love Apricot Jam, but my hubby hates it. In spite of our differences for this fruit, I managed to convince him to buy a big box of fresh apricots from Costco recently. He wasn’t going to eat any and I knew that I have to find a way to finish them before they rotten, or else he is going to kill me. For me, this would be the first time I taste fresh apricots and I hoped to try some new recipes with the rest.

Apricot belongs to the stone fruit family of Peaches, Cherries, and Plums. It tastes like a mix of sweet and tart, wrapped in a yellow-orange skin which is velvety, and strongly resembles peach.  So now since I have tasted it, the real question arises “What will I do with these beauties? “Pies, Galattes and Tarts were my initial thoughts and the easiest too. But my hubby suggested trying some sort of a fruit cake as I had already baked galattes a few times recently after my last strawberry picking trip. Now, an upside down cake was on to-do list from a long time but I kept on postponing it as I wasn’t keen on trying the very common pineapple version. So I finally heeded to his suggestion and baked this beautiful cake with apricots – my first ever upside down cake.  I was so excited to get to the nerve wracking step of flipping the cake and see the surprise beneath; thankfully it came out very well!!

What’s your favorite upside down cake? Let me know in the comment section below.

Enjoy, Happy Baking!!!

Follow me on Instagram, try out the recipes and tag #pepperdelightblog to all your pictures of Pepper Delight recipes you prepare. Rate below if you love it…!

Print

Apricot Upside Down Cake

Celebrate the Summer with an Apricot Upside Down Cake… Moist and Tender, topped with Buttery Brown Sugar Sweetened Apricots! Perfect for the Holidays…!!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword apricot cake, apricot upside down cake, cake

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Akhila

Ingredients

For the fruit base

• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• ¾ cup light brown sugar
• 10-12 fresh apricots (pitted, sliced lengthwise)

For the cake

• ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1¼ cup flour
• 1¼ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup milk (at room temperature)

Instructions

For the fruit base

• Butter a 9 inch cake pan and keep aside.
• In a small saucepan, melt butter on medium heat. When it is completely melted and starts bubbling, add brown sugar. Switch off the flame and stir continuously until it turns into a smooth paste.
• Spread the paste onto the prepared cake pan. Layer the apricot slices over the paste and lightly press to sink in.

For the cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, salt, and keep aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add granulated sugar and beat well.
• Beat in egg and vanilla extract.
• Add the dry ingredients alternating with milk, mix well until the batter is combined. The batter will be slightly thick.
• Pour the batter into the cake pan and layer over the apricot slices.
• Place the pan in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I baked mine for 50 minutes.
• Allow the cake to cool completely for 15-20 minutes. Carefully flip the cake into a cake stand/plate or any flat surface. Enjoy!

Notes

• Keep your apricot slices ready before preparing the butter/sugar paste, so that you can layer them immediately once the paste is poured into the cake pan. This helps the slices to sink to the bottom of the pan before the paste thickens, and would look pretty once the finished cake is flipped upside down. It also helps the sugar to coat the slices better making it sweeter.
• If you find any fruit pieces stuck to the pan after flipping, don’t worry! Just place it back on the cake to create the beauty as like before – no one will ever know!!!
• Apricots usually tend to be less sweet and may not taste ideal for cakes. So adjust the sugar as needed while making the fruit base.
• I prefer not to remove the skin of apricots as it may turn mushy without skin while baking.

The post Apricot Upside Down Cake appeared first on Pepper Delight.

I am a huge fan of Mediterranean food… be it the wraps, gyros, falafels, or the even more exotic Kebabs, Kabsahs, & Mansafs. My childhood memories of the Middle East still tickle my taste buds and that’s probably the reason why I’m so fond of their delicious cuisine. After moving back to India at a very young age I had almost forgotten the taste of Mediterranean food, until Shawarma became popular in my hometown and various joints started popping up. I have always felt that your tongue and your memories are soo connected, in fact recently I got to taste some authentic white garlic sauce at a restaurant here in the US, and at that moment I started recollecting long forgotten memories of the place I last tasted it while I was a kid, the other dishes served there, the city, people, and many more…wow, the feeling is so beautiful…!

This recipe is one of the easiest and healthiest ways to make Chicken Pita Wraps. The sauce is the hero of this recipe, it’s a yogurt based sauce with Tahini, garlic, lemon juice and cilantro. It tastes soo good that you can simply dip pita breads in it and enjoy, or even your finger and lick!!

Tenderloins were my preference of the chicken used in this recipe, you can also replace it with breast pieces if you prefer. Pan roast the chicken to perfection until it is charred on both sides, and slice it to thin strips. The simple salad of veggies with freshly squeezed lemon juice is also very refreshing and satisfying to your stomach. All these simple ingredients wrapped together in a warm pita bread make it a super delicious meal; one great option for your lunch or your dinner… with a Mediterranean touch…!!

Enjoy, Happy Cooking!!!

Follow me on Instagram, try out the recipes and tag #pepperdelightblog and rate to all your pictures of Pepper Delight recipes you prepare.

Print

Mediterranean Chicken Pita Wraps with Cilantro Tahini Sauce

Mediterranean Style Spiced Chicken & Veggies, topped with a Yogurt based Cilantro Tahini Sauce, wrapped in a warm Pita Bread, & garnished with a drizzle of Lemon Juice. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword Mediterranean Chicken, roll, tahini sauce, wraps

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Akhila

Ingredients

For chicken

• 6 chicken tenderloins (1 lb.)
• 1 garlic clove (finely minced)
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp pepper powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• salt (as required)

For cilantro tahini sauce

• 5 tbsp low fat plain yogurt
• 2 tbsp tahini sauce
• 1 garlic (finely minced)
• ½ of a lemon squeezed
• 1 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
• salt (as required)

For salad

• 1 cucumber (sliced into cubes)
• 1 tomato (sliced)
• 1 onion (cubed)
• romaine lettuce (chopped)
• ½ of a freshly squeezed lemon juice
• salt and pepper

4 pitas

Instructions

For chicken

• Marinate chicken with the above ingredients for 3-4 hrs.
• Heat olive oil in pan on a medium heat, add chicken pieces and cook until it is charred on both sides (5-6 mins).
• Slice the chicken into thin strips and keep aside.

For cilantro tahini sauce

• Combine yogurt, tahini sauce, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk well.

For salad

• Mix veggies with lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Assembling the pitas

• Warm pita breads in a pan or microwave/oven to make them soft.
• Arrange sliced chicken, veggie salad and top with a dollop of cilantro tahini sauce.
• Fold them and enjoy!

Notes

• I have used chicken tenderloins in this recipe, which I find easy to manage with the cooking time. You can also use breast pieces or boneless thighs.
• You can use your choice of veggies for the salad.
• Leftover sauce can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for 2-3 days.

The post Mediterranean Chicken Pita Wraps with Cilantro Tahini Sauce appeared first on Pepper Delight.