Vegan Pita Stuffers
These Vegan Pita Stuffers are quick, hearty, wholesome and filling. They’re easy to create for a quick lunch but substantial enough for dinner. Kid friendly vegan recipe!
- Prep Time10 min
- Cook Time5 min
- Total Time15 min
- Serves4-6
Ingredients
The Stuffing
- Whole Wheat Pitas
- 1 15.5 oz Can of Chick Peas
- 3 Green Onions
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
- 1/2 Large Cucumber
- 1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 Cup Edamame
- 1 Handful of fresh Herbs of Choice (Dill, Cilantro or Basil)
The Sauce
- 1/4 C Tahini
- 2 TB Rice Wine or Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 TB Agave, Honey or Preferred Sweetener
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/4 tsp Onion Powder
- 1-2 tsp Salt
- 1 Lemon
Optional Additional Stuffing
- Avocados
- Sprouts
Method
Prepare the Edamame
First, prepare your edamame as the package directs. Drain your chickpeas and give them a good rinse.
Dice your green onions, bell pepper, cucumber, cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs. Add all of your diced veggies, herbs, edamame, and chickpeas in a large bowl.
Add all of the sauce ingredients to the bowl except the lemon and the salt. With a grater or lemon zester, zest the entire lemon into the bowl. Slice the lemon in half, and use half of the lemon juice to squeeze into your bowl.
Season with salt by starting with 1 tsp. Taste, and increase to 1.5 tsp or 2 tsp if needed.
Slice your pita’s in half and open the centers. If using avocados and sprouts, add them first. Then, using a spoon, pour the prepared filling into the pita. Enjoy immediately!
The filling for these pitas can last in the fridge for several days.
Vegan Pita Stuffers - Video
Am I a vegan?
Ok, confession time. I’m not a vegan…well, not a fully committed vegan. I still eat meat, butter, cheese, milk, eggs, etc. All that being said, I think that veganism is a great way to nourish your body. I do think that at times I can lean too much on the protein in a meal, causing my fiber, mineral and vitamin consumption found from fruits, vegetables and legumes to be very low. About a year ago my husband was went to the doctor and found out that he had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. We decided to go vegan, and in 3 months of being about 90% vegan, his blood pressure and cholesterol dropped to normal levels. We were shocked and delighted!
Since then, we’ve made a few major life changes, including moving our young family across the country, starting a new job position, and purchasing our first home. Needless to say, our eating habits have been poor. We’ve started to re-incorporate more vegan meals into our home and are working on being about 50% vegan. When we were 90% vegan, it was not a super hard transition for me. Heck, I still get to eat bread! But, I did notice that I felt some meals were leaving me wanting. That’s one of the reasons why I created this recipe, Vegan Pita Stuffers. For me this meal remedied that. It’s hearty, wholesome and delicious! It’s also a super easy vegan lunch recipe, but it’s substantial enough for a great vegan dinner too.
The other great thing about this meal is that you can make it ahead of time. It stores in the fridge and stays fresh for several days. Sometimes I prefer it after it’s been in the fridge a day or two. This makes it the perfect vegan lunch recipe or a great vegan meal prep option. This is also a great vegan kid recipe! My kids enjoy this meal so much. It’s tangy, sweet, savory, fresh; they just eat it up. I try not to fill their pita’s to the brim when I serve it to my kids like I do for my husband and myself. This will help it be less cumbersome for those little hands.
Vegan Pita Stuffers - Method
First things first, get your edamame prepared. The edamame is probably the thing that will take you the longest to prepare. This is because most people, me included, purchase edamame frozen. That means I have to boil the beans for a few minutes. Also, they could still be in the pod, which means you need to shell your edamame after they are boiled. The good news though, while your edamame’s are boiling, this gives you time to get the rest of your ingredients prepared. Chop up the cucumber, yellow bell pepper, green onion, tomatoes, and fresh herbs. Once your edamame is ready, put all of your prepared veg, herbs, chick peas and edamame in a bowl.
Next, we’ll start adding in the sauce ingredients to the bowl. Add everything except the lemon and salt. The lemon you’ll want to zest, then slice in half, and use half of the lemon to juice. Don’t have a lemon zester? Just use your cheese grater! Use the smallest size if possible. If you’re looking for a zester, here’s the one I use.
Why is the salt not perfectly measured? Well, depending on the salt you’re using, the size of bell pepper and cucumber you have, your salt amount will vary. When I make this meal, I always start with 1 tsp of salt, taste, then work my way up in half teaspoon increments until I reach my desired saltiness.
These Vegan Pita Stuffers make a great vegan lunch for work or school. However, it’s best to put the stuffing ingredients in a container and assemble everything when you’re ready to eat. The sauce is somewhat thin, so putting the filling inside the pita that morning or the night before will make your pita a bit soggy. If you’re sending this to lunch for your kiddos who might not be able to assemble their own pita, create it the morning of, and use a slotted spoon to scoop the filling into the pita. Let the liquid drip off a bit before placing inside. You can also line the pita with lettuce which will also help to keep the pita from getting soggy.
