I love chips and dips. Blue corn chips with homemade guacamole or roasted salsa is one of my favorite snacks. This time though, I left Mexico behind and ventured to Middle East in search of chips and dips. Testing a Yogurt Dip with Zahtar Grilled Pita Breads for Robyn Webb was my ticket to a new adventure in snacking.

To start, I made Zahtar – a traditional Middle Eastern spice blend that combines toasted sesame seeds, thyme, and sumac. I used thyme leaves and ground them up in a coffee grinder to release more aroma from the herb. Finding sumac in Birmingham, AL was somewhat a challenge, but luckily, there is a Penzeys spice store close to me and they carried this ground up berry with a distinct burnt red color and a sour taste.

Once you mix the zahtar, it can become your on-hand flavor boost for broiled salmon, sauteed chicken, or a tossed salad. For this recipe though, I mixed zahtar with non-fat Greek Yogurt for a healthy and delicious dip. A touch of olive oil, a minced clove of garlic, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper round this dip up.

Now that the dip is finished, it’s time for the chips. Pita is the quintessential Middle Eastern bread. To keep these chips on a healthy side, Robyn uses whole wheat pita. Lightly brushed with olive oil, the pita bread is then sprinkled with some of the zahtar blend and baked in the oven until crispy.

Once the pita is baked, cut it up into triangles and serve along with the yogurt.