Bringing two Cuisines and two metaphors together to make a delicious weekend appetizer for movie night or game night. We are big on both. Old fashion game-night has been a long family tradition with us. Chess, Scrabble Monopoly, Sharades you name it we play it. And slowly we incorporated food and drinks which made it even more fun. We loved that family bonding time.
These nachos are one of our favorite nibbles to keep us going. Its flavorful, crunchy and hits all the flavor notes. Its also perfect for movie nights or game nights on T.V. All you need is a good beer or a favorite wine. Its easy to put together and needs little cooking and loved by all. Make it as a snack or weeknight dinner it good for all occasions.
WHAT DO NEED FOR SHAWARMA NACHOS
- Shawarma. I made a mix of chicken and cauliflower, you can choose one or both
- Chickpeas, I left these plain because theres a lot going on with flavors
- Olives, kalamata are my favorite, choose your favorite
- Cucumber, for crunch and it works really well
- Sliced Tomatoes Radishes a little healthy dose of vegetables
- Pickled onions, it makes everything taste amazing
- Cilantro, mint, parsley, for freshness
- Sauces to bring everything together, I chose cooling tatziki and spicy harrisa (store bought or homemade), you could also consider garlic tahini sauce
- Lemon, no Mediterranean meal is complete without lemon Period!
- Bread, Fresh Pitas, Naan, pita chips, you need something to scoop all those yumminess
- Pomegranate for little sweetness
- Feta, for some salty briny flavor, optional
INGREDIENTS
- About 12 oz-1 lb organic skinless boneless chicken thighs and breast combined, diced
- 1 small head cauliflower, trimmed and chopped into bite size pieces
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more if you prefer heat
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon Greek or regular dried oregano
- 6-8 cloves garlic about 1 ½ tbsps garlic minced
- Sea Salt
- Juice from 1 large lemon
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- In a small bowl, stir together the spices; oregano, turmeric, ground cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, cloves, all spice, and cayenne.
- Divide the spice mix, one for cauliflower one for chicken. Place chicken pieces in a bowl. Season all over with salt. Add half the spice mix, 2 tablespoons of oil, and minced garlic. Toss to coat. Let sit for an hour at room temperature or overnight refrigerated, I prefer the latter.
- Ina separate bowl add the remaining spice mix, chopped cauliflower, salt to taste and 2-3 tablespoons oil. Toss to coat and let it marinate for no more than a hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF and position a rack in the center. Place cauliflower florets on a small sheet pan.
- Nestle the chicken pieces between the cauliflower or place the chicken on a separate sheet pan. (I also throw in a few pieces of lemons slices for added flavor)
- Make sure everything is in a single layer. Transfer pan to the oven and roast for about 30 minutes, tossing once after about 20 minutes.
- Once done layer it with the chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, pickled onions, herbs and surround the sheet pan with warm pita. Finally drizzle with sauces of your choice (see recommendation above) and serve extra on the side.
- This quantity serves at least 6 as a snack and about 4 as a meal.
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