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Dry Spice Rubbed Steak Kabobs & Hummus with Whole Wheat Pita Bread
My husband and I came to enjoy Greek and Mediterranean food around 22 years ago while Honeymooning in Monterey, California. We stayed at this beautiful B & B called the Gosby House Inn in the enchanted village of Pacific Grove. I remember it was a very foggy evening and we didn't feel like driving far so we walked across the street and found this little restaurant called Petra. It was charming as well as inviting with the aroma's and ambiance welcoming us in from the cold. You know how there are moments in your life that leave an etching on your mind.. well that evening as well as the week in Santa Barbara, was one of those moments I'll remember forever. If you have never traveled up the Pacific Coast through Santa Barbara, Cambria, Big Sur, Monterey, Carmel and San Francisco, put these on your list as places to visit. Gorgeous coastlines as well as the famed Cypress trees bejewel the shores and play out like an old Hollywood or Disney film. Yes.. I am a romantic and will look for every opportunity to daydream when possible!
I think it was Jenn from The Left Over Queen who got me thinking that it would be much easier to just make home made hummus so we could have it frequently as well as it being easy and yummy with grilled steak and chicken kabobs. My husband loves Pita bread so I try to have it on hand regularly. We love the whole wheat pockets as well as the white flour version. In my opinion they don't taste all that different from each other when dry heated on the griddle. A little healthier for your digestive system is whole grain flours, if you can tolerate gluten in your diet. Which, I can eat either white or wheat but we want to introduce our kids to whole grains while they are still young enough to not toss it off as healthy and nutritious. :)
A few months back, when I received a few bottles of Country Bob's Sauces to try, I realized how much I enjoyed steak and barbecue sauces. After I ran out of the sauce I decided to try my hand at my own ingredient concoctions to replicate a barbecue style rub. I think I succeeded but the problem is that I never wrote down the ingredients. I made enough to last me a good six months and I haven't as yet tried to remake it. I remember though that I used brown sugar, dried molasses, a variety of dried and ground peppers, salts, garlic powder, dried lemon peel, cumin, celery salt.. and that is where I completely blank as to the rest of the ingredients. I will do another dry rub run and when I get the ingredients down I'll add them to this post. In the mean time, I am sure there are some great recipes out there.. I would encourage you to make your own and keep it on hand. Besides myself, I catch my son using my dry spices when he fry's chicken. Home made.. you gotta love it!
A wonderful family style meal of dry spice rubbed steak kabobs, fresh homemade hummus with a drizzle of olive oil and Kalamata olives on top, and whole wheat pita pockets. We also had a salad with tomatoes, black olives, feta cheese and thin slices of cucumber. Yes.. similar to a Greek salad excluding the thin slices of red onion and oregano infused salad dressing. Very yummy! :)
I don't really have a recipe I follow for the hummus. I keep Tahini paste on hand, as well as canned garbanzo beans, a staple in the Italian cupboard, Olive oil, lemon, fresh garlic, salt and paprika as well as Kalamata olives for an embellishment.Here is a pretty typical Hummus recipe.
For the meat use your favorite, cubed and rubbed with your favorite spices. Maybe you'll try your hand at creating your own dry rub. Let me know if you do!
Ciao and Buon Appetito!
Laurie
Category Article Beans, Beef, Grilling, Main Course, Spring, Summer
