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Mushroom Capsicum Pita Pocketssandwich

Mushroom Capsicum Pockets - Easy, Tasty and Healthy

Saute chopped onions and garlic in butter for a couple of min. Add capsicum (green bell pepper), sprinkle salt and a pinch of sugar, cover and cook for a couple of min till tender. Spread diced mushrooms evenly, cover and cook for 2-3 min on low-medium heat. Stir gently to mix. Add roughly chopped baby spinach, sprinkle salt and pepper and turn the heat off. Stir gently as the spinach wilts. Stuff into warm pita pockets, top with crumbled feta cheese and spicy red chilli paste. Enjoy!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 2 people
Calories 264 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Saute pan/frying pan (8 inch / 20 cm) and sturdy turner/ spoon - I prefer non-stick preferred Un-coated, heavy bottom stainless steel pan OK too
  • 1 Sturdy nylon/wood spatula/turner suitable for non-stick pan

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cups Mushrooms - diced medium - 6-8 medium White button or brown Crimini (baby bella) variety
  • 1/2 cup Capsicum diced small or chopped Green bell pepper
  • 1/4 cup Onion - chopped white, red, yellow - any variety OK
  • 1 tsp Fresh Garlic - chopped - 1-2 cloves optional
  • 2 tsp Butter for a vegan sandwich - use vegan butter or coconut oil, or any mild-flavored oil of your preference.
  • 1 1/2 cups Fresh Baby spinach - coarsely chopped - packed well after chopping (about 1 large fistful) if baby spinach is not available, mature spinach is OK too. Note: Must wash spinach very carefully to remove grit. See Recipe Notes for details.
  • 3/8 tsp Salt - divide into 3 portions adjust as per preference
  • 1/4 tsp Sugar
  • 1/4 tsp Black Pepper - coarsely crushed -divide into 2 portions freshly crushed gives better flavor
  • 4 pieces Pita pockets: 2 loaves, cut in half Home-made or store bought; any variety OK- white, whole wheat, multigrain

Sandwich Toppings

  • 2 tbsp Feta Cheese - chunky crumbles for alternatives and vegan options- see Recipe Notes
  • 2 tsp Fresh Red Chilli paste adjust as per taste preference; if not available, use other hot sauce of your choice made with spicy red peppers
  • 1/2 cup Iceberg lettuce - shredded - optional

Instructions
 

  • Peel and chop onion - medium dice
    chopped onions-medium dice
  • Peel and chop garlic
    garlic
  • Heat butter ( or oil) in a medium frying pan (8-10 inch/ 20-30 cm) on low heat. Add chopped onions and garlic and stir to mix.
    saute garlic and oions in butter
  • Cover and cook on medium heat for 2-3 min
  • Meanwhile, dice the capsicum (green bell pepper) - 1/2 inch / 1 cm pieces
    geen bell pepper diced
  • Add diced capsicum to the cooked onion-garlic mixture in the pan. Evenly sprinkle the sugar and 1 portion of the salt all over the top. Do NOT stir.
    bell pepper-onion-garlic
  • Cover and cook for 2-3 min on medium heat.
    cook bell pepper-onion galic
  • Meanwhile, chop the mushrooms - medium dice - 1/2 inch / 1 cm pieces
  • Remove cover from the pan, stir to mix evenly.
  • Spread the mushrooms evenly. Sprinkle 1 portion of the remaining salt all over. Do NOT stir.
    mushroom bell pepper mixture
  • Cover and cook for 2-3 min on medium heat.
    mushrooms-cover and cook
  • Meanwhile, wash and prep the baby spinach - rough chop is perfect - do not chop finely.
    Note: Be sure to clean the spinach thoroughly to remove all grit. See Recipe Notes for details
    Also: If using mature spinach, rather than baby spinach, discard any tough stems - tender stems are fine to use.
    spinach rough chop
  • Remove cover from pan and stir to mix.
  • Add chopped spinach, sprinkle the remaining portion of salt and pepper. Turn the heat off.
    chopped spinach over mushrooms and capsicum
  • Stir the mixture gently: the spinach wilts immediately and mixes well with the remaining ingredients. Cover and set aside while you prep the pita pockets.
  • Cut the pita loves in half. Gently "open" the pockets. Warm them briefly (on a plate or paper towel) in the microwave for about 8-10 seconds on Hi - Do NOT heat longer or the Pita will become tough!
    Divide the mushroom- capsicum mixture into 4 portions.
    mushroom capsicum and spinach
  • Stuff each pita pocket with one portion.
    Add the toppings and serve warm.
    Mushroom Capsicum Pita Pocketssandwich
  • Enjoy!

Notes

To wash spinach free of grit
Sometimes, when you buy a bunch of spinach, it's very clean. Other times, you can see and feel the dirt and grit sticking to it. Nothing can ruin a meal faster than getting grit in your mouth! So, always worth spending some time to ensure that you wash away all traces of grit from the spinach. To do so, I have the following suggestions.
  • Half-fill a large pot with cool water.
  • Dunk the spinach into the water and gently shake out the greens.
    • The water becomes murky and the grit starts to settle at the bottom.
    • Skim the leaves from the water and collect them in a colander.
    • Throw away the rinse water.
    • Refill the pot with fresh water and repeat the process.
    • Repeat 3-4 times until the water looks clear and no more grit settles to the bottom of the pot.
      • Check by gently running your finger around the bottom of the pot of water. Your fingers should not be able to detect any grittiness settled on the bottom.
    • Collect the leaves in a colander and rinse one last time with fresh water.
    • Spread out the leaves on a kitchen towel to let them dry a bit, or dry them in a salad spinner.
  • The spinach is now ready to be used as directed in the recipe.
 
Feta Cheese Substitutes:
If you cannot find Feta cheese or prefer to follow a vegan diet, you can try the following alternatives:
  • Paneer - crumbles, roughly torn, sprinkled with salt and allowed to marinate overnight
    • this is NOT vegan
  • Firm tofu - torn into small chunks, marinated in pickling brine: vegan
    • 1/2 cup Tofu, small hand-torn chunks - don't cut with a knife.
    • Pickling brine:
      • Place 1/8 tsp citric acid, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/4 cup water in a small bowl: stir to mix
      • Add 1/4 cup vinegar and mix: pickling brine is ready
      • Place tofu cubes in a glass jar. Pour the pickling brine over the tofu. Add some herbs if you like
      • Cover loosely and allow to marinate at least overnight.
        • absolutely delicious.
      • Ready to use as Feta substitute.
        • Can be stored in the brine for up to 8-10 days, possibly longer.
  • Other vegan cheese alternatives of your choice.
 
Storing leftovers:
I recommend making only as much cooked filling as needed - the texture and nutrition profile of the filling deteriorates fairly quickly. I definitely do not recommend freezing the cooked mixture - it does not look or taste good after thawing.
If you do have leftover filling, refrigerate in a covered glass/ceramic container.
  • Consume within 1-2 days.
    • you can make pocket sandwiches again, or make something new:
      • use as a filling for quesadillas, soft tacos or wraps
      • use as a filling for a grilled sandwich
      • use as pizza topping on Greek-style flatbread or Naan.
      • re-heat for about 1 minute in the microwave and and mix into cooked pasta
 

Nutrition

Calories: 264kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 12gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 1109mgPotassium: 580mgFiber: 6gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 2465IUVitamin C: 40mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 3mg
Keyword Baby Spinach, Capsicum, Feta Cheese, Fresh red chilli paste, Green Bell Pepper, mushrooms, Pita Pocket
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