By Lisa Golden Schroeder

I began really exploring  “ethnic” foods when I was in college. Driven primarily by a vegetarian boyfriend, but also by my experimental mother, I discovered cooking styles that were a treasure trove of what at the time seemed like exotic flavors: foods richly seasoned with herbs and spices and wonderful dishes featuring lean meats, beans, grains and unfamiliar vegetables. There were also so many delicious traditions for simple, satisfying snack foods meant to be eaten on the go—the global tradition of street foods. In just about every country there are regional specialties sold solely by vendors at outdoor markets or from carts on city streets or country roadsides. Chefs have been inspired forever by the foods of their childhood, often reflected in their restaurant menus. (If my children ever become influenced by their snack food, they’d be serving cold cereal and tortilla chips from their food trucks.) And now the populist appeal of street foods has risen to the point of becoming the star of the past year’s Culinary Institute of America’s World of Flavors conference in California.

Granted, most street food is not vegetarian, featuring the most inexpensive meats (or insects in some countries) available in a specific time and place. But there’s no mistaking the comfort of what’s sold—stewed, roasted, fragrant and fresh, defining the most favorite tastes of a cuisine. I fell instantly in love with Middle Eastern foods: hummus, baba ghanouj (roasted eggplant dip), tahini, tabbouleh, briny olives, feta cheese, lots of spices. The appeal of street food is not only the flavors, but that we can pick them up in our hands, licking the dripping juices and sauces from our fingers as we gobble them down just like kids.

I feel inspired this time of year, when we have friends over in the cozy early winter doldrums, to offer up buffets of finger foods filled with layers of taste that increase as each person builds their plate. Unofficially dubbed the “condiment queen,” I like to eat and serve foods that begin with a delicious base—stovetop-grilled or slow-cooked chicken is a perfect foil for flavor-bursting sauces and little bites of delicious (and healthy) sides.  Roasted veggies, fresh herbs and greens, and luscious bean dishes spiked with garlic and lemon, all wrapped up and ready to eat without forks.

CHICKEN SHAWARMA WRAPS

Makes 4 servings

All over the eastern Mediterranean these spiced meat sandwiches are a street food staple. Originating in northwestern Turkey, this style of seasoned meat wrap is so common it’s sometimes called the Middle Eastern taco. The meat is typically shaved off a large rotating cone of roasted layered meat, but here you can create your own with chicken tenders. For a bit of smoky flavor, use a stovetop grill.

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken

1 package (14 ounces) Just BARE™ Hand-trimmed Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Tenders

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

½ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon olive oil

For the wraps

1/2 cup prepared hummus

¼ cup plain yogurt

4  (8-inch) wheat pita fold breads

2 cups mixed baby greens

2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 small cucumber, thinly sliced

Crumbled feta cheese, if desired

INSTRUCTIONS

• Place chicken tenders in large plastic resealable food bag. Add seasonings; seal bag and shake to coat chicken evenly.
• Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook for about eight minutes, turning once, until no longer pink inside.
• To make wraps, mix hummus and yogurt in small bowl. Arrange spiced chicken tenders on pita bread, with tomatoes, cucumber, and greens. Drizzle with hummus sauce and sprinkle with feta.