*In my best Oprah voice* "I love gyros. I love gyros... I eat gyros everyday." Haha, well... not really.
Gyros are absolutely one of my favorite cheat meals, and it was so easy to reinvent this classic with lean turkey meat and a Greek yogurt-based tzatziki dressing for a healthy salad. This was so delicious that I didn't even miss the pita!
Tzatziki Sauce Dressing
Ingredients:
16 oz Greek Yogurt
1-2 cucumbers (we used 2 because we prefer the heavy cucumber taste and the added nutrients)
4 garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
5-6 mint leaves
Directions:
1. Peel and grate your cucumber.
2. Finely chop mint leaves.
3. Finely chop your garlic cloves and use the blunt side of the knife to crush the garlic into a mush or paste (as demonstrated by Evan in photo).
4. Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl until well incorporated.
*note: Tzatziki sauce is better when left refrigerated overnight or made a few hours in advance to allow all of the flavors to meld.
Turkey Gyro Meat
Ingredients:
20 oz lean ground turkey
1/2 white onion
2 tablespoons crushed garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350° F.
2. Roughly chop onion and place in food processor and pulse until well blended
3. Use a clean kitchen towel or cheese cloth to squeeze and dispose of liquid from processed onion and return onion to processor.
4. Add turkey and and spices to processor and process until fully integrated.
5. Finely chop 2-3 garlic cloves and use the blunt side of your chopping knife to crush garlic (technique shown in tzatziki sauce recipe above). Crush enough garlic to stir 2 tablespoons into turkey mixture.
6. Spread turkey mixture evenly into greased loaf pan and bake in pre-heated oven for 45 minutes.
7. Drain liquid from pan and thinly slice.
Build Your Salad
What You'll Need (suggested):
Romain lettuce hearts washed and chopped
cucumbers chopped
sliced red onion
Kalamata olives
Cherry tomatoes
Feta Cheese
lemon juice