The birth place of the gyro
Who says you can't have a plant based gyro that is still delicious?! The technique for vertical meat grilling used in gyros was originally discovered in Bursa by Turks in the 19th century Ottoman Empire, they cooked lamb in what is now known as the doner kebab. Gyros have become a very popular dish in the US with more than 300,000 gyros eaten daily in the United States, that's 100 million gyros a year! With an average gyro being 6 oz of meat, that is roughly 41 million pounds of lamb eaten from gyros each year in the US alone.
The best part is that Gyros can be easily made vegan! It's the mix of flavors from the salty fries to the creamy tzatziki and crunchy mix of cucumbers, tomato's, and onions that make it so tasty. Just swap out lamb for oven baked cauliflower and yogurt with a vegan alternative and you have all the same flavors as a traditional gyro while reducing your carbon footprint by 21.6 pounds of carbon dioxide per 1/2 lb. eaten (double the equivalent of beef).
Ingredients
Cauliflower:
1 head of cauliflower
3 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves of garlic
1 tsp of salt (or to taste)
1 tsp of pepper (or to taste)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp of paprika
Tzatziki:
1/2 large cucumber
1 1/2 cup of vegan yogurt
A handful of fresh dill (roughly 1/4 cup)
Juice of half a lemon
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 tsp of salt (or to taste)
1 tsp of pepper (or to taste)
2 tsp olive oil
Fries:
2 large potatoes (skin on)
1 tsp of salt (or to taste)
1 tsp of pepper (or to taste)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp of paprika
2 tbsp olive oil
Assembly:
Pita bread
Lettuce
Tomato
Red Onion
Preparation
Cauliflower:
1. Chop cauliflower into bite-sized pieces and cut garlic in half. Place on lined baking sheet.
2. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Drizzle olive oil and toss to combine.
3. Cook at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until edges are browned. Bake time may very based on size of florets.
Tzatziki:
1. Finely grate the cucumber with skin on. Use a towel to squeeze out extra liquid. The remaining amount should be roughly 1/4 cup of cucumber. Finely chop dill.
2. Add cucumber, dill, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and spices into bowl. Mix to combine.
3. Adjust flavors based on personal preference and set aside.
Fries:
1. Dice potatoes into thin fry shape.
2. In a bowl, mix potatoes with olive oil and spices until coated.
3. Place in air fryer at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, flipping half way.
Assembly:
1. Heat pita on stove (optional).
2. Add a layer of hummus and tzatziki. Top with lettuce, tomato, and red onion.
3. Add cauliflower and potatoes, then drizzle tzatziki on top.