Pitas and flatbreads are not just delicious, they are also healthy. You can use them to prepare new and exciting meals instead of picking up the same old unhealthy take-out yet again. Your body, your waistline, and your taste buds will all thank you for it. My favorite recipes using pitas work equally well for lunch and dinner. Try these sandwich ideas and you’ll agree that you can’t get anything this good from drive-thru or delivery:
Gyros 3 Ways
Lamb Gyros: One of the best ways to make this and to have enough for several days is to slow roast a leg of lamb, instead of just making a little amount. Season it by rubbing first with garlic, rosemary, oregano, Cavender’s Greek Seasoning, and a little cumin. Then, pour on a tablespoon or so of olive oil, and rub this in well. Do this about half an hour prior to cooking and let it sit at room temperature during this time. Roast it at 350 degrees for 25 minutes per pound. Let it rest for at least 15 minutes, then thinly slice. Prepare the gyros by spreading pitas with a healthy version of tzatziki sauce covered by salad made from dark green leafy lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and onions. I usually put a little more tzatziki on top of this, too. Then, get some pita bread either from a place like Klosterman Baking Company or a bakery near you that might specialize in making them. Lay the lamb on top, roll up, and enjoy!
Chicken Gyros: This is a lighter and less fattening but equally delicious option for you to try out. You can use chicken cooked any way for these. For example, you can use grilled, baked, and even deli rotisserie chicken and end up with delicious results. One delicious way to do it is to marinate chicken thighs with the same seasonings as for the lamb gyro and grill them. Then, you assemble the chicken gyros just like you would with the lamb type above.
Gyro Burgers: This is really simple and will remind you of pretty much any other burger out there. Just prepare burgers as you normally do. To go with the healthy theme, though, you may want to make sure that you’re using meat that is lean and not fatty. Dress it with salad and tzatziki in the same way you would other gyros and serve on pitas. Note: although some people like to season their burgers, you really don’t need to do anything more than use a generous amount of Greek Seasoning when making these.
Vegetarian Sandwiches
Whether you are vegetarian or not, you can make delicious pita sandwiches without any meat. These are some of my favorite choices for a healthy yet satisfying supper.
Hummus: A simple hummus sandwich includes nothing but hummus and pita. If you feel the need for more sustenance, use shredded carrots and broccoli slaw. Feel free to use either premade hummus from the grocery store or make your own. It just depends on the type of texture that you’re going for as the homemade version doesn’t always come out the exact same way that the store-bought type does, which most people are probably used to. At least, that has been my experience. To help solve this problem, though, I use a secret ingredient. It may not be an authentic choice, but I have found that sneaking just a little bit of mayonnaise in when mixing hummus provides the creamy texture that I like.
Falafel: Easy to mix up and make, these can be a little tricky to fry. But you’ll have no trouble because you’ll benefit from my mistakes. I finally found that the secret to making falafel that won’t fall apart is to form them small. I shape them into balls that are each about 2″ in diameter and they fry up just right. Then, you just stuff them into pita bread, dress them up with tzatziki sauce, and eat them like gyros.
Lentil Sloppy Joes: These are a huge hit with kids and some people even like them more than the kind of sloppy joes made with ground beef and canned sauce. It is basically a mix of lentils, onion, bell peppers and seasonings. This recipe is really quick and easy to make and it’s vegan and vegetarian-friendly too. After you’ve made it, you can use the pita bread to replace the typical hamburger buns. This way, you and your friends or family can still eat something messy, fun and tasteful without succumbing to unhealthy temptations.
Now, I know that you might not be able to make all of these this week, but if you’re looking to use more pita bread in your diet then choosing one would be a great start! Let us know what you thought of it, or feel free to comment with any ideas that you have about how to best use pita bread.