Dinner Inspirations: Gyro Burgers

I have a half of a pound of ground beef leftover from last night's meal. What to do, what to do?

Let's rewind my webcast to two night's ago.

My local grocers do not sell ground beef in any amount less than a pound, if yours does, consider yourself lucky (though I'd venture to guess it would be overpriced compared to larger sizes, as that's how they hook you into buying more). This provides a great opportunity at a little plan ahead menu ideas.

My table is dishing up only two to three servings each night, but so are most of the households my webcast is reaching. Having company? Each recipe is easily doubled. But, I digress.

Having thawed my pound of ground beef, I was ready for preparation of two night's meals. Yes, it would have been just as easy to split the package into the portions I needed, but I had grand plans to work ahead. This is where the rewind comes in. Half of my package of ground beef was purposed for Gyro (pronounced yeer·oh typically, but just as commonly heard around these parts as J·EYE·row) burgers. International week is alive and thriving in my kitchen, and it's a wonderful tour.

1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cumun
pinch of salt
shake of pepper

1 med. cucumber
1 6 or 8 oz. plain yogurt
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/2 med tomato, sliced (we're using the other half!)

2 whole wheat pita pockets (we need to use these up!)

Mix ground beef with spices and form oblong patties. I make three medium burgers, but you can certainly create two full size ones.

The next step is a matter of preference, but I like to broil when cooking meat, as it wicks away most of the fat. If you have a (Forman) grill or prefer pan cooking, that works too. The broiling method takes less than ten minutes, flipping midway, for a well done burger.

As your burgers are cooking, prepare the topping by peeling the cucumber, cut length-wise, then cross-wise. Next we're going to remove the seeds by using a regular teaspoon and scraping straight down the middle until you have hollowed out and removed all the seeds. I've been told that the seeds contain the burp factor, repeating on you well after the meal is finished, so I make it a practice to use this method each time I use a cucumber in a recipe. Now, slice the cuke into thin half moons and place in mixing bowl. Add yogurt, garlic salt, stir well, and refrigerate until ready for use. Note: I have substituted sour cream when I do not have yogurt and it's just as tasty.

Cut your pitas in half, creating the pocket. I cut my burgers in half and placed one half in each pocket, nestle a tomato slice, and top with a generous portion of the cucumber sauce. Serve and enjoy!

Because Gyro burgers are simple and easy to prepare, I also made the Pita Flautas the same night. Storing the beef mixture in one Tupperware container, the diced tomatoes and onions side by side in another Tupperware container, it was faster than going out for take out, as the only steps needed were to heat the beef/rice mixture and stuff the pitas. Don't you just love easy? I know I do.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I'll be capturing pictures of these meals to include with the recipes in the future. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and I'm sure the drool factor is worth much more.

Dinner Inspirations: Pita Flauta

I just finished eating the best dinner, which was the same thought I had of the dinner the night before... and the one before that. Incredible, right?

As I was cleaning up the few dishes it took to create and serve, an idea formed: I should blog about these fantastic dishes! After all, who of us hasn't asked ourselves what we could make that would break the mold of the same rotated dishes month after month.

Cooking has been a passion, hobby, and joy for me well over 30 years. In the last ten of those years, I took it so far as to create a webcast, complete with a camera installed under the kitchen cabinet, and stream live to millions of viewers. The show is a grand hit, albeit only in my mind, but I have a lot of fun with it. (Before you try to search up this webcast, let me be candid and confess that the entire program exists only in the form of my imagination, though it doesn't stop me from airing an episode every single night.)

What did you make for dinner? I'm so glad you asked! I'll take this opportunity to recap today's broadcast for an easy recipe that takes very little effort to make and is budget conscious.

These simple ingredients are probably items that are kitchen staples you already have at hand. If not, easily and cheaply acquired.

1/4 C rice, cooked
1/2 lb ground beef
4 T tomato sauce
2 T salsa
2 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 ripe tomato, diced
3 tsp vidalia onion, diced
1/4 C grated sharp cheddar cheese
4 whole wheat pitas

The first step is to start your rice. I use long grain because it's simple and tastes best to me. If the minute variety works for you, go for it.

While the rice is cooking, do your prep work by chopping the tomato and onion.

Next, brown your ground beef. Once the beef is browned, stir in the tomato sauce, salsa, and lime juice. With a little luck, and the right timing, your rice should be done and ready to add to the ground beef mixture. Add cumin to the beef/rice mixture and stir. The smell of this dish will have anyone in your house with a nose inquiring about what smells so good, because let me tell you, it's a lovely aroma.

Cut your pitas in half, creating two pockets. I love that most of the local grocery stores offer whole wheat pitas because it allows you to sneak a healthy choice on the table without anyone blinking an eye.

Spoon the beef/rice mixture into each pocket, top with grated sharp cheddar cheese, diced onion (to taste), and diced tomatoes. Serve.

That's it! As simple as this dish sounds, it lacks nothing in flavor and will get rave reviews. It certainly tops meatloaf or hamburgers and takes very little effort.

I hope you try it, and then you'll have the opportunity to say, "That was the best dinner!"