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.