Greek Pitas

The other night, as usual, I had no idea what to make for dinner.  Then I remembered I had a pork roast in the freezer.  I also found some pita bread I had gotten at Costco and frozen forlater use.  Then an idea came to me…

I pulled out the crock pot, threw in the frozen pork roast, dumped in some homemade Italian dressing (recipe here) and turned it on high.  A few hours later, the pork was tender, juicy and falling apart.  Once it was ready, I simply warmed up the pita bread, made a simple Tzatziki sauce, chopped up some veggies, sautéed an onion and some peppers and dinner was complete.  It was healthy and tasty, plus it took hardly any time at all.  Chicken would also work well and be even healthier.  Whatever meat you use, just throw it in the crock-pot and then you’ll know “What’s for Dinner Tonight?”.

Meat

• 1 pork roast or 3 chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup Italian dressing
• Sprinkles of garlic granules, onion powder, salt and pepper to taste

Place frozen roast or chicken breasts in crock-pot.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours.  Roast may take a little longer due to thickness; chicken breasts may take less time.  Either way, you want the meat to be falling apart and tender.

Toppings

• Tomatoes
• Grated carrots
• Lettuce or fresh spinach
• Feta cheese, crumbled
• Purple or green onions
• Red peppers
• Olives
• Tzatziki sauce (see recipe below)
• Humus

Chop tomatoes, grate carrots (I use pre-grated from the grocery store), shred lettuce, and grate cheese.  Put in small bowels for serving.  Slice purple onion and red pepper.  Sauté  on medium heat in a little oil, salt and pepper until soft.  Warm up the pita bread, make the Tzatziki sauce, open some humus and dinner is served!

Before Tzatziki sauce is added…

Tzatziki Sauce

http://greekfood.about.com/od/dipsspreadspures1/r/Tzatziki.htm

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced finely
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. white pepper
• 1 cup Greek yogurt, strained
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh dill

Combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix until well combined. Using a whisk, blend the yogurt with the sour cream. Add the olive oil mixture to the yogurt mixture and mix well. Finally, add the cucumber and chopped fresh dill. Chill for at least two hours before serving.

Liz Notes:  From what I’ve read, it helps to strain the yogurt and the cucumbers.  It is easier to do if you remove the seeds and grate the cucumbers also.  Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, suggests that you “place the yogurt in a cheesecloth or paper towel-lined sieve and set it over a bowl. Grate the cucumber and toss it with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt; place it in another sieve, and set it over another bowl. Place both bowls in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours so the yogurt and cucumber can drain.”

Personally, I’ve never strained mine and I don’t use a recipe.  I just throw some plain or Greek yogurt in a bowl, add some chopped garlic, chopped purple onion, grated cucumber, a squeeze of lemon, some dried dill, salt and pepper to taste and I’m done.   But I do like the recipe above…the addition of olive oil, white pepper, vinegar, sour cream and fresh dill sounds really good.  Whatever you decide, I hope you enjoy this simple dinner!