Vegetarian Chickpea Cauliflower Gyro

Gyros is a Greek dish traditionally made of meat wrapped in pita with tzatziki. Here is my vegetarian take on gyro using chickpeas and cauliflowers and obviously tzatziki! I oven roasted the chickpeas and cauliflower with peppers and spices in olive oil. They are so full of flavor! Wrapped all that goodness in a pita with lettuce, tomatoes, French fries, tzatziki, feta cheese and hot sauce to finish it off! This makes a delicious meal and it’s a great source of protein thanks to the chickpeas and Greek yogurt in the tzatziki. You gotta try this, you can even meal prep the filling and keep from before. If you use vegan yogurt and vegan feta these gyros are vegan.

Happy Cooking!

Servings: 4-5 servings

Prep Time: 20-25 mins

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients: 

Chickpea Cauliflower mixture:

• 16-18 oz cauliflower florrets

• 15 oz strained canned/ almost fully boiled Chickpeas

• 1 medium red pepper in thin slices

• 1/3 cup celery chopped 

• 1/4 cup white onion finely chopped

• 1/2-1 tsp Salt as per taste 

• 1/4 tsp Pepper

• 1/2 tsp Paprika

• 1/2-1 tsp Garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp Cumin powder 

• 1/2 tsp Sugar 

• 2-3 tbsp Olive oil

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Parsley 

Tzatziki:

• 1 cup Greek Yogurt or hung yogurt

• 1/2 cup grated Cucumber 

• 2-4 cloves Garlic

• 1/2 tsp Ginger paste 

• 1/2 tsp Salt as per taste 

• 1/2 tsp Pepper as per taste 

• 1 tbsp Dried dill or fresh 

• 1 tbsp lemon juice 

• 2-3 tbsp Olive oil

Assemble:

• 4-5 Pitas

• 3/4-1 cup Chopped romaine lettuce

• 1 Roma tomato chopped

• 6-8 oz French fries

• 1/3-1/2 cup Feta cheese crumbles

• Hot sauce of your choice; optional
  

Directions: 

1. Prepare Tzaztiki and keep it in the fridge:

   • Peel and grate cucumber over a sieve and let it sit for 10 mins to drain the water.

   • In a bowl add 1 -1/4 cup yogurt (I prefer no fat Greek yogurt)

   • Grate 2-4 cloves of garlic on the yogurt.

   • Add 1/2 tsp Ginger paste, 1/2 tsp Salt as per taste, 1/2 tsp Pepper as per taste, 1 tbsp Dried dill or fresh

   • Add 1 tbsp lemon juice over it and mix well.

   • Cover and let it sit in the fridge for 1 hour.

   • Drizzle 2-4 extra virgin olive oil over it and after.

   • This can last for 3-5 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Spreading the olive oil over the yogurt helps it to last longer.

2. Cauliflower Chickpea Mixture:

   • Preheat oven to 450F and line a baking tray.

   • In a mixing bowl, add chickpeas, cauliflower, red pepper, celery, onions, salt, pepper, garlic powder, sugar, cumin powder, paprika and mix.

   • Add olive oil and toss it together.

   • Transfer to the lined baking tray and bake at 450F for 30-35 mins flipping it mid way.

   • Transfer to a the mixing bowl again add chopped parsley. Mix it together.

3. Assembly:

   • Warm pita on low heat till warm, don’t make it crispy.

   • Put some chopped romaine lettuce on the pita and top with the cauliflower chickpea mixture.

   • Top with chopped tomatoes and fresh fries.

   • Spread Labneh over it and crumble feta over it.

   • Add some hot sauce over it if you want.

   • Fold it over. I like to wrap it in parchment paper and tie it so its easy to hold.

   • Serve with more French fries and hot sauce.

Notes/Tips:

• I like to use canned chickpeas over boiled chickpeas. If you use boiled chickpeas, make sure to soak it well before boiling it. I like to almost boil it fully as it will cook in the oven as well.

• Tossing it mid way in the oven, helps for everything to cook evenly.

• I like to chop the larger florets in smaller pieces so that its easier to fold and eat.

• French fries add so much to the gyro, so don’t skip it.

• Do not skip the tzatziki! It brings the entire dish together.

• Celery adds alot to the dish. It helps add flavor and texture to the gyro.