The flavors in this dish will make you completely forget it's meatless.
The inspiration for this dish came after my husband asked me to prepare gyros he had bought from Sam's. It was just the meat - a mixture of beef and lamb. He asked if I would put everything together for dinner.
As I was heating up the meat, the delectable odors wafting from the oven almost made me forget that I no longer eat meat! It was apparently very delicious, and extremely tender. My mother, who doesn't have the best chompers in the world, was able to eat the meal and even went back for seconds (maybe even thirds!). So of course I had to figure out a way to re-create this dish, meat-free, and I found a wonderful vegan gyro recipe from Brand New Vegan. It's piled high on wheat pitas with red onions, cucumbers, tomatoes and vegan tzatziki (made mine with vegan mayo, cucumber and fresh dill). The yummy smells coming from this dish will have your mouth watering, and make you completely forget that there's no meat. Add this to your Meatless Monday rotation.
Vegan Gyros
16 oz Portobello mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground cloves
Instructions:
Place mushrooms in large skillet. Whisk remaining ingredients in small bowl until smooth and pour over mushrooms. Cook mushrooms over medium heat until most of marinade has cooked off. (Optional: Place mushrooms in oven under broiler for extra crispness).
Garnishes: lettuce, red onion, cucumber, tomato, vegan tzatziki sauce.