Gyro Turkey Burgers with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

Who doesn’t love a good gyro? One of my favorite foods! This flavor packed burger does the trick without the gluten, fat and calories. Plus it’s loaded with goodness- spinach, garlic, herbs, and almond flour. Top it with cucumber yogurt sauce and you have gyro perfection! I served mine with a fabulous Mediterranean Salad a good friend introduced me to and Parmesan Spaghetti Squash.

This burger recipe was inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow’s book It’s All Good. I’ve changed/ added some ingredients to make the recipe work better for me.

Gyro Turkey Burgers (GF, Dairy free, Paleo)- Makes 6 burgers

• 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
• 3 large shallots
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 8 large basil leaves
• 2 large handfuls of fresh spinach
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Blitz the shallots, garlic, oregano, basil, spinach, lemon zest, salt, and pepper together in a food processor until finely chopped. Place mixture in a large bowl. Add the ground turkey, almond flour, and egg to the bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands and form into 6 burger patties.

Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush the burgers with olive oil and cook until firm and have an internal temperature of 165 degrees- about 8 minutes per side.

While the burgers cook make the sauce.

Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used Fage)
• 1/2 cup cucumber finely diced
• 2 green onions thinly sliced
• 2 tsp dried dill (Gwyn’s recipe called for fresh mint, but I just never have that around. It is very good with mint, though)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon (use the one you zested for the burgers)

Mix all ingredients together and serve a dollop on each burger. Enjoy!

Baked Italian Shrimp

I love adapting recipes to be healthier. This shrimp recipe I found on good ol’ Pinterest, but it called for a packet of dried Italian dressing mix. While I used to love that stuff, it can contain some questionable ingredients. Plus real garlic and herbs are just better for you and provide all the flavor without all sodium and anti-caking agents. 

We made this while on a girls weekend and it was a huge hit! This shrimp is also a favorite of my daughter’s. 

Baked Italian Shrimp

• 1 stick of butter (preferably grass fed)
• 1 1/2 lb large, raw, peeled and deveined shrimp (frozen)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large lemon, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning (herbs)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• Fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the stick of butter on a cookie sheet with sides and melt in the oven. Once the butter has melted, remove the cookie sheet from the oven. 

Mix the minced garlic into the butter and scatter the lemon slices over the cookie sheet. Next, lay the frozen shrimp in a single layer over the lemons. Sprinkle with salt, Italian Seasoning, and black pepper (crushed red pepper would also be good for a little added heat).  

 

Now place the cookie sheet back in the oven. And bake for 15 minutes, until shrimp are bright pink and curled. 

This can be served over angle hair pasta or mashed potatoes. Also makes a great appetizer. My kids ate theirs with Mac N’ cheese and steamed green beans. 

Check out how I enjoyed the leftovers this morning for breakfast:  

 

I just threw the leftover shrimp with the buttery sauce into a sauté pan with some of the leftover green beans and fried an egg right in the sauce. Topped it with some crumbled goat cheese and fresh ground pepper. The best breakfast I’ve had in years! Literally licked my plate 😋