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Beef Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

Beef, General, Recipes
Embracing Motherhood Beef Gyros with Tzatzkii Sauce

My husband and I have always enjoyed Mediterranean food, and gyros are pretty much one of our favorite meals ever. The lamb meat is always so flavorful, and I love, love, LOVE tzatziki sauce. In fact, I’m always a little disappointed every time I order a gyro because I don’t think they ever add enough tzatziki! So anyways, I searched the Internet for recipes and created an amalgam with my own variations that is just absolutely superb…and not too difficult to make!

I like making my recipes as easy as possible and I like to spare unnecessary steps that don’t really affect the flavor and take too much time and effort. This recipe calls for a few steps that may seem like a bit of work, but I’ve left out a few of the things that I thought were overboard. I’m sure you’ll enjoy finding your own happy medium as well.

Ingredients for Gyro Meat

  • 1 lb of Ground Beef (or Ground Lamb…I just use like using grass-fed ground beef because it’s what I have on hand.)
  • 1 Medium Onion
  • 3 Garlic Cloves
  • 1 T. Marjoram Leaves (This is really one of the key ingredients that gives the meat its flavor, but you could always add some basil or thyme and it would still be pretty good.)
  • 1 t. Ground Oregano
  • 2 t. Real Salt
  • 2 t. Onion Powder
  • ½ t. Pepper
  • 2 t. Bragg Liquid Aminos

Directions for Gyro Meat

  1. Preheat the oven to 325º F.
  2. Coarsely chop up the onion and garlic and put into a food processor. After chopping them up finely, put into the middle of a paper towel and soak up all of the extra juice. (This is one of those steps that you don’t want to skip!)

    chopped onion in a paper towel

    Onion in a Paper Towel

  3. Add the onion/garlic mixture and all of the seasonings to the meat. Mix with a large wooden spoon or by hand.

    seasoned meat

    Seasoned Gyro Meat

  4. *Optional: Many recipes call for placing the meat and all of the seasonings in a food processor to make a really smooth consistency. I only have a small food processor, and I used it to chop up several batches of the meat. I’m not really sure how much good it did or how important this step is, but if you have a large food processor, you might want to go for it!
  5. Place the meat mixture in a glass bread pan and press down firmly until the top is level.
  6. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. *Optional: Many recipes I read called for the bread pan to be placed inside of a roasting pan full of boiling water. This seemed like too much of a hassle, and so I skipped it, but feel free to try it if you have the extra time! 

    cooked gyro meat

    Cooked Gyro Meat

  7. Take the meat out of the pan (save the extra juice to pour back over the top of the meat once you slice it) and place it on a cutting board. Wrap a brick in foil and place it on top of the meat. (*I didn’t have a brick, so I just used a few books wrapping the bottom one with foil.) Let it sit like this for about 15-20 minutes.

    gyro meat pressed down

    Cooked Gyro Meat with Books on Top

  8. Slice the meat really thin andpour any remaining juice over the top.

    sliced gyro meat

    Sliced Gyro Meat

Ingredients for Tzatziki Sauce

  • 2 c. Plain Yogurt (I like Stonyfield Organic Whole Milk. I also like using 3 cups because I LOVE tzatziki sauce, but if you want a more modest amount, 2 cups should do just fine.)
  • 1 Medium to Large Cucumber (peeled, seeded, and finely chopped)
  • 3 Garlic Cloves (finely minced)
  • Juice from 1 Lemon (or lime)
  • 1 T. Olive Oil
  • 2 t. Real Salt
  • 1 t. Mint Leaves
  • 1 c. Finely Crumbled Feta Cheese (I chopped up a solid chunk and put it in my food processor.)

Directions for Tzatziki Sauce

  1. First, scoop out the amount of plain yogurt that you want and place into a mixing bowl.
  2. I coarsely chopped up my cucumber and then put it in my food processor to get it more finely chopped. I also did this with my garlic and my feta cheese.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients and stir with a spoon.

    tzatziki premixed

    Tzatziki Ingredients

  4. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes to 1 hour to let the flavors set in.

    tzatziki sauce

    Tzatziki Sauce

Eat Your Gyros!

Gyros are typically served with lettuce, tomato, and onion in a pita wrap. But since this is your house, serve them any way you’d like! I love getting a big pile of lettuce and making more of a gyro salad with LOTS of tzatziki sauce. Yum! I also love using this tzatziki sauce as a salad dressing and dip for things like my yummy potato fries or rounds.

gyro wrap

Gyro Wrap

gyro without the wrap

Carb Free Gyro

 

gyro salad

Gyro Salad

How Do You Pronounce Gyro?

In case you were wondering how to pronounce “gyro”, this provides a pretty good explanation of how the Greeks say it, how some Americans try to say it and butcher it, and how the Cambridge Dictionary says we should pronounce it. This YouTube video shows ten foods that we Americans typically mispronounce, including gyro, hummus, and bruschetta, and this girl is completely ridiculous, but I think she kind of nails it.

In Greece (where gyros originated), it is pronounced gYEERRRR-o. There is a slightly soft g in the beginning and you sort of roll the rs like this guy does. Many people in America try to pronounce it correctly, but instead sound like this (YEAR-o). Then, there are other people, like this guy (JY-ro), who believe in the complete Americanization and domination of all foreign words.

While getting my Master’s degree in linguistics, I came to the understanding that language will do what it does, not what we want it to. We can have the best intentions for pronouncing a word a certain way, but in the end, it will be pronounced however the majority of people decide to pronounce it. So until people start looking at me weird, I’m going to go with gYEErr-o, so it kind of sounds like I’m trying to pronounce it the correct “Greek” way, but not trying too hard.

Also, for the record, tzatziki is pronounced zat-ZEE-key, not ta-ZEE-key like I’ve always said it. Oops.

Now, how was all that for some food for thought? 🙂

July 29, 2015/0 Comments/by Stacey Maaser
https://embracing-motherhood.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/gyro-wrap.png 400 810 Stacey Maaser https://embracing-motherhood.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/EM_Logo.png Stacey Maaser2015-07-29 17:00:012020-11-20 16:04:36Beef Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

Hamburger Salad Recipe

Beef, General, Recipes
Embracing Motherhood Hamburger Salad Recipe

I love finding simple ways to make dinner that are both healthy and that my family will enjoy. The kids love eating grilled burgers on a bun or cut up and dipped in A1, but my husband and I really enjoy these hamburger salads

Ingredients

  • Grilled Hamburgers
  • Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese Slices (Or really any kind of cheese you prefer.)
  • Lettuce (The darker the lettuce, the more nutrients it has. I prefer organic because it’s one of the dirty dozen.)
  • Green Olives (Sliced or chopped)
  • Tomato
  • Mayonnaise (I like Hellman’s.)
  • Real Salt (Get some here.)

Directions

  1. Grill some burgers. Check out my recipe: How to Make the Best Grilled Burgers.
  2. Add some cheese when the burgers are almost done cooking, cover, and let it melt.
  3. Chop up the burgers into cubes.
  4. Place on a bed of lettuce and top with tomatoes, green olives, and mayonnaise.
  5. Add a sprinkling of Real Salt on the top and serve.
Hamburger Salad

Hamburger Salad

July 24, 2015/0 Comments/by Stacey Maaser
https://embracing-motherhood.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/hamburger-salad1.png 400 810 Stacey Maaser https://embracing-motherhood.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/EM_Logo.png Stacey Maaser2015-07-24 13:44:442020-11-20 16:06:35Hamburger Salad Recipe

Easy Meatball Recipe Served with Spaghetti or Stroganoff Sauce

Beef, General, Recipes
Easy Meatball Recipe

This simple and easy recipe will yield some amazingly versatile and delicious meatballs that will be a big hit with everyone! You can enjoy them plain, top them with spaghetti sauce for a traditional Italian feast, or smother them with a white stroganoff sauce, and then serve any of these options over a bed of noodles. Any variation will be sure to please!

I made this recipe for my daughter Ophelia’s 2nd birthday, and they were a big hit! I wanted to make something healthy that both the kids and the adults would enjoy, and this was the perfect meal. I love serving meatballs at a party because you can keep them warm in a crock pot so that any stragglers or late eaters will be ensured a tasty meal.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Ground Beef (Grass-Fed)
  • ½ c. Milk (Raw)
  • 1 c. Organic Rolled Oats (Not quick or instant)
  • 1 Egg (Pastured)
  • 1 t. Real Salt (Get some here.)
  • ½ t. Pepper
  • 1 t. Onion Powder
  • 1 t. Garlic Powder
  • 1 t. Ground Oregano
  • 1 t. Ground Basil
  • 1 T. Bragg Liquid Aminos

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients. I like to add everything but the meat first, mix it together really well, and then add the meat and knead it in. *When I add my seasonings, I never measure, I just sprinkle them in. When I add this seasoning mixture to meat, like my taco meat recipe, I always add so much that I think, “Was that too much?”, but it never is.

    Meatball Mixture

    Meatball Mixture

  3. Form the meat mixture into balls. I really had fun using this small cookie scoop, and it was much easier than forming individual meatballs by hand!
  4. Place onto a greased cookie sheet. (You should be able to fit them all on one. I didn’t grease my cookie sheet the first time I made these, and the pan was quite hard to clean afterwards. It also helps to keep them on the middle rack in the oven.)

    Meatballs Ready to Bake

    Meatballs Ready to Bake

  5. Bake them at 350° F for 20 minutes. (You want them to be browned on the outside, so you may need to go 25 minutes depending on your oven.)

    Cooked Meatballs

    Cooked Meatballs

Spaghetti Sauce Meatballs

You can just dump a can of store bought spaghetti sauce on these meatballs, and they would be just great! Or, you can make things a little fancier by mixing some of my Tomato Puree with some organic store bought spaghetti sauce. I like to put my meatballs into a crock pot and let it simmer on low for a few hours before serving so that the they have time to soak up the flavor of the sauce.

Meatballs in Spaghetti Sauce

Meatballs in Spaghetti Sauce

Stroganoff Sauce Meatballs

Just mix together 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, ½ cup of sour cream, some parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste for a simple and easy stroganoff sauce. Mix the sauce and meatballs together and place in a crock pot on low one hour before serving time to let the meatballs really soak up the stroganoff flavor.

Meatballs in Stroganoff Sauce

Meatballs in Stroganoff Sauce

Serve with Noodles

I personally love angel hair pasta, but my kids really like rotini noodles. Egg noodles are typically served with stroganoff, so that’s a good option too. If you’re trying to lose weight, you might want to skip the noodles, but I think they add such a yummy flavor and texture, that it’s worth it to at least have a little bit!

Angel Hair Pasta

Angel Hair Pasta

Protein Enhanced Rotini Noodles

Protein Enhanced Rotini Noodles

Serve with Salad

The meal just wouldn’t be complete without a big tossed salad. I also created an Olive Garden salad dressing to accompany it, and it was amazing!

Tossed Salad

Tossed Salad

Big Hit

This meal really pleased everyone, adults and children alike! I also served a big plate of deviled eggs, some lemon/apple cider vinegar water, and raw milk. My parents (who raised five children, now all grown and moved out of the house) passed on to us their giant table with three leaves and their beautiful china set. It was really fun for me to prepare this meal and set a fancy table for those that we love. The meal was delicious, but even better was the company that surrounded us as we enjoyed it. There is such a joy in cooking a good healthy meal and enjoying it with those that you love!

Ophelia's Birthday Meal

Ophelia’s Birthday Meal

May 22, 2015/0 Comments/by Stacey Maaser
https://embracing-motherhood.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/meatballs.png 400 810 Stacey Maaser https://embracing-motherhood.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/EM_Logo.png Stacey Maaser2015-05-22 21:47:112020-11-20 16:44:26Easy Meatball Recipe Served with Spaghetti or Stroganoff Sauce

How to Make the Best Grilled Burgers

Beef, General, Recipes
Embracing Motherhood How to Make the Best Grilled Burgers

Making hamburgers seems like such a simple meal, why even write a recipe for it? Well yes, hamburgers are simple, but the way that I make mine are just so dang good that I had to write it down! If you make this recipe, I guarantee that you will get compliments!

A good hamburger first of all starts with some high quality grass-fed beef. (Cows are meant to eat grass, not grain, by the way.) We get ours from a local farm for $5/lb, but you can also buy it here.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Ground Beef (Preferably grass-fed)
  • 2 t. Real Salt (I buy my Real Salt in bulk here, you can buy a shaker here, or a refill pouch here.)
  • 1 t. Pepper (Buy it here.)
  • 1 t. Garlic Powder (I buy mine here or you can buy it here or here.)
  • 1 t. Onion Powder (I buy mine here or you can buy it here.)
  • 2 t. Bragg Liquid Aminos (Buy it here.)

Directions

  1. Start the grill and set it to medium/high.
  2. If the meat is frozen, fill up the sink (or a bowl) with warm water, and let soak for about 30-40 minutes.
  3. Divide the meat roughly into fourths, then eighths.
  4. Sprinkle generously with seasonings. (I don’t measure, just shake.)

    one pound of hamburger meat divided into eighths and sprinkled with seasonings

    Beef Divided Into Eighths and Sprinkled with Seasonings

  5. Mix the seasonings in with your hands as you form patties.

    seasoned hamburger patties ready to grill

    Seasoned Hamburger Patties

  6. After the grill has had a chance to heat up, scrape it off with a grill brush.
  7. Put the burgers on and turn the heat down to low/medium.
  8. Cook for 8 minutes. Flip and cook for 4 minutes. (After you flip is a great time to add cheese if you want it melted.)
  9. Serve and enjoy!

    eight grilled hamburgers with grill marks on a grill

    Grilled Hamburger Patties

March 19, 2015/0 Comments/by Stacey Maaser
https://embracing-motherhood.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/embracing-motherhood.com-35.png 400 810 Stacey Maaser https://embracing-motherhood.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/EM_Logo.png Stacey Maaser2015-03-19 11:19:582020-11-20 18:51:53How to Make the Best Grilled Burgers

Taco Meat…Without the Seasoning Packet

Beef, General, Recipes

As we have entered the deeper stages of our healthy eating conversion, I have always felt guilty about buying the MSG laden packets of taco seasoning, but we just couldn’t live without eating tacos!!! So I tried several different creations before finally creating this amazing recipe. We all love eating it and don’t miss the taco seasoning at all. Best of all, the kids love it! Our son (who can be a picky eater) loves eating a bowl of this meat as a little snack or a whole meal.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. Ground Beef (Preferably use grass-fed beef. We have also used venison in this recipe and it tastes great!)
  • 1 Medium Onion (or 3 green onions)
  • 3 Cloves of Garlic
  • 3 T. Butter (Pastured butter like Kerrygold is the best, organic butter is the next best, and butter without rBST growth hormones is better than plain butter, and plain butter is WAY better than margarine.)
  • 2 t. Real Salt (I buy my Real Salt in bulk here, you can buy a shaker here, or a refill pouch here.)
  • 2 t. Ground Oregano (I buy mine here or you can buy it here.)
  • 2 t. Ground Basil (I buy mine here or you can buy it here.)
  • 2 t. Garlic Powder (I buy mine here or you can buy it here or here.)
  • 2 t. Onion Powder (I buy mine here or you can buy it here.)
  • 4 t. Bragg Liquid Aminos (Buy it here.)

Directions

  1. Preheat your cast iron skillet. First, let the pan slowly heat up on a low to medium setting and allow the butter to melt and coat the pan. (Read more about curing your cast iron skillet here.)

    Cured Cast Iron Skillet

    Cured Cast Iron Skillet

  2. Sautè the onions and garlic. Chop up the onion, peel the garlic and crush it in a garlic press and add both to the bubbling butter. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes.
  3. Add the ground beef. Break it apart a little bit at a time as it cooks and flip it as each side is browned.
  4. Time for seasonings! Once it is fully browned, add the garlic powder, onion powder, basil, oregano, Real Salt, and Bragg Liquid Aminos. (I never measure out the seasonings, I just add them. I find it’s best to add way more than you’d think, but you’ll get the hang of what you like with a little taste testing.)
  5. DO NOT DRAIN THE FAT! THE FAT IS VERY GOOD FOR YOU!! (Unless you’re using venison. Draining the fat will help to get rid of the gamy taste.)
  6. Simmer. Turn off the heat and let the meat sit covered and soaking up all of the juices for about 10 minutes.

    Taco Meat

    Taco Meat

  7. Get your toppings ready. While the meat settles, chop up some fresh lettuce and tomatoes, get out the shredded cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, hot sauce, and choose between a taco salad, tacos in a hard shell, a soft shell taco, a taco chips and cheese plate…or my favorite fried flour tortillas! (To make fried flour tortillas, heat up some coconut oil in a pan on medium to high heat, fry the flour tortillas for about 10 seconds on each side, fold in half to cool, and enjoy the most amazing flavor of your life!)
Tacos Ready to Eat

Tacos Ready to Eat

October 20, 2014/0 Comments/by Stacey Maaser
https://embracing-motherhood.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/embracing-motherhood.com-28.png 400 810 Stacey Maaser https://embracing-motherhood.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/EM_Logo.png Stacey Maaser2014-10-20 22:19:342020-11-20 19:08:29Taco Meat…Without the Seasoning Packet

Ground Beef Chili Recipe

General, Recipes, Soup
Embracing Motherhood Ground Beef Chili Recipe

This is a pretty basic recipe for chili, but hidden under it’s simplicity is a complexity of layers that make it completely amazing. After a cold afternoon of playing outside, there is nothing better than a nice bowl of homemade chili to warm you up.! The great thing about this basic recipe is that by adding whatever extras you have in your fridge, it will be different every time.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. Ground Beef (Finding a local source of grass-fed beef is best, or you can buy it here.)
  • 1 bag of Tomato Puree (You could also use 2 cans of organic whole stewed tomatoes.)
  • 2 Cans of Kidney Beans (If I had the time, I would soak some organic kidney beans on low heat with a glug of apple cider vinegar and a spoonful of freshly ground wheat or rye flour to unlock the phytase that will break down the phytic acid. Find out why here.)
  • *Veggies: Sometimes, a simple chili is best, but sometimes I like adding a bunch of veggies like zucchini, cauliflower, carrots, and celery.)
  • 1 Medium Onion
  • 3 Cloves of Garlic
  • 2 t. Real Salt (I buy my Real Salt in bulk here, you can buy a shaker here, or a refill pouch here.)
  • 3 T. Butter 
  • 2 t. Ground Oregano 
  • 2 t. Ground Basil
  • 2 t. Garlic Powder
  • 2 t. Onion Powder 
  • 2 t. Bragg Liquid Aminos
  • 2 t. Chili Powder 
  • *1 t. Cayenne Pepper (I just add this to my own personal bowl of chili so that the kids can eat it!)

Directions

  1. Prepare the Pan: I love using my cast iron skillet for this recipe! Let the pan slowly heat up on a low to medium setting and allow the butter to melt and coat the pan.

    cast-iron-skillet

    Cured Cast Iron Skillet

  2. Cook the Onion and Garlic: Chop up the onion, peel the garlic and crush it in a garlic press and add both to the bubbling butter. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes.
  3. Add the Beef: Once the onion is soft, add the ground beef. Break it apart a little bit at a time as it cooks, and flip it as each side is browned.

    Browning the Beef

    Browning the Beef

  4. Season the Meat: Once the beef is fully browned, add the garlic powder, onion powder, basil, oregano, Real Salt, and Bragg Liquid Aminos. (I never measure out the seasonings. I just sprinkle them on the meat until it’s fairly covered. I always end up adding more than I think I should, and this gives it the best flavor.)
  5. DO NOT DRAIN THE FAT! THE FAT IS VERY GOOD FOR YOU!!!
  6. Simmer: Turn off the heat and let the meat sit covered and soaking up all of the juices while you prepare the rest of the soup. *This is the same recipe as my taco meat!
  7. Add Tomatoes and Beans: In a large pot, add the tomato puree and the drained cans of beans. Slowly heat them up to a low simmer on a low-medium setting (like a 4).
  8. Add the Beef: Add the browned beef and stir. Let it simmer on a low heat for a bit, or just eat it right away if you can’t wait!
  9. *Saute the Veggies: If you want to add more vegetables, don’t just dice them up and throw them in the pot! Saute each batch of veggies with a bit of oil and the same seasonings you added to the meat.

    Seasoned Zucchini and Celery Sauteing

    Seasoned Zucchini and Celery Sauteing

  10. Season to Taste: Add more of the seasonings that you added to the meat. Keep adding and tasting until you get it just right.
  11. Serve: Serve with some tortilla chips and fresh sour cream for a perfect meal.

In Conclusion

There are many different ways you can make chili. Sometimes, you might just want to empty out what you have in your fridge, and other times you might want something more traditional. I think it’s fun to be able to make the same meal often, but mix it up so that it seems different. So get creative, follow your cravings, and enjoy!

  1. Chili with Veggies

    Chili with Veggies

Chili with Beans

Chili with Beans

October 20, 2014/0 Comments/by Stacey Maaser
https://embracing-motherhood.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/embracing-motherhood.com-101.png 400 810 Stacey Maaser https://embracing-motherhood.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/EM_Logo.png Stacey Maaser2014-10-20 22:03:292020-11-20 19:14:26Ground Beef Chili Recipe

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Stacey Maaser

Stacey Maaser author of Embracing Motherhood

Author of Embracing Motherhood

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