Try gyro sandwiches for easy weeknight dinner

COUNTDOWN

- Marinate meat.

- Prepare remaining ingredients.

- Make tzatziki sauce.

- Cook meat.

- Assemble sandwich.

SHOPPING LIST

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for tonight’s dinner.

To buy: 1/2 pound skirt steak, 1 bottle red wine, 1 lemon, 1 bottle dried oregano, 1 bottle dried dill, 1 package whole wheat pita breads, 1 tomato, 1 cucumber, 1 package shredded lettuce and 1 carton plain nonfat yogurt.

Staples: Olive oil, minced garlic, salt and black peppercorns.

Wine suggestion: The gyro is made of red meat and red wine, so a nice soft red like malbec would go well with it.

Gyros are pita bread sandwiches filled with meat, lettuce, tomatoes and the yogurt sauce tzatziki. They were traditionally made with compressed meat: ground beef or lamb mixed with spices and packed onto a spit that rotates in front of a fire until the meat is cooked. Today, many gyros are made with strips of marinated beef.

Serve with a washed, ready-to-eat salad with some added olives. This meal contains 597 calories per serving with 24 percent of calories from fat.

Gyro Sandwich

Serves: 2

1/2 pound skirt steak

1/2 cup red wine

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 whole wheat pita breads

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

1 cup shredded lettuce

For tzatziki sauce:

1/2 cup peeled, seeded and diced cucumber

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried dill

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Remove visible fat from meat and cut into strips about 2 inches long and 1 inch wide. Mix the red wine, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, garlic and oregano together in a bowl or self-seal plastic bag. Add the meat and let marinate 10 minutes while preparing the other ingredients. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the meat from the marinade and sauté 1 minute for rare and 3 minutes for medium. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove to a plate.

For the Tzatziki sauce: Mix cucumber, yogurt, garlic, dill and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice together. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve: Warm the pita breads in an oven or toaster oven for 2 to 3 minutes. Cut them in half and open the pockets and place on a serving plate. Place the meat, tomatoes, lettuce and sauce in separate bowls or on a serving plate so people can help themselves. If you prefer, fill the pita breads with lettuce, meat, tomatoes and sauce and serve them on individual plates.

Per serving: 597 calories (24 percent from fat), 15.9 grams fat (4.6 grams saturated, 6.6 grams monounsaturated), 73 milligrams cholesterol, 40 grams protein, 80 grams carbohydrates, 10.9 grams fiber, 688 milligrams sodium.