make the tzatziki. Peel the cucumber and grate it into a bowl. Sprinkle over the salt and stir to coat. Set aside for 15 minutes.
Peel and thinly slice the onions for your gyros. Peel and grate the garlic. Cut the mushrooms into 1cm-thick strips.
Put a frying pan over a medium heat and pour in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add half the sliced onion and fry for 3–4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 2 minutes. Add the remaining olive oil. Tip in the mushrooms and stir them into the onions for 3–4 minutes. Add the red wine vinegar, oregano, thyme, rosemary, paprika, sugar and salt. Fold everything together and cook for 7–8 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm, stirring occasionally.
To finish the tzatziki, tip the cucumber into the middle of a clean tea towel, gather up the edges and squeeze out the excess water. Put the strained cucumber back into the bowl. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze over the juice of one half, catching any pips in your other hand. Peel the garlic and finely grate it into the bowl. Finely chop the mint leaves and dill and add them to the bowl. Pour over the coconut yoghurt and mix everything together with a spoon. Taste and season with more lemon juice, if necessary, salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
Thinly slice the tomato. Shred the lettuce.
Warm the pitta breads. Put the second frying pan over a medium heat. Gently warm the pitta breads in the pan for a minute on each side.
Lay the squares of parchment paper on a clean surface and put a pitta on each one. Spread with a generous helping of tzatziki. Top with the lettuce, tomato slices, an equal serving of the mushroom mixture and the rest of the sliced onion. Wrap your gyros up in the parchment paper and serve immediately.
This is a quick and easy to knock up, eat-the-rainbow revelation. Coloured heritage tomatoes are a great addition if you can get hold of them. The piri piri sauce is wonderful, so consider making double and keeping half for another recipe. Serve with brown rice for an even healthier meal.
SERVES 4.
2 medium sweet potatoes.
olive oil.
1 lemon.
1 red pepper.
1 green pepper.
1 yellow pepper.
3 garlic cloves.
300g Eazy Chorizo or shop-bought veggie chorizo sausages.
20 cherry tomatoes.
20g fresh coriander.
500g cooked basmati rice, or use 2 x 250g bags microwavable basmati rice, to serve.
salt and black pepper.
FOR THE PIRI PIRI SAUCE.
1 red onion.
4 garlic cloves.
1 red pepper.
2 fresh red chillies (scotch bonnet, red or bird’s-eye).
2 tbsp smoked paprika.
1 tsp dried oregano.
2 tbsp red wine vinegar.
a large bunch of fresh basil.
1 lemon.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Large microwaveable bowl, optional. Roasting tin. Liquidiser. Fine grater or Microplane.
First cook the sweet potatoes. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 2cm cubes. Put them in a large microwaveable bowl, sprinkle over a pinch of salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze over the juice, catching any pips in your other hand. Toss to coat. Cover the bowl with a plate and microwave on high for 6 minutes, until soft. Alternatively, cook in the oven at 180°C for 30–35 minutes, until soft.
Cut the peppers in half, cut out the stems and seeds and cut the flesh into 2cm cubes, then put them in the roasting tin. Use the back of a knife to lightly crush the 3 garlic cloves and add them to the tin. Drizzle over a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the sweet potatoes to the peppers and put the tin in the oven for 10–15 minutes, until the peppers have small black patches on the skins.
Meanwhile, make the Eazy Chorizo sausages following the recipe opposite (or cut up shop-bought sausages into bite-sized pieces and cook following the instructions on the packet)
To make the piri piri sauce, peel and roughly chop the onion and garlic. Cut the pepper in half and cut out the stem and seeds. Rip the stems from the chillies, cut them in half lengthways and remove the seeds if you prefer a milder sauce. Put the onion, garlic, pepper and chillies in the liquidiser with the paprika, oregano, red wine vinegar and basil. Grate in the zest of the lemon, then cut it in half and squeeze in the juice, catching any pips. Add a drop of water and blend to a smooth paste. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
Remove the roasting tin from the oven. Transfer the sausages and piri piri sauce to the tin and mix everything together. Add the cherry tomatoes and put the tin back in the oven for 15 minutes, until the potatoes and peppers are cooked and the sauce is piping hot.
Heat the rice or cook it following the instructions on the packet.
Pluck the leaves from the coriander and dispose of the stems. Coarsely chop the leaves and sprinkle them over the vegetables. Serve with rice.
Once we’d developed this quick DIY chorizo recipe we never looked back. Hitting a standard shop-bought veggie sausage with fennel, paprika, red wine and maple syrup gives an instant chorizo vibe.
MAKES 300g.
300g plant-based sausages.
2 tbsp olive oil.
1½ tsp smoked paprika.
½ tsp cayenne pepper.
¼ tsp ground fennel.
a pinch of salt.
a pinch of black pepper.
2 garlic cloves.
4 tbsp red wine.
½ tbsp maple syrup.
Medium frying pan on a medium-high heat. Fine grater or Microplane.
Slice the sausages into 2cm-thick rounds. Put them in the hot pan and pour over the olive oil. Fry for 5 minutes, turning them now and again, until golden. Sprinkle over the paprika, cayenne pepper, fennel, salt and pepper. Peel and finely grate the garlic into the pan and fry for another 2 minutes.
Carefully add the red wine and maple syrup to the pan and cook until the wine has reduced and you have a sticky glaze, stirring occasionally. Toss to ensure the sausage is covered. Take off the heat once all the liquid in the pan has evaporated, and serve.