I'm feeling in the Mediterranean spirit lately, probably because it’s a great light meal, in between November and December…months of indulging! There is no need to eat, eat, eat and make diet resolutions come January 1st. With a few light choices, you can eat light, and indulge when you want without feeling guilty! It's all about balance. So, I'm sharing some simple marinated veggie skewers, reminiscent of my late nights in Greece with my friend Nicole! It makes it that much more tasty to me. To accompany the skewers, I made a quick tzatziki sauce (yogurt-based), and baked pita chips. I was getting in the Greek spirit from previous travels and I decided to amuse myself by wrapping the gyro in parchment paper. Don't ever underestimate the experience of food, it makes it very satisfying and fun at the same time. I hope you have fun with this one and find your way to the Mediterranean.

Servings: makes 5-6 skewers

Ingredients:

Marinade:

• 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Vegetables:

• ½ eggplant
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 zucchini
• ¼ onion
• 4 big button mushrooms
• 4 garlic cloves
• ¼ teaspoon salt
Tzatziki Sauce:

• 3 cups nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 cucumber
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3-4 teaspoons dried dill weed
• 2 teaspoons dried mint (optional)
Homemade Pita Chips (for 3-4 people):

• 1 ½ wheat pita
• Cooking spray
• Paprika
• Cumin (optional)
• Garlic powder (optional)
• dash of salt, less than ¼ teaspoon (optional)

Directions:

Vegetable Skewers:

1. Add the marinade ingredients into a large Ziploc bag. Chop all the vegetables into cubes of equal size, about 1 in wide. Smash the garlic cloves with a large knife and remove skins. Add all vegetables and garlic into the bag with the marinade. Flip bag a few times until all vegetables are covered with some marinade. Set aside for at least 10 minutes, or longer in the fridge.
2. Skewer the veggies onto wooden or metal skewers. Tightly pack the veggies onto the skewer. Get an indoor non stick grill very hot, then place skewers on grill. Cook the skewers until eggplant is tender, about 10 minutes. Turn every 2-5 minutes, or until each side is colored a bit. Its OK if the vegetables are just a little bit crunchy still, because you will cover them with foil so they continue to soften a bit. It’s better to undercook the vegetables, than to over cook them, because you can always heat them up later.
3. Once vegetables are mostly tender, remove from grill and place in small baking dish. Salt the skewers if desired, dividing ¼ teaspoon salt over all 5-6 skewers. Cover with foil and let rest for about 5 minutes to let vegetables steam a little.
4. Heat up a wheat pita and tear apart. Use half of the pita and remove the vegetables from skewer place into a pita. Top with tzatziki sauce and serve with pita chips.

Tzatziki Sauce:

1. Place the yogurt in a medium bowl. Be sure to pour off any liquid out of the container before pouring into a bowl. You want the yogurt to be thick. To make it even thicker, you can drain yogurt in paper towels in a strainer for 6 hours.
2. Peel and grate the cucumber with paper towels under the cucumber. Use paper towels to press out excess moisture. Add to yogurt.
3. Add minced garlic, salt, olive oil, dried dill weed to taste, and mint if desired. Mix up and store in fridge.

Homemade Pita Chips (for 3-4 people):

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut the wheat pita in 8 sections. Remove the back from the front and lay open-faced on baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and add a sprinkle of paprika and other optional spices if desired.
2. Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until crispy.

Additional information: appropriate for Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian and Vegan diets.