Greek Prawn (Shrimp) Pita Wraps
Jan 02, 2022
Shrimp or prawn souvlaki wrapped in a warm pita, drizzled in tzatziki, and topped with onions, tomatoes, lettuce, olives, and feta cheese.
Oftentimes clients ask us for healthy recipes to grab when out and about. One of our favorite quick-grab lunches is a pita from Opa's! We love that their pitas combine protein, fats, vegetables, and carbohydrates for a blood sugar balancing snack. Let's take a look at the balance of food groups in a pita wrap:
- Carbohydrate: from the pita (tip: at Opa's ask for multigrain for more fibre!)
- Volume: vegetables like lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and cucumber
- Protein: from shrimp or any other protein of your choosing (eg. chicken, beef, or lamb!)
- Fat: from olives and feta!
We love the Opa's Greek pita wraps so much that we decided to recreate our own! A key component to make a copy-cat Opa's wrap is to select a "no-pocket pita"! Most grocery stores carry pocket pitas which have a flatter texture. The "no-pocket pitas" have a 'fluffier' texture which mimics the pita's available at Opa's. We found the no-pocket pitas at Superstore. The no-pocket pitas have more carbohydrate per serving making them a wonderful post-workout option to fuel up!
the no-pocket pitas are shown on the left. They have a 'fluffier' texture compared to the flatter pocket pitas on the right!
GREEK PRAWN (SHRIMP) PITA WRAPS
INGREDIENTS:
SHRIMP (PRAWN) SOUVLAKI- 1 lemon, juiced and zested
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 8-10 ~(6 ounces) tiger prawns or shrimp*
PITA & TOPPINGS
- 1 roma tomatoe, diced
- ¼ small red onion, diced
- ¼ cucumber, diced
- 1 cup romaine lettuce, chopped
- 2 'no-pocket' pitas
- 8 kalamata olives, chopped
- ¼ cup feta, crumbled
- ¼ cup tzatziki
*we used tiger prawns from Charlie's Seafood Market but you could also use shrimp for this recipe!
DIRECTIONS
- Combine the lemon juice and zest, olive oil, dried spices, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Then, add the tiger prawns or shrimp. Let marinate for at least 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables by chopping and dicing the lettuce, tomatoes, purple onion, and cucumber.
- Preheat the oven to 400F to warm the pitas. Alternatively, you can heat the pitas in a non-stick pan on the stove!
- Drain the marinade from the prawns or shrimp. Skewer 4-5 prawns onto two separate bamboo sticks. Then, heat a pan to medium-high and cook the prawns for about 5 minutes, turning once at the halfway point. You'l know the prawns are done when they are bright pink and cooked through.
- While the prawns are cooking, warm the pitas by placing them in the oven.
- Assemble the pita wraps by first adding lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and onion to the wrap. Place the cooked shrimp/prawns on top of the vegetables. Finally, top with olives, feta, and tzatziki. Enjoy!
DIETITIAN TIPS
A meal that balances adequate protein, fibre, and fat with carbohydrates keeps blood sugar (ie. energy levels!) smooth and steady. In this recipe, the protein is found in the prawns (shrimp) but you can substitute any protein you enjoy like chicken, beef, or pork souvlaki! We've even made this recipe using turkey meatballs using our Greek Turkey Burger recipe as the base.
WE WANNA KNOW!
Did you try this recipe or a variation of it? Comment below! Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram so we can see your creation!
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