Tzatziki

Okay, I'm off my bread kick (temporarily) and on a healthy kick.  Read ahead for a recipe that contains yogurt (very good for you), cucumbers (an actual vegetable), lemon juice (known to help you lose weight when consumed in massive quantities) and garlic (super good for you.  duh.).

Because you see, here's the deal.  I'm pretty sure I was Greek in my previous life.  Or maybe I was Italian.  My previous life is a little fuzzy.

Either way, it explains that when I discovered tzatziki, I knew it was for me.

Basically, tzatziki is a Greek yogurt dip with the above-mentioned good-for-you ingredients.  I sampled many different tzatzikis in Greece, but all tzatzikis had these things in common.

Oh, and they were all delicious.

The only trick to a really good tzatziki is draining the cucumber and yogurt to get out all of the excess moisture.

Look at all the moisture that came out!  Who knew.

And I like to dice my cucumber and grate my garlic, instead of grating the cucumber and dicing the garlic like some recipes say.

I'm just a rebel like that.

Plus, I love to eat things that taste fresh and clean between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Because the only other thing I eat during that span of time is like M&M's and the super rich and delicious bolognese that I'll show you tomorrow.

So do yourself a favor, and whip up a batch of this yummy dip.  It really is fabulous.

Tzatziki


1 English cucumber, peeled and diced very fine
2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups plain yogurt, drained in a sieve for at least 2 hours (until the yogurt is very thick)
1/2 cup sour cream
Juice of 2 lemons
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 T olive oil
1 T minced fresh dill (or 1/2 tsp dried dill)
1/2 tsp black pepper

Toss the cucumber with the salt and let it drain over a bowl for a couple of hours.  The cucumber will release an amazing amount of water.  Discard the water from the cucumber and the yogurt.  In a large mixing bowl, toss together the cucumber, drained yogurt, sour cream, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, dill and pepper.  Refrigerate for a couple of hours to let the flavors blend.  Serve chilled.