Made Monday: When Life Gives You Cucumbers...
Make Tzatziki!
What, you mean your not familiar with the saying? [Wink]
Hang out with me for a little while and you may learn that I have a particular passion for Mediterranean and Mexican food (Mexi-terranean? Medi-Mex? Maybe? I know... I'm a wee bit dorky... okay, retraction, a lot bit dorky. Ha!) I live in California, so Mexican cuisine is ample and divine and has been a part of my life since I was a wee thing. Mediterrean, not so much. I blame my second pregnancy for this love. I had only had like maybe 5 gyros (pronounced like "hero" if you are curious) total in my life, but in the middle of my pregnancy I wanted gyros... and things I had never really had much of, if at all: shawarma, falafel, tzatziki, hummus, taboule, pita. How does one crave something one has never had before?? I'm not sure, but how does a woman grow a life in her belly and then push that life out? Yeah, stumped there too. Pregnancy brings about all kinds of strange and miraculous.
Anyways. To the point. There's not much in the way of good old fashioned Mediterranean food here in Northern California. And I didn't come with a sweet little Greek yiayia (grandma, pronounced "yah-yah") to teach me how... so I researched,guessed created, had fun, and ate some really good food in that little kitchen of mine while pregnant.
1 year and 1 month after I got over my strange pregnancy cravings (i.e. gave birth), I still majorly heart Mediterranean food.
So, since cucumbers are in abundance right now and this sauce is super simple and cucumber-full, I am going to teach you how to make Tzatziki (pronounced za-ZEE-key).
A little about tzatziki:
Tzatziki is a yogurt based sauce. It is super easy to make, and while it isn't really eaten by itself (though I would argue it tastes amazing with some pita chips) it can elevate all kinds of dishes.
It's almost like the Greek's version of Ranch dressing (well, sort of) except that it's light, healthy, and you can add the stuff liberally without totally thwarting your diet. It has a similar flavor profile to the cucumber sandwich (another great place to put cucumbers. YUM!). The cool refreshment of cucumber meets the creamy of yogurt and politely shakes hands with the warmth of garlic and the zing of dill. Good company made in that sauce!
To make tzatziki:
All you need is 1/2 cup of plain yogurt (greek preferred... and sour cream is reasonable substitute though not as kind on your waist), 1/2 a large cucumber, 1 tbs of fresh dill (of 1 tsp of dry dill), 1 minced garlic clove (or a 1/4 tsp of garlic powder), 1 tbs of lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
1. Peel and cut cucumber into fourths lengthwise. Remove seeds. Stick in food processor and process. You want the cucumber to be well-chopped--not quite minced and definitely not pureed.
2. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix.
3. That's it! Tastes good right away, even better after an hour in the fridge, and it's still yummy 2-3 days later.
Where I enjoy Tzatziki:
1. Lamb Gyro (or steak or chicken)
So, life giving you a whole lotta cucumbers? Here's a whole lotta reason to make Tzatziki :)
Hope you enjoy as much as I do!
Amanda
Click my blog love and link party button to see who I linked up with ;)
What, you mean your not familiar with the saying? [Wink]
Hang out with me for a little while and you may learn that I have a particular passion for Mediterranean and Mexican food (Mexi-terranean? Medi-Mex? Maybe? I know... I'm a wee bit dorky... okay, retraction, a lot bit dorky. Ha!) I live in California, so Mexican cuisine is ample and divine and has been a part of my life since I was a wee thing. Mediterrean, not so much. I blame my second pregnancy for this love. I had only had like maybe 5 gyros (pronounced like "hero" if you are curious) total in my life, but in the middle of my pregnancy I wanted gyros... and things I had never really had much of, if at all: shawarma, falafel, tzatziki, hummus, taboule, pita. How does one crave something one has never had before?? I'm not sure, but how does a woman grow a life in her belly and then push that life out? Yeah, stumped there too. Pregnancy brings about all kinds of strange and miraculous.
Anyways. To the point. There's not much in the way of good old fashioned Mediterranean food here in Northern California. And I didn't come with a sweet little Greek yiayia (grandma, pronounced "yah-yah") to teach me how... so I researched,
1 year and 1 month after I got over my strange pregnancy cravings (i.e. gave birth), I still majorly heart Mediterranean food.
So, since cucumbers are in abundance right now and this sauce is super simple and cucumber-full, I am going to teach you how to make Tzatziki (pronounced za-ZEE-key).
A little about tzatziki:
Tzatziki is a yogurt based sauce. It is super easy to make, and while it isn't really eaten by itself (though I would argue it tastes amazing with some pita chips) it can elevate all kinds of dishes.
It's almost like the Greek's version of Ranch dressing (well, sort of) except that it's light, healthy, and you can add the stuff liberally without totally thwarting your diet. It has a similar flavor profile to the cucumber sandwich (another great place to put cucumbers. YUM!). The cool refreshment of cucumber meets the creamy of yogurt and politely shakes hands with the warmth of garlic and the zing of dill. Good company made in that sauce!
To make tzatziki:
All you need is 1/2 cup of plain yogurt (greek preferred... and sour cream is reasonable substitute though not as kind on your waist), 1/2 a large cucumber, 1 tbs of fresh dill (of 1 tsp of dry dill), 1 minced garlic clove (or a 1/4 tsp of garlic powder), 1 tbs of lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
1. Peel and cut cucumber into fourths lengthwise. Remove seeds. Stick in food processor and process. You want the cucumber to be well-chopped--not quite minced and definitely not pureed.
2. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix.
3. That's it! Tastes good right away, even better after an hour in the fridge, and it's still yummy 2-3 days later.
Where I enjoy Tzatziki:
1. Lamb Gyro (or steak or chicken)
- Grill lamb steak till it's medium-rare to medium (trust me, from a medium to medium-well steak girl, lamb is best at medium-rare.) Cut into strips. Serve on a warm pita with feta, olives, lettuce, tomatoes, diced cucumber, hummus or tahini (pronounced ta-HEE-nee; almost like peanut butter except from sesame seeds. It's a Mediterranean condiment, just add a little water to it till is has a saucy consistency and sprinkle on your gyro), and, don't forget the crowing glory: TZATZIKI!
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| Photo From here |
- Check out this product (and no, I do not get paid to tell you this). I love this brand. The ingredients in this box are exactly what I would be putting in mine if I were to make it from scratch. No weird stuff. No preservatives. If you are looking for a filling yet healthy meal, I love this stuff. It's served cold, it's full of veggies (or can be, you add the cucumber and tomatoes), tastes amazing served over a bed of fresh greens like spinach or baby romaine. And FYI, this doesn't guarantee your child will like it, but Addy will eat it without the lettuce and, yep, you guessed it, with sour cream. (I can get my kid to each most anything if I add a dollop of sour cream).
- Serve with hot off the grill chicken or with cold left over chicken. Top with Tzatziki and serve with pita. Tip: to make dinner easy on yourself, try making double the chicken next time you make chicken. Store the leftover chicken in the fridge and serve it with this salad (or another one) later in the week. I love easy dinner nights!
- Completely vegetarian balls of goodness. I had never had a falafel, didn't know where to try one, way super wanted to try one... SO I made them. I loved them. LOVE. And turns out, now that I have actually had a few made from actual people who are actually from the Middle East (Lebanon and Israel to be specific), mine were just as good. Falafels are usually made from chickpeas (garbanzo beans). They have all kinds of spicy wonderfulness thrown in the falafel "dough"
- I serve mine fairly similarly to how I serve up a gyro... not necessarily how you would find it in a Israeli bazaar but good nevertheless (mostly just because I can't find a lot of Israeli condiments in my local grocer, and this mom of littles only stops at one, maybe two places for groceries. That's it. If they don't carry it, I don't use it.)
- Here's the link to the recipe I use.
So, life giving you a whole lotta cucumbers? Here's a whole lotta reason to make Tzatziki :)
Hope you enjoy as much as I do!
Amanda
Click my blog love and link party button to see who I linked up with ;)