Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Tzatziki recipe

For Chrissa. I don't actually make my own dip, but if you want to try this recipe is from About.com Home Cooking.

Ingredients
1 container (16 ounces) plain lowfat yogurt
1/2 English (seedless) cucumber, not peeled, seeded and finely chopped plus a few thin slices
1/1-2 teaspoons salt
1 to 2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint or dill plus additional sprigs (use dill preferred)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper


Instructions
Spoon yogurt into sieve lined with cheesecloth or coffee filter set over bowl; cover and refrigerate overnight. Transfer drained yogurt to medium bowl and discard liquid.

Meanwhile, in colander set over bowl, toss chopped cucumber with 1 teaspoon salt. Let drain at least 1 hour at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours. In batches, wrap chopped cucumber in kitchen towel and squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible. Pat dry with paper towels, then add to bowl with yogurt.

With flat side of chef's knife, mash garlic to a paste with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add garlic, chopped mint, oil, vinegar, and pepper to yogurt and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 or up to 4 hours. Serve chilled or at room temperature, topped with cucumber slices and mint sprigs.

Yield: about 1-1/2 cups

Per tablespoon: about 17 calories, 1 gram protein, 1 gram carbohydrate, 1 gram total fat (0 gram saturated), 1 mg cholesterol, 182 mg sodium.

4 comments:

mom of 2 said...

wow...that is a seriously involved recipe! My usual recipes go something like this...brown meat, open can, etc... It sounds really good though! I'm going to have to look for it at the store. There are a couple of specialty stores I'll go to and check for it.

odat_kim said...

Really? A specialty store? I can just get it from the local grocery store (any of them), typically in the fresh fruit and veggies section, or the deli area.
Kim

mom of 2 said...

I'll check the regular store, I've got to go tomorrow. I've never heard of it so I assumed it would be hard to find, but maybe not. Hopefully I'll be able to get it tomorrow...I'll let you know!

mom of 2 said...

I looked at the grocery store yesterday and couldn't find it. :( I'll check a different store next week.