Tzatziki
- Minutes to Prepare:
- Number of Servings: 14
Ingredients
2 medium Cucumber16 oz Fage Greek Yogurt, 2% plain 5 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 3 cloves Garlic, minced (I use the garlic in a tube)4 Tbs fresh mint, minced4 Tbs fresh dill, minced2 tsp salt (some of the salt winds up in a liquid that is discarded)
Note: Don't use nonfat Greek yogurt. Without any fat, the flavor of the tzatziki is weak and thin. Also, when shredding the cucumbers, don't shred the cores, as the seeds are watery and have a slight bitterness and unappealing texture.
Grate the cucumber in a way that the center seed core is not included since the seeds are watery and bitter. You can use one of two methods for this.
Method 1: A food processor
Slice the sides of the cucumbers to exclude the center seeds then put the remaining cucumber sides into the feeder of the food processor with the shredding blade. Shred all of the cucumber sides. Discard the seed cores. Pour the cucumber shreds into a colander set inside a medium bowl.
Method 2: A box grater
Set a colander in a medium bowl, then set a box grater in the colander. Grate the cucumber halves on
the grater's large holes, rotating and grating only down to the seedy core. Discard the cores.
Sprinkle the shredded cucumber with 2 teaspoons salt and toss. Set aside to drain for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt, oil, garlic, mint, and dill.
A handful at a time, squeeze the shredded cucumber to remove as much liquid as possible, then set on a cutting board
Reserve 2 teaspoons of the cucumber liquid. Finely chop the squeezed cucumber, then stir it into the yogurt mixture.
Stir in the reserved cucumber liquid and add salt to taste. Discard the remaining liquid.
Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with additional mint and dill as a garnish if desired. You can also add a little lemon juice or red wine vinegar if you like.
Serving Size: makes 14 1/4-cup servings
Grate the cucumber in a way that the center seed core is not included since the seeds are watery and bitter. You can use one of two methods for this.
Method 1: A food processor
Slice the sides of the cucumbers to exclude the center seeds then put the remaining cucumber sides into the feeder of the food processor with the shredding blade. Shred all of the cucumber sides. Discard the seed cores. Pour the cucumber shreds into a colander set inside a medium bowl.
Method 2: A box grater
Set a colander in a medium bowl, then set a box grater in the colander. Grate the cucumber halves on
the grater's large holes, rotating and grating only down to the seedy core. Discard the cores.
Sprinkle the shredded cucumber with 2 teaspoons salt and toss. Set aside to drain for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt, oil, garlic, mint, and dill.
A handful at a time, squeeze the shredded cucumber to remove as much liquid as possible, then set on a cutting board
Reserve 2 teaspoons of the cucumber liquid. Finely chop the squeezed cucumber, then stir it into the yogurt mixture.
Stir in the reserved cucumber liquid and add salt to taste. Discard the remaining liquid.
Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with additional mint and dill as a garnish if desired. You can also add a little lemon juice or red wine vinegar if you like.
Serving Size: makes 14 1/4-cup servings
Nutritional Info Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 72.1
- Total Fat: 5.7 g
- Cholesterol: 1.6 mg
- Sodium: 148.6 mg
- Total Carbs: 2.2 g
- Dietary Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 3.5 g
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