Tzatziki (Cucumber Dip)

And then there were cucumbers . . . .

This year I have what we shall call a “quarantine” garden. A “quarantine” garden is, by definition (made up by me of course), a garden planted in March or April (way too early), with added premium soil supplements (purchased the good stuff with money from cancelled vacation plans), watered, weeded, and loved on daily (due to lack of other activities), and now as I write in mid-July, there are cucumbers, numerous cucumbers. Two cucumber plants were added to the garden, and then along came the friend who had a couple of extra plant starts to offer, which of course can’t go to waste, so then there were even more cucumbers 😆. You get the idea right? And zucchini! But that will be for another story . . .

I created a new Pinterest Board called “Garden Vegetables” and it has been filling up with ideas for cucumbers (and zucchini 😬). This Tzatziki recipe is currently a favorite! There’s many more to try, but for now, this could be on the menu every day and no one would complain. Next week we might have to move on to zucchini 😂.

And what do you serve with this? I’m loving the gluten free crackers such as Simple Mills Almond Crackers, and Blue Diamond Nut Thins for dipping. Just dip and go, that could make a tasty and sufficient lunch for some! It is a perfect dip for a vegetable tray so you can use the rest of those garden vegetables too, just chop them up and serve with Tzatziki, and your fresh garden harvest is served.

I’ve made this a few times now and once the basic ratio’s were perfected, there isn’t even a need to measure any more. It is a very forgiving recipe to work with.

INGREDIENTS -

1 cup greek yogurt
3 cups cucumber, diced small, or shredded
1 1/2 tsp dill
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic or 1/4 tsp dry garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 Tbsp lemon juice, approximately 1/2 lemon

Dice the cucumber and place in a colander, then toss with sea salt. Set the colander over a plate or sink where it can drain off any extra water. Each time I have done this it varies how much water comes off, from none to about a 1/4 cup! I’m guessing this depends on the type cucumber and the size, but the less water in the cucumbers makes for a thicker dip overall.

Combine all of the ingredients and you have Tzatziki! This will keep well in the refrigerator for several days. You may have to drain off a little more water the longer it sits, but it still tastes great after a few days.

Enjoy with your favorite dipping device!