I love tzatziki! It is so refreshing and yummy. Yogurt, cucumber, lemon, dill and garlic are a great flavor combination. Plus, all of the ingredients are nutritious, whole foods. It only takes a few minutes to make too. The most time-intensive part is grating the cucumber and drying it out a bit but that really does not take that long now that I have figured out an easy way to do it.

Tzatziki can be eaten in so many different ways. It can be a dip for veggies and pita chips, a sauce for gyros or a salad dressing. The flavors are so light and delicious that it can complement all sorts of foods. Try it out with whatever sounds good to you.

In case you’re wondering why the recipe calls for garlic powder and fresh garlic it is because I like the different type of flavor that each adds to this recipe. The fresh garlic adds a strong flavor and the garlic powder adds a more subtle flavor so I like to use both. If you would like a stronger flavor try using two cloves of garlic instead of one.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Greek yogurt*
• 8 ounce piece of cucumber, approximately
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Peel and coarsely grate the cucumber. Place it in a bowl, mix in the salt and leave it for about 10 minutes. Then dump it into a fine mesh strainer and press it with a spoon to get most of the water out. Put the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well, then stir in the cucumber. This tastes great right after making but is even better after a day in the fridge. This makes about 1 ½ cups.

*Note: If you do not have Greek yogurt you can use ½ cup regular yogurt and ½ cup sour cream to create a thick and similar consistency or you can use 1 cup of regular yogurt for a thinner consistency.