Taking me back to ZA!
Before I left South Africa, I had Alta, the fabulous innkeeper of the best place I have ever stayed at, the Bohemian Guest House, write me down her Tzatziki recipe that I grew to love so much during my stay. I'm sharing it here because I was able to replicate it at home and am so happy to have success! I have tried to make tzatziki before but previous attempts were either very bland or just gross.
Bohemian House Tzatziki
Ingredients
1 english cucumber
3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
2 tbsp. fresh mint, finely chopped
Squeeze of half a lemon
2 cartons (or 300 grams) of Fage greek yogurt (I use the nonfat, which has lots of flavor for a fat free dairy item! Plus at 80 calories for the ENTIRE container, it is a steal!)
Directions
Cut cucumber in half and spoon out the seeds. With the skin on, either grate the cucumber or chop it up in a food processor.
Put chopped up cucumber in a colander so that cucumber juice can drain out and leave standing for 15 minutes.
Rinse and squeeze all remaining water out of the chopped cucumber.
Mix yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, and mint. Add chopped cucumber and enjoy!
Valerie Notes
The first time I made it, I used one carton of the Fage greek yogurt and one cup of regular plain yogurt, not realizing that I didn't have enough of the greek yogurt for the recipe. The consistency between the two yogurts is way off and the taste is totally different and results in a funky taste and mixture when mixed. Therefore, I found out the hard way that you really have to use greek yogurt for this recipe to turn out right!
The first time I made it I used the full 2 tbsp. of mint, but I found that it was a bit too strong for me. This time around I just used 1 tbsp. of mint, which was plenty!
I found the Fage yogurt very easily at SuperTarget and Publix. At SuperTarget, it was with the cheeses (?) and at Publix, it was with the organic dairy items.
This can be used for many things since it is so flavorful and strong. It can be used on a salad, as a side condiment for fish kebabs (how it was served to me in ZA), in a pita with roast beef (what I had for dinner tonight - YUM), or even as a pairing with hummus and pita wedges for an appetizer. Enjoy!!!
Bohemian House Tzatziki
Ingredients
1 english cucumber
3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
2 tbsp. fresh mint, finely chopped
Squeeze of half a lemon
2 cartons (or 300 grams) of Fage greek yogurt (I use the nonfat, which has lots of flavor for a fat free dairy item! Plus at 80 calories for the ENTIRE container, it is a steal!)
Directions
Cut cucumber in half and spoon out the seeds. With the skin on, either grate the cucumber or chop it up in a food processor.
Put chopped up cucumber in a colander so that cucumber juice can drain out and leave standing for 15 minutes.
Rinse and squeeze all remaining water out of the chopped cucumber.
Mix yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, and mint. Add chopped cucumber and enjoy!
Valerie Notes
The first time I made it, I used one carton of the Fage greek yogurt and one cup of regular plain yogurt, not realizing that I didn't have enough of the greek yogurt for the recipe. The consistency between the two yogurts is way off and the taste is totally different and results in a funky taste and mixture when mixed. Therefore, I found out the hard way that you really have to use greek yogurt for this recipe to turn out right!
The first time I made it I used the full 2 tbsp. of mint, but I found that it was a bit too strong for me. This time around I just used 1 tbsp. of mint, which was plenty!
I found the Fage yogurt very easily at SuperTarget and Publix. At SuperTarget, it was with the cheeses (?) and at Publix, it was with the organic dairy items.
This can be used for many things since it is so flavorful and strong. It can be used on a salad, as a side condiment for fish kebabs (how it was served to me in ZA), in a pita with roast beef (what I had for dinner tonight - YUM), or even as a pairing with hummus and pita wedges for an appetizer. Enjoy!!!