Tzatziki - Home Cooked Recipe #70

I have loved Greek food ever since I can remember.  I remember growing up in upstate NY and my favorite restaurant was Symeon's, a delicious Greek place.  My mom used to buy their house seasoning and make us chicken with it, and then make her homemade tzatziki.  A few years ago I looked up the restaurant online and found I could have the seasoning shipped here to FL.  For mother's day I shipped my mom a jar.  And I shipped one for myself!  Thinking about these food memories, I decided to come up with my own homemade Tzatziki recipe.  If you don't know what that is, it is a creamy cucumber dip.  It is delicious as a dip for veggies or pita bread, and it is even more tasty drizzled over Greek seasoned chicken (or pork, or beef, or lamb!).  It's healthier than a mayo or sour cream based dip. Easy to make, try it soon!


Tzatziki

Ingredients:

• 16 oz plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded
• 1 teaspoon dried dill (or 1 tablespoon fresh, finely chopped)
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• salt and fresh ground black pepper
• ***optional - squeeze of fresh lemon juice, or lemon zest, or mint, finely chopped

Directions:
Grate cucumber.  Place in cheesecloth (or dish towel) in fine mesh sieve and squeeze out extra moisture.  Stir together yogurt and sour cream.  Add in minced garlic and and dill.  Fold in grated and drained cucumber.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve with veggies, pita, chicken, or gyro meat.
Enjoy!

Miso Cucumber Salad - Pinterest Pick #1

This is the first post of our new category for 2015, Pinterest Picks!  This year, I am going to make lots of recipes that I find while perusing Pinterest, and post them here, with what I like, don't like, adaptations to the recipe, and hints of things I would add or take away.  I am so excited about this category as if you are a regular reader, you know how much I love me some Pinterest.

I love Asian flavors, and am a big fan of Miso, which is a soybean paste.  There are several varieties of miso.  I get my miso at Trader Joe's, but I am fairly certain you can find it in the Asian section of your local grocery store now.  I also know you can get it at places like Whole Foods Market or Fresh Market. Miso basically adds a salty, umami flavor that is super savory.

I found the pin for this cucumber salad HERE.  I love a refreshing cucumber dish, whether it's a simple salad of tomato and cucumbers in a vinaigrette or a creamy, vinegary side of cucumbers with a mayo/vinegar dressing.  

The only thing I changed about the original RECIPE was to halve the amount of sesame oil.  I just think a tablespoon was too much, as sesame oil is very pungent (although delicious!) and too many calories for what could be halved.  

This was a delicious side dish, very refreshing and packed with flavor.  Try it as a side to you next Asian inspired meal, a quick snack, or a light lunch with say a cooked chicken breast.  Plus, you can use this as a dressing for ANY veggies or salad.  It doesn't just have to be cucumbers.  This was a Pinterest hit!  

Oh and if you want to follow me on Pinterest, click HERE!

Miso Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, sliced
• 2 tbs miso (recipe calls for brown or white miso, I used yellow miso)
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbs honey
• 1 1/2 tbs rice vinegar
• 1 tbs hot water (I used water from my hottest tap setting)
• 1/2 tbs sesame oil
• 1 tbs sesame seeds

Directions:
Mix all ingredients except cucumbers together.  Blend well.  Fold in cucumbers.  
Enjoy!