Tzatziki Sauce Part 1

I feel like as soon as I start thinking about writing a post, the first thing that comes to mind to start is "I love..". So I guess its true to say, I really do love to eat. And because of my love to eat, is part of why I learned to cook, and learned to start making recipes that I really like. I really like a lot of things that are not healthy in any way whatsoever. So part of the fun for me, is finding ways that I can still eat what I love and take care of my body. 

Snacking has always been a favorite past time of mine, and dips have always been a big part of my snacking career. Enter the endless unique array of humus combinations I've tried over the years, as well as my now very beloved Tzatziki Sauce. I love it because you can use it in so many ways. My personal favorite is as a dip for veggies, but I also like it with pita chips. Stay Tuned Folks, on Friday I'm going to be making a Grilled Chicken recipe with the sauce : ) Another reason I chose to post this recipe, is that it is SO simple that everyone should just make it on the regular and keep it in the fridge at all times.

The Line Up:

1 Small Cucumber 

2 Cloves of Garlic

1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Fresh Chives

1 tablespoon Fresh Dill

4 Medium Mint Leaves chopped

Salt and pepper to your liking

1 Cup plain Greek yogurt

You're also going to need this wonderful little treasure:

This is my Cuisinart Mini Food Processor.  (click link to find on Amazon)

While most of the time it is great to have a larger standard size food processor, for dips and sauces like this, the 4 cup mini is the best! 

To start, you are going to peel your cucumber, slice it in half lengthwise, and then scoop out the seeds so you have two long cucumber boats. Cut the long boats into a few smaller pieces and pack them into your food processor. Pulse the cucumber till it looks like this:

A very mashed up liquefied consistency. Once you have pulsed your cucumber, place a paper towel in your strainer and then pour the cucumber into strainer. Use a spatula and push the liquid out of the cucumber. The paper towel will let the liquid drain, and the cucumber pulse stay.

Set the cucumber to the side, and get your herbs and garlic out. Peel your garlic cloves and lay them on a cutting board. Now take out your knife and place the handle on top of the garlic clove then put your palm on top of the handle like this:

This will help you to mash the garlic which will release the flavor, and also make it easier to mince the garlic. Now chop up the herbs very fine as well.

After that is done, take out a large mixing bowl and transfer cucumber into it. Add Greek Yogurt, minced garlic, chopped herbs, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and mix well. Refrigerate for one hour, or overnight for best flavor.

Bon Appetit Friends!

And Check Back on Friday for a delicious recipe with this sauce!