Cucumber Yogurt Dip

This is a quick and easy, healthy summer recipe.  Contrary to what I post here, I don’t subsist solely on pie! I just happen to like posting those yummy recipes.  Anyway, I have been trying to consume a more healthful diet for a variety of reasons, and a couple of weeks ago, I was introduced to tzatziki at a picnic at my parents’ house.  I’m a dip fiend, whether it be my mom’s standby sour cream/cottage cheese dip, layered Mexican dip, onion dip, or creamy fruit dip, I will stand there and eat dip until it is gone.  So when I read the label on the tzatziki and saw that its base was yogurt, I realized it could be a really healthy dip!  I’ve been experimenting and have come up with a recipe that I really like, so when Ruchi challenged everyone to post healthy recipes, I knew I should share.  Since I can’t properly pronounce “tzatziki,” I just call this “Cucumber Yogurt Dip.”

• 1 cup Greek-style yogurt
• 2 Tbsp reduced-fat sour cream (optional)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 pickle cucumber, or 1/2 a regular cucumber
• splash of lemon juice
• fresh chives and dill, to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste
• fresh veggies or pita chips for dipping

Peel the cucumber and chop it finely.  Lay on paper towels in a bowl, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and allow to drain for about 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, combine the yogurt, sour cream, garlic, a splash of lemon juice, chopped fresh chives and dill, salt and pepper.  Stir in the cucumbers, then arrange on a platter with veggies from your garden and a few pita chips.  In the photo above, the snap peas and multi-colored carrots are from my garden, the green and yellow summer squash is from my family’s farm, and the tomatoes are from the grocery store, though we should have our own soon. 

So what qualifies this as a healthy recipe? Well, yogurt has active cultures and calcium, and the veggies have vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and all those other phytonutrients that are so good for us.  The garlic in the dip is good for your heart, the carrots are good for your eyes… I could go on and on.  This recipe is also healthy for the earth, since the veggies are as local as possible.

If you’ve got a healthy recipe to share, please join in on Ruchi’s carnival at Arduous Blog!