Roasted Garlic Tzatziki

Despite the fact yogurt is so good for you, I have always hated it.  Be it the texture, the sour tang, or the idea that I’m eating bacteria (that I swear I can feel moving) but it just has never been my thing.  However, I have the uncanny ability to eat yogurt ONLY if all liquid has been removed and replaced by garlic and lemon juice.  Hence, this non-yogurt eater is a huge tzatziki fan!

Tzatziki has turned into one of my favorite summer time recipes.   Shredded cucumber, mint, parsley, and lemon give the sauce its fresh taste.  It’s a healthier alternative to onion dip with the garlic and goes great as a side for grilled or roasted lamb.  The only problem with tzatziki is a heavy hand while adding the garlic.  Its a raw sauce, so adding a lot of finely minced garlic will overpower the taste of everything else.  Instead, I roasted an entire head of garlic to impart the flavor of garlic but still let the other ingredients shine.

Roasted Garlic Tzatziki
16oz of plain greek style yogurt, 0% fat (or plain non fat yogurt, strained through a cheese cloth)

2 lemons, zest and juice

1 lage cucumber (peeled, seeded, grated)

1 head of garlic, roasted

handful of parsley and mint, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Greek style yogurt is a thicker and richer version of regular yogurt and will save you the step of straining any plain nonfat yogurt.  If you cannot find any greek style, set up a rig with a large bowl and a sieve lined with either cheese cloth or a clean dish towel and strain the yogurt overnight.

To grate the cucumbers, I used my food processor's grater disc.  This was a bonus for two reasons - I got to keep all of the juice generated by grating without the long arduous process with a traditional grater.  Not to mention avoiding any slices from overzealous grating, which was a very common occurrence pre-Cuisinart.

Mix all of the ingredients together and season to your taste.  If its too garlicky, add more lemon.  It is such a simple summer raw sauce and will be a hit at your next barbecue!