Tzatziki is one of my favorite side dishes. It's quick and easy with just Greek yogurt, cucumber, lemon, olive oil, and salt. For this variation, I used English cucumbers. But feel free to substitute any cucumber of choice! It's also common to add herbs, like dill, mint, parsley, or thyme. I'm particularly fond of adding dill and drizzling the tzatziki on falafel and salmon or other seafood.
1/2English cucumber(or 1 smaller cucumber), minced or finely grated
1clovegarlicminced or finely grated
1tbsp.dillminced
1lemonjuiced
2c.Greek yogurt
1tbsp.olive oil
dashsalt
Instructions
Either finely mince the cucumber or shred it using a fine cheese grater.It can help to peel the skin first, but this is entirely optional. The skin of cucumbers is soft and edible. I almost always keep it in because a lot of the nutrients are in the skin (although as are the pesticides if you don't buy organic). I usually use a rotary cheese grater with a fine shredding blade and it kind of peels it for me, so this is rather a moot point! But you can peel them if you prefer.
Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl (grated cucumber, lemon juice, Greek yogurt, olive oil, and salt). Stir and serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
Cucumbers are largely water and will create a lot of liquid when shredded! There's no need to discard the liquid. You can drain it out if you want, but it's not necessary and will create a creamier tzatziki.