opa!!

cafe medi is the most ridiculously amazing greek restaurant in dallas/fort worth area and i happen to have the pleasure of living only a few miles away.  hah!  so now i have our good friend cody and his sweet parents to thank for my new-found obsession.

i wanted hummus.  i was familiar with hummus. i knew hummus tasted delicious.

cody’s parents took the liberty of ordering for my husband and me.  enter tzatziki…

thank God for cheat meals, because when i ate this tzatziki dip for the first time, i must have inhaled 5 baskets of pita bread along with it…it was so good!!  i was already craving it the next day, but knew i had to make my own because i would have too hard of a time resisting the pita bread once i stepped foot in that door again!  (just for the record: i can totally control myself when needed, but i would much rather play it safe than tempt and taunt myself unnecessarily!)

so i scoured the web for greek recipes to figure out what exactly was in this addictive dip!  i resisted the urge to add anything extra to this recipe in order to keep it clean and as authentic as possible!  this dip is packed with protein & excellent paired with fresh veggies…what’s not to love about this healthy greek appetizer!?

café medi-inspired tzatziki dip

• 1 1/2 c strained 0% greek yogurt
• 1 english cuumber, peeled, seeded, & diced
• 2 tbsp extra virgin organic olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 2 cloves minced/crushed garlic
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• fresh cracked salt and pepper to taste

you will also need:

• coffee filters
• wire/mesh strainer
• 1 tsp kosher salt

instructions:

• line strainer with coffee filter and place on top of a bowl
• put the greek yogurt on the filter and let strain for a few hours until consistency is nice and thick (or overnight before you make this recipe!)
• dice peeled and seeded cucumbers up finely (or process in food processor)
• place cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle with kosher salt to help release any excess water (i was in a rush impatient and put them inside layered coffee filters and squeezed them over the sink…worked just fine!)
• then mix your strained greek yogurt with the cucumbers and add in the rest of the ingredients.
• let chill in fridge for at least 30 min or so to let the flavors marry.

i served these with cucumber “chips” or bell-peppers for a nice low-carb crunch.  pita chips are another delicious option.  great game-day dip, party food or appetizer over the holidays!  it’s no café medi tzatziki, but this healthy remake sure does the trick!