Exploring Greek Tzatziki

This dip is light and refreshing. Originally a Greek yogurt dip, tzatziki is traditionally made with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, sometime lemon juice and fresh herbs like mint, dill, parsley or thyme. It can be used to top gyros, burgers, falafels, salads, “bowls” (see photo below) or a standalone dish. Clearly I took a non-traditional route, swapping avocado for yogurt as the base. I also used mint instead of dill and want to try this again with equal proportions to be more versatile. Even with the “lightened up” swaps, Avocado Tzatziki is still light, so fluffy and especially tasty. I’ve been dipping away with Kashi pita chips and 7 grain crackers, baby carrots and cucumber sticks.

Ingredients (makes roughly 2 c).

• 1 avocado
• 1 T unsweetened almond milk to thin (more/less as needed) *
• 1/2 lemon, juiced (more/less to taste)
• 1 small cucumber
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 T onion, diced
• Generous handful of fresh mint leaves (you can also use fresh dill)
• Salt to taste

* Note: You can replace this with sour cream or Greek yogurt. I wanted a lighter option and used what I had in my fridge.

Directions.

1. Halve cucumber and remove the seeds with a spoon. Chop each half into 4-5 pieces so you have 8-10 total. (This just makes blending easier; you can definitely throw he halves in as is.)
2. In a Magic Bullet, blender or food processor, add avocado, almond milk and lemon juice. Blend until smooth.
3. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
4. Serve with pita chips, veggies or top salads or sandwiches.
5. Enjoy!

Adapted from Primally Inspired‘s “Greek Meatballs with Avocado Tzatziki Sauce.”