Mediterranean Meal + Quick Tzatziki Recipe

Many people know that a Mediterranean diet* has heart health benefits. But it is also very tasty and can be very simple to make.
Some of my friends and I decided to to get together and make ourselves a healthy Mediterranean-inspired lunch:
As soon as we decided to make turkey pita sandwiches, I thought that the sauce they put on gyros would be a nice addition (and healthier option than mayo). As I started Googling recipes, two things became apparent: this sauce is called Tzatziki (Phonetic Pronunciation: tsah-ZEE-kee) and that it is made out of cucumbers (eek!). Side note: I really don't like cucumbers but love their cousin the pickle. So I decided that even though I didn't quite know how to call it and it was made with cucumbers, I would be adventurous and make it anyway. It definitely paid off!!!! 
* Meaning: food that is habitually eaten

Tzatziki Sauce+
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
WeightWatchers PointsPlus: 2 per serving

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups plain no fat Greek yogurt
  • 1 lb Persian or English cucumbers, peeled and seeded (2 pretty good sized ones)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp fresh or dried dill 
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp salt 
  • Dash of ground ginger

Equipment:

  • Blender or Food processor 
  • Chefs knife
  • Cutting board
  • Mixing bowl
  • Paper towels
Directions:
  • Place greek yogurt on a sheet of paper towel that is placed on top of a small bowl or cup.
  • When paper towel has absorbed as much a possible, transferred yogurt to new sheet of paper towel. Repeat until yogurt holds together in a ball.
  • Transfer yogurt to mixing bowl.
  • Dice up the cucumbers.
  • Peel and crush clove of garlic.
  • Put cucumbers and garlic into blender (or food processor). And blend until cucumber and garlic are finely chopped.
  • Drain the liquid off of cucumber mixture.
  • Scoop mixture into a doubled or triple sheet of paper towel and squeeze out excess moisture.
  • Add cucumber mixture to yogurt.
  • Mix in oil, lemon juice, dill, salt and ginger (add more or less of these ingredients to produce the desired taste and texture).
  • Chill and Enjoy!
+Tzatziki sauce can also be used as dip or salad dressing

Deli-Style Turkey Gyros
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
  • 4 whole wheat pitas
  • 1 lb deli sliced smoked turkey (any flavor)
  • 2 cup of uncooked spinach
  • 4 oz crumbled feta cheese 
  • 1 cup Tzatziki sauce
Directions:
  • Cut pita breads in half (so each piece is a semi-circle)
  • Use a knife to make a pocket in each half (see picture above)
  • Spread some Tzatziki sauce in each pocket
  • Stuff each pocket with equal amounts of turkey and spinach
  • Sprinkle in some feta cheese
  • Enjoy!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

B Belly Confessions

Image
It's a fact that, as with anything body related, pregnancy will be different for every woman. However, I never considered this fact would include my baby bump. I thought that when the time came I'd have a round symmetrical tummy like we've all seen*. Once getting pregnant it didn't take me long to realize that a lot determines the shape of your baby bump including baby's position, your body type, position of the placenta etc. Since I'm a curvy girl a couple of things happened: 1) It took longer than I expected to "look" pregnant 2) Even when there's no denying I have a bun in the oven I have what is affectionately called a "B" belly. A B-shaped belly (vs a D-shaped belly) just means when you look at your reflection from the side your stomach resembles the outline of a capitalized B. It doesn't affect the baby's health or growth and is actually pretty common. So why have you never heard of this before? I think it's
Read more

The Meaning of LeLola

乐Lola Most of you already know that I named my hair LeLola but I just wanted to take a second to explain the name. Le (乐) comes from the Chinese* word XǐLè (喜乐 pronounced: SheLuh), meaning Joy. Lola is derived from the Spanish name Dolores, meaning Sorrows. So, LeLola literally means "Joys and Sorrows", which explains my hair perfectly : ) *I have been studying Mandarin Chinese for five years. +This information came from  MDBG Chinese-English Dictionary  and  BabyNames.com .
Read more

Creating Beauty from the Ashes of Despair

Image
It has always been my goal to encourage others, whether by my story or sharing someone else’s. But in order to inspire, I feel you have to be totally honest about the lows to truly appreciate the highs. In the past, I’ve talked about some of my health issues but I never really delved into my anxiety and depression. Figuring out which came first has been a “Chicken & Egg” discussion among my mental health team for years. My psychologist told me the anxiety triggered the depression. My psychiatrist (at the time) felt my depression medications were the cause of my rampant anxiety. But one thing was agreed on: my frequent shifts between anxiety and depression mimic the symptoms of someone with bipolar disorder. So I spend most of my time strapped to a continuous emotional roller coaster. Wintertime proves to be the worst for my depression for several reasons (cold weather, increased fibromyalgia pain, lack of vitamin D   etc.) but I always hold out for the next season. Spring: th
Read more