April 19, 2024

Tzatziki Wrap

Tzatziki Wrap resize

What a fun word to say:  Tzatziki!  With spring in full swing now, I am in love with using fresh herbs in as many ways possible.  This recipe for my Tzatziki Wrap uses a small handful of dill. Dill is a lovely thing to grow in a windowbox, if you can, or in your garden, because it goes with so many other flavors and cuisines.  If you have leftover dill after making the tzatziki, use it on fresh or smoked salmon.

Tzatziki is just a fancy way to say “yogurt dip.”   It is found in Greek and Mediterranean dishes, and goes well with all grilled meats—chicken, beef, lamb, salmon—as well as vegetarian dishes like falafel.  Blend this up in your food processor in five minutes, and enjoy for lunch or a light dinner tonight!

Tzatziki Wrap (Makes two wraps)

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt (Greek yogurt or regular.  Avoid nonfat as the texture is too runny)
  • 1 big handful dill sprigs, any tough parts trimmed away
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/2 large cucumber, peeled and seeded
  • 1/2 red bell pepper
  • 1/2 green bell pepper
  • 1 cup baby spinach, or a few leaves of romaine lettuce
  • 1 cooked chicken breast
  • tortillas or pita bread for wrapping

Directions:

  1. Make the tzatziki:  In a food processor or blender, blend the yogurt, dill, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic together.  Cut the half a cucumber in half again, and add one half to the blender and combine.  (You should now have one-quarter of a cucumber left.  Math!)  Refrigerate the tzatziki until ready to use.
  2. Slice the peppers and cucumber into very fine strips.  If you are using romaine lettuce, wash and dry the leaves and stack them on a cutting board.  Cut the leaves into fine strips.  Mix the peppers, cucumber, and lettuce in a large bowl and toss to combine.
  3. Very thinly slice the chicken breast.  Prepare your tortilla or pita bread for filling.  (I always warm up tortillas in the microwave, covered with a damp paper towel, so they’re pliable and won’t break.)  Fill tortilla with chicken breast slices, vegetables, and a big drizzle of tzatziki.  Roll up and eat, with more tzatziki if you like.

Cutting carbs, or do you have leftover wrap filling?  Toss with tzatziki and eat it like a salad!  It also goes great as a dip—try with carrots.

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana


To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!

Layered Greek Dip

Layered Greek DipThis month I am focusing on side dishes and things you can bring to your Thanksgiving table.  When my family gets together, we all commit to bringing a piece of the dinner puzzle:  whichever family member is hosting usually makes the main dish, and the other family members decide on who is going to make dessert, salad, vegetable, and appetizer.  My sister brought an appetizer called Layered Greek Dip – and I was hooked!

This dish is easy to put together and is healthy to boot!  Assemble it right before your guests come, or make ahead and covered in the fridge until you are ready to serve.  Offer a variety of dippers:  I like pita chips, tortilla chips, Triscuits (my favorite cracker of all time!) and veggies like carrot sticks and red pepper slices.  This will take the edge off people’s hunger long enough for you to finish up your last-minute dinner duties.  Offer some white wine with this appetizer and your guests may forget all about the main course!

I should have taken a photo of my sister’s dish when she  made it, but it slipped my mind, and before I remembered, we had all smeared it all over the plate and eaten half of it!  I made it again this morning, so the photo is of a “personal-sized” serving.  And you know what?  It makes a yummy, unusual breakfast too!  I used sundried tomatoes because I didn’t have any cherry tomatoes (and I don’t care for them anyway.)  Try it and let me know if you love it like I do!

 

Layered Greek Dip

Serves 8 as an appetizer

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounce container of hummus (or make your own!)
  • 4 ounces crumbled Feta cheese
  • 6 ounce container of plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
  • 4 ounces cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 4 ounces Kalamata olives (or other black olives)
  • 2 green onions, diced
  • handful of parsley, minced

Directions:

  1. On a large plate, spread out the hummus.  Cover with a layer of Feta, then cover that with the Greek yogurt.  Arrange the cucumber, tomatoes, and olives over the top in any way you find aesthetically pleasing.  Sprinkle with green onion and parsley.  Serve with chips or veggie sticks.  Keep refrigerated until ready to eat.

 

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana


To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!