Authentic Greek Tzatziki with Toasted Za’atar Pita Chips
So a couple weeks ago I posted on my personal facebook page what suggestions they had to use up dill. Nick’s parents gave me an Aerogarden for Christmas and it’s been so lovely to have fresh herbs growing in the house in the middle of winter!
As you can probably tell from the photo, the dill is growing much faster than everything else! I wanted to keep it trimmed up to allow the rest of the herbs to get the light it needed. Dill is not my favorite herb, so I needed help for some ideas. Thankfully, my friend Terri suggested tzatziki, which in my opinion was a wonderful idea! I recently went to a Middle Eastern restaurant that had tzatziki, that I enjoyed, so I decided to recreate it.
This takes a little bit of time between straining the yogurt and cucumbers, so this is best to do on a Sunday or whenever you have a few hours. However, it is SO worth it, and this keeps very well in the fridge for at least a week, if you have the willpower to keep it around that long!
This is also a great party dip – and one that helps keep a slim waistline. There is no mayo, sour cream, just high protein Greek yogurt and seasonings that makes this sing! So let’s sum this up… it’s healthy, it’s easy to make, and it’s FRESH – did that convince you yet?!
Veggies like cucumbers, bell pepper, and carrots would be great dippers as well if you want more of a low-carb option, but I myself am a #nocarbleftbehind individual so I went with pita. I brushed some pita bread with good olive oil and sprinkled za’atar seasoning over top. Have you ever had or heard of za’atar? It’s a Middle Eastern blend that typically contains thyme, sesame seeds, salt, and sumac (another one of my favorite Greek seasonings). It just takes pita to the next level!
This suggestion to simply use the dill in tzatziki has inspired multiple recipes from here, all Greek food! Be on the lookout soon for more!
Authentic Greek Tzatziki with Toasted Za’atar Pita Chips
Ingredients
For the tzatziki:
- 2 cups plain Greek style yogurt
- 1 English cucumber diced small
- 1 tsp kosher salt for cucumbers
- 1 clove garlic minced
- zest of one lemon
- juice of one lemon (~2 tbsp)
- 2 tbsp fresh dill
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or more to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzle on top
- black pepper to taste
For the za’atar pita bread:
- 1 package pita bread (about 6 slices)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- za’atar spice blend, to taste
Instructions
- If you are going to strain your Greek yogurt to make a thicker tzatziki (which is more traditional), add 2 cups of the Greek yogurt to a cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve atop a bowl to catch the drippings. Strain the yogurt in the fridge for about one hour.
- Meanwhile, slice the cucumber lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds from the center with a spoon, then dice small. Add the cucumber to a strainer set over a bowl and sprinkle 1 tsp salt, stir to combine. Let sit for one hour.
- Use your hands to squeeze the excess liquid out of the cucumber, do not rinse. Try to get out as much of the liquid as you can.
- Combine the yogurt with the diced cucumber. Add garlic, lemon juice and lemon zest, dill, salt, olive oil, and black pepper. Stir it all together.
- Chill the tzatziki in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. The cold sets it up a bit better and allows the flavors to begin to marry with each other.
For the za’atar pita bread:
- While the tzatziki is chilling in the fridge, you can now make the pita! Preheat your oven to 350F. Cut your pita bread into wedges (I got 8 per). Arrange on a baking sheet lined with a wire rack, and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle za’atar over top to taste. In my opinion, it is fairly mild so you can go a bit heavy handed here.
- Bake for 5-8 minutes just until crispy on the outside, but still soft on the inside. Serve with the tzatziki and enjoy!