Tzatziki
Tzatziki (Tzat-Zee-Ki for those of you who are having a bit of trouble pronouncing it) is a wonderous dish that works as a condiment, main mezze, and best friend to any carb your literal heart desires.
Tzatziki has lived throughout many regions, evolving constantly to provide for the communities that took part in different cultural backgrounds, culinary techniques, and food accessibliity. Most will know Tzatziki as a mezze on any platter in a Greek institution. Although, throughout the Mediterannean and Middle East, this dip has been seen to be a part of mezze platters everywhere like in Turkey as Cacik (a yogurt mixture wit garlic and different combinations of vegetables and herbs) or Cyprus as Talattouri (a soup like dish made of strained yogurt, sliced cucumbers, garlic cloves and sprinkled with dried mint.
This version is plant-based, directly inspired by the new vegan tzatziki released by our one and only, Trader Joe’s. It uses vegan cream cheese to mimic the high fat content of strained yogurt that is typically used in the traditional method. Cucumer, lemon, garlic, and dill each add a brightness to every bite that makes this the PERFECT dish for your summer. Enjoy!
Tzatziki
Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 16 oz (about 2 cups)
INGREDIENTS
8-ounces vegan/plant-based cream cheese (or cream cheese)
1/2 cup shredded cucumber, either English or American slicing cucumber
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons dill, chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest
juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste
To garnish:
olive oil, for garnish
chopped dill, for garnish
aleppo pepper flakes, for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Begin by shredding your cucumber. Once all shredded, squeeze as much excess moisture as you can. I like to add the cucumber to paper towels and squeeze until dry. Set aside.
In a bowl, add the vegan cream cheese, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, minced garlic, nutmeg, and dill. Mix until evenly combined and incorporated.
Add the shredded cucumber and mix until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve with pita, crusty bread, or with your favorite crudite!
Dive in!
