Tzatziki

If you're in Utah or have lived there, I'm sure you're familiar with places like Crown Burger (which is hands-down the most popular), Burgers Supreme, and Apollo Burger (which is my favorite...sorry Crown Burger-ers!) They're part steak fries and flame-broiled burgers and part gyros and baklava, but no matter what you get, it's awesome.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, my OB/GYN's office was just down the street from what was, in my pregnant (at the time) opinion, the best Apollo Burger (the one on State Street in Orem, a few blocks north of Center Street, if anyone's interested...) I would always go to my appointments hungry (you weigh less that way) and then swing by Apollo Burger for a kid's meal or a gyro afterwards. Not such a big deal when you're just going to monthly appointments, but when you start going every week (or more), going to those doctor's appointment hungry isn't gonna help that scale much...

Well, sadly, we don't have an Apollo Burger (or anything like it) here--there's one Greek restaurant, and a gyro costs about twice as much there and isn't as good. So I've resorted to making my own. I've got a gyro recipe, lamb and everything, coming in the next couple of weeks, but I wanted to have the flatbread and Tzatziki ready to go!

If you're not familiar with Tzatziki, it's a creamy, cucumber-y, savory sauce that goes on top of a gyro (basically, a pita filled with Greek-seasoned lamb or chicken). It also happens to be my favorite part of a gyro. But guess what? You can also dip vegetables, pita wedges, or flatbread in it. I had some of this on hand a little while back and made a roasted vegetable pizza and dipped the pizza in it and it was really yummy. You could even use it as a salad dressing. It's versatile and, if you use low-fat or fat free yogurt, it's super healthy.

Speaking of yogurt...in my picture, I have Yoplait Greek yogurt. Now, I'm normally not a huge brand-name snob (have you not seen my ample usage of Walmart ingredients in my posts)? However, while I usually like Yoplait products, I'm not crazy about their Greek yogurt. Unfortunately, my grocery store does NOT anticipate all of my blogging needs and was out of plain Greek yogurt when I was there. What's the difference, you ask? Greek yogurt is very thick and tangy and definitely does NOT taste fat free, even when it is, while this yogurt is a lot like, well, non-Greek plain yogurt. I recommend a brand that specializes in Greek yogurt like Oikos, Chobani, or Fage.

This recipe is so easy. You'll need...

1 1/2 c. fat free plain Greek yogurt

3 green onions, firm ends finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1-2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. dill weed

1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

"How do I seed a cucumber?" you ask. Glad you asked! Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise and then insert the tip of a small spoon into the seed membranes of the cucumber. Apply enough pressure until you reach some resistance and then drag the seeds out with the spoon. Super easy.

Slice the cucumber and combine all the ingredients and eat it however you want...

Tzatziki

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt (that's 2 6-oz. containers)

1 clove garlic, minced

1-2 tsp. lemon juice

3 green onions, firm ends finely chopped

1 tsp. dry dill weed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Store covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.