It's been warm in Portland over the last few weeks. When I say warm, I mean 85 degrees, which seems like 105 to the normally sun-starved residents of the Pacific Northwest. A dinner salad was what I wanted, and in the past I might have dressed the salad with bottled Ranch dressing, which kind of defeats the idea of the salad being healthy.
I've had a thing for Mediterranean flavors this summer, so I decided to replace the Ranch with tzatziki, and made a chop chicken salad with thinly sliced celery and chopped romaine lettuce dressed in a lemon shallot vinaigrette, topped with sliced, chargrilled chicken and my special homemade tzatziki. It was marvelous!
Tzatziki tops my list of favorite things I realized I could easily make at home. My recipe includes about a cup of good Greek yogurt - Greek Gods traditional plain is my favorite - a clove of finely grated garlic, lemon juice, fresh chopped dill, grated cucumber, salt and freshly ground black pepper, a dash of cayenne and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. The last two ingredients are optional, but I like them so I include them. Just mix it all together in a bowl, and it's ready to go. Easy- five minutes, tops.
This savory special sauce is one of the ingredients in gyros and souvlaki, but the dinner salad is a slightly healthier spin on those old favorites. I started making tzatziki a few months ago, around the time I rediscovered my charcoal grill. It seemed like the perfect way to enjoy chicken kebobs, and now I put it on salads, and serve it with a variety of grilled meats. It's just delicious. Goodbye Ranch dressing, hello tzatziki!
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