Easy, Tasty Tzatziki
A refreshing menopause mezze dip
This easy, tasty tzatziki dip is a perfect accompaniment to dollop on our Positive Pause menopause mezze meals, or you can just dip in fresh fingers of carrots, courgettes and bell peppers.
Yogurt is the best source of calcium for keeping our menopausal bones healthy and strong. The fresh cucumber taste is a great refresher in those hot moments!.
Serves: 4 as part of a mezze
Prep time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
4 small Middle Eastern cucumbers or 1 regular cucumber
sea salt
500g whole-milk Greek yogurt
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1tbsp lemon juice
A sprig of fresh mint chopped
Paprika, for sprinkling
Leaves from a sprig of mint
Method
If using small cucumbers, halve lengthways and slice thinly. If using a standard cucumber, peel, halve, deseed (just scoop out with a teaspoon), and grate. Put it in a colander in the sink. Salt lightly, toss and leave to drain for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile crush the garlic into the oil with a pinch of salt and leave to infuse.
Drain off any liquid from the yogurt. Stir the garlicky oil and lemon juice into the yoghurt. Squeeze out the cucumber very well, then stir this into the yogurt. Allow it to sit for a couple of hours, prepare a day before and leave in the fridge until ready.
Just before serving, season to taste, adding more oil or lemon juice if necessary, then finely chop the mint leaves (discarding the tough stems) and stir into the tzatziki.