The Testosterone Blueprint
ResourcesFree GuideT TestHormonal AgeWomen's QuizContactQuestions & Answers
Back to recipes

Tzatziki with Vegetable Sticks

Thick, garlicky tzatziki with a plate of crunchy vegetables. The step that matters is squeezing the grated cucumber dry, or the dip turns watery within the hour. Fifteen minutes, no cooking.

Snack

15

Serves 4 as a snack

A bowl of thick tzatziki with dill and olive oil, surrounded by carrot, red pepper and celery sticks

Ingredients

  • For the tzatziki
  • 500g/1lb 2oz/2 cups 0% fat Greek yogurt (strained, thick style)
  • 1 large cucumber (about 300g/10½oz)
  • 2 cloves garlic (about 8g), finely grated or crushed
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus a little extra to drizzle if you like
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 5g/about ⅓ cup fresh dill, finely chopped
  • 3g/1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
  • Half a tsp salt and black pepper
  • For the vegetable sticks
  • 3 medium carrots (about 300g/10½oz)
  • 2 red peppers (bell peppers, about 300g/10½oz)
  • 3 sticks celery (stalks, about 150g/5oz)

Method

  1. Coarsely grate the cucumber, skin and all. Toss it with a pinch of the salt and leave it in a sieve for 5 minutes.
  2. Squeeze the cucumber hard in a clean tea towel (dish towel) or with your hands until no more liquid comes out. You should lose about a third of its weight. This is what keeps the tzatziki thick.
  3. In a bowl, mix the yogurt, squeezed cucumber, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, dill, mint, the rest of the salt and plenty of black pepper. Taste and add more lemon or salt if needed.
  4. Peel the carrots. Cut the carrots, peppers and celery into sticks about 8cm/3in long and 1cm/½in wide, removing the pepper seeds.
  5. Spoon the tzatziki into a bowl, drizzle with a little extra oil if you like, and serve with the vegetable sticks.
  6. Tzatziki keeps in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days; stir before serving, as a little liquid may separate. Keep the cut vegetables in a separate container with a damp piece of kitchen paper (paper towel) for up to 2 days. It does not freeze well.

Why it works

A serving has about 15g of protein for 176 calories, almost all of it from the yogurt. Strained Greek yogurt has roughly twice the protein of ordinary plain yogurt, which is why this works as a filling snack rather than just a dip.

The vegetables do more than carry the dip. The carrot, pepper and celery sticks add about 4g of fibre a serving, and the red pepper alone provides roughly 95mg of vitamin C, more than the daily amount recommended in both the UK (40mg) and the US (75 to 90mg). Carrots and celery add crunch for very few calories.

Why it is tagged for blood sugar. With 16g of carbohydrate, most of it from the vegetables, plus protein and a little olive oil, this is a snack that is unlikely to cause a sharp rise in blood sugar. It is a better choice than crisps (chips) or crackers with a dip if you are trying to keep snacks steady.

Raw garlic gives tzatziki its bite; its flavour gets stronger as the tzatziki sits, so use one clove if you prefer it milder or are making it a day ahead. For a dairy-free version, use a thick unsweetened soy or coconut yogurt; the protein will be lower with coconut.

Tzatziki is also the sauce in the lamb kofta with bulgur salad. For another vegetable dip, try the beetroot and walnut hummus.