Tzatziki with Garlic Pita Flatbreads

The best tzatziki I've ever had was at Mykonos Restaurant in Bellingham, WA...that is, until I figured out how to make it myself. There are a ton of tzatziki recipes out there on the internet and in cookbooks, but they never have enough garlic. So, this one goes out to all the garlic lovers out there. Serve it with pita bread (or any kind of flat bread) or make up your own gyro or souvlaki sandwich.

Ingredients

1-1 ½ cups plain fat-free Greek yogurt
¼ onion, chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice, preferably fresh squeezed
¼ cucumber, cored and peeled, minced
5 cloves fresh garlic, minced
A generous amount of black pepper
1 tablespoon (or so—you can't really go wrong) dried dill

Mix all of this together in a small bowl. For best results, dry your cucumber before putting it in the tzatziki. The point is to have a nice, thick sauce. Also, let it sit for about an hour or so in the fridge before serving—the longer it sits, the better it tastes.

 12 servings; approx. 16 calories/serving, 0g fat, 3.2g carb., 1.4g protein

Pita

They are easily bought at most stores, but when you make them yourself, you can control the size and amount of all of the ingredients. And, compared with my favorite whole wheat pita brand—which weighs in at a hefty 210 calories per pita—these are just as good and so much better for you. This recipe is adapted from Mark Bittman's vegetarian bible, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced

1) In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients. Add 1 cup of warm water (98-110°F or body temperature); mix thoroughly until dough forms a ball and is slightly sticky to the touch. If the dough is too dry, work in water a tablespoon at a time. If the dough is too sticky, add flour a tablespoon at a time.

2) Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead for a few seconds to form a round, smooth ball. Put the dough back in its bowl, cover with clean dish towel, and place in a warm spot for 1-2 hours. The oven with simply the oven light on is an ideal spot to let dough rise. You can cut the rising time short if you're in a hurry or slow the rising time by placing the dough in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours.

3) When the dough is ready, form into a ball and divide it into 14 pieces. Roll the pieces into balls and allow them to rise on a floured work surface under a dish towel for 20 minutes.

4) Roll each ball out to less than a ¼" thickness using flour to prevent sticking. Cover. Preheat oven to 350°F for 20 minutes. Place aluminum foil on the back of a baking sheet and place on the middle rack of the oven while it's preheating.

5) Bake 2 disks at a time on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes.

6) Remove breads from oven and cool or eat right away. The breads can be stored in plastic bags in the refrigerator for a week or two and reheated gently as needed.

These pita breads make great mini pizzas too! My favorite pizza combination is turkey bacon, green bell pepper, and onion. 

14 servings; approx. 104 calories/serving, 1.2g fat, 19.8g carb., 0.1g protein