Carrot Cucumber Nut Yogurt Dip (Revved-Up Tzatziki)

Oh, you’ll want to bookmark this one. Trust me.

Don’t believe me? Ask the dishes…

Or you can take my word for it. Because the dishes are empty.

Empty.

As in dang-that-was-a-finger-lickin’-amazing-tzatziki empty.

You’re welcome.

Don’t worry, your jeans will thank me for this one as well. See this dip? No? Maybe we should get a closer look…

Yeah.

That’s your new year’s resolution in a dish calling out your name. Made with non-fat Greek yogurt, carrots, cucumbers, toasted walnuts, honey, and just a tiny (think miniscule!) smidge of mayo, this dip is for not for your waistline to die for.

Your sense of self-restraint might die for it, but I speak from personal experience when I say that tossing your self-restraint out the Paladinian window (okay, my apartment doesn’t actually have a Paladinian window, but would you crush a gal’s dreams now?) isn’t such a bad thing here. In fact, it’s a very good thing. Because instead of snacking on that towering pile of leftover lemon cheesecake and caramel flan from the new year’s party, you’ll be asking for someone to hand over the cucumbers.

I’m a devoted fan of tzatziki, but the tartness of it gets old after a while, so I decided to infuse my usual recipe with a bit of cool (and colorful!) kick. Instead of just the usual cucumber dealio, I tossed in some toasted walnuts (which added, as you might expect, a great nutty dimension), a smidge of honey and mayo (for a sweet, creamy contrast to the tang), and finely-cut carrots (great for added texture).

Yes, you may thank me now.

Or better yet, you may thank me after I’ve had another dish of this. If you’d like to make me one and find a way to ship it by express mail, I won’t object to that form of a thank-you gift, either.

While everyone else (and I sadly include myself in this woebegone category) is busy resolving to shed a few of those holiday pounds during these mad first weeks of the year, you can just hum-dee-ding along with this dip. Grab the nearest fresh veggie and dip away!

You could also try dipping the lemon cheesecake. That’s a…fruit, right?

Speaking of veggies, today was the first day of classes, and when I went up to introduce myself as the TA our professor had us name our favorite vegetable. I said the following three sentences, recorded verbatim:

“I don’t have a favorite vegetable.”

“Actually, I like all vegetables.”

“…Ice cream should be a vegetable, does ice cream count?”

Not one of my shining moments teaching.

At least they laughed.

Anyway.

Make this. You’ll like vegetables, you’ll like your jeans, and you’ll like me for it.

Everybody wins–except maybe Jenny Craig.

Happy week 2 of 2013!

Carrot Cucumber Nut Yogurt Dip (Revved-Up Tzatziki)

Serving: 1 medium-sized dish for dipping

Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium cucumber, chopped
• 8 oz. plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup walnuts (or your preferred nut), chopped
• 1/2 carrot or approximately 10 baby carrots, finely chopped (I pulsed mine a few times in the food processor)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, cover the chopped cucumber with salt. Allow to absorb for 30 minutes (doing so will suck out the excess water in the cucumber, which will make the dip too runny). Pour out excess water, then pat cucumber dry with a paper towel and set aside.
2. In a medium-size serving dish or bowl, combine yogurt, honey, and mayonnaise. Fold in cucumbers, nuts, and carrots. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Serve with your favorite raw veggies, fruit, or lemon cheesecake. (Just kidding about the cheesecake!)