Cold Cucumber Yogurt Dip

Healthy, gluten free, and easy-to-make dishes are my favorite. Living far away from Europe I always try something new and different when I cook. I also want to incorporate dishes I grew up with, or just simply cannot live without. This dip {or sometimes people call it soup} is just one of many of my favorite dishes!

I call this dish Cacik. It's Turkish. You may also know it as Tzatziki which would be the Greek way to call it. Either way, it's pretty much the same dish. Persians use this dish as well, so let's just say it's Mediterranean and Middle Eastern - food brings people together!

Anyways, I make this dish when I need to cool off {literally}, or just for fun when it goes with the dish. My favorite person loves it too. He loves it so much he just eats this by itself, kind of like a snack. I am not complaining, that is for sure.

Here's what you need:

2 - 3 Persian Cucumbers {the little ones}, or half of a regular cucumber 

{look at my homegrown, almost forgotten cucumbers!!! They still worked!}

olive oil

dill

1-2 garlic cloves {pressed}

plain yogurt {Greek or Turkish works, too}

salt {optional}

Here's what you do:

Peel and slice the cucumbers into thin and tiny slices/cubes/triangles

Press the cucumbers either in your clean hand or a strainer or something to get rid of excess water

Put in a bowl
Add yogurt to bowl

Add garlic and mix

Add dill to your liking {I use a lot}

Add olive oil, mix again.

Add a dash of salt {optional, I hardly ever do}

To your liking you can decorate the bowl with mint leaves

{I usually don't have fresh leaves handy so I skip that step}

Put in your fridge and cover until you are ready to taste it {no need, but colder it just tastes better}

That's it.
Very simple.

Pardon my messy looking yellow bowl. I should have cleaned before taking this photo but trust me, five seconds after I took this photo I started eating it.  Really, I am just human and I was lazy...and hungry!

first image via here