You say Tatziki, I say Tzatziki

I can eat this stuff by the spoonful and I do, even if someone is watching. My husband claims he will even put it on his cereal..Tzatziki fulfills my everlasting need to ingest mint all summer long. You see, I have a crush on different herbs at different times of the year. Mint is my summer crush. So instead of using the usual suspect of dill for this sauce, I use ample amounts of mint. I love to eat tzatziki on so many things like grilled burgers or chicken skewers, on homemade pizza, grilled wild salmon, lamb gyros, on salads, on top of gazpacho until I mix it all in, taco's, soup, anything potato, or just dip some delicious grilled naan into the thick Greek sauce, and you have a perfect breakfast, er, I mean snack. The uses are deliciously endless. The basic recipe I have in my head is as follows, but please feel free to use your favorite summer herb crush to experiment. Your kids may even give it a try like my 17 month old daughter!


Minted Tzatziki
1 Pint thick whole milk Greek yogurt
1 English cucumber, well rinsed, with skin on
2 Heaping tablespoons of mint, chiffonade or minced
2 oz crumbled feta cheese
2 Garlic cloves, finely minced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
juice of one lemon
1/4 tsp kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper

Preparation:
Coarsely grate the cucumber over a strainer. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp kosher salt and let it drain at room temp for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour. Squeeze excess moisture from cucumber and discard liquid. Mix cucumber, mint, feta and garlic into yogurt. Mix in olive oil and lemon juice and season with freshly cracked pepper and serve with whatever else you are eating currently.