Recipe: Cucumber Garlic Yogurt Dip

A friend made this dip for me the other day, and I went straight home to re-create it so that I wouldn't forget the recipe. This is super easy to make, and is a refreshing dip for the hot summer weather.

This is very similar to the Persian Mast-o-Khiar dip, but with bigger cucumber chunks and added garlic.

The amount of fresh mint you put into this dip will depend on taste. This is best served with pita bread or flavored rice.

I would avoid eating this dip if you have a hot date...just sayin :)

This recipe yields 1 cup.

Cucumber Garlic Yogurt Dip
- 1 cup of plain yogurt
- 1 seedless English cucumber, peeled
- 2-3 springs of fresh mint, leaves only (approximately 15-20 leaves)
- 1 garlic, minced
- salt and pepper

Method
1. In a bowl, mix together the yogurt, garlic and mint.

2. Roughly chop the peeled cucumber into small cubes or slices. Add the cucumber to the yogurt mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and serve cold.

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Mirza Ghasemi (Persian Eggplant Tomato Dip)

I am slowly collecting my Persian recipes, and this is the latest one. This is a fresh and easy dip that is great for dinner parties. If you like eggplant and garlic, then this dip is for you.

Some recipes call for eggs and onions but that is not how my mother-in-law makes it. I like to add a bit of paprika for extra sweetness, which is entirely my addition and not traditional in any sense.

Mirza Ghasemi (Persian Eggplant Tomato Dip)
- 10 Chinese eggplants
- 1 (156 mL, 5.5 fl oz) can of tomato paste
- 1 fresh roma tomato, roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp of paprika
- 4-5 large cloves of garlic, minced
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. With a fork, poke holes into the eggplants, cut off the stems, place them on a baking tray, and broil low (approximately 15-20 minutes) until they are tender and the skin turns a light brown color. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

2. Peel the eggplants with your hands (the skin should come off easily), discard the skin, and roughly chop the eggplant.

3. In a frying pan, heat the garlic on medium heat with a generous amount of olive oil for 1 minute. Add the eggplant, roma tomato, turmeric, paprika and tomato paste, and cook for another 15 minutes. Once all of the flavors are blended, add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Refrigerate and serve cold. If the dip seems a bit dry, add some olive oil and mix well.

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Hummus

As I was cleaning my mess of a desk, I found a hummus recipe that my cousin had given me at our family Christmas party 2 years ago!

Yes, you heard right...2 years ago. That is how long I have left things to accumulate on my desk until I couldn't use it anymore. You see, I am so used to using my laptop in bed that my desk has become somewhat obsolete.
Unfortunately, using my laptop in bed has given me bad back aches, and I no longer sleep well anymore. Egad, I feel like I'm getting old. I'm using the word egad, I must be getting old ;-)

I decided to clean up my desk and set up a proper office so that I could separate my computer life from my sleep time. In the process, I found this recipe.

I'm so glad I found this recipe because it is as good as I remembered it. The cumin is the secret ingredient. Shhhhh.

Hummus
- 2 cans (540 mL, 19 fl oz. each) of chickpeas, drained
- 1/4 cup of cold water
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 lemons, juice
- 4 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup of tahini
- 1/4 tsp of ground cumin
- dash of ground pepper
- 1 large pinch of cayenne pepper

Method
1. Combine all of the ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth.

There is no need to add salt as the canned chickpeas are already salty. I like my hummus really lemony, so if you don't, I would start with the juice of 1 lemon and go from there. If you like your hummus even creamier, simply add more oil.

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Spinach and Artichoke Dip

I was seriously craving spanakopitas and was set to make them until CK reminded me that phyllo probably isn't the healthiest thing, if I was planning on eating it in large quantities. I thought about it, whined a little, but agreed with him in the end. Now, phyllo itself is not all that bad for you. It is made of flour, water, and a little bit of oil...harmless right? But, most of the recipes I saw required me to butter the phyllo pastry before filling it with spinach and feta. That, I guess, is the unhealthy part.

After sleeping on the idea, I woke up with a revelation. I was going to make the spanakopitas in dip form! The phyllo pastry simply got replaced with whole wheat baguette, and I added artichokes and other herbs into the dip for more flavor. It turned out awesome, and my family thoroughly enjoyed the dip.

This recipe yields 4 cups.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip
- 312g (11 oz.) baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 (398 ml) can of artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
- 6 scallions, finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1/2 lb (0.23kg) of light feta, crumbled
- 4 Tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
- 5 Tbsp of low fat plain yogurt
- 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F/175C.

2. Make sure the vegetables and herbs are dry before chopping them. This is to avoid the dip being too watery. In a lightly oiled pan, sautee the garlic for about 30 seconds. Add in the spinach, dill, scallions and mint, and sautee for approx 3-5 minutes or until the veggies have wilted. Remove from pan and drain any excess liquid.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the wilted vegetables, crumbled feta, and artichokes. Add in salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Transfer the spinach and artichoke mixture into a baking dish, and bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes.

4. Right before serving, stir in the yogourt and lemon juice. Mix well and serve.

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Mast-o Khiar, Persian Cucumber and Yogurt Dip

CK just got on a plane to go back to Sydney, and we're apart again...*sigh*.

With all the eating out we had been doing, I am looking forward to cooking and eating healthier again. I was in the mood for something light and quick tonight, so I decided to make a Persian cucumber and yogurt dip (mast-o khiar in farsi).

This is a great dip that is light and easy to make. It is very mild in taste so you can use it for just about anything. I like to eat it with pita bread, rice, grilled chicken, and/or raw veggies. I love making this in the summer time, and I find the juices from the cucumber helps quench the thirst.

Persians eat a lot of yogurt because of its health benefits. Anytime my stomach is not feeling well, I am told by CK's mom to eat yogurt.

This recipe yields 2 cups.

Mast-o Khiar, Persian Cucumber and Yogurt Dip
- 2 cups of low fat plain yogurt (if you prefer a creamier dip, use whole-milk yogurt)
- 1 Tbsp dried mint
- 1/2 seedless English cucumber
- salt and pepper to taste
- ground rose petals and fresh mint leaves for garnish

Method
1. With a cheese grater, grate the cucumber into a bowl. Do not use too fine of a grater. This will cause the cucumber to release a lot of cucumber juice, causing your dip to be too watery.

2. With a spoon, press on the grated cucumber to release any excess cucumber juice. Discard the juice.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the yogurt, grated cucumber, and dried mint. Mix well.

4. Add salt and pepper to taste. I used about 1/4 tsp of salt and a few dashes of pepper. Mix well.

5. Sprinkle ground rose petals and fresh mint leaves for garnish.

There are other variations of this dip, and if you find this one too mild in taste, try adding raisins, minced garlic, fresh dill, and/or walnuts.

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Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip

Over the past holiday, I attended a friend's casual post-wedding party. They had a wonderful wedding in Aruba, and threw a party in Ottawa afterwards to celebrate with everyone who couldn't make it to Aruba. While it was a catered party, my friend requested that I make a few dips to bring to the party. I had made a jalapeno and cilantro hummus for him a few months ago, and he wanted me to make some more.

One of the other dips that I brought was a roasted red pepper one. This recipe calls for cumin, and remembering that my mom-in-law keeps amazingly fresh cumin in her fridge, I decided to make it. Her cumin comes from Kermān in Iran, and is extremely fragrant. It just doesn't compare to the stuff you find at grocery stores.

This recipe yields about 2 cups.

Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip

(Adapted from Jane Spice)

- 13 oz. jar of roasted red bell peppers in vinegar

- 1 cup of walnuts

- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

- juice of 1/2 lemon

- 1 tsp ground cumin

- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

- salt to taste

Method

1. Blend all ingredients in processor until coarse puree forms.

2. Season with salt.

3. Transfer to a bowl, and serve with pita chips.

Back to the wedding party, two others were also requested to make something for that night.

One friend made the bride's cake which was a super moist chocolate cake with almond butter icing. I don't usually care for chocolate cake, but I thought it was delicious! The couple, J+J, always call their love monkey love, hence the monkey theme.

The groom was much more indecisive than the bride. He ended up having 6 different cakes as the groom's cakes. Their niece, who just started studying at Cordon Bleu, experimented and whipped up 6 different cheesecakes for him. The flavors that I do remember were: dark chocolate orange, white chocolate, piña colada, and triple chocolate. By the time you tried all of the different cakes they served that night, you had basically eaten a whole one to yourself.

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The Best Chunky Guacamole You'll Ever Taste

I was never a big fan of avocados. The creaminess just didn't appeal to me. I'm still not fond of them but when I tried my sister in-law's guacamole, I fell in love!!!

I can't get enough of it, and make it myself all the time now. I've made guacamole before but I used to make it in a food processor, and it turned out very smooth. I think part of the appeal of good guacamole is to make it chunky so that you taste the bits of fresh avocado, tomato, and onion.

I've brought this chunky guacamole to a few parties this past holiday season, and people just loved it. This recipe makes about 2 cups.

Chunky Guacamole

- 3/4 to 1 tsp salt (depends on your taste)

- juice of 1 lime
- 3 avocados

- 1/2 cup white onion, finely chopped

- 2 roma tomatoes, finely chopped

- 1 tsp garlic, pressed or minced

- 3-5 Tbsp cilantro, roughly chopped

- cayenne pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Peel the avocados, and remove the pit in the middle

2. In a bowl, mash up the avocados, salt, and lime juice with a fork until you get the consistency you like.

3. Fold in the onions, garlic, cilantro, and tomatoes

4. Add cayenne pepper. How much will depend on taste, and how spicy you like things. Depending on how fresh my cayenne pepper is, I usually add in about 1/2 - 1 tsp.

I've discovered that cayenne pepper is the secret ingredient. Even if you add in a very small amount, it will make a difference! I usually serve this guacamole with jalapeño corn tortilla chips.

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