Cucumber-Yogurt Dipping Sauce ((made light))
About 6 weeks ago, I was given a mission…’create a healthier/lightened-up version of Cucumber Yogurt salad dressing’. I finally got a minute to work it out & as a major (purposeful) bonus I pared it with my Chicken Tikka Masala Meatballs. ((it was beyond yum)).
A few things are important to consider when trying to ‘lighten-up’ a recipe:
- if you are decreasing the fat – you must increase the flavor
- if you are decreasing the carbs – you must increase the flavor
- if you are decreasing the calories – you must make every calorie count
A few ways to accomplish a successful ‘lighten-up’ recipe session:
- add texture: creamy, crunchy & chewy are all good in the right circumstance
- use fresh produce as much as possible
- use high quality dairy, eggs, meats & grains – there is no substitute for nature’s best
- season well…this doesn’t mean use a TON of salt. Try new spices, go to specialty grocery stores & don’t be afraid to mess up. If it’s awfully inedible throw it away & eat cereal. Try again & don’t repeat the same mistake ((no biggie))
Okay, that’s all from the teacher today!! When I was making this sauce, I didn’t have time to allow the flavors to make nice with each other. Enter: Food Processor (fp)- I added the chunky dipping sauce to the fp and BOOM! It all came together. The flavors locked in & a winning recipe was created.
One thing to keep in mind: because cucumbers are like 97.8% water, puréeing them in the sauce caused the sauce to be very runny. I still love it, it coats the meatballs well & resembles the same thickness as my favorite sauces from Misal etc. However, if you would prefer a thicker sauce & still want to maintain ‘lightened-up’ status, you may want to eliminate buttermilk from the recipe & go with fat-free plain Greek yogurt instead. ((After the sauce sits overnight in the fridge, it does thicken up a bit.))
You will be pouring this over salad, using it as a dip…& if you have really bad manners (like me) you may just drink it right out of the serving bowl when no one is looking (shh)!
- 1 c buttermilk
- 1 c plain non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1/4 c cilantro
- 2 T chives
- 1 c cucumber (I used the English variety) diced
- 1 T lemon zest
- 1/4 t of Serrano chili pepper*
- 1/2 t turmeric
- 1/4 scant t garam masala
- 1/4 t ground coriander
- sea salt to taste
- Combine all ingredients (less the sea salt) in a food processor & pulse until sauce is smooth. Taste and add salt according to your preferences. Refrigerate - up to 2 weeks.
- - use as a dipping sauce for Chicken Tikka Masala Meatballs
- - use as a flank steak marinade
- - use as a salad dressing
- *This particular pepper was insanely hot!! I added an tiny bit - probably too little (I barely detect it). I think heat in this sauce it a good counter-balance to the cool cucumber. So, if you like heat, add more Serrano pepper!
- **If you prefer a thicker sauce, eliminate buttermilk from the recipe and use only Greek plain yogurt.