Prepare to be amazed by both its color and flavor.
What’s one to do on a hot summer Sunday afternoon when you spent the morning at a social gathering and don’t feel like cooking? For us empty nesters, the answer was walk downtown and enjoy a handful of tapas dishes and some wine.
Actually, it wasn’t even the cooking that I didn’t want to do, it was the shopping. Having had the gathering on the schedule, I wasn’t sure what the rest of the day would hold- neither calendar nor food wise. Thus, I arrived home hungrier and earlier than planned.
Recipe inspiration
We went to a nearby farm to table restaurant, Republic, that has a great menu of small plates. On their menu was beet tzatziki. As fans of both beets and tzatziki, that was a must order item. Paired with two other favorites of ours (North African Spiced Pickled Vegetables and Spicy Coconut Butternut), it was a tray of vegetable happiness.
Their beet tzatziki was bright and flavorful, and I instantly knew I had to figure out how to make this at home. Fast forward three days to a morning of recipe testing. I’d made tzatziki before, so I knew the base would be Greek yogurt and that I’d definitely season it with garlic. The next question was how to prepare the beets.
I decided that the best option would be to roast them, which would make them tender enough to be in a spread. To distribute the beets evenly and save my kitchen and myself from a gigantic mess, I shredded them in a food processor. (Note: that was a very good decision. I don’t want to imagine the mess a box grater would make.)
Recipe success
While regular tzatziki includes mint, I opted to omit it in this recipe. Beets have a stronger flavor than cucumbers (the main vegetable in plain tzatziki), so there was no need for additional oomph. Chilled and served with carrots, celery, and pita, this was a delightful dip. It also makes a fine spread for a sandwich, if you’re looking for a different condiment.
Give this dip a try. Maybe even try it on some kids. The bright color may induce them to try something they wouldn’t normally eat. However, don’t tell them it’s beets; rather it’s just fuchsia-colored dip.
You can find the recipe for Roasted Beets here.
- 2 medium beets, roasted & peeled
- 1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Salt & pepper
- Assemble food processor with fine shredding disk.
- Place roasted and cooled beets in feeding tube, half at a time; shred.
- Combine yogurt, garlic, and lemon juice in a medium-sized bowl; mix well.
- Add shredded beets, and stir until combined.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Serve with cucumber or celery spears, carrots, pita wedges, or crackers.
