cilantro mayo

Cilantro Mayo - spices things up a bit!

Time to jazz up our crudite platter with new flavor, so I adapted the Cilantro Mayonaise from the original South Beach Diet book.  (The herb flecks and green color are reminiscent of our Divine Dressing - but the flavor is completely different!) This bright and spicy condiment pairs nicely with an Asian or Southwestern inspired dinner.  Watch those veggies disappear!

Cilantro Mayo
adapted from the South Beach Diet Book

Blitz the following ingredients in your food processor:

1 clove of garlic

1/4 c Greek Yogurt

1/4 c Mayonaise

1 avocado

juice of 1 lime

1 t soy sauce

1/2 t cumin

1/2 jalapeno, seeds removed (keep if you want it super spicy)

3/4c cilantro leaves, loosely packed

1 scallion, roughly chopped

Tip:  I reserve 3 T of the dip for later.  Whisk with 1/4 c buttermilk for salad dressing!  

Fantastically fast to assemble!

turkish yogurt dip

Turkish Yogurt Dip with Snap Peas
A little taste test for the chef!

We're winding down from a wonderful vacation week ... with some easy meals.  Today's lunch warmed our wind weary souls (post tomorrow).  Tonight I'm making our Sloppy Joes with ground turkey and serving up some crudite with a yogurt dip.

It doesn't always happen, but I like to start the week with some basic food prep.  A little quinoa, some vegetables cut and prepped and a batch of homemade dip for sandwiches and crudite.  Today's recipe is creamy, garlicky and so very good for you.  We found it in the pages of this week's People magazine (Hey, I needed a little eye-candy after a busy week!).

Turkish Yogurt Dip

adapted from Daphne Oz's recipe in People Magazine

Ingredients:

1 c walnut halves

4 cloves, garlic

3 T fresh dill (you could substitute 1.5 T dried dill)

3 T fresh mint (must use fresh!)

2 T evoo

pinch salt

pinch ground pepper

2 c low-fat Greek yogurt

Directions:

1.  Cover walnuts in cold water and refrigerate while soaking, for 8 hours or overnight.

2. Drain the walnuts and put into your food processor with the garlic cloves, dill and mint. (You could mince by hand.)   Drizzle in the evoo and season with salt and pepper.  

3.  In a medium sized bowl, mix the walnut-herb paste with the 2 c yogurt.  Greek yogurt is best because of its thick consistency.

4.  Refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight for flavors to meld.  

5.  Serve with crudite and pita chips.  Delicious and good for you!

Colorful Crudite!