Tzatziki with Herbed & Baked Sweet Potatoes

I LOVE Tzatziki. And this is the perfect weather to have dollops of it on all things forbidden like chips, crackers etc.
I know! Thoughts of salty and deep fried food is making you shudder, right?
So, I  have made this into a guilt-free eating experience. I've made the chips healthy as well! They aren't fried, they are baked! So, instead of one, here are two great recipes that you can make this weekend. Happy snacking!

So, what is Tzatziki?
It's a Greek cucumber dip using Greek Yoghurt.
Really yummy and really easy to whip up. This is a great dip to go with a  starter of your choice like the baked chips below or baked chicken tikkas/kababs/pattice too! For an all-Greek food experience, you can also try making this  Boureki as mains. Or you can choose to make Dakos/ Ntakos as starters if you want a really, stress-free recipe.

Here's what you need to make Tzatziki -

Ingredients
1 cucumber (peeled and grated)
3 big cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 teacup olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (I use Demeter)
500 gms Greek yoghurt


Method -

Pound the garlic with salt till its a fine paste

Separate the juice from the grated cucumber.

In a big glass bowl, add the Greek yoghurt, vinegar, the garlic-salt and the olive oil.

Mix.

Add this into the grated cucumber next and mix well.

Refrigerate this for an hour or two in a glass vessel. Serve cool or at room temperature.

Now, let's move on to our healthy chips!
I make these using Sweet Potato. I have been making these chips for many years now and I love eating them. Here's what you need -

Ingredients
1 big sweet potato/ 2 smaller ones peeled and then cut into blocks or chips (it's your choice)
Handful of seedless olives sliced (optional topping)
1/2 teaspoon dried celery
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika flakes
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
6 cloves unpeeled, washed garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt

Method -

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees C

In a big baking tray, mix together everything listed above except the olives.

Let this mix bake till the potatoes turn nice and crisp. About 40-45 minutes should do it.

Toss the chopped olives on top. Add some ground pepper.

Serve hot with your Tzatziki.

Enjoy!

Note - If you would like details on a Greek food workshop run by a lovely lady and her mother in rural Crete, please send me a message so I can forward you information about it.