I've always had so so relationship with yogurt. I've never really liked it, but I've always understood the benefits (and if I wasn't sure, Jamie Lee Curtis made sure I knew, too.) My kids love the tubes, and even more so since I switched to the thicker, less sugary Greek yogurt tubes they offer now. I just couldn't get into it. I've had almost all the brands and even tried the dessert flavored ones or the kind with the crunchy mix-ins (and I love crunchy in almost anything.)
That all changed, though, when I started making my own tzatziki sauce for Greek recipes. Plain Greek yogurt started to seem like a good substitute for things like sour cream and cream cheese, all at only 17 calories, no fat and 3 grams of protein per ounce. I recently used it in pasta with Alfredo sauce that even my son, who traditionally eschews most sauces on anything. absolutely loved. I've concluded that all my past problems with yogurt were that they were paired with fruit or fruit flavored and, much like cottage cheese, it never quite tasted right to me sweetened.
Which brings me to one of my favorite topics of all time: Sandwiches. Specifically, cucumber sandwiches. After a recent first-time trip to the local Farmers Market ("What do you mean I can get three bags of vegetables for $7.00?") I decided to try my new-found love for Greek yogurt to make these cool and tasty sandwiches. The result was very similar to my beloved tzatziki sauce, so of course these are my new favorite for lunch.
Greek Yogurt Cucumber Sandwiches
6 oz. tub of Chobani, or your favorite brand, Plain Greek Yogurt
2 tsp Cavender's Greek Seasoning (or similar as Cavender's does have MSG in it.)
Lemon Juice (optional)
Bread (This can, literally, be any kind of bread you prefer. Traditional cucumber sandwiches are made on very soft white bread, but I used multigrain and I've even seen them on French bread.)
1 very thinly sliced cucumber
Stir Greek seasoning into yogurt. You can also add a little lemon juice to the mixture if you wish. Spread a thin layer of the yogurt mixture on each slice of bread, and layer cucumber on one slice. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the cucumber (again, optional.) and assemble sandwich. Cut the crusts off if you want, make dinosaur shapes if you want, go crazy. Enjoy.
