This spring, I’m focusing on new flavors and so far, my tastebuds have been lovin’ it.
One of those new flavors is fresh dill. I spotted a bunch while wandering the produce section at Mariano’s and it spoke to me! Looking all perky, standing out from the crowd of sad, wilted herbs and I immediately thought “cucumber tzatziki sauce… ?!”, and here we are.
How unusual, because herbs are chancy in the crummy, winter months but I’ll take it as a sign of spring. April has finally arrived after all!
This new flavor kick has me all excited and inspired to be in the kitchen. Obviously, fresh dill is nothing new, but is sorta new to me. My usual bowls of brown rice, kale and tempeh have been bringing me nothing but boredom.
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut and gravitate toward familiar, reliable dishes which believe it or not, 90% of you claimed to struggle with in my reader survey, myself included.
The survey question read “What do you struggle with when it comes to eating healthy?” and the overwhelming response was “I tend to stick with recipes I’m familiar with”.
Not that I was surprised per say, but its just a silly human tendency to dislike change. We all struggle with it, but change is good. Testing new recipes comes with the territory of blogging but I definitely get stuck in ruts too, and after traveling to sunny Florida last week, then arriving home to nothing but clouds and rain… my creativity was seriously lacking.
I needed to get excited about cooking again. Something as simple as fresh dill did that for me! How gorgeous is it though?!
I encourage you to branch out and try new flavors with me over the next few weeks. New seasons bring new inspiration if we’re open to it, so let’s embrace this little spark of spring creativity and step out of our comfort zones, at least in the kitchen!
Ready to dive into this refreshing Greek Cucumber Tzatziki Glow Bowl?!
I thought so. It’s about time for a new glow bowl around here. Let me tell you, this version is done really, really right and has been a long time coming. I’ve wanted to do a Mediterranean-inspired glow bowl for some time now, but patiently waited until an idea came to me. Instead of browsing Pinterest and getting ideas from other bloggers, (which is very easy to do) I’ve learned that letting the idea come to mind, rather than searching for it, feels much more authentic.
This Greek Glow Bowl is simple and fresh, with bright flavors of dill, hydrating cucumber and zesty lemon.
What takes this greek bowl to the next level?
So glad you asked. Say hello to the creamiest, dairy-free and vegan, tahini-based Cucumber Dill Tzatziki Sauce (with optional jalape?o for some heat). EEK! I hold this lemony sauce responsible for my spark of creativity because it’s life-changing and just what we need to kick off spring. I’ll be making this all through spring and summer, FOR SURE. Getting sick of this bowl is hard to imagine. Dill is such a happy herb and you can use a whole bunch of it without overpowering the dish.
Combine purple and green curly kale, white beans, quinoa, crunchy cucumber and salty green olives with creamy tzatziki sauce and you have magic! This bowl would taste amazing with pita bread too.
Greek Cucumber Tzatziki Glow Bowl
Ingredients
- 4 cups kale, divided (I used purple and green curly kale)
- 1 cup white cannelini beans, divided (or chickpeas)
- 1.5 cups cooked quinoa, divided
- 6 thick slices of english cucumber, divided
- sliced green olives (or any olive)
- extra fresh dill, for topping
Cucumber Dill Tzatziki Sauce
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup filtered water
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 cup fresh dill, stems are fine to include
- 1/2 cup chopped english cucumber
- 1/3–1/2 jalapeño (or more or less, to taste; optional)
- 1 tablespoon chopped shallot (or green onion)
- 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt + 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic (or more, to taste)
Instructions
- Divide and arrange all ingredients into two bowls.
- In a food processor, add all ingredients for tzatziki sauce and blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides every so often. Taste test and adjust salt, lemon, jalapeño etc.
- Divide sauce between the two bowls.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- * Any leftovers of sauce can be stored in the fridge up to 5 days!
- * I have not tried freezing the sauce so I don’t know if it freezes well. Fresh is always best!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2
I love everything about it… hope you guys love it too. Let me know if you try it 🙂
What are your favorite ways to use fresh dill in recipes?! Leave a comment below and let us know!
montanahappy.com
This looks so yummy. I can’t wait to try it!
Jessica Maria Britt
Yes! I’m excited to try this. I love dill so much and Kroger’s Simple Truth tahini is the best tahini. This looks perfect!
jordan @ dancing for donuts
YUM! I love that this recipe doesn’t look too difficult to make and is so packed with healthy foods!! i’ve been trying to get back into making grain bowls with lots of veggies for one meal a day, and this one is perfect for adding into my rotation. thanks for sharing 🙂
Grace | eat, write + explore
Looks delicious! I always loved tzatziki before going vegan so I’ll have to try this out!
Shannon Leparski
Yay thanks Grace! I hope you love it and find it comparable. I sure do 🙂