Say goodbye to the low-fat cottage cheese platter (with the quintessential scoop of Jell-O) and make room for this Mediterranean take on the healthy staple. Cucumbers, mint and garlic turn cottage cheese into a slimmed-down tzatziki. Add tomatoes and olives for dipping, then drizzle some olive oil-packed with monosaturated fats-over the whole shebang.
ingredients
directions
Combine the cottage cheese, cucumber, 1 tablespoon of the oil, vinegar, garlic, mint, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors meld. (The tzatziki can be made to this point and refrigerated overnight.)
Divide the tzatziki evenly among 4 bowls. Dividing evenly, arrange the pita chips, tomatoes, stuffed grape leaves and olives around the tzatziki. Whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil with the lemon juice, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper, and drizzle all over the tzatziki and accompaniments. Garnish with dill.