COTTAGE-CHEESE TZATZIKI MEZZE PLATE

Cottage-Cheese Tzatziki Mezze Plate image

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.

Provided by Food Network Kitchen

Categories appetizer

Time 35m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 13

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Ingredients

1 pound low-fat, small-curd cottage cheese (about 1 3/4 cups)
1 Kirby cucumber, shredded, excess moisture squeezed out
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon dried mint, rubbed with your fingers to crumble
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup pita chips (about 10 chips)
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
4 vegetarian stuffed grape leaves, cut in half on the bias
12 pitted kalamata olives
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup lightly packed fresh dill fronds

Steps:

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.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 240 calorie, Fat 15 grams, SaturatedFat 3 grams, Cholesterol 15 milligrams, Sodium 880 milligrams, Carbohydrate 16 grams, Fiber 1 grams, Protein 13 grams, Sugar 5 grams