Cool Buttermilk Veggie Dip

As the mercury rises, are you hoping to stay as cool as a cucumber like we aim to? Where did the phrase “cool as a cucumber” come from anyway? Clicking around the WWW lead me to The Phrase Finder, who gave credit to poet John Gay in his Poems, New Song on New Similes (1732). The poor love struck guy is referring to his beloved Molly as being extremely calm and unable to be excitable. Ginger and Grammarist also credits John Gay. Hmm…

My passion is as mustard strong;
I sit all sober sad;
Drunk as a piper all day long,
Or like a March-hare mad.
Round as a hoop the bumpers flow;
I drink, yet can’t forget her;
For, though as drunk as David’s sow,
I love her still the better.
Pert as a pear-monger I’d be,
If Molly were but kind;
Cool as a cucumber could see
The rest of womankind.

However, many sites simply go straight to the scientific side of “cool as a cucumber.” Cukes are essentially water. About 95% to be exact. Watermelons and other musk type melons are also mainly water, but no one goes around saying “cool as a watermelon.” You might be slapped! With this water weight on, cucumbers, watermelons and their viney cousins remain relatively cooler than their surrounding air temperature, as much as 20 degrees! It’s no wonder watermelon is savored in the summer and cucumber eye-slices at the spa are so refreshing!

This leads me to my Cool Buttermilk Veggie Dip. My garden is starting to kick into full produce mode with fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, and herbs. After home-canning quarts, giving away bags full, and eating these fresh veggies using same-old recipes happens, I start to look for new recipes. Honestly, this is a great problem to have!

For Friday night happy-hour, I wanted something cool and refreshing without a lot of calories. My first instinct took me to Weight Watchers, where I swiped across their Buttermilk-Herb Dip. With only 1 SmartPoint per serving, it seemed like a deal! But the tomatoes and herbs were calling to me from the counter, so I tweaked their recipe.

Non-fat Greek yogurt and low-fat buttermilk form this dip’s base. To this, pile on the fresh veg–tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, thyme, basil, garlic, and green onion! Sprinkle on some salt and fresh-cracked black pepper. Stir to yummy goodness! It’s great with pretzels! But you could easily pile on more veggies and turn cut carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower and broccoli into the dipping vessel. Heck, go wild and use it as a substitute for tzatziki sauce on grilled chicken or lamb!

Even though Cool Buttermilk Veggie Dip is, well, cool as a cucumber, I’m finding it to be more excite-able! Munch on!

Cool Buttermilk Veggie Dip

Print Recipe

This dip is as cool as a…well, cucumber!  Non-fat Greek yogurt and low-fat buttermilk get dragged through the garden in this chilled, refreshing dip!  Serve with pretzels, cut veggies, or as a tzatziki sauce on grilled meats.

Adapted from Weight Watchers’ Buttermilk-Herb Dip

• Author: Erin Thomas
• Prep Time: 10 Minutes
• Cook Time: 1 Hour Chilling
• Total Time: 1 Hour 10 Minutes
• Yield: 1 Cup 1x

Ingredients

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1 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

1/4 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

1/4 cup green onion, chopped

1/2 cup tomato, seeded and diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tsp. fresh thyme, minced

1 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced

2 tbsp. fresh basil, minced

1 tsp. salt (kosher or table)

1 tsp. black pepper

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Instructions

Combine all ingredients into a medium size bowl.  Stir well.  Chill for approximately 1 hour before serving.