In an effort to make these a little healthier, I tried these, a second time, with a twist. Turns out they're just as good with yogurt instead of cream cheese, in my opinion. Biju had a sandwich and gave his approval. He told me his mom used to make these, and put a little bit of butter on the bread.
Here is how I did it:
Strain some plain yogurt. I put mine in a fine-mesh wire colander w/ a coffee filter and let it sit (covered, in the fridge) for about two days. This made it set up nice and firm, like cream cheese's consistency. You'll want to end up with about 8 ounces worth. (You could probably use Greek yogurt if you didn't want to wait for 2 days.)
(This was the day I started straining the yogurt)
When the yogurt is ready:
Peel and Grate 2 medium cucumbers, drain well. (I used the wire strainer again, and pressed down on the cucumber w/ some paper towels.)
(Here is the water drained off the cucumbers, and the thickened yogurt measured into the cup.)
Combine the 8 ounces of firm yogurt with 4 Tbs. Mayonnaise. (I used Kraft Light Mayo made w/ Olive Oil)
Mix cucumbers together with creamy mixture and add in a few shakes of Onion Powder. (you could use up to a 1/2 Grated Onion - do it to your preference.).
Spread onto carb of your choice - I like whole Sara Lee Delightful wheat bread or a spinach wrap.
Makes 10 Quarter Cup Servings.
This is our new favorite sandwich. We sliced up some tomato from our garden the other day and added it to the sandwich. It was good enough, but I really do love this on its own - spread and bread. Yum!
My notes: I received some free Armenian Cucumber seeds last spring, so those are what I've got growing in the garden. I used the Armenian kind for two batches. As my cuke vine doesn't seem to be spitting out anymore cukes, we've resorted to buying some regular cucumbers from the store. I've found that the ones from the store a lot more watery. Nothing wrong with that, but if you can get your hands on the Armenian kind, you won't have to work as hard to strain the water out.
Also, the other night when I started straining my yogurt, I didn't measure how much I put into the strainer. When I made up the most recent batch yesterday, I saw that I only ended up with 3/4 c. of yogurt - which was still enough. Next time I strain, I'll measure how much goes in, so I can be sure of my calorie calculations. With the smaller amount of yogurt, I used a smaller amount of Mayo, too - 3T instead of 4T.
What to do with that cucumber water?? I've been throwing it out, but yesterday I saved some in a little bowl. I thought maybe I could swab some of it over my face. It also really helped cool the burn I got on my finger. I had burned it at lunch and put lavender oil on it, in addition to using some aloe plant juice. Those helped nicely enough, but everytime I washed a dish or washed my hands, the hot water would irritate the burn. I found that if I just put my finger in the cuke water, it cooled immediately. Ahhh!
When made with 3/4 c. thickened yogurt and 3 T. mayo, it made 9 quarter cup servings and it has:
 | Fat: 2.0g |
| Carbohydrates: 4.6g |
| Calories:46.3 |
| Protein: 2.4g |
When made with 1 c. light cream cheese, instead of the yogurt, and 4 T. mayo, it makes more like 10 quarter cup servings and it has:
| Fat: 5.6g |
| Carbohydrates: 3.2g |
| Calories: 74.7 |
| Protein: 2.7g |
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