roasted butternut squash and tzatziki

well after all the holidays have come and passed, i finally have time to sit down and write these recipes. and i have to tell you, its been a week and a half since i made this, and i havent stopped thinking about it!

sometimes your greatest successes can be found in your mistakes...and that's exactly what happened on this night for dinner. i knew i was making roasted squash with steamed asparagus and carrots. the squash has an incredible flavor, but i needed to boost the steamed vegetables just a bit. so my greek mind decided on tzatziki (pronounced: tat-zee-kee). for those of you who don't know what that is, wake up and get yourself to the closest greek festival and you'll discover it's the most delicious condiment in the form of a yogurt cucumber sauce. but i remember being intimidated watching my older sister make this when i was a kid, because with every greek recipe you have to cook like a superhero...or grecian goddess...and multitask for at least six hours straight before the dish is completed. but my love of tzatziki is what spurred me on to complete this impossible feat in less than ten minutes. desperate times call for desperate measures.  however, we soon discovered that the unlikely flavors of roasted squash and tzatziki, combine to make one of the most addictive dishes!

ROASTED SQUASH AND TZATZIKI

this mouth watering butternut squash is roasted to perfection to create little nuggets of gold that will pop in your mouth. their crispy outer edge mixed with their sweet creamy insides, go perfectly with the light and tangy taste of tzatziki.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks

1/4 c olive oil

2 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp pepper

*lay your chunks of squash on a baking sheet. drizzle the olive oil evenly over the squash chunks. next sprinkle the salt and pepper all over. now send some love and gratitude through your fingertips and toss everything so it's evenly coated. now your ready to get your squash in the oven. i set my oven to 400 degrees and let these babies do their thing for about twenty minutes. then check on them, give them a stir and leave them in for ten minutes or so, but watch them carefully so they don't burn!

TZATZIKI

2 c greek yogurt

1/2 a cucumber

1/2 an onion

juice of half a lemon

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp dried dill

1/2 tsp salt

pinch of pepper

*now this is the seriously abbreviated, super easy tzatziki. traditional tzatziki requires more time and patience as some of the ingredients need to be drained of liquid. but don't be afraid, this one is super easy!

*place your yogurt in a bowl. using a cheese grater, grate the cucumber right into the yogurt. now do the same with the onion and garlic. stir in lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper. give it a little tastey taste and see if anything needs to be adjusted. i like mine with a lot of garlic, but you might want to use less. the longer it sits, the more the flavors will mix and mingle to create magic in your mouth.

now experience true bliss as you combine this unusual match made in heaven!

what unusual foods have you paired together that were surprisingly good?