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Tzatziki-Inspired Cucumber Salad

Tzatziki has always been one of my favorite dips/sauces, so I figured why not add to the cucumber craze by making a tzatziki-inspired salad with the Persian cucumbers languishing in my fridge. And I'm so glad I did! I'm definately going to be making this salad again and again. I could easily eat the whole recipe in a single sitting. So darn good!
This vegan keto salad takes the cucumber craze in a Greek direction with sweated thinly sliced cucumbers dressed liberally in a tzatziki-inspired dressing.
Yield: 4 side salads | ½  cup + 2 tablespoons (150g) dressing (2½ tablespoons [38g] per salad)
Salad macros (per dressed salad): 130 calories | 5g protein | 9g fat | 5g net carbs ✎
Salad macros (per salad without pumpkin seeds): 85 calories | 2.5g protein | 6g fat | 4.5g net carbs ✎
Dressing macros (per tablespoon): 40 calories | 1.5g protein | 3.5g fat | 0.5g net carbs ✎
Prep: 40 minutes, including some waiting time
Storage: dressed cucumber can be stored for a few hours, but will also become more watery. To maintain crunch, you may wish to not add the pumpkin seeds until ready to eat. The dressing can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Ingredients:​
  • 3 tablespoons (30g) pumpkin seeds, toasted ✎
  • 2 medium (600g) English cucumbers ​or equivalent weight in Persian cucumbers (6-10 cucumbers)
  • 1½ teaspoons salt ✎
  • ⅓ cup (80g) plain unsweetened yogurt ✎
  • 2 tablespoons (27g) vegan mayonnaise or (30ml) light olive oil or neutral-flavored oil of choice​
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) lemon juice (about ⅓ medium lemon)
  • 2 cloves (6g) garlic, crushed (equals 1 teaspoon)
  • 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon dry dill or 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill ✎
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
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Directions:​
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), spread the pumpkin seeds out in a single layer on a baking sheet/pan, and toast for 5 to 7 minutes. Monitor carefully to prevent burning. Cool once toasted.
  2. ​Meanwhile, thinly slice the cucumber. I'm using a mandoline for this. Place the cucumber in a medium-sized mixing bowl, sprinkle with some of the salt, toss, add more salt, and repeat until all salt is used. Set aside for at least 30 minutes for water to leach from the cucumber.
  3. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients, i.e. the dressing ingredients, in a small bowl. Set aside to allow flavors to meld. You will have some free time here to prepare other components of your meal while waiting for the cucumbers to sweat and the pumpkin seeds to toast.
  4. Drain the liquid from the cucumber and rinse it well to remove some of the salt. Place the cucumber in a single-ish layer on a clean dry kitchen towel. Top with another towel and pat/press dry.
  5. Place the cucumber in a medium-sized mixing bowl or large salad bowl, top with the dressing, and toss until all cucumber is thoroughly coated.
  6. Divide the salad equally between 4 bowls or side plates and top with the pumpkin seeds (about 2 teaspoons per bowl).
  7. Enjoy soon after preparing. Optionally, sprinkle with additional pepper and dill (or other herbs).

✎ Notes:
  • Macros are going to vary quite a bit by which yogurt you use. Some yogurts are quite high in carbs and low in protein. Look for a low-carb high-protein option. I'm using Alpro plain no sugar soy yogurt. Yogurts made with nuts, especially coconut, will contain quite a bit more fat/calories that the yogurt I've used.
  • Toasting pumpkin seeds is optional, but I highly recommend the crunch and depth of flavor toasting brings. They can also be bought toasted in some supermarkets or online.
  • Yes, this is a lot of salt. Much of it will be washed away.
  • Feel free to add mint. Mint is commonly included in tzatziki.
  • Macros for this recipes are calculated with American national nutritional data (i.e. NCCDB & USDA entries in Cronometer) for all ingredients apart from the pumpkin seeds (Bob's Redmill),  yogurt (Alpro), and nutritional yeast flakes (blend of Bob's Redmill & Foods Alive unfortified) .
  • Macro numbers are rounded. Numbers equal to or greater than 10g are rounded to the nearest whole number (e.g. 10g, 11g, 12g, etc.) and numbers below 10g are rounded to the nearest 0.5g (0.5g, 1g, 1.5g ... 9g, 9.5g). Any numbers below 0.5g are given as is (e.g. 0.1g, 0.2g, etc.). Calories are rounded to the nearest multiple of 5.

Engaging in restrictive diets can have negative health consequences, both physical and mental. The content of this website and my publications do not intend to promote a vegan ketogenic diet, only to facilitate one in the case that an individual has made an informed decision to adopt this dietary pattern. Significant dietary changes should be discussed with, and supervised by, licensed healthcare professionals. None of my content is to be considered medical advice or treatment and I hold no responsibility/liability for any negative outcomes that arise directly or indirectly from the application or interpretation of the content I have shared here and elsewhere. Please make your health decisions responsibly.

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