Valentine's PITA

Valentine's Day can be a pain in the ass whether you're single or not.  I don't envy the expectations the day puts on people in relationships to come up with grand gestures of affection or to pretend they don't care about the day, even when it's clear they really do.

But when you're single, even if you're okay with being single, it still sucks to get bombarded by all the love swarming around.  It's easy to fall into the rut of self pity when you're alone on Valentine's Day, but I'm trying to keep a lip upper stiff.  To be hopeful that someday it'll be my turn again and that, when it is, no one will begrudge me my moment of romance, as small or as grand as it may be. 

In the meantime, I decided to put a spin on my Valentine's day, taking it from P.I.T.A. to pita... bread - something even us single folks can love.

VALENTINE'S PITA w/ TZATZIKI

Photo - Copyright 2012, Julie Anne Wight

When your Valentine's day is less than sweet, opt for this healthy and creative idea for something to take to a party or to work.

You'll Need:
1 - 14 to 16 oz. container of low or reduced fat Greek Yogurt.  I used Chobani
1 - Large Cucumber
2 - Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 - Teaspoon of Rice Vinegar
2 - cloves of minced garlic
1 - Tablespoon of fresh dill, chopped
1 - Tablespoon of Sea Salt

To prepare Tzatziki:
1) Peel your cucumber
2) Cut length-wise and remove seeds
3) Shred as finely as you can.  (I didn't have a grater, so I used my vegetable peeler)
4) Strain excess water
5) Sprinkle with sea salt and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
6) Strain excess water again, then add all other ingredients
7) Puree all ingredients in a food processor and chill for 1-2 hours

To prepare Heart-Shaped Pita
1) Quarter round pita bread.
2) Using kitchen shears, trim corners off edge of pita and cut a small triangle to middle of edge side.
(Be careful to leave some crust untrimmed or your pita will separate)