Refreshing and crunchy mint parsley cucumbers are served over a bed of creamy whipped feta for an easy salad or appetizer.
On the days when I don’t much feel like cooking, my meals become more a matter of assembly. Like everyone, I have my go-to dishes, the kind that require little effort and work for almost any occasion or meal.
This whipped feta with mint parsley cucumbers is just the kind of dish I turn to on those days, with just a handful of ingredients; it comes together in a matter of minutes. It can serve double duty as an appetizer/snack or stand on its own as a salad and is packed with flavor.
The basic premise (a pile of seasoned vegetables over a creamy spread) is one I use often with tomatoes, as well as carrots and other raw vegetables. Sometime the base is yogurt, other times tahini or an almond spread but in this case it’s a whipped feta spread.
How to make whipped feta:
A bit of yogurt and olive oil is all it takes to transform ordinarily crumbly feta into a smooth and creamy base for all kinds of toppings. While many whipped feta recipes use cream cheese to smooth out their dip, I like to keep the flavors pure and more traditionally Greek by using sheep’s milk yogurt along with sheep’s milk feta instead.
The feta, yogurt and olive oil are quickly blended together then set in the fridge to firm. I often make a batch at the beginning of the week to keep in my fridge so that it’s ready to go when I need.
How to make mint parsley cucumbers:
For the topping, finely chopped cucumbers are tossed in a mint parsley oil flavored with garlic and lemon zest that’s easily made in the food processor. The herbs and lemon are a delightfully fresh accent to the creamy salty feta spread.
The dressing can also be made ahead of time so that the only thing to do when you’re ready to serve is chop and dress the cucumbers.
A handful of crackers or chips (like some homemade pita strips) and a couple wedges of lemon and you are ready to dig in!
Creamy Whipped Feta Dip Recipe with Mint Parsley Pesto and Cucumbers
Refreshing and crunchy mint parsley cucumbers are served over a bed of creamy
whipped feta for an easy salad or appetizer.
Ingredients
For the Whipped Feta:
- ½ pound/ 8oz sheep’s milk feta
- 2 Tablespoons/30ml plain sheep’s milk yogurt
- ½ Tablespoon/7ml extra-virgin olive oil
- The zest of half a lemon
For the Mint Parsley Cucumbers:
- ¼ cup fresh mint
- ¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley
- ¼ cup/60mlextra virgin olive oil
- ½ a garlic clove
- The zest of a 1/4 lemon
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 Persian cucumbers, finely chopped
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
Make the Whipped Feta:
- Rinse the feta and place it in the bowl of a mini food
processor. Pulse feta together with yogurt,
olive oil and lemon zest until smooth and creamy. - Refrigerate until needed.
Make the Mint Parsley Cucumbers:
- Place the mint, parsley, olive oil, garlic, lemon zest and salt
in the bowl of a mini food processor and pulse until finely chopped. (Mint parsley oil can be made ahead of time
and refrigerated until needed.) - Combine half the mint parsley oil with the chopped cucumbers
and toss to combine. (Reserve remaining oil
to drizzle over the top or for another use.) - Spread feta dip in a shallow serving bowl and top with the cucumber
mixture. - Serve with lemon wedges on the side and pita, chips or
crackers of your choice.
Notes
Gluten Free, Grain Free, Vegetarian
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 241Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 265mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 2gSugar: 8gProtein: 7g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she’s been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
Thanks for your writing, I enjoy your recipes very much. Noting your fondness for feta, herbs, nuts, and berries in savory dishes, it’s likely you’ll enjoy Persian dishes as these are the hallmarks of the cuisine. I can recommend my two favorite blogs for this: Fig & Quince, and Tumeric & Saffron – both are good places to start if you’re interested to try it out.
With warm wishes for a delicious & healthful 2014!
This looks lovely – I’ve never made pesto with parsley. I’ve recently fallen in love with quinoa pasta. It’s slightly nuttier in taste than wheat pasta. Might work really well with this sort of pesto, especially with the pistachios… awesome photography as well!
Whipped Feta dip! That’s something I could bring to work without everyone yelling at me for bringing in brownies haha
gorgeous photos
Hi Sylvie! Being sick and the fact that I came back from vacation, I’m a little uninspired and lost interest in cooking & photo shooting. It suddenly looks a lot of work… I look at your beautiful pictures and now I’m a lot more inspired than before. Love this dip – I can tell how delicious it is through your photography!
Gorgeous recipe. So good for summer here! Its refreshing!!
This is right up my alley – and I agree, I could definitely make a meal out this dip. Can’t wait to give this one a try.