Lemony Grilled Zucchini & Crispy Chickpeas Over Tzatziki

& apologies for my lateness!!!

Hi! Welcome to “good mood food” from Kale Me Maybe’s Carina Wolff. If you’ve made it here and aren’t yet a subscriber, come join! You can expect recipes, musings, and faves in your inbox every Wednesday! Paid subscribers get even more on Fridays — right now I’m doing a 30-minute budget meal series! Learn more about the paid tier of my newsletter here. You can also try a week for free!

CATCH UP!

I am so sorry for not sending this newsletter out yesterday! It was almost ready, but not quite, so it had to wait until today! I’ve had a few doctor’s appointments this week and have been very focused on taking care of myself, so I decided not to knock myself out and just be okay with a one-day delay.

Unfortunately, I have no juicy Notes App thoughts to report this week. Guess it was a slow week up in my brain! ;)

Last week was the last day of my ballet/pointe semester, and I was so happy with how much I’ve improved since I restarted earlier this year. I grew up doing dance and ballet from age 4-18, but I pretty much stopped once I graduated high school, with the exception of barre workout classes, which aren’t quite the same.

I especially never thought I would continue on with my pointe training, so shoutout to my sister for pushing me back into that. I trained en pointe for just 1 year when I was 14, and then I said “Peace out!” to ballet and never looked back. Returning as an adult has been really special, especially since I was taking classes with my mom and sister in the beginning. Now, in addition to ballet, I’m also going to cardio dance classes as well. Going to definitely continue! I love how it makes me feel, and it really helps me get my mind off my infertility struggles, etc.

I’m also back to my routine of reading two books at a time: one fiction and one nonfiction. Currently I’m finishing up The Answer Is . . .: Reflections on My Life by Alex Trebek, and I just started Real Americans by Rachel Khong.

Also! I go to Alaska in just a couple weeks, and I can’t believe it’s almost here!

THINGS I’M LOVING!

I’ve mentioned De Soi here before because they’re my favorite non-alcoholic beverage brand, but they just came out with a Spritz Italiano that tastes like an Aperol spritz! But the ingredients are healthy — it even has adaptogens! Love love love.

My brother just introduced me to Cure Hydrating Electrolyte Mixes, and I love that it’s made of coconut water! The watermelon flavor is super refreshing too — plus, no added sugar. Sometimes I like a more intense electrolyte for working out, but this seems perfect for when you just need some hydration but aren’t sweating a ton! They’re very light and palatable.

I was gifted this beautiful Athena Stack Necklace Set from Awe Inspired, and I have been wearing it all the time! It’s two necklaces, so you can wear them together or apart, and I’ve even been layering them with my other necklaces. I love that they feel substantial and not flimsy.

ACTIVE CODES!

KALEMEMAYBE25 gets you 25% off your first order with Ritual!

KALEMEMAYBE gets you 10% off Fishwife products!

Use my link to get up to 45% off Grüns gummy vitamins!

RECIPE!

This dish is not quite a bowl, not quite a salad, but whatever it is, it’s a banger! I grilled up zucchini in a grill pan, and served it over a plate of tzatziki and topped it off with crispy chickpeas, lemon, and parsley.

Obviously, if you have a real grill, go ahead and use that, but if you don’t have a grill or a grill pan, you can also just opt to pan-fry the zucchini!

Lemony Grilled Zucchini & Crispy Chickpeas Over Tzatziki

Ingredients (serves 2)

Chickpeas & Zucchini

• 1 (14.5 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1/2 tsp shawarma seasoning (can also use cumin + paprika + garlic powder)

• 2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces at the diagonal

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley

Tzatziki (recipe adapted from The Wanderlust Kitchen)

• 2 small Persian cucumbers, grated

• 1 1/2 cups full-fat Greek yogurt

• 2 large garlic cloves, finely minced

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tbsp white vinegar

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tbsp chopped dill

1. Preheat your oven to 425 F. Add chickpeas to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and add the olive oil and shawarma seasoning and a pinch of salt. Toss together and bake for 25-30 minutes or until chickpeas are crispy.

2. Preheat your grill pan on high heat. Spray the pan with olive oil, and add the zucchini. Press down to encourage grill marks, and then cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until zucchini is soft and grill marks appear. Remove from pan, and set aside.

3. To make the tzatziki, grate your cucumbers, and use a cheesecloth (or add to a fine mesh sieve) to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. In a small/medium bowl, mix together Greek yogurt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and salt until completely smooth. Then mix in the drained, grated cucumber and dill.

4. Spread the tzatziki onto a plate. Top with zucchini and chickpeas, and then squeeze the lemon juice over the plate. Top with some roughly chopped parsley, and serve warm or room temp. You can also top with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of red pepper!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

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