Smoked Salmon Tzatziki Dip

& am I the next Britney Spears?

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 just had to scroll through my camera roll to see what the heck I’ve been up to this week! I feel like I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to overthink, which is always a win. Over the weekend I had both a pool day and a beach day, which if you know me, is all I ever live for.

We ate at Hatchet Hall on Saturday, and their summer menu is fire: we had watermelon and whipped feta, steak tartare, hamachi crudo, duck and dumpling soup, and of course, their famous cornbread. I felt like I was on vacation after a day at the beach (waters were a bit rough though, so my dunk into the ocean wasn’t so satisfying).

Sunday we went to the farmer’s market and loaded up on summer produce. Then Grant and I picnicked in the park. We were sweating our faces off, but that’s okay. I kind of like getting overly hot and getting the chance to wear minimal clothing LOL.

After our picnic, Grant and I recorded some music together. I always have to remind people that it is JUST FOR FUN and I am NOT trying to become a singer. Seriously. Even though my idol at 9-years-old was Britney Spears.

I started pointe class again on Monday, and I’ve been tending to my garden each morning. We have some limes growing as well as cherry tomatoes and sun golds, but my zucchini is really struggling, and I’m considering replanting a new one because it looks like it’s not going to make it. But we shall see! I’m also thinking of starting a few other veggies because, why not.

THINGS I’M LOVING!

Not only is Carmen in the Garden an inspiration gardener and cook, she also makes amazing wine! Her blend “My Fruit Trees” in collaboration with Pali Wine Co is light and fruity and perfect to pair with dinner on a warm summer eve! If you live in LA, you can buy the bottle in person at Neighborhood Winery in the Art’s District! Which if you haven’t been to is super cute!

I didn’t know how badly I needed a Le Creuset saucepan until Wayfair so kindly sent me one, and now I can’t stop using it! I got the meringue color, which also happens to be 20% off right now. There’s a reason Le Creuset is so beloved — the quality is just unbeatable. My favorite thing I’ve made in it recently is a berry compote!

It’s Target Circle Week, which means lots of deals, and one of my favorite skincare brands Cocokind has lots of items on sale! Some of my top picks: Revitalizing Eye Cream, Vitamin C Glow Serum, Beginner Retinol, Daily Sunscreen. I love Cocokind because they focus on gentle and organic ingredients and are cruelty-free!

ACTIVE CODES!

Supplements

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

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

Food

• KALEMEMAYBE gets you 10% off Fishwife products!

• KMM10 gets you 10% off your first purchase with Ground Up Nut Butters

Other Products

• CARINA10 gets you 10% off Starter Kits from Branch Basics!

• CW15 for 15% off Bon Charge Red Light Therapy

RECIPE!

This recipe was OBVIOUSLY inspired by my trip to Alaska a few weeks ago. While we were there, we visited Diane Wiese of Copper River Coastal at her home, and she told us about a dip she makes with cream cheese, red onion, capers, chives, and smoked salmon that gets processed together to be nice and creamy. We made the dip while we were cooking in town, and it reminded me a bit of the chopped cream cheese trend!

I pulled inspiration from that recipe and decided to make tzatziki as the base with similar flavors in mind! The result is a creamy, savory dip that is easy, tasty, and healthy. This would be so cute to serve at brunch or as an appetizer for a summer soiree.

I used pickled red onion here, but if you haven’t prepped any, regular red onion would work as well!

Smoked Salmon Tzatziki Dip

Ingredients

• 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

• Juice of ½ lemon

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 4 oz smoked salmon, mashed with a fork

• 1 tbsp capers, roughly chopped

• ¼ cup pickled red onion, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp chopped dill

• Optional: crushed red pepper/aleppo pepper

1. Grate your cucumbers, and use a cheesecloth (or add to a fine mesh sieve) to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

2. In a small/medium bowl, mix together Greek yogurt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice and salt until completely smooth. Then mix in the drained, grated cucumber, smoked salmon, capers, pickled red onion, and dill.

3. Mix together, and garnish with some more pickled onions and dill. Finish off with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of crushed red pepper/aleppo pepper, if desired!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

Last week, paid subscribers received a recipe for a green goddess egg salad, another banger in my 30-minute budget meal series! The base of this green goddess is yogurt, and it’s loaded with herbs so you can feel like a healthy bish.