Mint Raita

Dinner tonight was a bit of an Indian and Thai fusion dish based on what we had in the house. I really wanted to make some cucumber raita to round out the meal, but, alas, I did not have a cucumber. I did have a big bunch of mint that was ready to turn the corner and end up in the compost if I didn't use it soon. So, we ended up with a very tasty mint raita, and I am already thinking of a million other uses for it.

Coconut Mint Raita

1/3 cup coconut
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1 T fresh lime juice
1/4 t coarse salt

-grind coconut to fine powder in food processor (I actually keep an extra coffee grinder on hand for these sorts of small grinding jobs-works like a charm!)
-add mint leaves and grind finely
-stir into greek yogurt, adding lime juice and salt until all combined

I served this with some Middle Eastern spicy vegetables and rice, along with some naan.
It was super scrumptious just loaded onto a piece of naan, so I think it would make a fabulous, easy,
and relatively healthy dip for pita chips-YUM!
Also, thinned down with more lime juice (say 4 T or so), it would be a fantastic dressing for summer fruit salad........hard to think about in the midst of this Midwestern arctic stretch we're in, but I can dream.....

I love it when "Hey, what do we have on hand," turns into an inspired dish.