Cucumber and yogurt salad, or khyar bil laban, is SO refreshing. This amazingly flavorful and simple salad is made with yogurt and cucumbers. I love to serve this as part of a mezze or along side meaty dishes. It's perfect with kufta, grape leaves and stuffed zuchinni, chicken kabobs, or m'jaddara. 

I always make this salad with whole milk yogurt because I love the creamy texture. In general, plain full-fat yogurt is more flavorful than non-fat yogurt. You don't get the same results if you use low fat yogurt because its very thin. 

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Traditionally, this salad is made with diced cucumbers. However, you can also grate the cucumbers, instead of dicing them, to make this as a dip. If you grate the cucumbers, make sure to drain the excess water. 

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I'm constantly on the search for easy, make ahead recipes for my dinners and parties. Now this is a dish you can find at most Middle Eastern dinners, it's a hit with adults and kids! You can prepare this a day before, just wait to add the garlic the same day you're serving it. 

Serve it along side fried pita chips or veggies, making this a wonderful vegetarian appetizer!