Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Ranch Dressing

Contrary to popular belief, homemade ranch dressing is not a packet of seasoning mixed with prepared mayonnaise and pasteurized buttermilk at home. I will credit this as a step in the right direction, however. The prepackaged bottles are far worse, using low quality vegetable oils and lots of preservatives to stand the test of time. Steer clear, for they are a health hazard.

Ranch is the most likeable of all the salad dressings. It imparts good clean flavor, a hint of sweetness and a creamy base. I formulated my ranch dressing around these loveable attributes. The purpose of a dressing is to aid in the consumption of more vegetables. So dip away, my friends.

1/2 cup kefir (or buttermilk)
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 small clove garlic
thin slice of onion
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed (or 2 teaspoons fresh)
1/2 cup mayonnaise

In blender, place kefir, maple syrup or other sweetener, mustard powder, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, and parsley. Blend on high for 20 seconds. Add in lemon juice, dill and mayonnaise and blend on low until fully mixed.

10 comments:

  1. Thank you! I have threatened my kids that I am not going to buy them one more bottle of Ranch dressing because it is loaded with terrible ingredients. I told them I would have to make it. Thanks for the recipe! They will be happy!

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  2. i want to be on your "finders list" or whatever it was. shellyfreedom@yahoo.com I am Melody's step-daughter. thank you

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  3. This is delish! Ours turned out green because of the parsley, but that's no problem for us. My husband actually did some experimenting and added a bit more mayo and some fresh basil. Nice.

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  4. Hey, ours seems to turn out pretty thin...is that normal?

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  5. April, good work on the mayonnaise! This dressing sets up a bit in the fridge, especially if you used kefir. If you want it thicker now, add more mayonnaise and next time less buttermilk.

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  6. Note: If you use regular store mayo (I know, shame.), it won't thicken up as much as it does when you make it yourself. But it does need time to thicken (if you like it thick like my hubby) when you use homemade mayo.
    So the point is: when you use homemade mayo, you get at lest two benefits. 1. Avoiding the nasty of store mayo, and 2. It thickens better, so you need to use less.

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  7. This is delicious! I have wanted to make it for awhile but never have a reason to since my hubby doesn't like ranch. I made it for a BBQ this weekend and everyone loved it - two people even said it was the best ranch they'd ever had. Thanks Kara!

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  8. Love this stuff so much! I actually licked my plate the first time I tried it. I am a huge ranch person so finding a quality dressing to make on my own has made me so happy! Thanks so much for sharing!

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  9. You are not the only one to lick their plate with this :)

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  10. I use plain yogurt instead of mayo to make it to non chemical add dressing and it turn out great. Thanks for the recipe.

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It's rude to eat and run. Humor me with conversation please!

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