Homemade Ranch Dressing

Yup, I know.  In some dieting rule book on some shelf that only the truly dedicated have access to, there is written: "NO RANCH DRESSING IF YOU'RE DIETING!"  Or at least I assume that to be the case.  I never would have been in that group dedicated enough to be granted access to the tome.

Here's a little something about me....I love ranch dressing.  The thicker and higher the fat content the better as far as I'm concerned.  However, concessions must be made if I'm going to want to eat anything else.  Although celery is zero points......... 

Part of this process is learning how to eat less processed foods and replace them with foods whose ingredients I can pronouce or personally handled in their original form.  This may sound stupid, but I guess I never stopped to consider a person could actually MAKE ranch dressing.  It just has such a magical and mystical taste and comes already made or in a white powder.  I can't make white powder that turns into dressing, so I assumed it was something only machines could make.

Not so!  Warning, the site I'm about to link you to is delicious and dangerous in the wrong hands.  Consider yourself warned if you peek any further than the specific recipe I'm sending you to!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06/homemade-ranch-dressing/

I'll copy her recipe and post it here, but to really love and appreciate it, you really should click the link.  Her whole site is delightfully written and includes perfect pictures of how to prep the recipes she posts.  And if you're anything like me, a picture of a recipe makes it so much more appealing.

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Homemade Ranch Dressing

Ingredients
1 clove (to 2 Cloves) Garlic
Salt To Taste
¼ cups Italian Flat-leaf Parsley
2 Tablespoons Fresh Chives
1 cup (real) Mayonnaise
½ cups Sour Cream
Buttermilk (as Needed To Desired Consistency)
White Vinegar (optional, To Taste)
Worcestershire Sauce (optional, To Taste)
Fresh Dill (optional, To Taste)
Cayenne Pepper (optional, To Taste)
Paprika (optional, To Taste)
Fresh Oregano (optional, To Taste)
Tabasco (optional, To Taste)

Preparation Instructions
Mince the garlic with a knife and then sprinkle about an 1/8 to ¼ teaspoons of salt on it and mash it into a paste with a fork. Chop the parsley, chives and any of the optional herbs very finely and add to the garlic.

In a bowl combine all ingredients, adding other optional ingredients as you wish, tasting frequently and adjusting seasonings as needed. Chill for a couple of hours before serving, thin with milk or buttermilk if desired.


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My notes on this masterpiece of ranchy goodness:
The only fresh herb I used was chives and it was still delish.  I know, I know.  There's some "party line" about fresh being better.  Frankly, I have time management issues and I buy fresh herbs in all their glory and then promptly put off making the recipe they're intended for and only realizing it when I see the once gorgeous fresh herbs sitting in my fridge all yellowed and browned and gross.  But I do feel fancy buying them.  Thus, fresh chives.

Add all the spices and vinegar in small amounts and work your way up. Trust me.  I have a container of ZESTY ranch dressing in my fridge right now due to some vinegar on a mission to leave the jug. 

Buttermilk isn't necessary.  I used skim milk and it was just fine. 

I do use full fat mayo and sour cream.  I just feel like the fat free stuff  #1. Doesn't taste as good and #2. Is likely overly processed to get all the fat out.  I just am careful with portion size.

I use 1 TBSP as a dip and I've calculated that to be about 1 point.  (I'm not sure I'm allowed to talk specifically about how many points something may or may not be - I don't want WW to come pounding on my blog!).  It's so flavorful that 1 TBSP really has been enough even for the giant pile of carrots that has been finding its way onto my lunch plate.