Hello again poor, sweet neglected blog. It’s been so hard to find the motivation to blog these past few weeks, but I am finally feeling inspired once again on this sunny spring day. I have a whole series of kid-friendly (and especially toddler-friendly) recipes lined up. First up on my list is homemade ranch dressing. Many of the family cookbooks that I own recommend dipping sauces to get your toddlers interested in eating healthier items. I can certainly attest that T literally licks his plate clean if I give him a little bowl of homemade ranch dressing, ketchup, or hummus to dip his food into.
While it’s certainly easier to buy a bottle of ranch dressing at the store, I prefer to make my own salad dressings for two reasons. First, I like to have control of what goes into the dressing…fresh herbs, organic ingredients where possible, a controlled amount of salt, and no preservatives. Secondly, I think homemade dressing just tastes way better than any bottled stuff.
This homemade ranch dressing is pretty versatile…kids can use it to dip chicken fingers and baby carrots. I know some people cannot eat a slice of pizza without some ranch dressing on the side. It tastes really awesome with a bowl of potato chips (I know, I ate all the chips for my lunch after taking these photos! I ate the carrots too!) Or, simply use the ranch dressing as it was originally intended- to dress up a simple mixed green and tomato salad.
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1 cup light mayonnaise
- ½ cup light sour cream
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- Mix the garlic and salt in a small bowl and mash them together with a knife. Add in the finely chopped herbs and mix together with the garlic salt mixture.
- In a bowl or large measuring cup, add the remaining ingredients and the herb/garlic/salt mixture. Adjust ingredients to taste and add more buttermilk if you wish for a thinner consistency. Transfer ranch dressing to a sealed container, such as a mason jar. Refrigerate the ranch dressing for a few hours to allow the flavors to meld together.
Source: Adapted from The Pioneer Woman
If you are interested in other salad dressing and dips, check out our recipes for
Cheers to a great weekend!
