#2,649: Homemade Ranch Dressing

This is the salad dressing I used with the Bacon Ranch Zucchini Bowls.  Also, if your dressing does not thicken up enough, the original recipe suggests adding another egg.  They have a whole lot of "additional notes" so you might want to go check the page out.  However I felt like that page runs really slow!

I personally liked this dressing but if your olive oil isn't light (or even extra light tasting), you are going to taste it in this recipe.  It was a bit much for my liking, so I added more coconut milk to it.  That made it better.  I also halved the recipe and it made a lot, so keep that in mind! 

1 egg

1 cup "light" olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

3/4 teaspoon onion powder

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup full fat canned coconut milk, stirred

1 handful fresh herb of choice (cilantro, parsley, or dill) or 3 tablespoons dried parsley

Blend with an immersion blender in a wide mouth mason jar for approximately one minute! Don't start incorporating herbs until the last 15 seconds or it will turn your ranch green. Store in the fridge up to one week.

#2,644: AIP Caesar Dressing

I tried a new homemade salad dressing recipe using avocado (and a little olive) oil.  It was super easy to make, but it called for an ingredient I don't use/have never bought/didn't have on hand...fish sauce.  Fish and I are generally not very friendly, and I made the huge mistake of smelling the sauce in the bottle.  (Yep, it smells fishy).  But I do like caesar dressing so I figured I'd still give this recipe a try.  Although it isn't as creamy as I had hoped, it was still very good!  Shocking, I know!  I halved the recipe and that shot glass size amount in the picture is what I had left after I poured my desired amount onto my salad.  So you could easily get 4-6 generous size servings out of the full recipe below. 

2/3 c avocado oil
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp fish sauce
2 medium cloves of garlic, peeled (I just used minced garlic)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp coarse black pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until whipped and creamy (mine never got creamy).  Store refrigerated in a jar, and shake to combine before serving.  

#1,711: Tahini dressing

I actually found this recipe in an issue of Chop Chop magazine which is a good magazine for kids.  My kids would not eat this recipe/dressing at all.  I kind of couldn’t blame them.  I like the taste of tahini but it is definitely a taste you like or not.  I would eat this again, but probably wouldn’t make it too often because it is so high in fat and calories.  But for a change of pace, I did enjoy this recipe. 

1⁄2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)

1⁄3 cup water

1⁄2 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive or canola oil

Put all the ingredients in the jar, put the lid on tightly and shake, shake, shake.

#1,683: Homemade Ranch Dressing

I had a few healthier recipes pinned for my kids to try and I wanted to make something for them on this day off of school.  My kids love ranch but I hate that it's so full of fat and preservatives (and general crap!).  So I thought I'd give this recipe a try.  My ranch loving 6 year old ate it, but didn't love it, but the other 2 actually ate it.  And my 3 year old super picky eater, actually ate his carrots tonight dipped in the ranch.  Uh, I'd say that was a huge win!  It's a little greener in color thanks to the seasonings, but it didn't stop my crew for eating it.  

1/3 cup mayonnaise (organic store bought or homemade)
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk (or 3 tbsp milk + 1 tbsp white vinegar – mix together and let sit for 5 minutes)
2 tsp minced fresh parsley
2 tsp minced fresh chives
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt

Mix all the ingredients to together in a bowl with a wire whisk or blend in a blender briefly. 

Store in the fridge 7-10 days (potentially longer if your dairy products were especially fresh when used).

#1,661: Kale salad with pumpkin vinaigrette

I had some leftover pumpkin and was trying to think of another recipe to use in it, and then I came across this recipe and was super excited to give it a try!  I didn't think I was going to love this recipe, but I LOVED it.  I will admit though I cut back on some of the calories by thinning this out with water instead of more oil.  It was super thick and definitely needed to be thinned out even more with either water or olive oil.  I probably used about 1/4 c water to this recipe but next time I will use even more.  

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons maple syrup (I used honey)

1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

6 cups shredded kale

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup roasted, salted pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (I omitted...although it would be great in this recipe too!)

In a screw-top jar (I used my blender), combine oil, pumpkin puree, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, salt and pepper. Cover and shake well to combine.

Place the kale in a large bowl and drizzle with 3 Tbs. of the dressing. Use your hands to massage the dressing into the kale until fully coated and slightly softened. Add the cranberries, and seeds. Drizzle with an additional 3 Tbs. of the vinaigrette and toss well. Sprinkle with crumbled feta to serve. Reserve remaining dressing in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

#1,567: Low-Fat Tangy Tomato Dressing

There are mixed reviews on this recipe in our family.  I am trying to get the girls away from liking ranch as their only salad dressing they will eat, so I'm making and trying new ones for/with them.  I thought they might like this one because it is similar to french and personally I like french dressing.  Sadly they didn't really like this recipe, but I thought it was ok.  I liked that it was much less minimally processed (and high in fat and calories) like ranch dressing is.  But I wasn't totally, totally in love with the flavor of this. It tasted like a glorified, watered down catsup a little bit.  I ended up adding some garlic, salt, pepper and a tiny bit of sugar to this.  It needs something else too but I'm not sure yet what it needs.  I'm hoping it gets better as the flavors meld and it sits in the fridge.  But for now, whether the kids like it or not, they'll be getting this with their salad for the next few days instead of their beloved ranch.  

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
I also added about 1-2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1/2 packet of stevia, and about 1 tsp minced garlic

Place all ingredients in a blender; cover and process until blended. Yield: 2 cups.

#1,547: Dijon Shallot Vinaigrette

This was a super simple recipe that I whipped together one night for dinner.  I decided to put it all in my magic bullet and puree it to really incorporate the flavors. I was also out of shallots so I added some red onion.  I thought it was great!  I was a tiny bit sweet and a little tangy...delicious on salad!!

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
⅛ cup apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1½ teaspoons honey
1 large shallot, finely chopped (I used about 1/8 of a red onion)
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Finely chop shallot and combine along with remaining ingredients in a mason jar or other glass jar with a tight fitting lid.  Shake vigorously until well mixed. Serve and Enjoy!

#1,537: Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

This was a hard recipe to photograph because I didn't make enough of it to actually be able to pour it into a glass to photo.  I did however eat it on top of some lettuce from my garden, diced veggies and added some grilled pork chop on top.  You still can't really see the dressing in the photo but it's better than no picture at all I suppose.  This was a very simple salad dressing to make and I loved it not only on my salad but with the grilled meat as well.  

½ bunch or handful of cilantro
2 limes, juiced or ¼ c lime juice
1 clove garlic
½ jalapeño, remove seeds
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
8 cracks of salt
¾ tsp spicy mustard
¼ c olive oil

In a food processor or blender, combine cilantro, lime juice, jalapeño, garlic, & vinegar. Blend well.  Add salt, mustard & olive oil. Blend.  Toss with mixed greens.

#1,534: Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Do not judge this recipe by it's pathetic picture!  This was all I could get!  I was needing to get dinner on the table quickly (kids were hungry), I couldn't find a jar small enough to photograph it in, and taking an aerial shot of the blender just wasn't going to cut it.  So a quick picture of one of the kid's plates is all I got.  I never claim to be a food photographer!!  

Anyhow, Chloe helped me make this recipe, and although the kids weren't big fans of this dressing, I WAS!  I loved it.  I'll admit it is a little sweet, and really probably doesn't need the added sugar from the honey, and personally could use a little crushed red peppers to balance out the sweetness a little bit, but I still ate and enjoyed this!!  I would definitely make this again, especially this summer when we seem to always have strawberries on hand.  

1 cup fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon (I didn’t have any so I used dried thyme)
1/4 teaspoon honey

Mix all ingredients together in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Drizzle on your salad and store the rest in a sealed container in the fridge.

#1,191: BLT Chopped Salad with Homemade Creamy Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

I may have gone a little overboard with the dressing on this salad.  You think?!?!  This recipe makes a ton of dressing, so you can have it to eat for a week every night at dinner if you so desire.  I think I need to find a co-worker to take the leftovers tomorrow.  (Whomever reads this first let me know if you want it!) :) 

Although I definitely liked this salad a lot, it wasn't anything super special that I haven't made before.  Would I make this again?  Yes.  Is this going to become my go-to favorite salad recipe? No.  I did really enjoy the homemade ranch though!

Salad
1/2 cup cooked, diced bacon
about 3 to 4 cups salad greens
1 small/medium ripe tomato, sliced into thin rounds
half of 1 cucumber, about 10 thinly sliced rounds
1/4 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup corn (I used canned)
I also added some shredded Parmesan cheese and croutons 

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
1/2 heaping cup mayonnaise
1/2 heaping cup sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk + extra if necessary to thin
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoon minced fresh green onion, scallions, or chives
1 small garlic clove, peeled, optional and to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste

Salad 

Cook bacon according to manufacturer's instructions. Dice small; set aside.

In a large bowl, add the greens, top with tomato, cucumber, carrots, peas, corn, and sprinkle bacon pieces over the top; set aside.  (Add cheese and croutons if desired)

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing - To the canister of a food processor or blender, add all ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds. Taste dressing and if necessary, adjust flavor balance by adding more lemon, oil, herbs, salt and pepper, or whatever dressing needs, to taste. I like my dressing thicker and didn't use more than 1/4 cup buttermilk, but add more, to taste, to thin it out. Brands of mayo, sour cream, and buttermilk all vary in their thickness. Transfer dressing to a glass jar with lid, or airtight container with a lid.

Drizzle over salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately. Extra dressing will keep for 7 to 10 days airtight in the fridge; shake well before next use.

#1,152: Hancock Salad

This recipe is supposed to be a paleo substitute for Caesar salad.  I'll admit, one thing I miss about paleo is the different salad dressings you can use to dress up your greens.  This recipe was very appealing since I love Caesar salads so much.  The only thing this salad is missing is some freshly shaved parmesan (which would obviously not be paleo, so I omitted).

This is not a salad I plan to make all the time because the cooking of the onions for 30 minutes is just too much for me.  Who has time for that?!

As a salad though, I LOVED this.  I added some crumbled bacon and peppers, but next time I'm going to load it up with more veggies.  And by next time, I mean dinner tonight...it's good!

1 head romaine lettuce, rinsed and separated into individual leaves 
4 slices bacon
3 caramelized onions, divided (Recipe follows)  
1 large clove garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons canned coconut milk
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Cook bacon until crispy; drain, crumble and set aside. In a blender, combine 1/4 cup caramelized onions (set the rest aside) and remaining ingredients. Toss your desired amount of dressing with the romaine, top with remaining caramelized onions and crumbled bacon before serving. 

Perfectly Caramelized Onions

2 Tablespoons coconut oil
2 Tablespoons butter
4 onions, halved and sliced thin
1 Tablespoon salt

Cut the onions in half and then slice thin. Heat butter and coconut oil in a heavy bottom skillet over high heat. Add onions and salt. Cook, stirring constantly for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 25 more minutes until golden brown and caramelized. 

#1,100: Easy Raspberry Salad Dressing

I found a recipe for raspberry salad dressing, and since I had just bought a package of raspberries at the grocery store, I figured this would be a great time to try this recipe.  I love my raspberries on the firm size and sometimes I feel like I throw so many raspberries away because they are over-ripe and mushy.  Well not any more!  This is the recipe I'm going to make each time with those leftover raspberries.  Not only did I enjoy this recipe, but the girls loved it too!  Both wanted to eat it right out of the jar and I had to keep reminding them that it was salad dressing!!

1/2 cup raspberries

2-3 tbsp of olive oil

1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

salt

pepper

juice of half an orange

 

Place all of the ingredients into a blender and pulse to combine. 

#928 and #929: Chickpea Salad with Cilantro-lime Vinaigrette

This post is actually going to be 2 recipes in one.  Normally I would split this into two separate blog posts, but I figured it would just be easiest to combine them.  The recipe for the Chickpea salad really isn't much a of recipe; it's just a long title name:   "A refreshing and healthy cold salad made with corn, chickpeas, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, green pepper and red onion with a cilantro-lime vinaigrette." 

I can handle that recipe, and it fits well with my just-throw-it-all-together-and-forget-about-measuring-mantra! 

The problem with the chickpea non-recipe was that it called for cilantro-lime vinaigrette but didn't give a recipe for it.  So I took to the internet and found one with good reviews.  Then I added it to my chickpea salad and I had a whole complete recipe.

I actually, really enjoyed this salad.  I made it on Sunday and enjoyed it almost all week for lunches.  It's a great store-in-a-mason-jar meal.  I would definitely make this again.  It did need something though, but I'm still trying to figure out what.  I'm definitely adding some black pepper next time and I might add a little jalapeno too.

So, here's the ingredients.  Feel free to use as much or as little as you like.  The amounts listed below is what I used.  You don't have to use the same amounts I did.  Make it your own.

1/2 bag frozen corn
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cucumber, diced
7 cherry tomatoes, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1/4 of a red onion, finely chopped
Cilantro-lime Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon ground coriander

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

 

Place all of the salad ingredients in a bowl.  Set aside.  Combine the ingredients for the vinaigrette.  Add to the salad and toss to combine.

#634: Soy-Ginger Dressing

I made this salad dressing to go with my coleslaw one night for dinner.  I like coleslaw dressings that aren't made with mayo...I loved it.  It was really, really good!  It was a little salty, so next time I'll probably use a little less soy sauce.  But I'll definitely make this again.

1/3 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

2 tablespoons canola oil

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, lime juice, vinegar and ginger. Slowly drizzle in oil in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Cover and refrigerate. Whisk or shake well just before using.

#633: Homemade Ranch Dressing

Here is a SUPER easy, 3 ingredient homemade ranch recipe I found on Pinterest posted on a friend's board.  My girls love ranch salad dressing and eat it with a lot of their veggies (especially Chloe).  So when I saw this had only 255 calories and 1.75 grams of fat for the entire jar, I was excited to try it.

The only differences I made to the recipe was that I used Kroger brand Greek yogurt and skim milk.  So ultimately I made it healthier (w/the milk) however I think that also made it a thinner/watery consistency.  Doesn't make a difference in the taste in my opinion though.  It doesn't exactly taste like a bottle of ranch dressing, but it still is quite good.  Plus, since it's thinner, it spreads easily over lettuce and veggies and I use less!

1 cup Dannon Oikos plain nonfat Greek yogurt (I used generic Greek yogurt)
1 packet hidden valley ranch (dressing, not dip)
1/2 cup 1% milk (I used skim)

Whisk together in bowl and chill for 1 hour before serving.  

#560: Citrus Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

I know, this is not a pretty picture.  It's probably not something you are going to look at and remember seeing.  It is good though, so don't discount this one because of the photo.  I was going to take a picture of the salad, but I thought that might be misleading, so here's a photo of just the salad dressing.  :)

As far as salad dressings go I like this one, but I don't love it.  Would I make it again, for sure!  Would I make it again tomorrow, probably not.  Although because this can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge, I might make a double batch of this and just leave it in the fridge to easily eat with salads for the week.  In fact, that's a great idea and I'm going to do just that!

1/4 cup orange juice

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons honey

1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil

Place all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid; shake well. Chill until serving. Just before serving, shake dressing and drizzle over salad. Yield: 1/2 cup.

#326: Buttermilk Ranch Salad Dressing

I found this recipe in my most recent issue of Taste of Home Magazine.  You  had to look hard for it because it was hidden under another recipe and a little side note. This was very easy to make and really, really good!  I'm not a huge fan of ranch dressings because they are too sweet, but the buttermilk makes this tangy, thick and mmmm good!  I will be making a potato salad later in the week that calls for bottled ranch dressing and I plan to make this and substitute it instead!


3/4 c buttermilk (I made my own w/milk and vinegar)
2 c cottage cheese
1 packet ranch salad dressing mix


Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Serve with mixed salad or choice of cut up veggies.

#297: Avocado Salad with Crispy Tortillas

I came across this recipe for Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Crispy Tortillas.  Everything about this recipe sounded great except for the shrimp...so I omitted it.  I also made a few more changes because I had extra ingredients on hand and decided to throw them in at the last minute.  I LOVED this.  The dressing is super refreshing and great for summer time.  Definitely making this again...even if I just make the dressing.

Salt and Pepper
2 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 romaine heart, thinly sliced
1/4 small cabbage, thinly sliced
1 avocado, sliced
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds (I used walnuts)
I also added canned corn, diced tomatoes, and red onion


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
1. Toss the tortilla strips with a drizzle of oil and a dash of salt. Spread on a baking sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until the strips are golden and crispy. (I omitted the oil and just baked plain)

2. In a large salad bowl, combine the orange juice, lime juice, and 1 tablespoon of oil. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Add the romaine, cabbage, and avocado.  Toss to coat the salad evenly. Serve the salad topped with the tortilla strips and pumpkin seeds.

#55: Secret Salad Dressing

Allrecipes.com is becoming a popular site for me to go to when looking for new recipes to try.  I still needed a salad dressing to take with me to Angela's for dinner so I figured I'd try this one.  I LOVED it!!  I will definitely make this again.  And best of all, I had all of the ingredients on hand!

Ingredients

1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup diced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions
1.Combine the ketchup, vegetable oil, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, onion, salt, and pepper in a blender; blend until smooth. Store in refrigerator.