In the two years I've been making my own lowfat buttermilk ranch dressing, I can probably count the number of days there hasn't been any in the fridge on one hand. It's good stuff to have around.
And it really does make eating your (or your family's) daily dose of vegetables easier, especially during summer when the long awaited celebration of seasonal garden bounty like cherry tomatoes and cucumbers is in full swing. (You can read about growing my favorite gourmet lemon cucumbers from seed here and miniature white cucumbers from seed here. And In My Kitchen Garden readers and I share our favorite varieties of heirloom tomatoes to grow here.)
I know I'm much more inclined to pass up the pretzels and reach for a healthy snack of sweet red pepper strips and carrot sticks if there's homemade dip on hand. Of course it's good with pretzels, too—and potato chips, and tortilla chips, and practically everything except dessert. I've even put ranch dressing on pizza.
You can dress up this recipe with everything from paprika to parsley to parmesan, to a handful of chopped fresh herbs, but what's nice is that you don't have to. After two years, I still like the basic version, which is flavored with onion, garlic, and dill, the best.
No time to cook up a vegetable side dish or toss a salad together for dinner? Just slice up a pretty plate of fresh veggies, add a dish of dip, and you're good to go. I serve this several times a week in summer. The most beautiful addition to the plate? Easy to grow, gorgeous to look at, and great tasting Dragon Langerie bush beans.
To make a thicker dip simply use less buttermilk. Enjoy!
Can't just live on dip? You'll find links to all my sweet and savory Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes in the Farmgirl Fare Recipe Index.
© FarmgirlFare.com, where we dip it, dip it good. (Sorry, couldn't resist. Yep, the song is going through my head now, too.)
I keep dried buttermilk on hand in the refrigerator, and while the texture isn't exactly the same, it's really convenient for baking. Would it work with your recipe here?
ReplyDeleteWhy do I not remember this recipe? I've been on a serious kick with the ranch dressing this summer. I love mayo, and so tend to put too much in mine. I should really start substituting some yogurt or something, but my homemade yogurt is a lot thinner than the store kind, so I think the dressing would be kind of runny. And if it's too runny, it's not so good for dipping tortilla chips for the homemade and way better version of Cool Ranch Doritos.
ReplyDeleteI really need to lay off ranch dressing. It's become something of an addiction.
A local restaurant uses the basic version with pink peppercorns and it is to DIE for! Totally yummy with steak and chips.
ReplyDeleteHi Lydia,
ReplyDeleteI'd definitely give it a try - and I will, too, if I can remember. I have some dried buttermilk in the freezer I keep forgetting about - which I think I learned about in the first place from you! :)
Kristin,
I knew there was a reason I did a little shout out for this recipe. ;)
Lizette,
Pink peppercorns (love those two words together) sound great. Thanks for the suggestion.
Yum, this looks great. I need to show this to my wife, she is nuts about Ranch dressing, she eats in on everything.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe and the plate of veggies looks scrumptious! :)
ReplyDeleteOh I've made this before and love, love, love it!! So delicious! So easy! Thanks for the reminder - especially great now when it's just too hot & too humid to cook much. Fresh vegetables & this yummy dip is perfect!
ReplyDeleteBarb
Ranch is our favorite.
ReplyDeleteHi!! I can't wait to try this recipe!! I have added your blog to my follow list. I LOVE your blog. Reading the archive tonight.
ReplyDelete