When I was little, I didn’t care for salad. Particularly lettuce. This may seem strange, because I’m a bit of a salad connoisseur now. But in my elementary years, while I liked most vegetables, there was something about lettuce in particular that I didn’t care for. (I still maintain that most iceberg lettuce tastes vaguely of chlorinated tap water.) The problem was that I was from a family where if food was placed in front of you, you were supposed to eat it–even if you didn’t like it.
However, at family dinners, my great-grandmother would circumvent any discomfort or conflict by simply making me my own plate of salad vegetables–my favorites were tomatoes and avocados–and drizzling them with salad dressing, specifically, her homemade buttermilk ranch. That was how I slowly began eating salads–with a bit of patience and creativity, not by someone strong-arming me into eating something I had an aversion to. I will never forget little things like that–the ways my grandmother adjusted things so that everyone could participate in the meal, but in ways they liked. We had turkey at holidays and turkey gravy, and we also had gluten steaks and mushroom gravy. I think comfort food, not just at Christmas, is about modifying things–making people feel comfortable with their own preferences. So many things we make in my family are adjustable–like leaving haystack or taco ingredients for people to create their own delicious masterpieces. I think that’s beautiful.
I still chuckle at the jokes about white culture being made up of ranch dressing (my white family certainly likes it!). A good from-scratch buttermilk ranch is hard to beat (even when dealing with kiddos), and I have yet to find a bottled dressing that rivals it. I even made some for New Year’s Eve!
So here are three ranch dressing recipes that I love–one easy, one a tiny bit more involved, and one for those who prefer not to ingest dairy/eggs.
The quick one: Hidden Valley Ranch
Ingredients:
- 1 c. mayonnaise (we use Best Foods)
- ½ c. sour cream
- ½ c. buttermilk
- I packet of Hidden Valley Ranch mix
Instructions:
Step 1: Whisk ingredients together in a bowl and chill. For a dip–simply use less buttermilk and more sour cream. For a thinner dressing, skip the sour cream and use half buttermilk, half mayonnaise.
Buttermilk Ranch (from scratch)
Ingredients:
- 1 c. mayonnaise
- 1 c. sour cream
- 1 c. buttermilk
- 2 T. dill (fresh is best but dried will do in a pinch)
- 2 T. fresh chives
- 2 T. fresh parsley
- 1 clove minced garlic (or at least a teaspoon of garlic powder)
- 1 T. salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- Lemon juice to taste
Instructions:
Step 1: Whisk together in a mixing bowl. The dressing tastes even better if it’s had time to chill in the fridge. This one is more dip-like in thickness after chilling.
Vegan Ranch (from Rainbow Plant Life–the best vegan recipe, in my opinion)
Ingredients:
- 1 T. unsweetened plant-based milk of choice
- 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar (you can also use distilled white vinegar)
- ½ c. vegan mayo (I typically use Just Mayo)
- 1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice, more as needed
- 1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, grated or very finely minced
- ½ t. Dijon mustard
- ½ t. onion powder
- ½ T. nutritional yeast
- Scant ¼ t. sea salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 T. finely minced chives (or scallions)
- 2 t. of chopped fresh dill (1 T. if you love dill)
Instructions:
Step 1: Combine the milk and vinegar in a medium bowl, and set aside for a few minutes so it can curdle a bit (like buttermilk).
Step 2: To the bowl, add the mayo, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, onion powder, nutritional yeast, salt, several cracks of pepper, scallions, and dill. Whisk the dressing until well combined and relatively smooth.
Step 3: Taste for seasonings, adding more salt or pepper as desired, or more lemon juice or apple cider vinegar for acidity. I sometimes add an extra teaspoon of lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
Step 4: If the dressing is too sharp for your taste, add a tablespoon of unsweetened vegan yogurt and stir to combine.
Marjorie Ellenwood is a salad lover who has expanded her inherited white SDA food culture to appreciate foods from many different cultures, including (moderately) spicy dishes. She is grateful to be married to Vladimir, who cooks just as much as she does.