So, here’s my problem with store bought salad dressings…..THEY CANNOT IN ANY WAY COMPARE TO THOSE THAT ARE MADE AT HOME! Why is this? I’ve realized homemade dressings taste more like restaurant dressings than store bought….watered down? Maybe, but really, the truth is that if you turn your label around on store bought dressings, you may find that there’s only about 3 ingredients that you can actually pronounce. What does this have to do with the taste? …EVERYTHING!!! Now, while sometimes these ingredients can add flavor, in my opinion, they actually end up ruining your food, not to mention your body and your health!
Also, it’s important to remember that while restaurants purchase dressings and foods with hard to pronounce ingredients, the bottom line to them is to buy cheap, cheap, cheap….and when you buy cheap, cheap, cheap, that means the amount of ingredients in your items will be reduced greatly!
Back to the task at hand….
So, I’ve searched and I’ve searched and I’ve searched to find a good ranch dressing! No luck! I DON’T LIKE HIDDEN VALLEY OR ANY OTHER BOUGHT RANCH….it’s thick and tastes more like you’ve just stuck a block of cream in your mouth! YUCK! I also hate ranch dressing that are homemade with sour cream, which I think may quite possibly be a base in these store bought dressing. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll use it for dipping if I’m at your house, it’s just that in my home, if I have a choice, I choose a different route.
I have to tell you that one of my favorite things about eating out at restaurants like Red Lobster and the Outback is THEIR RANCH DRESSING! Oh, it’s wonderful! It’s not thick and a little bit goes a long way! It’s perfection in my opinion. So I set out a few months ago to find a great ‘Outback’ type of ranch dressing! This wasn’t a super easy task because it meant researching different recipes, then making, adding and taking out ingredients to match the taste I wanted!
After making and testing a few times….FINALLY I HAVE IT!!!!
I call it…..
MY CHIPOTLE RANCH DRESSING!
Now, if you don’t like chipotle, don’t use it in the dressing. It doesn’t make it hot, but really gives it a neat smoky flavor! It spices it up a bit! Also, if you like a different spice that you think may work well, as in cumin or taco seasoning (same thing, by the way), go for it!!
I must also tell you that you can choose the consistency of your dressing. I don’t like my dressings super thick. I like them to have more of a liquid consistency than a paste-type consistency.
I MUST ALSO TELL YOU THAT IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, THEN IF YOUR DRESSING SITS OVER NIGHT OR FOR A DAY OR SO AND BECOMES LESS ‘LIQUIDY’, FEEL FREE TO ADD SOME MILK, SHAKE, ADD MORE, SHAKE AGAIN, UNTIL YOU ARE BACK WITH YOUR CONSISTENCY.
Also, check the date on your milk label and write that date on a piece of tape and put it on your dressing so you know when you don’t want to use that dressing anymore. I don’t even normally come close to this date, as I eat salad everyday and much on veggies all day long. This is great as a dip and I always serve this with my veggies to company or during the holidays!
HERE’S THE RECIPE:
1 CUP OF MAYO (The real deal. If you use low cal mayo the taste isn’t as great….and forget about miracle whip!)
½-1cup of milk (this depends on how thick you like your dressing, I normally lean more toward 1 cup of milk…..but you can add and shake as you go till you get to where you want to be! And don’t be afraid to add more later if your dressing hardens a bit
1 tbs garlic
Dash of salt
1-3 tsp pepper
1 tsp of chipotle (but really I just shake to taste…but remember, your dressing will sit and the flavors will get bolder as it sits, so you may want to stick with the directions for now)
1 TBS Ranch dressing mix (powder)
COMBINE ALL INGREDIENTS IN A COVERED DISH AND SHAKE THE CRAP OUT OF IT….LET IT SIT IN THE FRIG FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. CHECK YOUR CONSISTENCY AND ADD MORE MILK IF YOU CHOOSE! LABEL YOUR DATE!!
No comments:
Post a Comment