We eat a lot of ranch at our house. Veggies, salad, sweet potato fries, buffalo chicken fingers (sans breading, of course), hamburgers… we like our ranch.
Problem is, of course, the ingredients. Behold the nastiness that is Hidden Valley: soybean oil, water, egg yolk, sugar, salt, cultured nonfat buttermilk, natural flavors (soy), spices, less than 2% of: dried garlic, dried onion, vinegar, phosphoric acid, xanthan gum, modified food starch, MSG, artificial flavors, disodium phosphate, sorbic acid, calcium disodium EDTA, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate.
Can I get an “Ew, GROSS!” from the at-home audience? Because yeah. MSG? That’s pretty disgusting. & what the hell are those last six ingredients anyway? What makes me even sadder is the latest advertising campaign stating that this is a great way to get kids to eat their veggies. “Hey kids! Cover your delicious Real Food with nasty chemicals! It’s the American way!”
Sad. But, there is an easier way – just make your own!
Homemade Ranch Dip
What you need:
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, homemade or from the jar
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- black pepper, ~ 1/4 teaspoon
- dill, chives, parsley, ~ 1/2 teaspoon each
- dash of paprika
How to do it:
- Mix sour cream & mayo together, adding more to taste. Just the mix of these two ingredients get the taste pretty close.
- Add spices, adding more to taste. Personally, I’ve yet to put too much of the spice in, but start small. It’s even better if it sits for a bit before serving.
- Enjoy!
