While I know we’ve talked a lot about butter and bacon in this blog, unless we’ve known each other previous to HIH, you probably don’t know that fitness and and healthy eating has long been a big part of my life. We only get one body, it’s so important to take care of what we’ve been given! Over these next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some of my delicious healthier recipes to help you keep any health related New Year’s resolutions delicious! This light ranch dressing is modified from Alden’s Pantry Ranch Dressing, which was my 2nd blog post ever!
While I may have been in the gym a lot, prepping food and counting macros, I could never settle for bland chicken and broccoli. I’m not in any way a nutrition expert, but I’ve spent quite a bit of time on the subject. Throughout my more intense fitness days, I figured out that one of the keys to keeping my food delicious and interesting without breaking the calorie bank was to make my own condiments! Condiments, especially mayonnaise and salad dressings are often very high calorie for just small servings. Just 2 tablespoons of a popular store bought ranch dressing has 130 calories! How often are you using only 2 tablespoons?
In my original ranch dressing post, I linked glass dressing bottles. It’s been my most clicked link, but they’re sold out! Here’s another great option for reasonably priced glass dressing bottles.
Original vs. Lightened Up
As written, my original recipe using mayo has 11g of fat and 110 calories for a 2 tablespoon serving. My lightened up version using 0% fat plain Greek yogurt and fat free buttermilk cuts that to just 1g of fat and 24 calories for the same 2 tablespoon serving.
The buttermilk is key to keep some of the tang that’s lost when you take out the mayonnaise. You could use fat free mayonnaise here, but if I’m being honest, mayonnaise by definition is fats emulsified with acid. Egg yolks, oil, lemon juice. I showed you the ingredients in mayonnaise when I blogged about how easy homemade mayonnaise is to make from scratch. I don’t know how much processing is necessary to create fat free mayo, but I think I’d rather just go for a a product which can be lightened up without excessive processing. That’s just my personal preference, if you love fat free mayo, don’t let me tell you no.
Not just for salads and pizza!
Here are some great ideas to add lots of flavor to meals you love without adding lots of fat or calories. I really like to use condiment when cutting down on higher fat/higher calorie ingredients like cheese. This can be a great condiment to lighten up some of your regular meals without sacrificing flavor or creaminess.
- Ranch Enchiladas. Instead of adding cheese to filling of a chicken or beef enchilada, add a couple tablespoons the lightened up ranch dressing. I also like to add some on top and 1/2 the amount of cheese.
- Chicken Ranch Pita. Throw some grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion, and ranch into a pita pocket. Heck, since chicken is high in protein and this dressing is so calorie friendly, you could add a sprinkle of bacon bits! Treat yo self! The sky is really the limit here. Lean protein + moderate carbohydrate bread option + lightened up ranch + veggies.
- Replace your dips. We all love a good ranch dip for snacking! Sub this recipe for your store bought ranch dip during the next big game! Of course, veggies are great, but a baked potato chip or cracker in moderation would also be a great swap. Grilled chicken tenders would also be DELISH!
- Over roasted veggies. I don’t know about you, but I love a good rich high fat aioli or dipping sauce for my roasted veggies. Especially, roasted potatoes. Roasted veggies often find themselves in healthy eating plans with a variety of dry seasonings. Like cheese on your broccoli? Try dipping roasted broccoli in this dressing, you’ll hardly miss the cheese.
Alden’s Homemade Pantry Ranch Dressing – Lightened Up
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- mixing bowl with pour spout
- fork or whisk
- glass dressing bottle or mason jar
Ingredients
- 1 cup 0% fat plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons fat free buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons dill pickle or spicy pickle juice
- 3-4 dashes worcestershire sauce
- 2-3 dashes of your favorite hot sauce I use the green Tobasco
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic, approximately three cloves prepared garlic works great here!
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt + more to taste
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flake optional
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in a liquid measuring cup with a pour spout
- If the dressing is too thick, adjust consistency by incorporating additional liquid one measure at a time until desired consistency is achieved, depending on your tastes as follows: buttermilk – 1 -3 teaspoons OR pickle juice – 1-2 teaspoons OR water – 1-3 teaspoons
- Transfer the dressing to a glass container and refrigerate for 1-2 hours prior to serving for the best flavor
- Will keep for up to two weeks in your refrigerator
Notes
- The measurements in this recipe are approximations. When I make Pantry Ranch, I don’t measure a single ingredient exactly, I just eyeball the ingredients with a few simple tricks. For dried herbs and spices, a teaspoon is about what will cover the bottom of the lid of it’s jar. For liquid ingredients, using an moderate pour,1 second gets me a tablespoon of liquid.
- You can thin the dressing using additional pickle juice, water, or fat-free milk or buttermilk or leave it thick for more of a dip like consistency.
- Sweet or bread & butter pickle juice is not recommended.
Nutrition
I hope this recipe gives you a delicious, easy to make condiment to help you achieve your health goals in 2022!
XOXO,
Alden
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