By Kelley | SaladsJump To Recipe
Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
Before having kids, I used to do the kind of traveling that involved long flights, questionable accommodations, and nothing more than a backpack for a month long trip. It wasn’t about being comfortable or going to the spa. And it definitely didn’t include kids clubs or fancy restaurants. It was all about the next adventure. Seeking out new places, meeting new people, trying new foods, and doing it as cheaply as I could. Awe, the good old days. I like to think that when my kids are a little older, we’ll get back to that kind of traveling. Or at least partly. I miss it so.
About ten years ago, I traveled to Costa Rica for my first time. I went with a friend that lived in Colorado and we decided to sign up for a two week Spanish Emersion camp that involved school in the mornings, exploring in the afternoons, and accommodations through host families in the community. We stayed with a women, Virginia, who was by definition, a brick house. She had a deep voice and a not so faint mustache. On multiple occasions she asked me to clean the bathroom (uh, no?) and I think it’s safe to say cooking wasn’t her thing. Here I was so excited to immerse myself in the Tico culture and I was staying in a house with She-man who thought dinner was baked potatoes and ranch dressing. I guess one of her previous students was a girl from Utah, no less, that loved ranch dressing. I like a good ranch, don’t get me wrong, but I surely don’t put it on everything and I definitely don’t leave it on the table round the clock. Do you know how warm and humid it was when I was visiting Costa Rica? HOT. Ranch lives in a fridge. Not on the table. But don’t try telling Virginia, she’ll deny you. And ask you to clean the bathroom. Again.
My version of the beloved dressing is homemade, a little lighter, and a lot more perishable. It relies on fresh herbs and scallions for it’s punch and gets its tang from some local honey vinegar. Instead of the usual mayo, I opted for greek yogurt as my base. The result is naturally light, guilt free and yet an indulgent tasting way to dress your greens. It’s a great dip for carrot sticks and would stand in nicely if you’re one of those people that like to dip your pizza in ranch. (Is that a Utah thing?)
Like I said above, I don’t eat a lot of ranch dressing but whenever I do, my mind drifts back to bottle of ranch dressing that forever lived on Virginia’s kitchen table. I’ll bet you anything it’s still there. And she’s asking host students to clean her dirty toilets.
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 StarNo reviews
Yield: 1 pint 1x
Yield:Print Recipe
Description
A naturally light homemade ranch dressing using fresh herbs.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1/2 pint buttermilk
- 2 scallions (whites & greens), minced
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1 heaping tablespoon, chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Slide Ridge honey vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- In a small jar with a tight fitting lid, such as a mason jar, combine buttermilk and greek yogurt. Using a small whisk or fork, beat until fully incorporated. Add scallions, minced garlic, dill, honey vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic salt and paprika. Place lid on jar and shake until all seasonings are mixed in. Serve as a salad dressing or light dip.
27 Comments
kelliePermalinkYour story made me chuckle. And the dressing sounds yummy!
Reply
Cookin' CanuckPermalinkYour description of Virginia gave me a good laugh. I, too, can’t wait to get back to the kind of traveling I did in my early years. This dressing looks fantastic…something I’d be tempted to eat by the spoonful.
Reply
KamiPermalinkHomemade ranch always wins. I must try it with the greek yogurt. This looks so good!
Reply
Heather @ Heather's DishPermalinkOOOOOOOOOOOOOH Kelley, this just made my day because it will MAKE my hubby’s birthday! I was looking for something like ranch I could use on salad tonight instead of my usual vinaigrette!
Reply
MikePermalinkI love ranch dressing and this recipe sounds delicious. I’ll have to try it soon! And thanks for the product call-out. It always makes us happy when people enjoy our honey wine vinegar!
Reply
Rocky Mountain WomanPermalinkSounds like quite an adventure! The recipe looks perfectly balanced, will give it a try…
Reply
AggiePermalinkThis is sooooo my kind of dressing. I love the lightness and brightness of it. I seriously need my own jar in the fridge. I was never a huge ranch person, until I had good homemade ranch somewhere, this is good homemade ranch!
Reply
tijuana (po' man meals)Permalinkthanks for making my morning. your story had me laughing! i am the biggest fan of ranch dressing, especially homemade. nothing can beat homemade ranch! can’t wait to try yours. it looks soooooo delicious.
Reply
JuliaPermalinkHomemade ranch is the best–I am really into making my dressings when possible. Definitely pinning this to try out later–thanks! Question–would this dressing taste as good using plain yogurt and not greek?
Reply
KelleyPermalinkI think it would be just fine to substitute!
Reply
JillPermalinkKelley, you’ve brought back such laughable memories. Eli and Tigist love when I call them for “CENA!” They may even eat my salads with this ranch dressing. Let’s go back someday.
ReplyKelleyPermalinkI’d love that Jill! Hope you’re well. Glad it made you smile 🙂
Reply
KristenPermalinkI purchased buttermilk made with whole milk which has 8 g. fat per cup. Have you ever tried using the low fat (1/5%) buttermilk for this recipe? or the fat free? I’m guessing it wouldn’t be as thick and creamy?
ReplyKelleyPermalinkI haven’t but I’m guessing you’re right.
Reply
DorianPermalinkHello! The dressing looks wonderful, mt daughter is a Ranch addict so making a healthier choice for her is ALWAYS welcome! Just curious, what if I don’t have the honey vinegar? Any substitution ideas?
ReplyKelleyPermalinkwhite wine or red wine vinegar will work just fine!
Reply
JanePermalinkLOL So DID you clean the bathroom?
ReplyKelleyPermalinkHa!
Reply
ShellyPermalinkI made this dressing according to the instructions and it was SOUP. Should the recipe call for 1/2 CUP milk instead of 1/2 PINT.
ReplyKelleyPermalinkButtermilk, not milk.
ReplyShellyPermalinkOopsies! I must wear my glasses the next time I make a new recipe. I just realized I picked up the milk carton instead of the buttermilk. No wonder it was soupy. Duh.
ReplyKelleyPermalinkOh no! Oops 🙂
Reply
TaniaPermalinkLMFAO!!! It’s a central american thing for food not to get refrigerated. I hate it but I understand where they are coming from because I was born in Nicaragua. We never had a fridge we cooked for each meal and bought the food before each meal. Anyway before coming to USA I did not know anything about food poisoning and bacteria growing in food; I have come to notice neither do a lot of people in Central America and it drives me insane because my stepmom loves to let frozen meat sit in her kitchen sick for 8hrs or more, Yuck!
Reply
SybilPermalinkThat story about Virginia makes you sound like a horrible person. You insult her appearance and make unkind comments about her gender. And cleaning the bathroom was beneath you? I came here from a link on the Kitchn website but won’t be lingering to look at other pages on your blog.
ReplyKelleyPermalinkI’m sorry if I offended you. I was simply describing my memories of my hostess and in no way mean to insult her gender or any of my readers in my description of her. Cleaning bathrooms is not beneath me and I would have been happy to help clean if a) I’d made the mess or b) it was expected of me.
Reply
june SmithPermalinkHI!
IF MY MEMORY SERVES ME RIGHT, I REMEMBER A RANCH DRESSING RECIPE FROM YEARS AGO, THAT IS NO LONGER ON YOUR SITE. I HAVE MISPLACED IT AND WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IT! I THINK IT HAD A COMBINATION OF MAYO, SOUR CREAM & BUTTERMILK.
KelleyPermalinkThis is the closest thing to ranch I have on my site. Sorry!
Reply