Ranch Dressing

A good salad dressing can make even a plain Jane salad interesting. Here’s the basic template I use to make a creamy salad dressing that my daughter loves. It’s highly adaptable, and though it uses cashews for creaminess, it still contains less than 30 calories per 2-tablespoon serving.

Hidden Cashew Ranch Dressing

This recipe is meant as a rough guideline for making your own personal ranch dressing. I rarely measure and just add seasonings to taste. Start with the amounts listed and add more as needed. You can give it your own flair by adding other seasonings, such as dill weed, celery seed, or red pepper. Just start small because once you add it, you can’t take it out!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup raw cashews (see note about soaking)
• 1 1/4 cup plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used Westsoy)
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 – 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (more if using Meyer lemons)
• 1 clove garlic (or 1/4 tsp. garlic powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons chives, raw or freeze-dried, snipped

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients except parsley and chives into blender and process on high until smooth. Add parsley and chives and blend on low briefly to incorporate them. Check seasonings and add more as needed, but remember that the flavor will get stronger over time. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow flavors to blend. Stir or shake before serving.

Notes

If you are using a regular blender, rather than a high-speed blender like a Vita-Mix, soak the cashews first to soften them before blending. Cover them with water and allow them to stand for at least 4 hours. Pour off the water before proceeding with the recipe. You may need to reduce the amount of non-dairy milk by a couple of tablespoons to prevent the dressing from being too thin.

Preparation time: 5 minutes | Refrigeration time: 60 minutes

Number of servings (yield): 12 2-tablespoon servings

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition (per 2 tablespoons): 27calories, 14 calories from fat, 1.7g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 52.3mg sodium, 54.3mg potassium, 1.8g carbohydrates, <1g fiber, <1g sugar, 1.5g protein, 0.8 points