Sunday, March 28, 2010

Buttermilk herb salad dressing

Psst. Wanna know a secret? Your creamy ranch salad dressing, its loaded with calories. And fat. And chemicals. Good thing you know a Kitchen Witch. She can show you a way to make your own. That's right, I said make your own ranch dressing. Or a pretty good knock off. And considering it chimes in at 18 calories a serving, oh and a serving is 2 and a half TABLESPOONS and it takes about 5 minutes to make, well you might wanna try it out. :)

This dressing was inspired by my first herbs of the year arriving in my garden - a small handful of chives and a touch of oregano. Seeing the first herbs made me want salad. But a handful of chives does not a salad make. It does however make a nice salad dressing!

The Greek yogurt is used in place of mayo (since I hate mayo) which makes it nice and creamy and very healthy. The little Witch really liked it and kept commenting on how creamy it tasted. Coming from a 3 year old that's a compliment. Its kid tested, but is it mother approved? You bet your butt it is! Where else can you find a creamy dressing at 18 calories a serving, 1.2 grams of fat and no chemicals or anything artificial? Wow! What's not to love?

Buttermilk Herb Salad Dressing
makes 8 servings, 2.5 T each
1/3 c Greek yogurt
1/2 c lowfat buttermilk
1/4 t granulated garlic
1/2 t kosher salt
1/8 t black pepper
2 T fresh grated Asiago cheese
about 15 stems of chives
5 oregano leaves
1 T finely minced parsley

mince herbs together.
mix yogurt and buttermilk together until smooth
add garlic, salt & pepper, stir well
add minced herbs, about 2 T total
add grated cheese
stir well, allow to sit at least 30 min before serving. The longer it sits the more the flavors meld, so let it sit as long as you can (like make it in the morning for your dinnertime salad). This dressing will last about a week in the fridge.



~*~Kitchen Witch Tip: Don't be tempted to use fresh garlic in this recipe unless you really like a strong sharp garlic bite and flavor. The fresh garlic gets even more intense as it sits so after a bit all you can taste is garlic. I find that the granulated garlic doesn't 'bite' the way that fresh does, it just provides a nice garlicky background flavor.~*~

Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople Recipe Calculator
8 Servings, 2.5T per serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 18.9
Total Fat 1.2 g
Saturated Fat 0.7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 3.4 mg
Sodium 52.0 mg
Potassium 28.4 mg
Total Carbohydrate 1.3 g
Dietary Fiber 0.1 g
Sugars 1.2 g
Protein 0.9 g

7 comments:

Ashleigh said...

MMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. This is why I love you.

Michelle said...

We are SO going to have to try this! I can never find a pre-made ranch dressing that I like as well as homemade anyway. And boy oh boy, isn't that Greek yogurt amazing? We use it for just about everything too. I put it in my mashed potatoes last night. YUM!

Michelle said...

Mmmmmm. Love this recipe. I am definitely going to serve it this week. And 18 calories per serving? Wow!

Unknown said...

I'll definitely be trying this one... The key will be if Chris will give up Ranch for this, he's the big ranch eater in our house. I'm always looking for good creamy dressing ideas! Thanks for the past Andrea!

Scuttleboose said...

First, it was quinoa. Now it's greek yogurt. I'm telling you, we must have our ESPNs in contact (haha) :) Great recipe! :)

Sarah said...

I am making this today! I have buttermilk in the fridge and everything else except fresh parsley.

Amy @ Yard to Fork said...

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and for your comments! Your site is so great, and I can't wait to try this buttermilk dressing -- it looks delish! As for the backyard chickens, they are are super easy and fun - we have three dogs and so far so good, they are living together just fine! :)

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