Salad dressing made at home

In my family we don’t have any issues with salt, but I know there are a lot of you who do. Here’s a recipe for homemade ranch dressing mix using ingredients you probably already have at home except one.

Buttermilk powder is found on the baking aisle, and this whole recipe only has an 1/8 of a teaspoon of salt. Just add mayo and sour cream and you’re good to go. And even if you don’t have salt issues this is much cheaper to make than the mix from the grocery store.

Homemade Dry Ranch Mix

2 tbsp buttermilk powder

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/4 tsp dried dill

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp lemon pepper

1/8 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp freshly-cracked black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Use immediately or store in an air-tight container until ready to use.

Combine the ranch seasoning mix with 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup sour cream, and 1/4 cup milk. Whisk until smooth.

Here’s another homemade dressing with lots of variations.

Basic Vinaigrette with Variations

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tbsp vinegar of choice (balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar)

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp maple syrup or honey

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste

Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Stir well with a small whisk or a fork until the ingredients are completely mixed together.

Taste, and adjust as necessary. If the mixture is too acidic, thin it out with a bit more olive oil or balance the flavors with a little more maple syrup or honey. If the mixture is a little blah, add another pinch or two of salt. If it doesn’t have enough zing, add vinegar by the teaspoon.

Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for future use. Homemade vinaigrette keeps well for 7 to 10 days. If your vinaigrette solidifies somewhat in the fridge, don’t worry about it—real olive oil tends to do that. Simply let it rest at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes or microwave very briefly (about 20 seconds) to liquefy the olive oil again. Whisk to blend and serve.

Variations

Balsamic Vinegar: Makes a bold, slightly sweet dressing that is wonderful on green salads with fruit, such as apples, strawberries or peaches.

Red Wine Vinegar: Packs a punch and works well with other bold flavors and bright veggies, like tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, cabbage and more (think Greek salads).

White Wine Vinegar: This is a more mellow vinegar and it’s especially nice with more delicate flavors like cucumber and sweet corn. It’s lovely on just about every green salad out there.

Greek/Italian variations: Use red wine vinegar. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons dried oregano, a pinch of red pepper fl a k e s .