Creamy (Healthy) Ranch Dressing

As previously noted, I am very busy, but then who isn’t? I love food and I love to cook, I just don’t like to spend a lot of time doing it. So, I look for shortcuts or for recipes with an extremely short list of ingredients. If I get to the bottom of the list and I can’t remember all the ingredients I just read, I don’t usually cook it. As I come upon healthy and delicious quick meals, I’ll be posting so you can try them out and maybe add them to your recipe box.

I’m a picky salad dressing person, particularly when it comes to ranch dressing. I actually like ranch, but rarely do I ever find a dressing I like, and it’s never store bought. There are easy ways of making your own, but it requires buying fresh herbs and to be honest, I never use them all up and I feel bad that I wasted half the bunch.

When my son was in the hospital for several weeks, I learned to love the salad bar. It was the one place I could get a meal that didn’t leave me feeling like I just ate a brick and when you’re under stress, the last thing you need is food that is going to add pounds. The salad bar offered variety and healthy options. The ranch dressing was decent, but I learned to love cottage cheese on my salad with just a drizzle of ranch for flavor.

Well, I don’t buy ranch anymore. For one, store bought ranch is too zippy or something, I just don’t like it. Secondly, for the most part, ranch dressing is made from ingredients that are not compatible with my way of eating and even if you buy the fat free version, the dressing is just tangier (ick!). Mostly I just top my salads with either plain cottage cheese with a dash of salt and pepper or use the incredibly delicious Newman's Own Lighten Up line of dressings (seriously, try the Low Fat Sesame Ginger and you'll be in love). But every once in a while, I just want the old standby ranch dressing!

This past week I found a solution to my quest for delicious ranch! Now I don’t pretend to be a culinary genius, nor to be the first at such a discovery. But I mix 2 lbs of cottage cheese with a hidden valley buttermilk ranch packet and viola… I get my yummy cottage cheese with ranch all in one! It’s the perfect amount of creaminess for me with none of the tang. If I’m feeling particularly bold and just want dressing without the cottage cheese texture, I put it in the blender and make it smooth. This also makes a great veggie dip! You can mess with the proportions until you get a blend that works for you, but that is what works for me.