I seem to be in such a slump lately! The summer put me behind on everything, and while I'm slowly getting caught up, there are still so many things to chip away at on my to-do list. Today I noticed somehow it has been a month since I've done a blog post, even though I normally try to post once a week! Ugh. Thankfully in two weeks my little one starts half-day school twice a week, so I'll have a little more free time soon.
Last year I posted two variations of a super low-calorie Ranch dressing. For both I mixed in a packet of ranch mix ~ one with a cottage cheese & milk base, and the other with a buttermilk & mayo base. Since then I've played around and created lots of variations with the buttermilk version, like my Low-cal Creamy Italian Dressing and the Low-cal Creamy Asian Peanut Dressing. I also created this from-scratch version of the Ranch dressing, using seasonings instead of a pre-made mix. This is pretty much the only Ranch I make anymore (though I do love the Italian & Asian dressings a little more, and am more likely to mix one of those up!).
(For those of you counting calories, I've added the amount for each ingredient so you can easily make tweaks without having to re-calculate everything. Anything marked with an asterisk* may vary a lot based on what you buy, so make sure to compare your label.)
Low-cal Ranch Dressing
1/2 cup reduced fat buttermilk (56*)
2 Tbsp. Hellman's light mayo (70)
1/2 tsp. minced garlic (0)
1/2 tsp. dried parsley (0)
1/2 tsp. dried basil (0)
1/4 tsp. onion powder (2)
1/4 tsp. black pepper (2)
1/4 tsp. salt (0)
1/4 tsp. sugar (4)
Directions -
Stir together all of the ingredients except for the buttermilk. Add the buttermilk (you may want to do 1/2 at a time) and stir until well mixed.
Makes about 3/4 cup, 12 calories per Tbsp.
