Now, I know that ranch is the king of salad dressings. People love it on salads, of course, but I also know people who won’t eat a vegetable unless it’s dipped in ranch, and of course, even their pizza needs a good dunking as well.
So you may think I’m wrong when I tell you that this dressing is better than ranch. That’s right, I said it! But hear me out.
First off, the store-bought ranch has a funny, vinegar aftertaste. For years in our family, we sidestepped this problem by making it ourselves “homemade” from the little packets you can buy. Yes, these are delicious, I won’t deny it! But anything from a packet is still not homemade and is definitely processed. Let’s break down the ingredient list, shall we?
In case you didn’t know, things are listed on the ingredient list in order of most to least. So whatever comes first in the list, that’s what most of your product is made out of. In this case, the first item on the list is salt. Out of all the things your ranch dressing could be made out of, salt tops the list. The second ingredient is monosodium glutamate, which we all probably known better as MSG. I won’t continue down the list, but I will tell you that there is not one thing that I would use in my own kitchen, that I find easy to pronounce, or that belongs in a human body.
Yes, there are lots of homemade ranch recipes all over the web, and some of them are pretty good, but I haven’t found one yet that does it for me like the salty, MSG-laden packets.
This green goddess recipe, though, I would take hands down over ranch any day of the week! It has so much amazing flavor from the fresh basil and so much creaminess from the avocado. I have eaten this in salads, mixed with quinoa, with a spoon from the jar, you get the idea. And it is so simple to throw together in about a minute. I like to use my small Magic Bullet blender for this, it’s the perfect size for this recipe!
You be the judge. Whip up a batch and try it for yourself, then come tell me what you think! I hope you love it as much as we do.
- ½ medium avocado
- ¾ cup milk (can use dairy-free milk if needed)
- ½ cup roughly chopped basil leaves
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor, and serve.
The dressing looks so delicious, Emily! Cannot wait to try it myself! 🙂
Thank you! I would love to hear what you think of it!