Creamy Basil Ranch Dressing
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Yesterday I enjoyed a nice boat ride around Lake Michigan and almost lost my dinner! Here are a few pictures of our evening.
Lately I have been enjoying a variety of salads using spinach, romaine, kale and other greens. I usually have a standard dressing I tend to usee all the time, but this past week I decided to make something completely different.
Before going vegan I occasionally liked trying bleu cheese or ranch dressing on my salad just because I wanted something different. I also enjoyed it at specific restaurants where they prepared it in house. My normal salad dressing consists of 3-5 ingredients: balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. It usually does the trick and a nice big salad is consumed with no complaints.
My creamy dressing needed to be healthy and I knew immediately I was not going to use Veganaise or Tofutti sour cream. I found 1/4 cup of tofu in the fridge and started with my experiment. A normal ranch can consist of a variety of herbs but I wanted to focus on basil since my potted basil had been doing well.
Ingredients were placed in a bowl and blended quickly with an immersion blender. Ryan likes Ranch but I somehow don't like purchasing pre-made dressings when I can very well make it at home.
I added my basil ranch to our dinner salads and Ryan gave it a 2 thumbs up! Success. Now I can add a new dressing for future salads.
Creamy Basil Ranch Dressing
makes 1/2 cup
1/4 cup firm tofu
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves
2 Tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon white ground pepper
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt or Herbamare
Place all ingredients in a bowl and using an immersion blender, blend well. Use a blender if you do not have an immersion blender.
What dressings to you like making at home? Are there specific ones you purchase at your local health store?
August 10th is the last day to enter to win a jar of Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil from Eclectic Recipes! Check it out!
10 comments:
this looks great. I can't eat regular ranch because of all the cream. This is a great alternative!
Yum! I love basil and creamy dressings so this is right up my alley. Thanks for posting. Salad looks wonderful too. :)
I have only used basil in pesto, a dressing is a lovely idea :)
Looks great! And what a lovely evening on the boat!
Wow looks great and so flavorful! I like to make my own dressing too. The most complicated is my American French dressing, but worth it over store bought.
@Evan-My hubs likes Ranch and he thought this was a great alternative. Thanks!
@HiHoRosie-VEry creamy! Thanks!
@Sana-Yes, basil is lovely in pesto. I wanted to try something different.
@Tasha-It was great weather!
@Spicie- I bet that American French is good!
This looks wonderful! I just picked a bunch of basil yesterday so this is perfect. I usually make a vegan ranch and something a tahini dressing, but this will be a great change. Thanks!
Love the flavor of basil. this dressing sounds interesting and inviting. Nice recipe.
The pictures of your boat ride are awesome! It looks like a great time. Ranch dressing has been on my list of things to make recently, but I never thought of adding basil. Great idea! Yours looks delicious!
Mmmm, looks lovely! I like the taste of raw veggies and have some issues with creamy dressings, so I don't usually use them. However, I do like to shake a little garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and black pepper on my salad along with some apple cider vinegar!
My mom is a bigger fan of dressing and recently discovered a creamy tomato tahini variety at our local co-op. I think she'd like this recipe! Also looks like it would make a great dip. :)
Post a Comment