Avocado Chili Lime, Buttermilk Ranch

I love ranch dressing…it is by far my favorite food group. Fruit & Veggies, Grains, Dairy, Proteins, Sugars and Ranch! It is one of those foods I would ‘swim’ in if I could.

Today, I decided to add a little flair to my basic ranch recipe & at the same time remove all processed ingredients. What I ended up with is a ranch dressing that’s ultra creamy, smooth & full of fresh herbiness with a kick of heat.

There are several key ingredients ((& several missing ingredients)) which make this ranch dressing successful:

• a bundle of garden-fresh herbs…I love fresh dill, chives & parsley, they are perfect ranch herbs!

• one small avocado is the perfect substitute for mayo…it perfectly emulsifies the dressing, adds a bit of thickness and the all important creaminess every great ranch dressing NEEDs.

• Hatch medium green chili powder gives the ranch an amazing heat and subtle chili flavor that is sure to wake up every salad and veggie.

• Lime is the perfect companion to the avocado and chili powder.

• This recipe contains no MSG, I think I heard ((like a million times)), MSG is bad for you & I am trying not to eat stuff that is BAD for me…aren’t we all??

There are also a few specific seasonings that round out the flavors.

Applewood smoked sea salt is a great pantry staple. It adds a subtle smokiness that pares well with the heat of the Hatch chili powder.

Chili Lime finishing salt is not mandatory (its presence can be duplicated by adding additional lime juice and chili powder) but I love this salt so much I look for new ways to incorporate it into my foods.

Everyday seasoning fills in all of the remaining flavor gaps, a good steakhouse seasoning grinder it a good substitute for Trader Joe’s everyday seasoning if you need a sub.

I dipped carrots sticks into this ranch & with every bite I took, I felt like I was being reminded of something I had eaten before. Finally it hit me, there are two dipping sauces that come with the meat samosas from Misal. This dressing tastes like the blend of these 2 sauces. I.am.in.love. oh and I want 8 meat samosas NOW!!