Darlings, let me start this post by saying that avocados are a lifestyle. You either espouse the gloriousness that is all things avocado fully and find ways to put avocado in many things, or you just don’t understand. There really is no in between.
In our home, we are clearly avocado lovers. Being Floridian by upbringing, everyone had an avocado tree or friend who did, and avocados were regular additions to salads, sandwiches, seafood dishes, or eaten with a spoon, straight out of the skin. We lost our way slightly during our time in Georgia and avocados were mainly for guacamole and the occasional salad, but they weren’t a staple. Thankfully, our time in California returned us to our roots sort of. The larger Florida avocados take a distant second to the creamy, smaller Hass variety. It is safe to say we now purchase avocados in bulk, at our local warehouse store, and have them on hand almost at all times in case of emergency.
So you’d think that when Roxanne at The Honeycomb Home chose avocado as this month’s Monthly Ingredient Challenge ingredient, I’d have a zillion ideas! I didn’t. I already have https://goodiegodmother.com/avocado-whipped-cream-stacks/ for a fancy-schmancy (but crazy easy) dish, and I throw avocado in sandwiches and wraps all the time, but I wanted something different, and then I remembered… avocado dressing has been on my list for ages! And since we used to live not too far from the original Hidden Valley where ranch dressing was supposedly created, why not an avocado ranch? Heck. Yes.
Three easy steps, no packaged envelopes, and you have a lovely tangy ranch dressing with a little extra creaminess thanks to the avocado! We used it as a dip for vegetables, on green salad, pasta salad, and even on a sandwich. I hope you enjoy as much as we did!
Be sure to scroll past the recipe to check out the other great avocado posts this month.
Previous month challenges include: Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake (peanut butter), Bacon Ice Cream (bacon), Preserved Lemons (lemon), Tom Kha Gai soup (coconut), and Lox and Bagels (cream cheese).
Avocado Ranch Dressing
Make your own avocado ranch dip from scratch with fresh herbs from the garden!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 c buttermilk
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 ripe Hass avocado
- 3 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped chives
- 1/2 tsp dry dill
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- 3 tbsp white vinegar or fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 3/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Cut the avocado in half, pull out the seed and scoop the fruit into a bowl with the vinegar or lemon juice and mash until very fine.
- Place the avocado and all the other ingredients into a large mason jar and cover with a lid. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
- Refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour, check the seasonings, adjust as desired. Store in the refrigerator up to one week.
Erin
Friday 28th of August 2015
This looks like a delicious dip! We are huge avocado fans, so this would be perfect for us! Yum!