Then one day I discovered Naysoya Vegan Dressings. Creamy Dill, Garden Herb Ranch and Wasabi Ranch were some of my favorites from my days of experimenting. I made dips, sandwiches, and fancy mashed potatoes. There were a few months there when I may have gone a little "Ranch Crazy". I was the most popular gal in town at potlucks and parties. People I knew (vegan or not) with always trying to scam a few bites of my lunches and hinting at ranch dressing dips they wanted me to bring on road trips. Those days are over though; Nasoya doesn't make those babies anymore. Yes, there are other Vegan Ranch dressings on the market, but they never really spoke to me like those Nasoya dressings did around 2002.
When I was flipping through Betty's Salad Dressings, I was drawn to her Ranch dressing. Seemed easy enough to veganize and kind of a novelty; like ordering a drink with a baby umbrella. Something new and different than our usual herby olive oil & balsamic vinaigrettes. I even bought a bag of baby carrots just for the occasion.
It's a little thinner than the store-bought stuff, but it doesn't have the buttermilk and milk fat that solidifies when it gets cold. I don't mind it being a bit thinner, though. This is a pretty good salad dressing- actually pretty great with those carrots. I may even try to make another batch of Ranch mashed potatoes with it this weekend. Who knows... I might even make another batch of Hot Wings...
Ranch Dressing
- 1/2 Cup Veganaise
- 1/4 Cup Vegan Coffee Creamer (plain)
- 1/2 Cup Vegan Sour Cream (you can substitute a ripe avocado for the vegan sour cream - it will make it green though)
- 1 Teaspoon Fresh Parsley (finely chopped)
- 1 1/2 Teaspoon Minced Onion (dried)
- 1 1/2 Teaspoon Braggs
(if you taste it and want more salt, go up to 2 Teaspoons)
- 2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
- 1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- Pinch of Celery Seed
- Pinch of Dill
- Pinch of Black Pepper
In a bowl, mix all the Ingredients with a whisk or hand mixer. Then, put in an airtight container and refrigerate. Shake well before serving.
SPECIAL BONUS! To enjoy with your Ranch Dressing : Videos of dancing Darth Vaders.
You're welcome.
Giving up ranch dressing and cheese are the hardest parts of being a vegan for me--so I will definitely give this one a try! May the force--I mean Ranch--be with you.
ReplyDeletebtw I have a vegetarian column that I would love for you guys to subscribe to! Thanks. http://www.examiner.com/vegetarian-in-portland/it-s-a-berry-good-time-for-picking
I was a total ranch whore in my pregan days. Now I make my own using Tofutti sour cream, some garlic and onion powders, and a little vegan buttermilk (soymilk+vinegar). Also, I love the Organicsville Vegan Ranch. I never tried the Nasoya ones, and in fact, I was looking to do just that a few months ago and was super-sad when I realized they were defunct.
ReplyDeleteI only discovered the gloriousness of Ranch dressing a few months before I went vegan.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sexy Naptime...cheese and ranch dressing has been the hardest part about going vegan.
Luckily, Daiya cheese has made that a lot easier.
I hope that this dressing will be a nice substitute.
Sounds delish! I'm newly vegan and from Oklahoma, so ranch is a big part of our diet here! Can plain soymilk be subbed for the creamer? Is the creamer just thinker? Also, how long would this last in the fridge? Practically forever like regular bottled dressing or only a couple days/weeks? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to let me know what you think of it when you make it. I'd be curious to hear how it compares to ranch with Dairy compared to vegan ranch products.
ReplyDeleteThe Creamer is thicker which is why I used it. You can also use the vegan buttermilk trick Bianca talks about - the soy milk + vinegar. It'll cause your soy dairy products to separate so you have to shake it pretty good before you serve it.
We finished our bottle off in week and it was good. It won't last for ever because there aren't any preservatives, fillers and stabilizers being added. So I wouldn't keep it more than 2 weeks and like I said it will separate even if you don't use the vinegar - so ya know it may look gross after awhile - but it just needs a good shake.
Hope that helps! :)