{"id":6884,"date":"2020-12-26T11:11:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-26T17:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/?p=6884"},"modified":"2021-02-06T14:07:15","modified_gmt":"2021-02-06T20:07:15","slug":"make-ranch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2020\/12\/make-ranch\/","title":{"rendered":"Don&#8217;t Buy the Ranch, Make It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>To start with, oils are 14 grams of fat per Tablespoon, a standard amount, and that&#8217;s the same for any of them, olive, avocado, coconut, soybean. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Conventional vinaigrettes are 2\/3 oil and 1\/3 acid, not counting salt and other flavorings. Even before I started eating really healthy, that seemed like too much oil. Mayonnaise, and most of its variants, has 9-11 grams oil per Tablespoon serving, surely not a coincidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fat is one of the three big nutrients for us humans \u2014 carbohydrate and protein being the others \u2014 with 2 Tablespoons of pure oil (6 teaspoons) a day hitting <a href=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/publications\/4393e\/\">the max<\/a>. Even for vegans, how much dressing are you adding to your &#8220;healthy&#8221; salad?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Generally, &#8220;healthy&#8221; dressings from the store are problematic. (For me, they&#8217;re too sweet, when standard lettuce salads are savory.) I have a <a href=\"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2019\/06\/lettuce-rejoice\/\">couple of Bricks<\/a> with <a href=\"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2020\/01\/dress-up\/\">other dressing recipes<\/a>, but they&#8217;re clear vinaigrettes (or citrus), and My Beloved loves creamy dressings. Heck, I&#8217;m a sucker for ranch dressing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, mayo is less oil but by no means low fat. Using some mayo with other liquids does cut it further. Herewith, then, is a dry seasoning blend that might last a few months. Shake its jar a little to reblend then add some to a little vegan mayo. That makes ranch dip. Add a little acid and thin cautiously with water to make a creamy salad dressing. Or skip the white stuff and add to vinegar\/citrus and water and be totally fat-free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>2-4 Tablespoons <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nutritional_yeast\">nutritional yeast<\/a> flakes<\/li><li>1 Tablespoon dried parsley OR dried cilantro<\/li><li>1 Tablespoon dried chives (optional)<\/li><li>2 teaspoons dried chopped or minced onion (not onion powder)<\/li><li>1 teaspoon dried minced garlic or garlic powder<\/li><li>1-3 teaspoons Italian herb blend OR choice of of dried basic, oregano, thyme etc.<\/li><li>1 teaspoon dried dill leaves<\/li><li>1 teaspoon celery seed (optional)<\/li><li>1\/2 teaspoon ground black pepper<\/li><li>1\/2 teaspoon salt OR 1 teaspoon seasoned salt (optional to keep salt free; folks can add salt at the table)<\/li><li>Vegan mayonnaise (optional)<\/li><li>White wine, cider or rice vinegar (optional)<\/li><li>Lemon or lime juice (optional)<\/li><li>Water<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Add all dry ingredients to a small (4-8 oz.) lidded jar, Shake to mix and shake again before using. Store lidded at room temperate with your other spices.<\/li><li>To constitute, add 1 rounded Tablespoon of mix to another small lidded jar. For about a half cup of salad dressing, add to jar 4 Tablespoons vegan mayo, 1 Tablespoon vinegar OR citrus juice, and 1 Tablespoon water. Lid and shake very well. In small amounts, add more mayo to thicken or more water to thin. Add more juice \/ vinegar for more savoriness.<\/li><li>Wait at least a half hour to rehydrate the savories. Store prepared dressing refrigerated, covered, for a couple of weeks.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Notes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Don&#8217;t sweat not having all the herbs etc. This tastes great with most of the ingredients, even the non-optional ones. And if you have a favor not listed \u2014 tarragon anyone? \u2014 add it.<\/li><li>If that special spice of yours is paprika, turmeric or another bright colored flavoring, your white dressing won&#8217;t be. Balsamic or red wine vinegar will darken a white dressing as well.<\/li><li>Dried rosemary is not recommended unless chopped finely or ground because those needles never soften.<\/li><li>How far do the dry mix or the reconstituted dressings go? A few weeks&#8217; worth is a reasonable guess. Lots of variables.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Adapted from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.veganricha.com\/recipe-pages\/dry-ranch-mix-recipe\/\">Dry Ranch Mix Recipe<\/a> of Vegan Richa and from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.plantpurenation.com\/blogs\/recipes\/ranch-seasoning-blend\">Ranch Seasoning Blend<\/a> of PlantPure Nation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To start with, oils are 14 grams of fat per Tablespoon, a standard amount, and that&#8217;s the same for any of them, olive, avocado, coconut, soybean. Conventional vinaigrettes are 2\/3 oil and 1\/3 acid, not counting salt and other flavorings. Even before I started eating really healthy, that seemed like too much oil. Mayonnaise, and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6883,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-condiments"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/salad-bowl-openclipart.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":382,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2007\/12\/the-4-gram-coat\/","url_meta":{"origin":6884,"position":0},"title":"The 4 Gram Coat","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"December 17, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Copyright 2007 Ben S. Pollock It's overeating season, followed by Resolve Month beginning on New Year's Day. I eat healthier than some but know I fall short. Dr. Arthur Agatston emphasizes whole carbs and not too many of them, especially the simple or sweet ones, and his South Beach Diet\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Kook Cooks&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Kook Cooks","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/kook-cooks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7163,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2021\/10\/waffles\/","url_meta":{"origin":6884,"position":1},"title":"Just Enough Waffles","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"October 24, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Though My Beloved and I love waffles, until this recipe I dreaded making them. The reason was quantity. Easily warmed in the toaster straight from the freezer, they're the perfect leftover. But you're still making one waffle at a time then keeping the ready ones warm in the oven till\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bake&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bake","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/kook-cooks\/bake\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"\"Still Life with Pewter Plates, Stone Jug and Waffles\" by Georg Flegel, early 1600s (public domain, Wikimedia Commons)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Georg-Flegel-Still-Life-with-Pewter-Plates-Stone-Jug-and-Waffles.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Georg-Flegel-Still-Life-with-Pewter-Plates-Stone-Jug-and-Waffles.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Georg-Flegel-Still-Life-with-Pewter-Plates-Stone-Jug-and-Waffles.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Georg-Flegel-Still-Life-with-Pewter-Plates-Stone-Jug-and-Waffles.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Georg-Flegel-Still-Life-with-Pewter-Plates-Stone-Jug-and-Waffles.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Georg-Flegel-Still-Life-with-Pewter-Plates-Stone-Jug-and-Waffles.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6361,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2019\/06\/lettuce-rejoice\/","url_meta":{"origin":6884,"position":2},"title":"Lettuce Rejoice","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"June 2, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Source: National Cancer Institute's 5 A Day Resources It's getting harder to find a satisfying bottled salad dressing, for the convenience. They seem sweeter now, at least the lower fat varieties. Speaking of oil, there's a way to cut that in half: toss your salad with a hand not utensils\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Condiments&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Condiments","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/kook-cooks\/condiments\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Plate of lettuce salad","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/5aday_salad.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/5aday_salad.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/5aday_salad.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/5aday_salad.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4527,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2013\/10\/pan-of-vegan-sausage\/","url_meta":{"origin":6884,"position":3},"title":"Pan of Vegan Sausage","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"October 13, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The Web didn't give me exactly what I wanted: A recipe for a quick, from-scratch skillet full of vegan sausage patties. Fat free. Cheap. Pantry ingredients. Well, my pantry, at least. The goal was a healthy version of the memory of sausage, mild and from the supermarket. While these brown,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Main Courses&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Main Courses","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/kook-cooks\/entrees\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4604,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2013\/10\/hummus-remember-this\/","url_meta":{"origin":6884,"position":4},"title":"Hummus Remember This","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"October 27, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Hummus is Middle Eastern bean spread. It seems as if every country on the Mediterranean -- if not every household or cafe -- offers a version. This is a basic and quick, low-fat version, far less expensive than store-bought. A common plan is making a batch at the start of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Condiments&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Condiments","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/kook-cooks\/condiments\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7281,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2022\/05\/just-enough-bagels\/","url_meta":{"origin":6884,"position":5},"title":"Just Enough Bagels","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"May 11, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Sourdough, Whole-Wheat, No-Knead Recipe One goal in my first trip to New York City, organized by My Beloved, this past April, was a breakfast with fresh, real bagels. In Ess-a-Bagel, we believed we had merely picked a well-ranked shop in Yelp walkable from our hotel, but a couple of weeks\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bake&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bake","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/kook-cooks\/bake\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Unsold bagels in the trash behind a bagel shop","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Discarded-Bagels-wikimedia-commons.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6884"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6884\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6988,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6884\/revisions\/6988"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}