Ranch Dip Mix

Are your Summers full of get togethers and potlucks? We have somewhat less "big" parties as the years have gone on, but inevitably four or five times a month family will drop by for a barbecue and a beer. Knowing that a relatively steady stream of guests will arrive over the three months of school break means we stock up - not only on burger-making supplies and condiments, but snack foods as well. The "kids" (all of us almost - if not completely - fully grown now) are partial to plain old tortilla chips and the veggie tray, while the grown-ups seem to favour the flavoured chips (both tortilla and potato) and pretzel rods.

What generally brings the two "clans" together is their love of dipping material. I always feel like my sister and I are anomalies, since we're not huge "dippers" and at any rate we stick to tomato-based or hummus-y type ones, avoiding the creamy ranch or French onion varieties that everybody else seems to go crazy for. Normally, we buy the ranch-style or French onion dips already made, in their tubs at the grocery store, since they're convenient and saves us buying soup mixes with an insane amount of salt. Occasionally, we'll luck out and the deli counter will have "store made" dips, but it's few and far between. When coming up with ideas for my Home Ec class to make for Father's Day, I came across a spice mix for ranch dip and dressing that was easy, easily scaled and could be made in the jar it was presented in. The kids got to taste a batch (of course) and gave it the "thumbs up" when we used the mayonnaise / buttermilk combination, but some found it too tart with all yogurt. My family, though, appreciated the extra tang of the Greek yogurt option and really liked that it cut down on the calories and fat! (P.S. - if you want to pay homage to this week's #SundaySupper theme of bacon, a tablespoon of (gluten free) bacon crumbles or imitation bacon bits (McCormick is safe for gluten-free vegetarians!) wouldn't hurt matters!

Shared with Gluten Free Fridays

Ranch Dip Mix
Makes enough to make 1 cup dip, 8 (2 tbsp) servings
2 tbsp celery seed
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp dried onion
¾ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp Parmesan
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp coarse-ground black pepper 

1. Whisk all the ingredients together in a 1 1/2- or 2-cup jar. Store in a cool, dry place up to 6 months.

To prepare:

1. Add ¾ cup mayonnaise and ¼ cup buttermilk to the jar and shake to combine. Alternatively, use 1 cup plain Greek yogurt. 
2. For ranch dressing, use 1/2 cup buttermilk and 1/2 cup mayonnaise.

Amount Per Serving (dry mix only)
Calories: 12.2
Total Fat: 0.6 g
Cholesterol: 0.5 mg
Sodium: 87.7 mg
Total Carbs: 1.4 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.3 g
Protein: 0.6 g