Substitute for mayo in dressings

[redkitty]

Well, dressing might be a misnomer.  I have a friend bringing over pizza next week, she said I get to supply the salad. I have this yummy sounding BLT chicken salad..but you toss the lettuce in mayo...essentially that is it...it isn't really a dressing.  I don't like mayo.  What is a good substitute?  I was thinking of making a ranch dressing with part mayo and part greek yogurt (this I have done before and like.)  I do not like plain greek yogurt on its own...ick.  Any other suggestions?  I will probably do a test run this weekend so it isn't crap.  Worse comes to worse, I will have two salads...this BLT one and a plain one without dressing where she can add whatever ingredients she wants to it (or whatever ingredients I have at the house.) 

[caribougrrl]

you could make a simple buttermilk dressing: buttermilk, lemon juice, a bit of olive oil, a touch of sugar, a touch of salt

[redkitty]

That sounds good. 

[ihop]

you could make a simple buttermilk dressing: buttermilk, lemon juice, a bit of olive oil, a touch of sugar, a touch of salt

Yum

[nadra24]

I'd just do ranch, or whatever creamy salad dressing you like.  But 'bou's sounds good too.

[redkitty]

I'd just do ranch, or whatever creamy salad dressing you like.  But 'bou's sounds good too.

I was going to do a ranch dressing with some greek yogurt and half mayo.  Yea, I didn't have the proper ingredients. I thought I did, but didn't.  so i just used store bought ranch (which I did have) and did NOT toss the salad in it.  Which turned out to be good bcz my friend picked the italian dressing.

[radial]

Yeah, I was going to suggest that you just forego the creamy dressing and go with a vinaigrette.  Tastes great and much better for you. 

[srsly]

I have subbed pesto, hummus, cream cheese, dijon mustard, aioli (which is basically mayo, as in egg yolks and olive oil, with garlic) for sandwiches.

[nadra24]

This thread reminds me, does anyone have a good recipe for homemade buttermilk ranch dressing?  I have the buttermilk and the mayo, but I'm wanting to avoid the chemically stuff in the seasoning packet.  What seasonings are in ranch dressing?

[redkitty]

If I remember, I will post some when I get home. I just googled a whole bunch the other day.

But typically the seasonings include, garlic, salt, pepper, chives and sometimes dill (I leave the dill out bcz I don't like dill.)  The one I found the other day taht looks really good also had some mustard in it.  (and I don't tend to like mustard, but it seemed like it would blend well with the rest of teh ingredients.)

[Run Amok]

You can make a supper yummy ranch dressing with dried herbs & spices. This is one of the rare times I actually think using dried makes sense. You do have to let it sit to let everything "bloom" a bit and taste for seasoning. You probably need way more than you think.

I usually use greek yogurt as a base-- and that works well because you can pretty much eat it by the spoonful without too much concern.

I like to mix in (dried or fresh):
garlic
onion
dill
lemon zest or a bit of lemon juice
cayenne
green onion or chives
salt & pepper to taste (add a bit more salt than you think you need-- trust me!)

if you want to use buttermilk you probably need to go with a mayo base. So start with mayo and use the buttermilk to thin to the desired consistency. Maybe skip the lemon as buttermilk will give you the tang.

[nadra24]

Thanks, RA.  I like my ranch dressing thin, so I'm going to use buttermilk and mayo.  I need to pick up some dried chives, but I've got everything else in my pantry.  Mixing spices in with greek yogurt is a great idea for a veggie dip, though.  I've been looking for a good savory snack for the WLC and that will fit the bill, especially since I've cut out cheese and need to get more calcium some other way.

[Run Amok]

You can totally skip the green onion or chive and just go with dill. It will still be very tasty! I use it mostly as dip, myself.

[Kumbaya]

I think ranch made from the packet / mix is the best.

[nadra24]

I agree with you Barry, but I'm trying to recreate that without the additives and stuff. I will return and report when I make it.

[redkitty]

Last time I made ranch dressing I used half greek yogurt, half mayo. Made it healthier than just mayo and tastier than just greek yogurt.  I am not a fan of dill, so used chives. It was very good.  I know I used buttermilk.  I can't remember the exact recipe, though. It was not a super thin consistency, though.  I would say about the consistency of Hidden valley ranch in the bottle..maybe a smidge thinner. I did not use lemon juice, either.

[Run Amok]

I agree with you Barry, but I'm trying to recreate that without the additives and stuff. I will return and report when I make it.

So, hidden valley has msg in it (no wonder it's so tasty!) but there is a brand that I think is pretty good and does not have the msg. Of course, then I started making my own, which I actually prefer. But, YMMV of course.