homemade ranch dip, from scratch!

easy and delicious, with just the right balance of herbs and tangy-ness; this is the perfect consistency for dipping crackers, chips and/or veggies. to use it for salad dressing, either substitute buttermilk for the Greek yogurt, or thin out the dip with a bit of buttermilk or plain almond milk. kids and adults alike love it! don't buy the powdered junk in packets (filled w/preservatives, sweeteners and the like) -- whip it up at home in your blender or food processor.

• 1/2 cup homemade mayo (preferably made with light olive oil, macadamia nut oil or another paleo-approved oil)
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt (or buttermilk, if making salad dressing)
• 1  clove garlic, pressed
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

snip the chives with kitchen scissors, or slice thinly with a knife into small rounds. roughly chop the parsley, then throw all the ingredients into the food processor or blender and process, scraping down the sides as needed.

basic balsamic vinaigrette

our everyday vinaigrette, this is made to my family's taste, mind you -- we tend to like our vinaigrette with a slightly higher proportion of balsamic vinegar than usual. I find the typical 3:1 (oil: vinegar) ratio to be nigh tasteless, but you may end up wanting more olive oil in your finished dressing. make it the way you want it -- it will still be delicious.
this takes less than 5 minutes to whip up in the blender.

• 1 clove garlic, pressed, minced or grated on microplane
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/2-1 teaspoon kosher salt (adjust to your taste -- if you use table salt, start with 1/4 teaspoon and add more to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1-3/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil

preparation couldn't be easier: place all but the oil in the blender and pulse a few times to combine. add all the oil at once and blend for 30 seconds to a minute, until completely combined. decant into a clean bottle.

this amount lasts a family of four about a week... we DO eat a lot of salads.

possible variation: add chopped fresh herbs (parsley, basil, chives, etc.) to taste -- but I prefer to add them to the salad and keep the dressing simple. that way, the herbs stay crisp and fresh and bright green.