Substitute for mayo in dressings

redkitty · September 18, 2014, 11:01:22 AM

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 · September 18, 2014, 11:29:02 AM

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

redkitty · September 18, 2014, 12:26:59 PM

That sounds good.

ihop · September 22, 2014, 03:52:18 PM

Quote from: caribougrrl on September 18, 2014, 11:29:02 AM
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 · September 22, 2014, 05:48:02 PM

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

redkitty · September 24, 2014, 08:26:51 PM

Quote from: nadra24 on September 22, 2014, 05:48:02 PM
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 · September 25, 2014, 12:13:39 AM

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 · September 25, 2014, 11:28:09 AM

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 · September 26, 2014, 12:50:48 PM

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 · September 26, 2014, 01:42:51 PM

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 · September 26, 2014, 02:11:04 PM

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 · September 26, 2014, 02:58:04 PM

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 · September 26, 2014, 03:04:40 PM

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 · September 26, 2014, 03:23:12 PM

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

nadra24 · September 26, 2014, 09:22:43 PM

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 · September 28, 2014, 09:17:22 PM

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 · September 29, 2014, 12:44:30 PM

Quote from: nadra24 on September 26, 2014, 09:22:43 PM
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.