As Shani and I were transitioning off of the Clean Program diet this year, one of the meals we were anxious to re-introduce into our lives was my Gluten Free BBQ Chicken Salad.  If you take a look at the recipe, you’ll notice that it calls for some Ranch dressing.  Typically  I’ll use the reduced fat version from Trader Joe’s, but this time around I was very cognizant of the ingredients involved and really wanted something simple for our bodies to process.   I also wanted something that would be tasty and not chock full of fat.  Looking around for recipes, I saw a lot of people calling for buttermilk which is a no no for me! (Lactose issues, although most cheese and sour cream don’t give me problems unless I over indulge!) As I understand it, if you’re from the south, the buttermilk is non-negotiable.  Lucky for me I live in Southern California where I have a chance of being forgiven for excluding the buttermilk!

So here’s what I used.  I had a mix between fresh and dried herbs, and did a lot of tasting to get the right Ranch flavor.  These measurements are approximations, your results may vary!

Ingredients – Only 6!

• 1 cup Trader Joe’s Reduced Fat Mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Trader Joe’s Simply Fat-Free Sour Cream
• 1/2 teaspoon chives
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon Johnny’s

Whisk it all together and chill. I found this to taste very fresh and it was excellent on the salad.  I’m going to make up a new batch to dip some french fries in this week – I can’t always eat healthy! This is a real money saver as well, using ingredients you probably have on hand already.

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Have you made your own dressings?  Share your best with us!

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