AIP Ranch Dressing and Dip

Ranch is one of those foods nobody thinks about until it's gone, and then a salad without something creamy to dress it starts feeling like a chore instead of a meal. Reading labels for a dressing that doesn't have seed oil, dairy, or a paragraph of preservatives in it gets old fast. Making your own, once, and keeping it in the refrigerator all week, is one less label you have to read on a hard day.

Parsley is doing more here than color; vitamin K shows up in a real amount, tied to how your body manages calcium and to the health of your blood vessels, and the flavonoids in dill, plant compounds studied for mild antioxidant activity, come along for the ride too. That's a small bonus riding along with a familiar flavor, nothing more and nothing less.

Set aside 10 minutes on a Sunday to shake this together, then keep the jar at eye level in the refrigerator. Once it's made, a salad only needs one more ingredient to be finished, all week long, instead of one more decision from scratch.

Ingredients

• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons raw apple cider vinegar
• 3 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• Black pepper: omitted for AIP elimination phase (add back only after reintroduction evaluation)

Method

1. Pour the coconut milk into a bowl or jar. Add the apple cider vinegar and whisk together. The vinegar will slightly thicken the coconut milk and that is what you want.
2. Add the onion powder, garlic powder, and sea salt. Whisk until fully incorporated.
3. Add the chopped parsley and dill and stir to combine. For a smoother texture, blend everything in a small blender or with an immersion blender.
4. Taste and adjust salt or vinegar to your preference.
5. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. The dressing thickens noticeably as it chills.
6. Stir before using. Serve as a salad dressing or as a dip for raw vegetables. Store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

*Adapted from Wendi's AIP Kitchen*