Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Creamy Cilantro Dressing


This is my favorite salad dressing of all-time. For those of you who live in the Western United States, you may have heard of a small chain-restaurant called "Cafe Rio." They serve the most incredible salad I have ever had in my life. And the dressing? Well I could seriously drink it straight from the cup rather than pour it on my salad. It's that good. I'm not exactly sure where I found this recipe, but it definitely satisfies my cravings when I'm away from Utah for a few months. It is thick and creamy with a fresh cilantro bite that is perfect over any green salad you have in mind. It's quick and easy to throw together and it stores for up to a week in the fridge. It even has this incredible milky-green color that makes for a beautiful presentation. (Picture courtesy of Our Best Bites)

Ingredients:

  • 1 packet traditional Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
  • 1 c. mayonnaise
  • 1 c. buttermilk
  • 2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
  • 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, lightly chopped
  • 1 clove garlic
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1 jalapeno, chopped and seeded (optional)

Pour all ingredients into a blender and mix for about one minute, or until thoroughly blended.

Note: I never actually buy buttermilk from the store so if you don't have it on-hand, simply put 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or white vinegar in a bowl and pour in enough milk to equal 1 cup. Let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes until it begins to get a little chunky on the top and pour into ingredients.

I always find tomatillos in the fresh produce section either by the tomatoes or by the spicy peppers like jalapenos and habaneros.

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