My husband had found gluten & dairy free sour cream at the grocery store earlier in the week for another recipe so I figured I’d start with that. I used about 1/3 c sour cream, poured in ½ ranch packet, and mixed in a tiny bit of almond milk at a time until I was happy with the thickness. I used a whisk to make sure it was all mixed up properly.
Great, right?? I took a little taste and I was happy. I’m not going to lie to you & tell you it’s as amazing as Hidden Valley ranch is because it’s not. It’ll do though!
The following day I brought it to work with me in my little dressing container. I sat outside and enjoyed my salad with homemade ranch. A few hours later my stomach starting killing me. Hm, that’s weird I thought. Maybe my stomach just is still irritated - My GI did tell me to watch how many raw, fibrous vegetables I eat. So I went on with my day and did my best to not think about it.
That night I was in pain all night. Not too severe, but I had no appetite and I knew something was going on.
The next morning I woke up and my allergies were horrible - my throat was scratchy, my sinuses a mess. Headache. I wanted to sleep all day. Not only were my allergies horrible but my stomach felt as thought it was going to explode again. Oh no, what did I eat? I looked back through my food log - I log everything I put into my body (for times like these). The ranch. That was the ONLY thing that I wasn’t 100% sure about. WHY DIDNT I CHECK THE INGREDIENTS ON THE RANCH PACKET?????? Shoot!!!!! I immediately googled it. BUTTERMILK. Oh no. Of course I get so mad at myself right away. How could I be so stupid to not check the ingredients on something that I wasn’t 100% sure I could have??? I just thought that the dairy part of the hidden valley ranch was the dairy added to the packet! So, I prepared for three days of pain. I drank some pepto and then went to Giant and bought aloe drinks, lactaid (idk if this is going to help - I’ve never tried it before and honestly I don’t know if it’s a lactose problem), gas-x, and a digestive health tea. Game on. Live & learn, right?
The one thing that frustrates me the most is that I have a homemade ranch packet that I make ALL of the time. WHY didn’t I just make that?!?!?!
Homemade Ranch Dressing - Gluten & Dairy Free
- 2 Tbsp. dried parsley
- 1 ½ tsp. dried dill weed
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. onion powder
- 2 tsp. dried onion flakes
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. dried chives
- 1 tsp. salt
Mix the above ingredients together and store in an airtight container. Mix these ingredients with dairy free sour cream & almond milk (only add a bit at a time until you are happy with the thickness).
Next time I try this I’m going to try a plain dairy free yogurt. I’m wondering if that will be better than the dairy free sour cream?
