Vegan, Gluten-Free Ranch Dressing

To kick the Canada Day long weekend off with a bang our supervisors organized a staff potluck lunch, which is fairly rare, decently yummy (and surprisingly vegetarian) and a wonderful time suck. One of the receptionists brought in this jewel, and there I was leaping around, tweeting about it, text messaging other foodie friends, and everyone must have thought I was out of my mind to get so excited about a salad dressing they probably wouldn't even try given the regular options still available to them. I made such a fuss she let me keep what was left of it.

If they only understood how much I miss the simple pleasure of my old favorite salad dressing my actions wouldn't seem so strange. When I was growing up it wasn't unusual for us to buy ranch dressing in bulk, and my parents used to joke that not only did I use it on everything I ate but also as a facial scrub and shampoo (which I didn't actually do, just for the record).

After the initial excitement wore off, I was worried I had set myself up for a let down. A lot of these products promise wonderful things! Being vegan and gluten-free and healthy, which are all good things, however, anyone who is forced for whatever reason to try similar products will know that they often compromise on taste. It's just not how you remember. I am pleased to say that it actually tastes a whole lot like ranch! Texturally it is a little bit thin, but the taste is spot on, and like all other ranch dressings it goes especially well on raw cauliflower (to me that it is the true litmus test). The only other salad dressing I buy now is the no-name zero fat Italian dressing, and it is only for when I make a large batch of my signature bean salad, otherwise my husbands makes it from scratch (his salad dressings are very, very good by the way, just so everyone knows, and he makes them vegan for me, bless him). What I like about this one is that it's made with agave nectar, so on top of being low/no fat there is also only 1g of sugar per 30ml. There is a decent amount of salt, but it's not unreasonable. The Organicville line of products (I believe there are a handful of other flavors) are available locally at Longos. Unfortunately, products sold there tend to be on the pricey side, so don't be surprised to pay between four and five dollars for a bottle. Even so, I am already excited to try their other flavors. It would be nice to make a legitimate Caesar salad again. I am also excited to try and make a vegan version of my old cream cheese vegetable dip, using this dressing and Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese. Wish me luck! If it works, you know the recipe will end up here anyway.

Ingredients: Filtered water, expeller pressed organic soybean oil, organic soy milk (organic soybeans), organic agave nectar, salt, organic brown rice syrup, organic apple cider vinegar, organic soy protein, organic white vinegar, organic garlic powder, organic onion powder, organic mustard flour, concentrated organic lemon juice, organic parsley flakes, organic black pepper, xanthan gum.