Self-Reliance Tip of the Week - Rockin' the Homemade Ranch Dressing!

Nothin' really says "American Cooking" like Ranch Dressing. Hidden Valley Ranch made the most serene commercials of beautiful green farms and freshness. The only problem is, when you pick up a bottle of Hidden Valley Ranch, there are a few ingredients you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy if you knew how they affected your body. Here's a few to consider: 

• MSG (causes headaches, weight gain, skin rashes, nausea, heart irregularities, and even seizures in sensitive individuals)
• Disodium EDTA ( a purin - robs your body of Vit C and important minerals)
• Disodium Guanylate (also a purin flavor enhancer) 
• Disodium Inosinate (also a purin flavor enhancer)
• Other artificial ingredients and preservatives

Purines also complicate problems for people with gout (ouchie) and kidney stones (double ouchie). 

Bummer - but it tastes sooo good! I have a friend who lived for a time in China and they put MSG on EVERYTHING!! She had consumed so much MSG that she started to loose her hair. She had to have hair extensions for several years because her hair was so thin. After years of avoiding it and trying to cleanse her body, her hair began to grow back. 

So lets take a second and look at a Ranch Dressing Mix that you can make at home without all the junk mentioned above. It is food storage friendly and loaded with such amazing ingredients, you'll never look back! I found this website and I love it. I have purchased a few of her cook books. They are inexpensive and have great ideas. I got the original idea for the ranch dressing from this site: http://www.simplehealthytasty.com/

I played with her Ranch Dressing Mix recipe and made a few changes. I cut the dill in half because it was just a little too strong for my liking. But, everything else worked great. Here is the bulk mix with my changes: 

Dry Ranch Dressing Mix

• 1/4 cup basil (fights bacteria, reduces stress, detoxes liver)
• 1/2 cup dill (is helpful with insomnia)
• 1 cup parsley (reduces kidney inflammation, strengthens liver and spleen, a pint of tea daily can help remove gall stones)
• 1/2 Tablespoon garlic granules (anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-Nephi-Lehi...the list goes on...)
• 1/4 cup onion powder (contains necessary minerals and vitamins)
• 1 Tablespoon Real Salt 
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Mix everything together and mash with your hands. Put (or vacuum seal in a jar - wink wink) ingredients in air tight container. Use 2 table spoons per batch of dressing. 

http://www.simplehealthytasty.com/2012/08/ranch-dressing-mix.html

Now, all you need are a few more ingredients to make a dip or dressing: 

• 1 C Mayo
• 1 C Sour cream
• 3T apple cider vinegar
• Milk (rice worked just fine for me) to the consistency you want

Mix well and add dry Ranch Dressing Mix. Add more milk if you want. 

http://www.simplehealthytasty.com/2008/06/just-like-mom-homemade-ranch-dressing.html

If you want to make it vegetarian, simply substitute the mayo for Vegenaise and the sour cream with  

Sunflower Seed Sour Cream:

• 1 cup raw (not roasted) sunflower seeds
• 1 cup water
• 4+ Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove pressed or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Place ingredients in a blender and blend. Done (will thicken in the fridge). 

We can treat our bodies a little better than we do. Even though it is easy to be fooled by distracting commercials that couldn't be further from nature - our tongues as well as the rest of our body need not argue. We know the real deal when we taste it. Our bodies know the real deal when it is digested. I think it is time to rethink what All American Food means to us. The Dry Ranch Dressing Mix also works great for Ranch Potatoes and Taco Soup. These are great food storage meals that are easy!!

Sources for adverse effects of additives in foods: 

http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/diet-tips/7-ingredients-are-robbing-you-nutrients/slide/4 

http://saveourbones.com/12-dangerous-ingredients/