This cottage cheese ranch is on-trend and delicious, too
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Rather than dive headfirst into a hot trend, I’m more likely to turn away from it (probably with an eye-roll). Case in point, being inundated with bright Barbie pink lately has me defiantly wearing soft neutrals.
The current cottage cheese hype strikes me differently though. If you haven’t noticed, cottage cheese has been going viral online, finally getting the spotlight for its creamy, high-protein goodness and convenience.
I’m all-in on celebrating this ingredient, which I have never stopped loving, even though it was long dismissed as dowdy diet food. I’m glad it’s finally feeling fresh and modern. One cottage cheese recipe video I was compelled to try is a popular, two-ingredient ranch dressing, which involves blending a tub of cottage cheese with a packet of powdered ranch dressing mix. It turned out okay, a bit grainy and flat tasting, but it had potential. I thought it could be easily improved, so I got to work.
First, to combat that graininess and add a dimension of richness, I threw in a little mayonnaise, which made all the difference. I also added a squeeze of fresh lemon juice for a burst of brightness. And I ditched the flavor packet in favor of a few simple pantry ingredients. I have no issue with the packed spice mix per se (I sometimes use it on popcorn), but it’s easy to get the flavors using a few common, versatile pantry ingredients: granulated garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper.
A handful of fresh chopped herbs — chives, parsley or a blend of the two — added an unmistakable freshness. Dill would also be nice here, and if need be, you could substitute a tablespoon or two of dried herbs. Puréeing it all in the food processor (or blender, if you prefer) with a little water to loosen it to a pourable consistency, delivers the creamy, ranch-y, protein-rich dressing I had hoped for.
Use it like you use any ranch…
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