I make my own buttermilk out of extra-rich milk. This way I have an even better ratio of fat to carbs. I don't make my own yogurt, though, because I have found a really great whole milk organic yogurt at my local natural foods co-op. And I could make my own mayonnaise, but I love Best Foods Real Mayonnaise too much.
So here goes:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp granulated onion
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup whole milk yogurt
1 cup extra-rich buttermilk
Mix well and refrigerate. When I make a fresh batch, I usually let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. That way the seasonings have a chance to meld with the milks and mayonnaise.
I actually make a larger batch of dressing mix and store it in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid in the cupboard. Then I use a heaping tablespoon-full for a batch of dressing. So my measurements here are based on the bulk batch of dressing mix. You can multiply by whatever scale you want to make your own dressing mix.
[If you are not familiar with them, granulated garlic and onion are like very fine dried minced onion and garlic, I think. I just like them lots better than the powder versions.]
Figured on a 1/4 cup serving (2 tablespoons is way too little of this wonderful, rich dressing) has:
protein: 1.62 g
fat: 15.97 g
carbs: 2.64 (no fibre, sorry)
The one thing I have been missing terribly since I started TSP was Ranch Dressing. The recipes I found on SOAR for Ranch Dressing mix all had monosodium glutamate (Accent) in them. I don't use that. And I find that it is totally not necessary.
If you want to know how to make the buttermilk, here goes. It's really easy.
Get yourself a quart or half-gallon of extra-rich milk. Also get a small (half-pint if you can find it) carton of buttermilk for a starter. Have one or two "sterilized," quart-sized, glass mason jars with plastic lids available (the lids from mayonnaise containers are now plastic and work well, so do the jars for that matter).
Pour the milk in a saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon of the store-bought buttermilk for each cup of milk (i.e for one quart, add 4 tablespoons). You don't have to be exact.
Heat the milk over medium low heat just until the chill is out. Between 90 and 100 degrees works. Don't go over 100 degrees or you'll kill the cultures.
Pour the milk into the jar(s), cover lightly with waxed paper or a cloth and place them in a warm area of your kitchen. I have a non-electric yogurt maker that is really helpful because the 1-quart jar goes into an insulated container that keeps the temperature nice and steady.
Let the milk sit for 12 to 20 hours. When it is ready, the top will be thick and it will smell and taste like buttermilk, of course.
Put the lid(s) on and seal tightly. Shake to mix the thickened milk with the portion that is not so thick (it's thicker at the top).
This stuff will last for at least a month if not lots longer. For your next batch, you can use the last of the previous batch as your starter.
BTW: Sharon, thanks for starting this thread. It's cool and I'm going to have to try some of these recipes.
Enjoy,
;-Deb