Chipotle Ranch Dip

In recent years I have discovered that I am Histamine Intolerant. It is difficult to explain, so I will try to sum it up. If you have ever eaten something and gotten itchy or been bitten by a mosquito, then you have felt the effects of histamines. Histamines in part, cause the symptoms you feel when you have an allergic reaction. Of course these little buggers are in so many things, both environmental and in foods. So I have to be careful what I eat, and it varies from day to day. One of my triggers are preservatives so I make all my own seasoning blends. So today I am sharing my Ranch Seasoning mix and our favorite Chipolte Ranch Dip made with it. It is also gluten free and can be made with low fat ingredients. So I hope you enjoy.

Let's start by making the seasoning mix.

Ranch Seasoning Mix

2 Tablespoons equal one seasoning packet

1/2 cup buttermilk powder ( sometimes called buttermilk solids, this can be found in any specialty shop or online, I find it in my local Mill Shop)

2 Tablespoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried dill

1 Tablespoon onion powder

2 teaspoons dried onion flakes

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black or white pepper

2 teaspoons dry chives

Mix all ingredients together and store in a cool dry place in a sealed pint jar.

Now lets gather what we need for the dip, you will need:

3/4 cup sour cream (this can absolutely be low fat)

1/4 mayo ( again, yes this can be low fat)

2 Tablespoons of your seasoning mix

1 or 2 canned chipolte peppers with a little juice, chopped fine (stay tuned for a tip to save the extras)

In a small glass bowl, stir the mayo and sour cream until combined.

Stir in your seasoning mix. Once well combined, stir in your chopped peppers.

Pour into a pint jar and place in fridge at least 20 minutes before serving. Serve with your favorite veggies.

Happy Dipping!

This seasoning mix can also be used to make ranch salad dressing. Just add a total of 3 Tablespoons of seasoning mix and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk to thin it out. Pour into a jar and store in the fridge.

Leftover chipolte peppers? We don't use them on a regular basis and nothing gets thrown away here, so, the best way I have found to save them is to line an ice cube tray with plastic wrap, place a pepper and some juice into each cube, freeze until solid then pop them into a plastic storage bag and keep them in the freezer. When you need one, just set it down to thaw a few minutes.