[Recipe] Wholesome Family Ranch Dressing | On Teaching Kids to Cook, and Other Adventures in a Middle-School Classroom

“Change the food in the schools, and we can influence how children think. Change the curriculum and teach them how to garden and how to cook, and we can show that growing food and cooking and eating together give lasting richness, meaning, and beauty to our lives.”

― Alice Waters

A few months ago, I found myself standing at the front of a classroom again for the first time in over a decade, teaching a group of young students. But this time, I wasn’t teaching them how to format a bibliography page or analyze a poem or recognize the differences between active voice and passive voice. This time I was teaching them about my other favorite subject: making wholesome, nutritious, delicious food. And I began with a lesson on making one of the most kid-friendly, crowd-pleasing recipes I’ve developed in my kitchen: ranch dressing!

This is the ranch dressing that my kids will dip just about anything in and happily eat it: carrot sticks, cucumber slices, broccoli trees, crackers, chicken, pizza crusts, cardboard…. (I’m kidding about that last one, of course… and yet, I wouldn’t be totally surprised to see it happen one day with some particularly ravenous kids just home from school.) This is the ranch dressing that even my dairy-averse husband will generously pour on his salads. And this is the ranch dressing that my boys’ friends will devour (with copious amounts of veggies) when they come over for playdates. So I thought it was finally time that I share my ranch dressing recipe with the rest of the world (i.e., the 11 people who regularly read my blog), because now that it’s been made and tested and (nearly) unanimously approved by 200+ seventh-graders (and several teachers), I can officially proclaim it to be The Best Ranch Dressing in All the Land. Or maybe The Best Ranch Dressing to Come out of a Home Kitchen in New England… in 2018. Or The Best Ranch Dressing Ever Made in a Middle-School Classroom.

Clearly, self-promotion is not my strength; as much as I enjoy teaching, I am still an introvert at heart, and talking about myself and my passions and abilities (especially with people I’ve just met) makes me a little self-conscious and uncomfortable. And yet somehow I found myself chatting with the health teacher at my son’s middle school last year, and we connected over our mutual passions of helping kids to eat better and learn about what’s in the food they eat and where their food comes from. She told me about the new middle-school greenhouse project she was spearheading and the related curriculum she was developing, and I mentioned how I was a recipe developer and a Certified Food Literacy Educator and so I might be able to help her with the curriculum part. Fast-forward to a few months and several meetings and emails later, and I was excitedly planning to teach my son’s entire seventh-grade class how to make a better-for-them ranch dressing as part of the nutrition unit in their health classes.

I enjoy cooking with my own kids and teaching them how to make different dishes; it’s way more fun than teaching them other life skills like how to do laundry or make their beds, and it’s definitely more fun than helping them with their math homework. So I figured that teaching seventh-graders how to make salad dressing would also be a lot of fun. But as I started to plan out my first class, I quickly realized that teaching my 2 boys how to make salad dressing in my own kitchen is much different than teaching 10 classes of 20+ seventh-graders how to make salad dressing in a middle-school classroom that is decidedly NOT a kitchen. (The classes were spread out over 2 days each in 2 semesters, but still: That’s 200+ kids! That’s a lot of kids… and a lot of ranch dressing!) But I like a challenge, or I sometimes like a challenge. I very occasionally like a challenge. Anyway, I got to work figuring out the logistics, and with some advance planning and organization (I always like an organization challenge) and a lot of math (who knew there would be so much math involved in planning a cooking lesson?), it wasn’t as complicated as I initially thought it might be. In fact, it all went relatively smoothly, and the rewards were more than I could have ever anticipated.

For my first middle-school classroom cooking adventure, making ranch dressing was a perfect introductory activity to do with the students: Most kids love ranch dressing, it’s easy to make, and it doesn’t require a fully equipped kitchen, a long list of ingredients, or any previous cooking experience. Moreover, the lesson would provide an opportunity to compare homemade ranch dressing made with real, whole-food ingredients to store-bought dressing made with artificial flavors and preservatives and other questionable ingredients (which would all tie in nicely with their health-class unit on food additives). I also wanted to go beyond just showing them how to make the dressing and give them a chance to actually make the dressing themselves, so they could see first-hand how simple it is. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years of feeding (and teaching) kids, it’s this: The more involved they are in the process, the more invested they are in the outcome, and they gain a sense of ownership and pride in the final product. (They are also more likely to try the finished dish, and more likely to make it again themselves, which is really the ultimate goal, isn’t it?) Since making ranch dressing takes such little time (it takes about 10 minutes tops, even less time when I’m not talking through the entire process), I had plenty of time in each 70-minute class to demonstrate how to make the dressing from start to finish, let the students taste it, and then, working together in small groups, let them try their hand at making their own batch of ranch dressing.

The students were attentive and engaged and eager to make (and eat) their very own ranch dressing, and I enjoyed introducing them to the joys of making (and eating) a simple, wholesome alternative to the ubiquitous bottled ranch dressing that, up until then, was the only one most of them were familiar with. But we also covered more in those 70 minutes than just making (and eating) ranch dressing: We had important discussions about kitchen hygiene and food safety, thoughtful dialogues about the nutrient values of different ingredients and what makes a food “healthful,” basic instructions about how to properly measure ingredients and follow a recipe, and fun conversations about what sorts of things they cook and bake at home. But in the end, what really got the students excited about making and eating real, wholesome food was that first delicious bite of the creamy, tangy, herb-y ranch dressing. Because let’s be honest: No matter how “healthful” or “good for you” a food may be, if it doesn’t taste good, you’re not going to want to eat it, let alone make it yourself.

Without fail, by the end of every class, even the few skeptics, the few students who said that they didn’t really like ranch dressing, loved the homemade dressing we made together. They loved it so much that, all told, these 200 students dipped and dunked and consumed more than 20 pounds of carrots and cucumbers! (Note to parents: If you want your kids to eat more veggies, make this ranch dressing, then set it out with a bunch of assorted veggies. Watch all the veggies quickly disappear.) A few of the students loved the dressing so very much that they actually drank the rest of the dressing left in their little plastic cups when they ran out of carrot and cucumber dippers! Some of them returned to the classroom at the end of the school day, checking to see if I had any leftover dressing that they could take home (or eat on the spot). Most of them said they’d make it again at home, and many of them did, as evidenced by the messages I received from them on social media and the kind words of gratitude I received in person from several of their parents!

Teaching those middle-schoolers how to make ranch dressing from scratch was the most rewarding, most fun “job” I had in quite a while, but maybe not for the reasons I initially expected. As I watched the students dip and scoop and lick every last drop of their homemade dressing with such pride and gusto, and I listened to them expound the benefits of Greek yogurt and fresh herbs over high-fructose corn syrup and monosodium glutamate (MSG), it reminded me how much I missed teaching, because it reminded me why I love teaching: Seeing the students’ enthusiasm for learning and cooking, for making something from scratch with their own hands, for understanding and appreciating the value of real, wholesome foods… and knowing that I played a part in it—it was all very inspiring and life-affirming, and I fed off that energy in each class that I taught. And I got to make food and talk about food… and I didn’t have to grade any papers! I don’t know if it gets much better than that.

When I had taught my last class of the school year, I came home exhausted (hats off to all the teachers across the land who do this work every day, by the way!), yet surprisingly energized at the same time. I returned to my kitchen (and my laptop) with a different sense of purpose and possibility, and a new appreciation for the practical education of everyday life skills. Lately I’ve been trying to figure out how I can best keep this momentum going in my boys’ schools and in the community at large. More cooking and nutrition lessons in their schools, maybe even starting at the elementary-school level? An after-school cooking club? Community cooking classes for adults and/or parents and their kids? A kids cooking camp or baking camp here in my own kitchen? My mind is overwhelmed with ideas, bursting with possibilities…. But for right now, my boys are staaaarving (again) and I still need to figure out what to make for dinner, so I’m going to set out some veggies and have them make the ranch dressing for dipping. That should (hopefully) tide them over until dinnertime. It all reminds me of that old adage: Give a kid some ranch dressing, and you’ll feed him for a day. Teach a kid how to make ranch dressing, and you’ll feed him for a lifetime. Or something like that.

Wholesome Family Ranch Dressing

 

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This is my “house” ranch dressing, tested and perfected after many years of making ranch dressing for my two boys, who will happily dip, drizzle, pour, and spread this creamy, tangy concoction onto almost any food… and promptly devour it all. Made with fresh herbs and lemon juice in a base of Greek yogurt and buttermilk, it is fresher-tasting and much better for you than the store-bought bottled stuff, which is made with lots of preservatives and artificial ingredients that we can barely pronounce. We occasionally enjoy it poured over a crisp, green salad instead of my go-to homemade balsamic vinaigrette, but most often my boys use it as a dip for any and all vegetables. The recipe as written makes a ranch dressing with a semi-thick yet pourable consistency, so for us it works equally well as a salad dressing or a veggie dip, but if you want a thicker ranch “dip,” feel free to use a little more Greek yogurt (or a little less buttermilk) to get the consistency you’d like. Just keep in mind that you might have to adjust the seasonings a bit if you increase or decrease the amounts of the base ingredients.

I hope that you love this version as much as my family does, but I also hope that you’ll make this recipe your own, adjusting it to your own tastes and preferences. As I told the middle-school students when I was teaching them how to make this dressing in the classroom, depending on the brand and type of ingredients you use (e.g., a lower-fat Greek yogurt or a stronger-tasting olive oil), your dressing might not come out quite the same when you make it at home. So you might have to play around with the acidic ingredients and/or the salt to strike that perfect balance between salt, acid, and fat/creaminess to arrive at YOUR favorite ranch dressing. But once you do, take good notes, and then eventually commit it to memory, because I’m certain you won’t go back to store-bought ranch dressing!

VEGETARIAN, GLUTEN-FREE

Yield: About 1 cup

Author: Wholesome Family Kitchen

Ingredients

• • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (preferably whole milk)
• • ⅓ cup buttermilk*
• • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (preferably a mild-flavored one; this is my favorite)
• • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (from about half of a small lemon)
• • 1 teaspoon white-wine vinegar (optional)**
• • 1 small garlic clove, peeled and finely minced (about ¼ teaspoon)
• • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves (or more to taste)***
• • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh chives (or more to taste)***
• • ¼ to ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Put the yogurt, buttermilk, and olive oil in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup and mix with a whisk until smooth and well-combined. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well again. Taste the dressing: Does it need more tang or brightness (vinegar or lemon juice) or freshness (herbs)? Does it taste “flat” and need more salt? If so, add it, then taste again.
2. You can serve the dressing right away, but for best results, transfer the dressing to a jar or other lidded container, cover, and refrigerate for an hour before serving, to allow the flavors to blend and develop. The dressing can be stored, tightly covered in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.

Notes

* If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use whole or low-fat milk instead, but you’ll need to add another teaspoon of lemon juice (or vinegar) to approximate the tanginess of the buttermilk. For best results, measure ⅓ cup of milk into a measuring cup, then stir in 1 teaspoon of lemon juice (or vinegar). Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.

** I’ve listed the white-wine vinegar as an optional ingredient, but, truth be told, I always add it. However, depending on the tanginess and creaminess of your yogurt and buttermilk, you might not need it. My advice? When making this dressing for the first time, leave out the white-wine vinegar, then taste the dressing. If you want more sharpness, or you need to cut through the creaminess of the yogurt a bit more, add the white-wine vinegar. (If you want more lemon flavor or brightness, add another ½ to 1 teaspoon of lemon juice instead of, or in addition to, the vinegar.) You can also substitute white-wine vinegar for all of the lemon juice if you don’t have any lemons on hand, but keep in mind that the white-wine vinegar has a sharper taste, so you might need less. (Apple-cider vinegar could also work fine in a pinch.)

*** My boys like this dressing best with fresh chives and parsley (preferably flat-leaf Italian parsley, which is more flavorful than the curly variety), but occasionally I use only one herb or the other, depending on what’s available at the grocery store and what’s (miraculously) growing in my garden, and no one has complained. Feel free to play around with other herbs too: Dill is traditional, thyme is another good option, and basil is a particularly lovely addition in the summer. (Imagine a basil-flecked ranch dressing drizzled over a platter of perfectly ripe, thickly sliced summer tomatoes—yum!) And since you need such a small amount of fresh herbs for this dressing, I taught my kids (and my students) that you don’t even need to drag out a knife and cutting board to chop the herbs. Just use a clean pair of kitchen scissors (not the scissors you use for your arts-and-crafts projects) and carefully snip the (washed and dried) herbs into the smallest pieces you can, right into the dressing.

And if you don’t have any fresh herbs on hand, dried herbs are fine to use (although the fresh herbs really make the dressing shine). Just be sure to use less (about ⅓ to ½ the amount of fresh herbs), as the flavor of the dried herbs is more concentrated.

MAKE IT DAIRY-FREE: For the few students I taught who were sensitive to dairy, I made a dairy-free honey mustard dressing with them instead. (I’ll share this recipe soon!) I haven’t tried making this ranch dressing dairy-free, but if you want to give it a try, you could start by substituting unsweetened non-dairy yogurt and unsweetened non-dairy milk for the Greek yogurt and buttermilk, then go from there, adjusting the amounts of the other ingredients to suit your tastes.

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