At Badger Girl, I joke that “we flirt a little with vegan cooking, chat up gluten-free, make friends with Paleo, woo dairy-free, and always keep it clean.”

Now I can tell you that we recommitted our relationship to dairy-free making it a boyfriend/girlfriend thing. When something makes you sick, it becomes easy to commit. Now we are wooing Whole 30. She’s like the women in the red dress, something you always strive towards, but she will always stay just out of reach.

And that’s kind of on purpose. Manatee and I tried committing wholly to her but she asked too much of us. No added sugars, no grains of any kind, no dairy, no legumes, no soy, no seed oils, no corn, and no booze. We actually didn’t struggle much with food. We had to face a realization: with two strong-willed girls, we really enjoyed our occasional glass of wine or stiff drink. Add on two book events for me in one week and then a half marathon, and I was stretched and stressed. And when we went out, I didn’t want to interrogate our wait staff, especially since our girls were running laps in the restaurant. 

But I am happy to say just like the Vegans, Paleos know their stuff. It’s amazing, when you are forced to restrict something due to health or lifestyle, you have to be creative and rely on taste and experimentation. This is why I love reading both Paleo and Vegan cookbooks. They know their stuff.

So keep checking back for some awesome Whole 30 recipes. We are committing as much as we are able, as much as we can and remain sane and not totally obnoxious. I already have a killer Pumpkin Veggie Turkey Chili but alas, I never got a great picture so I have to make it again. Same for Spaghetti Squash “Pasta” Bowls. But I do have an okay picture of this ranch and I am addicted to it. And unlike G2 who eats ranch by the vat, I’m not much of a ranch fan. Until now.

 

 

I based the recipe on this recipe which is similar to most other Paleo ranches. I added splashes of two acids so that it would mimic buttermilk (which you can make by adding lemon juice to milk). 

 

 

I have tried LOTS of dairy free ranches. This is by far the best. The tang from the acids covers any sweetness from the coconut milk. Even though it’s not Whole 30 approved, I like using Hellman’s Reduced Fat Mayo as the mayonnaise. I haven’t converted our pantry yet so if I find a Whole 30 approved mayonnaise, I will let you know.

And my ranch connoisseur loved this dip. 

Have you ever tried Whole 30?


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