Our Dad's side of the family had a big reunion in Las Vegas last summer. There were so many of us and mostly from out of town; so, all the food was catered. During the event, it was a circus of chasing after kids, catch-up conversations with cousins who live far away, and lots of photos being taken. Bottom line: nobody got to try all the amazing food. Late that night, once all the kids were in bed and it was just us 30-somethings drinking wine and gossiping quietly in the kitchen, we busted out some leftovers to snack on. This was the moment that blew my mind. Avocado ranch dip!! I don't even know how the dip was meant to be eaten. We just devoured it with those weird, yet amazing Hint of Lime Tostitos Chips. OMG. I've never tasted anything so delicious in my life (I exaggerate for effect here!). Ha. But, seriously, we couldn't stop eating it! I made it my personal goal to recreate this ethereal green thing by the end of the Summer. I can't say I recreated it exactly, but I came pretty damn close, and I decided to make it a salad dressing instead.
Making this Avocado Ranch Chopped Salad is Super Simple!
This recipe is so easy. You're not cooking much...only the quinoa. It's really all about chopping, measuring, and mixing. Because of this, it's something that kids can totally get behind. Plus, I think it's nice to have a lettuce-less salad every now and again. Because the sauce is so delicious, you forget (or maybe you hope you're kids will forget) that you're eating a whole bowl of raw veggies. Don't be intimidated by the number of ingredients. If you cook often, you'll likely have almost all these basic spices already. Enjoy!
🌈 Kidify the Meal 🌈
- Vitamix or blender
- 2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup quinoa uncooked
- 1 large avocado very ripe, scooped out of skin and pitted
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
- ½ Tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1 red bell pepper de-seeded & chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper de-seeded & chopped
- 1 small zucchini chopped
- 1 cup red grapes halved
- 3 radishes cut into half slices
- 1 cup canned corn drained & rinsed
- 1 Tablespoon fresh chives chopped
- First, fill a pot with 2 cups water, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add salt and quinoa. Bring heat to low, cover and cook 12-15 mins. Open lid and fluff with a fork. All liquid should be absorbed.
- Meanwhile, mash the avocado in a bowl. Then, using a blender, Vitamix, or whatever you got, combine mashed avocado, sour cream, greek yogurt and all the spices. Blend until ingredients are evenly distributed and mixture thickens a bit, stopping to scrape the sides of the blender with a spatula.
- Combine veggies and quinoa in a big bowl. Then mix in chives. Serve salad in individual bowls with desired amount of avocado ranch dressing.
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Avocado Ranch Chopped Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
Quinoa
Dressing
Veggies
Instructions
Notes
Nutrition
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. While we are not certified nutritionists, we work with a WordPress-integrated nutrition API to calculate our recipes' ingredient values.
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