Shortcut Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing [Gluten-Free, Vegetarian]

This Shortcut Avocado Lime Ranch dressing is easy to make and can be used for salads, tacos and more.

Walmart. That’s where I was when I had the idea to make this Shortcut Avocado Lime Ranch dressing.

Ok, I know it sounds crazy. How does Walmart bring about food inspiration?

Well, it just so happens I was picking up a few grocery items at Walmart one evening after work. One thing on my list – shredded cabbage. My menu for the week included fish tacos and my goal was to find pre-shredded cabbage and a dressing to top it all off.

After circling the produce section numerous times assuming I was missing something, I realized it was Walmart that was missing something and that something just happened to be shredded cabbage.

What was I going to do?

Surely I was not interested in going to yet another store to continue shopping. After a nine hour work day, all I wanted to do was get home and make the fish tacos I had dreamed about all day.

It was probably the 10th time I passed the same refrigerated case when suddenly I saw it. The bag of broccoli slaw. Maybe it was the exhaustion setting in but I swear I heard it calling my name. I knew with it, I could do great things. I also knew I just wanted to get the heck out of Walmart and go home!

So once the broccoli slaw was in my shopping cart, I perused the refrigerated dressings to find “the one” that would work best with my broccoli slaw. There it was. Ranch. But, it wasn’t just any ranch. It was a preservative-free ranch. That got my attention because many store-bought ranch dressings contain preservatives, such as MSG. So, I was super excited to find one that did not.

Finally…mission accomplished. Whew!

Now it was time to wait in the check out line. “Hmm…broccoli slaw and ranch dressing. Perfect for fish tacos,” I thought…

UNTIL…it all came so suddenly. It started by simply imagining topping the tacos with sliced avocado…YUM! And then it fully emerged into “Why don’t you just blend the avocado into the ranch dressing?”

Why not?

So once I was home, it was time to take this dressing to the next level. I decided to add lime, cilantro and white pepper to kick it up a bit. After going for a spin in the food processor, this dressing was ready for its big debut.

I mixed it with the broccoli slaw and chilled it in the fridge while Greg and I made the tacos together.

Then the moment of truth…the taste taste! The verdict? This Avocado-Lime Ranch Dressing really livened up our meal. Not only was it perfect for broccoli slaw and fish tacos, but I must admit I did enjoy it on my scrambled eggs the next morning.

The best part was how easy it was to make being that it was only partially homemade. But hey, shortcuts are a great time saver! And in this case, this Shortcut Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing was a delicious discovery. I’d like to thank my local Walmart for not stocking shredded cabbage.

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Shortcut Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing

This Shortcut Avocado Lime Ranch dressing is easy to make and can be used for salads, tacos and more.

Course dressing

Cuisine American

Keyword avocado, dressing, gluten free, meatless monday, ranch, vegetarian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 4

Author Sherri Hall

Ingredients

• 1 avocado (pitted, peeled and coarsely chopped)
• 1/2 cup store bought ranch dressing (I used Marzetti Simply Dressed Ranch)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• 2-4 teaspoons olive oil for thinning if desired (I used mild tasting olive oil)

Instructions

1. Add first 5 ingredient to the bowl of a food processor.
2. Blend on high speed until all ingredients are incorporated well (you will probably have to scrape the sides during the process) and dressing has a creamy consistency.
3. For a thinner dressing, blend again on low, slowly adding olive oil while processing until dressing reaches desired consistency.

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