[Guilt-free] Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing

The secret to a healthy-ish blue cheese is all about the tang.

The ingredients:

• 2 c. zero-fat Greek yogurt

• 2/3 c. buttermilk

• 1 tbsp. dijon mustard

• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp. garlic salt

• 1 tsp. black pepper

• 1 medium lemon, juiced

• 3.5 oz. buttermilk blue cheese (or preferred blue cheese)

• 1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped

The process:

Begin by mixing greek yogurt, buttermilk, seasoning, and mustard in a food processor until incorporated. Begin by adding juice of half a lemon. Add more lemon, if desired. (Note: the blue cheese will quickly become the predominant flavor, so do not be afraid to have a lemon-y mixture at this stage) Dice blue cheese into nickel-sized chunks. Add to food processor and blend until smooth. (Another note: I use 3.75 to 4 ounces because I love blue cheese. 3.5 ounces makes a pungent dressing. The amount can be altered, based on preference) Finally, fold in parsley.

One final note: you can blend the parsley in, resulting in a more parsley-forward dressing. You can also add in whatever herb you like to pair with blue cheese. See the story below for the run down.

The story:

I think this is the most I’ve nodded to variation in one of these recipes. It’s because it’s crazy customizable. Blend in the herbs, you have a green goddess-adjacent dressing. Plus or minus the blue cheese. Ramp up the lemon. Do whatever you want, really. If you leave the blue cheese out and add in a teaspoon of onion powder, you have ranch. It’s like a magic recipe, and while I’d love to say I dreamt this up on my own, the truth is that I’ve been riffing on this recipe from ShowMeTheYummy for years now. The key is, of course, the zero fat Greek yogurt.

I turned it into blue cheese because I think the flavor of the Greek yogurt pairs perfectly with the natural tang of blue cheese. As a Southerner, I think a good homemade ranch or blue cheese recipe (or in this case, both!) is a cornerstone of a good kitchen. That said, I found this recipe back when I was trying to lose weight without giving up everything I loved, and this bad boy has remained clutch.

If you remember this recipe in a couple months, come back and drop the blue cheese, add that teaspoon of onion powder, and then sub out the parsley for the green part of a bunch of ramps, and my God. Your tongue will slap your head silly trying to get your next bite.