Sweet & Spicy Chobani Ranch

When I think of tailgating, I think of delicious, fatty foods that I hate myself for eating the minute halftime hits. Seriously. Don't sit me down in front of anything I can put on a potato chip. It's a disaster. So, the Seahawks went to the Superbowl for two years, and every single week, we had a party that always featured our favorite tailgating foods. It was a crazy couple of seasons, and we won some NAILBITERS... and guess what my bad habit is when I'm nervous? EATING. So, I needed to think of something fulfilling that wouldn't leave me regretting the day entirely.

I created this recipe back when I first started on the 21 Day Fix, and found that it was the perfect addition to our football parties, because no one believed me when I said it wasn't real ranch. I'm just gonna give myself a huge pat on the back here, but my "Chobani ranch" is so much better than any other ranch I've had. I love the kick that Greek yogurt gives it, and it just has so much more depth than I thought it would.

So, this recipe is for my Sweet & Spicy Chobani Ranch, which is a perfect accompaniment for MANY things: your favorite spicy wings, veggie sticks (like carrots or celery), slathered on some homemade street tacos (my husband's fave), on your burger, or wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla with fresh tomato and turkey bacon for a healthy BLT - which is my vehicle of choice for this stuff. However, if your husband is going to look at you like a crazy person if you try to feed him a BLT on gameday, just give him his sticky buffalo wings and a bowl of this Chobani ranch.

Or, you know, grab some baked potato chips or homemade sweet potato fries and just dig in.

Man. I might have to finish this post later... I'm starving.

SWEET & SPICY CHOBANI RANCH

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt

• Onion Powder

• Garlic powder

• Sea salt

• Fresh cracked pepper

• Fresh-chopped herbs: parsley, dill, chives are my favorites

• A dash of whole grain mustard

• A swirl of honey for some sweetness

• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, finely chopped - and then chopped some more. No one wants to eat a chunk of chipotle pepper... unless you also want to wash it down with an entire jug of water. Holy spicy. 

• Finally, a splash of your favorite vinegar for balance. I like apple cider or balsamic in my ranch!

Here's the fun part. There aren't really specific measurements that I stick to. For those of you that like specifics... yeah, sorry 'bout this. I taste as I go (super fun) and add to it slowly. The best part is, you're starting with such a healthy base, there isn't really a chance to take this the wrong way. Just don't start throwing things like cane sugar and marshmallow fluff in, mmmk?

To make it spicy, it really comes down to personal preference. Chipotle can be a little much if you're not really a spice-lover like me. A little cayenne would be great, or a squeeze of your favorite hot sauce does the trick, too.

Happy Tailgating, friends! LET ME KNOW how you like the Sweet & Spicy Chobani Ranch! Since we always have plain Greek yogurt on hand, I visit Chobani's recipe page a lot - tons of delicious, inspired ideas for your next meal.