Smoky Jalapeno-Lime Ranch Dressing

I am terrible with salad dressings.  The last time I cleaned out the fridge, every last one of the store-bought bottles in the fridge were at least a year past their best-by date, and probably hadn't been touched since then either.  But I find it really hard to limit myself to just a couple options, when it's so easy to make a variation that ties in with the rest of the meal.  So for southwestern steak salads last week, I wasn't happy with regular ranch dressing.  I wanted something that was still creamy, but tangier than the typical bottled version, and with some heat.

Christen has recently posted her own jalapeno ranch, and I really just adapted that.  In particular, the addition of some chipotles in adobo and cumin made it a littler smokier to play off the grilled steak's flavor.  This was great on the salads, and also as a dipping sauce for the homemade sweet potato tots I'll be posting later this week.

Smoky Jalapeno-Lime Ranch Dressing

What's in it:

1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
juice of half a lime
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and stems removed, finely minced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1-2 tsp mashed chipotle in adobo
2 tsp agave nectar or honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4-1/2 c milk (use less if using as a dip, more for a dressing)

How to make it:

Whisk together all ingredients, adding milk a little at a time until desired consistency.  For a smoother texture, combine all ingredients in a food processor (a mini or immersion blender processor attachment is great here), and puree until smooth, about a minute.  Dressing keeps for about a week in the fridge.