CategoriesSalads
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Fresh Summer Corn Salad

What I love about summer is the abundance of fresh vegetables and fruits, and corn is at the top of my list as a favorite. The small golden kernels add a nice sweet juicy crunch to any summer meal. When the weather is too hot to cook, a salad is usually a good way to go. In our house, we make all kinds of corn salad variations. This fresh summer corn salad made with zucchini, tomato, and avocado is made even more flavorful with the persian lime extra virgin olive oil, giving it a citrus touch, and the serrano honey vinegar adds a subtle heat.

What you’ll need:

6 ears of corn, shucked

1 medium zucchini, diced

4 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 avocado, diced

1/2 small red onion, diced

1/2 cup cilantro, minced

2 tablespoons Persian Lime Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tablespoons Serrano Honey Vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Here’s how:

In a large bowl, mix together persian lime olive oil, serrano honey vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add corn, zucchini, tomatoes, avocado, onion, and cilantro to the vinaigrette. Combine all the ingredients until evely combined. Garnish with cilantro. Enjoy!

CategoriesSauces
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Chipotle Salsa

This salsa recipe is quick and super easy. The chipotle extra virgin olive oil gives the salsa a nice smokey flavor.

What you’ll need:

One 15 oz. can of fire roasted tomatoes

1/2 green pepper

1/4 small red onion

1 tbsp. tomato paste

2 tbsp. chipotle olive oil

1 tbsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. honey

sea salt to taste

CategoriesMain Dish
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Lemon Thyme Chicken & Potatoes

Lemon, thyme, garlic, and a medium intensity extra virgin olive oil are mixed together, adding an earthy, lemony flavor to the chicken and potatoes.

What you’ll need:

1.5 lbs chicken breast

1.5 lbs small red potatoes

1 large onion

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (medium intensity)

2 lemons, one for juicing and other for slicing

5 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablepoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

salt & pepper to taste

Here’s How:

Preheat oven to 400°. Cut chicken breast into cubes and place in a large bowl. Then cut small red potatoes in half, slice an onion, and add to the chicken.  In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Then add the mixture to the chicken and potatoes. Stir until everything is well coated. If desired, add more salt and pepper and stir. Pour mixture in a 9 x 13″ backing dish and spread it out evenly. Slice a lemon and add each slice in between the chicken and potatoes. Bake in oven for about 45 minutes until chicken is cooked through and potatoes turn a golden brown. Enjoy with a spring mix salad!

*See video for a visual.

CategoriesSalads Vinaigrettes
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Wondrous Winter Bowl

I like to make quick and easy weeknight meals, but it also has to be nutritious and fulfilling especially when I don’t have countless hours to spend in the kitchen. Also, adding ingredients that just need to be roughly chopped or heated in the microwave makes it go that much quicker. Exact measurements are not needed and the options are endless. It’s really about adding what you like. The added vinaigrette is just a classic traditional balsamic and single varietal extra virgin olive oil with a hint of lemon juice.

What you’ll need:

Brown rice, cooked

Black beans, cooked

Sweet potatoes, cooked

Kale

Mushrooms

Red bell pepper

Avocado

Red onion

Feta

Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons So Olive Traditional Balsamic

2 tablespoons So Olive Coratina Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Sea salt

Here’s how:

Chop kale, mushrooms, red bell pepper, avocado, and red onion. Add all ingredients in a bowl. In small bowl, mix vinaigrette ingredients together. Drizzle a portion of the vinaigrette on top. Mix with hands until everything is well combined. It’s ready to eat!

CategoriesBread
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Blood Orange Pumpkin Bread

This pumpkin bread is a two for one special; you get the benefit of incorporating a good for you fat and you get a lovely taste of orange essence in this loaf. By using the whole fruit fused blood orange extra virgin olive oil, the orange flavor is just right and not too overbearing.

What you’ll need:

1 cup unbleached flour

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or only unbleached flour may be used)

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup So Olive Blood Orange Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 cup honey

2 eggs

Here’s how:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan with olive oil and set aside.

Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a bowl. In another bowl, beat together blood orange olive oil, brown sugar, honey, and eggs really well. You may use a cake or electric mixer. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the bowl. Gently combine the ingredients together being careful not to overmix. Be sure to capture all the flour when mixing. Pour batter into greased loaf pan, spreading evenly. Bake in oven for 45 – 50 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack to let it cool for 10 minutes. Then remove loaf from pan and allow it to completely cool. Slice and eat!

CategoriesSides
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Wild Mushroom Sage Stuffing

If I had to choose a Thanksgiving dinner side dish that I cannot do without, it would have to be the stuffing. Thanksgiving just would not be the same without it. Our Wild Mushroom Sage extra virgin olive oil is the star of this stuffing. No sage is needed because the sage flavor from the olive oil really shines through.

What you’ll need:

1 loaf of herb bread, a day old

1 pound mushrooms (Shitake, Cremini, Button)

3 celery stalks

1 small onion

1/3 cup So Olive Wild Mushroom Sage Olive Oil

1/2 cup pecan pieces

3 cups vegetable stock + more to add

Sea salt

Parsley for garnish

Here’s how:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cut loaf of bread into small medium cubes and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Toast in oven for about 10 minutes.

Finely chop celery stalk and onions. Then roughly chop the mushrooms. Heat olive olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Add mushrooms and allow to cook until tender. Add onions and celery and cook until softened. Add pecans and vegetable stock. Bring the stock to a boil. Add toasted bread cubes and fold gently until stock is evenly distributed throughout. Add more stock if needed. Season with sea salt. Transfer stuffing to a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish, greased preferably with the wild mushroom sage olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and bake until the top is golden brown for about 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle on parsley as a garnish.

CategoriesSides Vegetables
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Lemony Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I have Ina Garten to thank for roasted brussel sprouts. Growing up, I could not stand them because they were cooked into mush and very bitter. Sorry, Mom. So years back, while watching Barefoot Contessa, Ina pulled out the brussel sprouts. Oh no, not the brussel sprouts, I thought, but because it was Ina I continued to watch. How she prepared them was so different, it was an epiphany. Wow, I can roast them! Why did I not think of that? So I gave it a try, and it has been a staple side dish ever since. Overtime, I’ve seasoned them in different ways and these brussel sprouts are given a delicious lemon flavor.

What you’ll need:

3 pounds fresh brussels sprouts

2 tablespoons So Olive Lemon Olive Oil + 1 tbsp for drizzling when serving

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon fresh gound pepper

Here’s how:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cut off brown ends of brussels sprouts and cut them in half. Lay the brussel sprouts on the baking sheet. Drizzle the first two tablepoons of the lemon olive oil over them and sprinkle on the lemon sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Mix them together and then spread evenly on sheet. Roast in oven for 30 – 35 minutes. Pour in serving bowl and drizzle on the remaing olive oil. Best served while still hot. Feel free to drizzle them with a nice dark balsamic vinegar.

CategoriesSides
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Roasted Squash with Balsamic Reduction

One thing I love about winter squash is how versatile it is; from soups to desserts, the possibilities are endless. Sometimes just keeping it simple is the way to go and this recipe is all about that. Just cut up the squash into even sized wedges. No need to peel. Then place it on the pan with a drizzle of olive oil and pop it in the oven to roast.  Balsamic reduction and toasted pecans give it a more fancy touch, which is especially great for the holiday season.

What you’ll need:

Winter Squash (I used Carnival Acorn, Delicata, and Kabocha)

3 tablespoons Varietal Olive Oil such as Picual or Coratina (high intensity)

2 teaspoons sea salt

Fresh ground pepper

1/4 cup pecan pieces

Balsamic Reduction

1 cup So Olive Traditional Balsamic Vinegar

Here’s how:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut squash in wedge like pieces. Lay on sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place pan in oven and roast for 30 – 40 minutes until squash is tender.

Balsamic Reduction

Pour balsamic in a small saucepan over medium heat. Allow balsamic to come to a gentle boil until it is reduced by half. This should take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat so it can cool, making sure that it does not become to thick to drizzle.

Lightly toast pecans in a toaster oven or in a pan.

When squash is done roasting, drizzle the balsamic reduction over the squash, and sprinkle with the toasted pecans.