Thursday, December 12, 2013

12 Days Until Christmas!

Instead of the 12 Days of Christmas, we are celebrating 12 Days UNTIL Christmas!

We have no drummers drumming here. You will have to make do with a coupon instead. I think that's even better.



These cookies were my submission to this year's Great Blogger Cookie Swap. I thought they were fabulous! A little different, and that's always fun. Persian Lime has been my favorite oil for this past month. I find myself reaching for it most often when I want something with citrus. I think it just brightens up everything while still remaining savory. (And it reminds me a little of warmer weather.) But now, cookies!



Cranberry Lime Cookies with Caramel Chips

1 1/4 cup spelt flour
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup Persian Lime Olive Oil
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegan caramel chips*
1/2 cup cranberries
Zest of one lime, minced
juice of 1/2 a lime
1/2 cup milk of choice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 400degrees.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the olive oil and the lime juice. Stir until combined. Add in the chips, lime peel and cranberries. Stir well.

Reduce the temperature to 350degrees.

On a greased cookie sheet, drop the cookies by the tablespoonful about half an inch apart. They do not spread much. Bake 9-11 minutes or until golden. Wait for the cookies to cool well before attempting to remove them from the cookie sheets. They are a bit fragile until they cool.

*I used these: Vegan Caramel Chips

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Gobble Gobble Thanksgiving is Coming!

Don't let the holiday's sneak up on you! Remember, Thanksgiving is a week later this year, so there is one LESS shopping week until Christmas this season. And Hanukkah starts Wednesday November 27th, the night before Thanksgiving.

Everything is converging faster than you think this year. Don't get caught by the short shopping season (only 27 days!). Get started today!






Don't forget Thanksgiving either! Beat the grocery store rush and get your supplies here. Here is a coupon to help you get ready!






Turkey Cutlets with Cranberry Cream Sauce
      and Chocolate Pasta

2 turkey cutlets
1/2 tsp nutmeg
4 tbsp Persian Lime Olive Oil, divided
2 tsp Toasted Onion Sea Salt, divided
2 tbsp Cranberry Balsamic
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp cream cheese (optional)
3/4 cup heavy cream or milk
1 cup (6-10) shaved brussels sprouts
1/2 cup sundried cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp minced garlic
4 slices thick cut bacon
Chocolate Pasta

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spread 1 tbsp of the oil over each cutlet and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the nutmeg and the Toasted Onion Salt. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. If you are measuring with a thermometer, the internal temperature should be 165.

Take them out of the oven and let them cool. Slice thinly on a diagonal and set aside.

Prepare the pasta according to the directions, enough for 4 servings. Rinse well. Cook the bacon until is it nice and crispy and crumble it. Set those aside.

Heat the other 2 tbsp of olive oil in a sauce pan and add the garlic and the cherry tomatoes. Saute for 1-3 minutes. Add the cream or milk and the Cranberry Balsamic and bring to a light simmer. Put in the sour cream and stir to combine. Then add the cream cheese if you are using it. Simmer for another minute or two, the sauce should be nice and thick.

Sprinkle in the salt and the brussels sprouts, saving a little bit for garnish. Stir in some of the bacon, saving some of that for garnish too. Remove from the heat.

Arrange some pasta and turkey slices on each plate. Top with the sauce, a bit of brussles sprouts and bacon and a couple whole cherry tomatoes.

Enjoy!


Friday, October 18, 2013

Boo! It's a Coupon!

It has been pumpkin season since the first week of September for me. If I had my way, the blog would be nothing but pumpkin related food until December.

I have mostly held in my pumpkin urges, but last month I did slip a couple in there. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Waffles and Pumpkin Alfredo... Mmmmm...

But now I feel it is time to let the pumpkin flag fly!

Pumpkin Hummus

2 cloves garlic
1 can Garbanzo Beans
1/2 can Pure Pumpkin Puree
1/4 cup Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
1 tbsp Greek Honey
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper, plus more for garnish
1 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Tahini


Put the garlic, salt, tahini and the beans into a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the pumpkin, cayenne pepper. Process slowly, adding in the olive oil by the tablespoon until you get to your desired consistency. Fold in the pumpkin seeds. Save a couple for the top.

Top with a little more pumpkin seeds a sprinkle of cayenne and the honey.



And Coupon!!!



Thursday, September 12, 2013

Defy all Superstitions!

Happy Friday the 13th! 

But first, some news! Our website is now accepting Paypal! Now, to the coupon!


A lucky salad to keep you going!

Lucky Lentil Salad

1 lb green lentils
1 cup sweet onion
2-3 tbsp fresh tarragon
1 green bell pepper
1 tbsp five spice powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp bacon bits (optional)

In a large sauce pan, cover the lentils with 2-3 inches of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and let cook. Check after 15 minutes for doneness, they should be tender, but not mushy. Rinse and set aside.

While the lentils are cooking, finely dice the bell pepper and the onion. Combine the olive oil with the spices and whisk to combine.

Toss the lentils and veggies together in a large bowl, adding the olive oil mixture slowly until well distributed. Drizzle on the balsamic 1 tbsp at a time. This is a taste and see method. A little over 3 tbsp seems to be perfect, but my husband liked the full 4 tbsp.

Eat lucky!


Friday, August 16, 2013

Traditional Is Back!

Just a quick note to tell you the Traditional Balsamic is back in stock! And I made a great dish with it and one of the new Sesame Oils. I am very excited.

Mushroom Teriyaki with Balsamic

1/2 pkg of fettuccine noodles
2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
1 pint sliced mushrooms
1 onion, sliced thinly
Salt

Cook the fettuccine a minute less than al dente. Set it aside.

Heat the Sesame Oil in a large saute pan to medium high heat. Add the onion and a sprinkle of salt. Saute for 5 minutes or so. The onions should be soft and starting to caramelize. Add the mushrooms and saute for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the noodles to the pan and the teriyaki sauce and Balsamic. Toss everything to coat. Cover and let cook for another 2-4 minutes. 

Serve and enjoy!


Thursday, August 1, 2013

Sneak Some What onto Your Neighbor's Porch?

Some zucchini!

Happy Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor's Porch Day! Well, it's the 8th. But I thought I would celebrate with some great recipes this week. And a coupon of course!



I also have some great new things to share with you!

We just got in 2 new white balsamics. I am pleased to announce the White Coconut and the White Jalapeno Lime!

And for oils, Toasted Sesame Oil is here! Look for Asian inspired dishes on the recipe blog!

Here is a recipe I posted some time ago for Zucchini Walnut Bread. Keep checking the blog for all zucchini all week!

Walnut Zucchini Bread

1 cup walnuts, chopped
3 cups flour, sifted
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
3 tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup Butter Olive Oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini (about 2 or 3)

Preheat the oven to 375degrees. Lightly grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Use the 8x4 size.

Mix the oil, eggs, vanilla and sugar together in a large bowl. Mix in the zucchini and nuts.

Sift all the dry ingredients together in another bowl. Stir in the dry ingredients to the wet bowl slowly.  When everything is well combined, pour into the prepared pans.

Bake about 50 minutes. Mine took more like 55. A testing stick should come out clean.

Cool slightly before removing them from the pans.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

The Store is 2!

Our birthday is here! As of July 17th at 2pm, we are 2!

We would like to thank all our customers for making these past 2 years a big success.



Come in on the 17th for cake! A Blood Orange Chocolate Confetti Cake to be exact! Made by moi!

Saturday, June 29, 2013

4th of July!

Happy Independence Day!! Like all of our holidays, we are celebrating with a coupon. So here you go!



We are featuring some new artwork for sale! Come see the photography of Jaye and Brian Bliss. Their photos are absolutely stunning!

And I was grilling chicken the other day with the Citrus Habanero Olive Oil and had a little bit left over. So I decided to make this chicken salad just for you! It's a one bowl dish. Just chop everything and toss!

Fireworks Chicken Salad

2-3 grilled chicken breasts
1 can black beans
1/4 cup Piquillo Pepper Tapenade
1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
1 yellow or orange pepper, diced
1 tsp Greek Sea Salt or Himalayan Pink Mineral Salt
Extra Citrus Habanero Olive Oil for drizzling

Chop or shred your chicken. Place in a large bowl. Rinse and drain the black beans and add them. Stir in the edamame and the bell pepper. If it needs a little extra spice, drizzle with a little bit more of the Citrus Habanero Olive Oil. Stir in the Piquillo Pepper Tapenade and sprinkle with the salt.

Serve!



Thursday, June 13, 2013

Happy Father's Day!


 HA! My dad, being my dad, didn't tell me he posted this to facebook. Better late than never. 

We have a couple premade baskets ready for Father's day, and can always make you one custom. Custom labels are always good for dad too. Call ahead if you can. 

They are back from Italy! They had a great time. More pictures will go on facebook soon. 

I made them some food to welcome them home. The recipe is here. I'll be posting a recipe for Father's Day soon, but I can't yet! It would spoil my Dad's surprise!

Have a good week and Happy Father's Day to all!

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Memorial Day 2013

Happy Memorial Day! We are commemorating the event with a coupon that starts Monday!



A new olive oil from Peru, the Coratina just went up yesterday. It's not avaliable online right now, but you can get it by phone if you want it. It may not be super patriotic, but it's really tasty.

And I have a recipe for you too. 


Long rolls
1 bunch scallions
1 bell pepper
1/2 an onion
1/2 an eggplant
1/4 cup fresh salsa
Zesty Onion Olive Oil
cumin
salt and pepper
4 slices pepperjack cheese

Slice the veggies very thinly. Just trim the hairy bits off the scallions. Toss with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch salt. Set aside to marinate for at least ten minutes. You will need a grill basket for the best results, but a bit of folded tin foil will do the job in a pinch.

Heat your grill, this doesn't have to be super hot just for veggies. Do this while you are doing other things. Keep this off the direct heat unless you want truly crispy vegetables.

Brush the bread with oil and lightly grill. Just a little. Set the veggies down on the grill and sprinkle with a bit of cumin and black pepper. Depending on your heat level, it shouldn't take more than 5 to 10 minutes to finish off. Toss them around with tongs to keep the scallions from burning. Everything should be well browned.

Top your roll with cheese and pile on the veggies. Scoop on a tablespoon or two of fresh salsa and bite into spicy, crisp, cook-out heaven.



Lets Celebrate!

Sunday, May 5, 2013

May 2013

Our first Newsletter! Many things are happening this month. The owners have gone to Italy, they are sending back lots of pictures so check them out on our facebook page.

We are ready for Mother's Day, are you? A six-pack is always a great gift and we even have a couple pre-made mini-baskets available. Don't forget mom, or you'll be in trouble!




Monday, April 29, 2013

Welcome to the Newsletter!

Welcome to the Newsletter!

I hope that you enjoy what I will be posting. I aim to give you some fun news about the store and a recipe or two at least every month.

On some very special occasions, there will be two newsletters in a month, but I will try not to flood you with too much stuff.

Please like us on Facebook for more news and all the latest details on everything that happens. You can also go visit our Food Blog for the latest recipes.

Please email me if you need anything.

Michelle Trudy Holtz
trudy@olivengrape.com