Tag Archives: olive oil

Chicken – 5 ways

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We all get tired of chicken – so here’s 5 different ways to mix it up! Prepare a whole tray so you can eat it throughout the week.

Ingredients: 

Chicken parts – a whole tray full of legs, thighs, breasts or wings
Olive oil

Seasoning Variations:
Use 1/2 teaspoon of each seasoning indicated

-Mediterranean – sea salt, sage, rosemary, thyme
-Italian – juice from 1 lemon, rosemary and garlic infused olive oil (fabulous on salmon also!)
-Moroccan – sea salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric, curry, cinnamon
-Greek: sea salt, lemon salt, oregano, black pepper
-BBQ style: sea salt, paprika, cinnamon, black pepper

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Zucchini Pasta

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If you’re craving pasta, this vegetable-based version will hit the spot. It’s easiest if you have an attachment on your mixer that will make nice noodles for you, but a similar effect can be gained by using a potato peeler to create long strands of zucchini.

Ingredients: 

3 Zucchini
Olive Oil
Tomatoes – chopped into 1/2″ cubes
Basil (preferably fresh)

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Instructions:

Either peel the zucchini by hand or use the spiral attachment
Toss with olive oil
Pan fry for just a couple minutes – so the “noodles” just start to soften up
Mix in fresh tomatoes and basil
Enjoy!

Pork Chops Stuffed with Prosciutto

We found this recipe in the great Italian Gourmet Cooking magazine that’s out on the newsstands now!

Ingredients:

4 bone-in, thick-cut pork chops (center cut rib chops)
8 sage leaves, cut into ribbons
8 thin slices mozzarella
4 slices prosciutto
olive oil
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper

 

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Waldorf Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
2 medium celery ribs, diced
green onions, minced
1 large crisp apple, cored and diced
6 tablespoons chopped, toasted walnuts
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
1 teaspoon celery salt

 

 

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Hummus

Ingredients:
1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
2+ tablespoons olive oil

Caprese Salad

Slice the 3-4 large beefsteak tomatoes into 1/2 in slices
Slice the 3-4 large fresh mozzarella balls into 1/2 inch slices as well
Layer the mozzarella on top of the tomato slices
Layer with fresh basil leaves
Sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt & pepper

Lemon Garlic Salmon

Marinade:

Olive oil, lemon juice, lemon rind, freshly minced garlic, sea salt and pepper

Mix about 1 cup of olive oil, with the juice and freshly grated rind of two lemons
Whisk in the garlic (2-4 cloves), salt and pepper
Pour over salmon to marinate for 10 – 15 minutes
Bake @ 450 for 7-10 minutes

 

Edamame Cheese Salad

We already love edamame, so adding cheese can only be a good thing! Found and followed the recipe from FoodNetwork.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 cups (9 ounces) shelled edamame beans
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
5 ounces pecorino, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

 

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Leg Lamb

Ingredients

1 4lb leg of lamb with bone removed
5 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup of chopped rosemary plus 4 twigs of rosemary
5 tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper
4 potatoes sliced

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Pizza Margherita

Straight from the most recent Bon Appetit! We used Trader Joes out of the bag whole wheat dough… probably should have rolled it a bit thinner, but it’s so sticky!

Ingredients:

1 13.8-ounce tube refrigerated pizza dough
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 12-ounce bag cherry tomatoes, stemmed
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, coarsely crushed in plastic bag
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 4-ounce balls fresh mozzarella in water
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves plus small leaves for garnish

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Pot Roast

Ingredients:

1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds) Chuck Roast
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 whole Onions
6 whole Carrots
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste
1 cup Red Wine (optional, You Can Use Beef Broth Instead)
2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock
3 sprigs Fresh Thyme
3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary


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Julia Child’s French Onion Soup

 

Julia says it best: “Fat gives things flavor! The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.”

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup olive oil
3 lbs onions, halved and sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced very fine
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 cups red wine
6 cups beef stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 toasted slices of French baguettes, 1/2 inch thick
1 cup swiss cheese, grated
3 cups parmesan cheese, grated

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Esalen Meatloaf

An Esalen favorite, in our book! The word “basic” doesn’t give this meatloaf enough credit, but that’s what it is, a nice basic meatloaf. Honestly, when we want meatloaf we don’t want something that’s trying to be more than it is. Meatloaf is comfort food. This is the ultimate recipe.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 stalk diced celery
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork (the original recipe called for 2 pounds ground beef, we like the depth the mixture gives)
2 eggs
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon ground pepper
1 can tomato sauce

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Sourdough Dinner Rolls

Our first recipe from food.com. It went really well with meatloaf, though not very many of the rolls actually made it to the table! They were pretty easy for homemade bread too… we might just make them again to go with tomorrow’s turkey!

Ingredients:

1 cup sourdough starter
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar OR 2 tablespoons brown sugar OR sucanat
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 -4 cups flour (we used half whole wheat, half bread flour)
butter, melted

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Butternut (or any other Squash) Soup

We found this recipe at Wise Food Ways, but found it too bland initially so we added in our own little concoction of garlic and rosemary to give it a little more oomph! Other variations could include pumpkin, or any other squash you have on hand.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 leeks, sliced into rounds
1 butternut squash (seeded, baked four about an hour, peeled and cut into chunks)
1 bouquet garni (an herb bundle tied with string) including any or all of the following:
a bay leaf, a sprig of thyme, a sprig of sage, a sprig of parsley, a rosemary stem
Chicken stock
1 cup yogurt, buttermilk, half-and-half, or whole milk (or 3/4 cup cream or crème fraiche)
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: minced garlic and chopped fresh rosemary


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Esalen Smoked Salmon Spanakopita

Another Esalen success! This recipe turned out so well we literally sat around the table talking about how good it was, while we were eating it. Yeah. It’s that good! (Thanks for taking pictures Laurie!)

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds fresh spinach (or 2 frozen packages) stemmed and chopped
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 eggs
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1/4 cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1/2 pound filo dough
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 pound smoked salmon

 

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Esalen Provençal Veggie Turnover

Another amazing recipe from the Esalen Cookbook! Savor this with minestrone soup or a greek salad! If you can’t find fresh herbs, you can use dried but make sure to reduce the quantities by half!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (either the type in olive oil pat dry, or the totally dry type)
1 medium onion
2 bell peppers
1 medium zucchini
olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
2.5 cups grated parmesan cheese
1-2 boxes of puff pastry (we had enough filling for 12 turnovers)

 

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Esalen Artichoke, Yam & Blue Cheese Scones

Here’s our declaration of the week: we’re going to cook our way through the Esalen Cookbook!

It’s not quite as ambitious as the Julia Child cookbook, but it should be a yummy challenge! So far we love everything we’ve tried from the cookbook and are excited to sample everything! Just a note: while these are healthy, mouth-watering recipes they are not generally quick; so we’ll make sure to mix it up with some less time-intense ideas!

We hope you enjoy our culinary journey, we sure will!!!


Ingredients:

1 large yellow onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium yams
8 ounces artichoke hearts in water
1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
pinch cayenne pepper
1 cup unsalted butter
2.5 cups Asiago, grated
1/2 pound crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons chopped sage


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Black Bean Ful

Ingredients:

2 cups dried black beans
6-8 cups water

1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup copped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

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Pesto

This recipe is a conglomerate of a bunch of different recipes! By using walnuts instead of pine nuts, you get a very earthy-tasting pesto. The flavor goes great with whole wheat pasta and sun-dried tomatoes! Or spread on a sandwich with some fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and prosciutto!

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh basil
3 garlic cloves (minced)
1/4 cup walnuts (finely chopped)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (your choice: parmesan, pecorino romano or asiago are all good choices)
1/2 cup (or more) olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

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Lamb Kebabs with Mint Pesto

Kebab Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds, ground in spice mill or in mortar with pestle
2 pounds trimmed boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1 1/4-inch cubes
2 large red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch squares
1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch squares

Mint Pesto Ingredients:

1 cup (packed) fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup (packed) fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 medium garlic clove, peeled
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 cup (or more) extra-virgin olive oil

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Baba Ghanoush

We got the original recipe from the Nourishing Traditions cookbook, but (in our opinion) it was kind of bland. We added extra salt, garlic and olive oil to make it more flavorful!

Ingredients:

3 large eggplants
1 tablespoon sea salt (we added more like 2-3 tablespoons)
2 cloves garlic (we added more like 4-5 cloves)
juice from 4-5 lemons
1 cup tahini
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (we added more like 4-5 tablespoons)
dash of cayenne pepper

Instructions:

Slice eggplant in half
Place facedown on a cookie sheet with olive oil
Puncture eggplant in a few places
Bake at 375F for about 45 minutes (until skin is wrinkled and eggplant is tender)
Let cool
Peel skin off, chop into chunks
Sprinkle with salt, mix well and let sit for about an hour
Rinse well with water and pat dry with towel
Puree eggplant in food processor
Add remaining ingredients (except cayenne pepper) and blend until smooth
Serve with a dash of cayenne pepper and pita or flatbread

Chocolate Beet Muffins

Found the original recipe on this blog, but–big surprise–modified it slightly to its current form. We’re not totally convinced about the awesomeness of this recipe; and not sure we’d even make them again. It got very mixed reviews from our official samplers, but if you really like beets try it out! If you don’t like beets and are wondering what beets are doing in a dessert, then don’t waste your time!

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup coconut flour
½ cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
¼ cup olive oil
1-2 tsp pure vanilla extract
¾-1 cup whole milk
2 cups pureed (cooked) beets
some chocolate chips, if you want to add them to the tops of the muffins!

click “read more” for additional photos and the instructions!

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