Recipes From March 2016 Newsletter

March Recipes Featuring the Flavors of the Month:
Lemon Blueberry Mini Bundt Cakes
 For The Cake 
2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1/2 cup lemon agrumato olive oil + 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 cups washed and dried blueberries (1/2 cup reserved)

For the Simple Syrup Lemon Glazed Blueberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoon fresh lemon Juice or the juice of 1 large lemon

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Grease an 8 cup bundt pan with lemon olive oil, or 8- 1 cup mini-bundt pans.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs together until light yellow and thickened.  Add the olive oil, lemon zest, vanilla, and sour cream.

In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  Add to the wet ingredients and whisk until no dry spots of flour remain.  Fold in the blueberries reserving 1/2 cup for decoration.

For the glaze, mix together the lemon juice and sugar in a microwave proof bowl.  Heat for 1 minute on high.  Whisk, and allow the glaze to sit until all the sugar is dissolved and the glaze has become transparent.

Bake the full size bundt pan for 45- 50 minutes, and the mini-bundt pans for 25-30 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to coll for at least 20 minutes before inverting.

Allow the cake to cool fully. Add the blueberries to the cooled clear syrup and toss to coat.  Decorate the top/center of the bundt with the blueberries allow the glaze to run down the sides and soak into the cake.  Serve immediately.

Serves 8-10

 
The Spicy Olive’s Strawberry Spinach Salad
 
19 oz. package of baby spinach leaves
1 cup strawberries, sliced thick
1/3 cup red onion, sliced thin
1/2 of a cucumber, seeded and sliced
1/4 cup toasted sliced apmonds
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp poppy seeds
2 Tablespoons The Spicy Olive’s Lemon olive oil
4 Tablespoons The Spicy Olive’s Strawberry balsamic
Mix the spinach leaves, strawberries, red onion, cucumber and almonds in a salad bowl. Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, poppy seeds and lemon zest. Pour over salad and toss. Serve immediately and enjoy!
 
The Spicy Olive’s Strawberry Pork Tenderloin
 
One of our mosst popular recipes!
3 lb. package of pork tenderloins
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp sea salt
10 bacon slices
1/2 cup The Spicy Olive’s Strawberry balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup strawberry preserves
1/2 cup quartered fresh strawberries
1 Tbsp. The Spicy Olive’s Garlic olive oil
Preheat grill to 400-500 degrees. Sprinkle pork tenderloin with sea salt and pepper. Wrap each pork tenderloin with bacon slices and secure with toothpicks- 3-4 bacon sliced should cover a tenderloin.
Turn off one side of the grill and arrange pork loins on unlit side of grill. Let the pork cook on the grill for 30 minutes, turning once after 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, place garlic oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Add strawberry balsamic and allow to come to a simmer, cook 5 minutes and then add strawberry preserves. Reserve 1/2 of the mixture to baste the tenderloins. Cool the other half and add the fresh strawberries. 
After 30 minutes, put the tenderloins on the hot side of the grill and cook each side for 2-3 minutes, basting each side with the strawberry balsamic mixture.
Tenderloins should reach on internal temperature of 165 degrees. Take them off the grill and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice and drizzle with the strawberry and balsamic vinegar sauce before serving!
Enjoy!

Recipes From February 2016 Newsletter

February Recipes
 The Spicy Olive’s Baklouti Green Chili Cornbread
Great served with chili on Super Bowl Sunday!

Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup Baklouti Chili Olive Oil
8 ounces sharp grated Cheddar, 2 ounces reserved
1/3 cup chopped scallions, +2 tablespoons reserved
2 tablespoons (1 small pepper) seeded finely diced fresh Anaheim pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 9″inch baking pan with Baklouti Olive Oil.
Directions
Combine the flour, cornmeal, honey, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and Baklouti Olive Oil. With a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Mix in the grated Cheddar, scallions and Anaheim peppers.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the reserved grated Cheddar and extra chopped scallions. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into large squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

The Spicy Olive’s Basil Lime Salad Dressing

2 Tablespoons The Spicy Olive’s Basil Olive oil
1 1/2 Tablespoons The Spicy Olive’s Persian Lime Olive oil
2 Tablespoons The Spicy Olive’s Premium White Balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
Whisk together and drizzle over green salad, fruit salad or a tomato salad.

 
The Spicy Olive’s Italian Pasta Bake 

2 Tablespoons The Spicy Olive’s Tuscan Herb olive oil
1 lb. bulk Italian sausage
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 onion, slivered
1 sweet red pepper, sliced
1 pkg. mushrooms sliced
1 pkg. pasta, rotini or such, cooked and drained
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Saute the red pepper, mushrooms and onion in the Tuscan Herb olive oil until tender. Remove from pan and place in casserole dish. Place sausage in pan and cook until done and browned. Add tomatoes and cook until warm. Add the vegetables back to pan. Place cooked pasta in casserole dish and top with sausage and vegetable mixture. Add 1/2 cheese and stir to mix and top with the rest of the cheese. Place in 375 degree oven and cook until heated through and cheese on top is browned.

The Spicy Olive’s Macerated Berries 

2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup The Spicy Olive’s Dark Chocolate balsamic
2-3 Tablespoons Basil olive oil
1 bunch fresh basil leaves, sliced in slivers

Place strawberries in a bowl.  Add Chocolate balsamic, basil olive oil and basil leaves.
Serve over pound cake, angel food cake or ice cream and top with whipped cream.

Recipes From January 2016 Newsletter

The Spicy Olive’s Tuscan Pot Roast
A delicious dinner for a cold January day:

4 Tbsp The Spicy Olive’s Tuscan Herb olive oil
1 4 lb. beef chuck or pot roast
1/2 cup red wine or beef broth
1/2 cup water
1 shallot, minced
4 potatoes, cubed
1 cup carrots, in chunks
1 1/2 cups portabella mushrooms
2 tsp. A 1 Sauce
1- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
sea salt & pepper to taste
Place the Tuscan Herb olive oil in a heavy dutch oven pan and heat over medium high heat. Place beef roast in pan and brown on all sides. Add shallots and garlic and allow to lightly brown, then add mushrooms and cook until tender. Add red wine or broth, water, A-1 sauce, tomatoes, potatoes and carrots to dutch oven. You can finish the roast three ways: Stove top over low heat for 3-4 hours, Crock pot on low for 8 hours or Oven set at 300 degrees for 2-3 hours. Roast will be very tender when done. Serve with red wine, a salad and a crusty loaf of bread with Tuscan Herb olive oil for dipping.

The Spicy Olive’s Asian Chicken and Rice
This recipes uses January’s Flavor of the month, Honey Ginger balsamic!

4 chicken thighs
2 Tbsp The Spicy Olive’s Garlic olive oil
1 onion, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups rice
3 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup The Spicy Olive’s Honey Ginger white balsamic

Brown chicken thighs in a large, oven proof, straight sided skillet. Remove chicken and saute onion and garlic, add more Garlic olive oil if needed. Stir in 1 1/2 cups rice and coat with olive oil. Add 3 1/4 cups chicken broth and 1/4 cup Honey Ginger balsamic. Bring to a boil and return chicken to skillet. Cover and bake in a 375 degree oven until chicken is cooked through and liquid is absorbed about 25 minutes. Drizzle with a little Honey Ginger balsamic before serving.

The Spicy Olive’s Butter Cinnamon Rolls
uses the January oil of the Month : Butter Olive oil 

( a great family activity for a cold weekend day)

5 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 packages rapid rise yeast
2 cups warm water
¼ cup The Spicy Olive’s Butter Olive Oil
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons The Spicy Olive’s Butter Olive Oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
½ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup The Spicy Olive’s Butter Olive Oil
1/2 cup brown sugar

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix the water, sugar, butter olive oil, salt, and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread butter olive oil all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over “buttered” dough. Sprinkle with walnuts and or raisins, if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices.

Preheat the oven to 350
Coat the bottom of baking pan with 1/3 cup butter olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2  cup brown sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned. 

Recipes From December 2015 Newsletter

The Spicy Olive’s Appletini 

1 1/2 oz. vodka
1 oz The Spicy Olive’s Gravenstein Apple balsamic vinegar
Place ice in a cocktail shaker. Put vodka and balsamic vinegar over ice and put lid on shaker and shake. Strain cocktail into martini glass and enjoy!
You could make this cocktail with many of our white balsamic vinegars: Cranberry Pear, Cara Cara Orange Vanilla, Sicilian Lemon  or Ripe Peach. The balsamic vinegars contain much less sugar than flavored syrups and are low calorie as well! (3 grams of sugar and 10 calories per Tablespoon) A great way to enjoy a cocktail without the guilt!

The Spicy Olive Holiday Ham 

1/3 cup The Spicy Olive’s Butter olive oil
1/3 cup The Spicy Olive’s Vermont Maple balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup Steinke’s local honey

 

Place pineapple, cherries and cloves on ham. Mix olive oil, honey and maple balsamic together in a bowl. Use mixture to baste ham. Bake ham at 350 degree oven , basting frequently, about 50-60 minutes until heated through. Enjoy!

Two Great Appetizers for Holiday Entertaining:

The Spicy Olive’s Baked Brie with Vermont Maple Balsamic Vinegar
Bake brie until warm and softened in a baking dish. Meanwhile reduce Vermont Maple Balsamic vinegar (1/2 cup) in a sauce pan until thickened, simmer 10-15 minutes. Drizzle Maple Balsamic over warm brie and serve with crackers.

The Spicy Olive’s Marinated Mushrooms or Mozzarella Cheese Balls
1/2 cup Tuscan Herb olive oil
1/2 cup Neapolitan Herb or Traditional Balsamic
1-2 cups fresh mushrooms
1-2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese balls
Place olive oil and vinegar in a bowl and place mushrooms or cheese balls into the bowl to marinate. Marinate for 24 hours and serve with toothpicks.

Recipes From November 2015 Newsletter

The Spicy Olive’s Cranberry Sauce
 An easy way to wow your Thanksgiving guests with your cranberry sauce!
 1 can of Ocean Spray whole cranberry sauce
Option 1:
 Place cranberry sauce in a sauce pan and heat. Add 3 tablespoons The Spicy Olive’s Raspberry balsamic and some orange zest and stir until combined. Allow to cool and place in refrigerator. Can be made a week in advance.
Option 2:
Place the cranberry sauce in a sauce pan and add 3 Tablespoons Black Cherry balsamic vinegar. Stir and heat until combined and thickened. You can add dried cherries and or walnuts to this sauce.
 Option 3:
    Place cranberry sauce in saucepan and add 3 Tablespoons of Gravenstein white apple balsamic or Red Apple balsamic to the cranberry sauce. Add fresh apple cubes, celery and walnuts for a Waldorf cranberry sauce.

Turkey Patties

What do I do with all of these leftovers?! Here’s an idea…
 
Combine leftover chopped turkey, leftover stuffing and mashed potatoes and shape into patties. Sauté in The Spicy Olive’s Wild Mushroom & Sage Olive Oil. Serve with cranberry sauce.

Spicy Olive Thanksgiving Turkey

12 lb. turkey
3/4 c. The Spicy Olive Mushroom & Sage Olive oil
2 tbsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. basil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. Red Apple Balsamic
1 c. water
I like to put apple slices, celery sticks, onion wedges, sage, salt and pepper in the cavity of the turkey for flavor and to keep the turkey moist. I cook the stuffing separately in a casserole due to the risk of salmonella.
Prepare the turkey for roasting by washing it and removing the neck and other parts from the cavities. Inject the turkey with the 1/2 of the Wild Mushroom & Sage olive oil with  1/2  of the Red Apple balsamic vinegar, reserving the rest for basting the bird as it roasts. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and other seasonings. Roast turkey according to directions on the packaging, basting often with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar mixture.
You could also use The Spicy Olive Herbes d’Provence olive oil with Pomegranate Balsamic vinegar for a different fall flavor.
The Spicy Olive’s Fall Skillet Dinner
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chunked
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
4 Tbsp. The Spicy Olive’s Wild Mushroom and Sage olive oil
6 slices bacon, cut into peices
3 cups Brussel Sprouts, halved
2 medium sweet potatoes, microwaved or boiled for 4 minutes, then peeled and cubed
2 apples, peeled and diced
1 tsp. garlic
2 cups chicken broth
Finish with a drizzle of The Spicy Olive’s Cinnamon Pear balsamic vinegar
Season chicken with poultry seasoning. Heat 1/2 of Wild Mushroom and Sage oil in a deep, nonstick skillet. Add chicken and cook over medium heat until lightly browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Remove chicken and transfer to a plate. Place bacon in skillet and cook until crisp. Place bacon on plate with chicken and drain the bacon grease and add the rest of the Wild Mushroom and Sage olive oil.
Add the brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes, brussel sprout should be softened and browned.  Cook stirring occasionally until browned and caramelized. Add the apples, garlic, cinnamon, chicken and bacon back to pot. Add half of the chicken broth. Cook until evaporated and add the remaining broth. Cook two minutes or more  until all  broth has been reduced.  All Chicken broth should be absorbed, To finish, drizzle with The Spicy Olive’s Cinnamon Pear balsamic vinegar and serve! Enjoy! Internal temperature of chicken should reach 165-170 degrees before serving

Recipes From October 2015 Newsletter

The Spicy Olive’s Fall Skillet Dinner
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chunked
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
4 Tbsp. The Spicy Olive’s Wild Mushroom and Sage olive oil
6 slices bacon, cut into peices
3 cups Brussel Sprouts, halved
2 medium sweet potatoes, microwaved or boiled for 4 minutes, then peeled and cubed
2 apples, peeled and diced
1 tsp. garlic
2 cups chicken broth
Finish with a drizzle of The Spicy Olive’s Cinnamon Pear balsamic vinegar
Season chicken with poultry seasoning. Heat 1/2 of Wild Mushroom and Sage oil in a deep, nonstick skillet. Add chicken and cook over medium heat until lightly browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Remove chicken and transfer to a plate. Place bacon in skillet and cook until crisp. Place bacon on plate with chicken and drain the bacon grease and add the rest of the Wild Mushroom and Sage olive oil.
Add the brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes. Cook stirring occasionally until browned and caramelized. Add the apples, garlic and cinnamon. Add half of the chicken broth. Cook until evaporated and add the remaining broth, chicken and bacon. Cook two minutes until broth has been reduced. To finish, drizzle with The Spicy Olive’s Cinnamon Pear balsamic vinegar and serve! Enjoy!

The Spicy Olive’s Harvest Chicken in Foil
4 pieces heavy duty foil
Brush foil with The Spicy Olive’s Garlic olive oil
Put 1 chicken breast in the center of each foil piece
Top with sliced onion, grape tomatoes, carrots, red skinned potatoes, and zucchini, (you can use any vegetable you like)
Drizzle with The Spicy Olive’s Butter olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.
Fold up the foil packets and place on heated grill. Cook until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees.

August Recipes:
Sparkling Gravenstein Apple Balsamic Cocktail
2 oz. vodka, chilled
1/2 oz. Gravenstein Apple white balsamic. vinegar
3 oz. club soda, chilled
Fill a tall glass with ice. Add vodka, Gravenstein Apple balsamic and soda water. Stir to gently mix and serve immediately. Enjoy!
 Heirloom Tomato Salad
4 ripe heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 Tablespoons The Spicy Olive single varietal olive oil
2 Tablespoons The Spicy Olive’s Neapolitan Herb balsamic
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch Italian parsley or basil
Place cut tomatoes in a bowl. Top with the oil and balsamic vinegar. Chiffonade the fresh herbs and sprinkle on top. Toss to coat with the balsamic and olive oil and season to taste with the salt and pepper. Serve and Enjoy!
Apple Pasta Salad with Lime Vinaigrette
8 oz. Farfalle Pasta, cooked according to package instructions and drained
1 cup roasted chicken, shredded
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
2 small yellow squash, thinly sliced
2 apples, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese
Stir together pasta, chicken and next 5 ingredients in a large salad bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Dressing:
1/4 cup The Spicy Olive’s Gravenstein Apple white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup The Spicy Olive’s Persian Lime olive oil
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
Whisk together salad dressing ingredients. Pour over pasta salad, toss and enjoy!
( Could also make this pasta salad with peaches or nectarines and our Ripe Peach balsamic)

Baked Parmesan Garlic Chicken Wings

 

Baked Parmesan Garlic Chicken Wings 

Serves 4  

 

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt (1/2 tsp table salt)

2 1/2 pounds chicken wings

2 tablespoons The Spicy Olive’s Organic Tuscan Herb Olive Oil

2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt (like Lawry’s)

1 cup blue cheese dressing

1-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (or to taste)

 

1. Preheat oven to 425F. In a small bowl, mix together the oregano, rosemary, cumin and salt. Lay the chicken wings on a baking sheet and season the chicken wings with this mixture.

2. Bake the chicken wings for 20-25 minutes. While the chicken is baking, mix together the olive oil, fresh basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese and seasoning salt.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the blue cheese dressing with the mustard (this is your dipping sauce)

4. When the chicken is cooked through, toss the wings with the garlic/cheese/olive oil (or butter) sauce and return to the oven for 5 minutes.  Serve with the blue cheese/mustard dressing.

Grilled Steaks Balsamico

1 c. The Spicy Olive Fig Balsamic Vinegar

4 (6 to 8 oz.) boneless beef steaks (sirloin)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Marinate the steak in fig balsamic and salt and pepper for two hours or more. Grill for five minutes per side, or until desired doneness. Drizzle with additional fig balsamic before serving.

Balsamic-Pepper Flank Steak with Grilled Pears and Blue Cheese

For extra flavor, the marinade can be mixed with beef broth, boiled and reduced until thick – while the steak cooks – then drizzled over the finished dish.


1/4 c. The Spicy Olive’s Traditional Balsamic
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp. black peppercorns
Kosher salt
1.5 lbs. flank steak
2 pears, peeled, halved and cored
Crumbled blue cheese, for topping
In a blender, combine the vinegar, garlic, peppercorns and 1 tsp. of kosher salt. Blend for 20 seconds, then transfer to a wide shallow bowl. Add the steak to the marinade, turning to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, over night if possible.
When ready to cook, heat the broiler with a rack six inches from the heat. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil, then coat it lightly with any of The Spicy Olive’s single-varietal EVOO. Cut each pear half into four slices and arrange them on one half of the sheet. Remove the steak from the marinade and set it on the other half of the sheet. Broil everything for five minutes. Use tongs to flip the steak and pears. Broil for another five minutes for medium-rare.
Let the steaks rest for 10 minutes then cut into thin slices against the grain. Divide the slices between 4 serving plates, then top each with pear slices.
Top each serving with a little bit of crumbled blue cheese and serve.