HELPFUL HINT ON USING EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

Using Virgin Olive Oil is all the craze these days but there's something about it that you might not know.
When you cook with EVOO it cooks out the nutrition of the oil.
 EVOO is expensive and to just burn out all of the good stuff we think isn't such a wise thing to do.
So... the solution is this:  Use a general less expensive brand to cook with.  Then, when you're ready to serve up your delicious salad use the "good stuff" as a dressing.  That way you'll get all of the nutrition and taste you were looking for.

Hope that is a helpful hint.  It made sense to us.

Happy cooking.  Now go eat something.  You look flushed.

Steve & Kim

MARINATED FETA AND OLIVES

Image by Darwin Bell via Flickr
Happy November Everyone.  I trust you all went out and voted yesterday.

Here's a yummy recipe sent in by Carol Feltman of Washington State.  It looks really good.  I encourage you to try it as I will be in the next few days.


Marinated Feta and Olives
1 pound feta cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1 cup pitted green olives
1/2 cup bottled roasted red sweet peppers, cut into strips
1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. fresh thyme leaves
2 t. snipped fresh oregano
1/2 t. cracked black pepper
In large glass or stainless steel bowl, mix cheese cubes, Kalamata olives, green olives, roasted peppers and onion wedges. In screw top jar, mix olive oil, vinegar, garlic, thyme, oregano and pepper. Cover and shake well. Pour over mixture in bowl; toss gently to coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours before serving. Serve with picks. makes 5 cups, or 10 servings. Make Ahead: Prepare as directed, except cover and store in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

VEGETARIAN WHOLE FOODS ONE POT CHILI

Image by Chiot's Run via FlickrThis pot of chili will warm your bellies, keep the kids happy (without realizing they're eating their vegetables) all while you're enjoying your day because you cooked it all at once in your oven.  Now just how great is that?!
This version is meatless but you can make it with ground beef if you chose.
So, let's get cooking... or not cooking as the case may be.
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound cornbread
1 can (15 ounces) of vegetarian bean chili
1 can (15 ounces) of black or kidney beans
1 jar (12.5 ounces) of medium salsa
1 1/2 cups of monterrey jack and cheddar cheese, shredded
3 scallions, sliced
Olive oil for coating baking dish.
PREPARATION:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Coat the inside of a 9-inch square baking dish with the olive oil.  Crumble half of the cornbread into the baking dish.
In a large bowl, combine the chili, beans and salsa. Spoon the chili mixture evenly over the cornbread. Sprinkle with a layer of cheese then crumble the remaining cornbread over the cheese. Next finish up by sprinkling the remaining cheese over the last layer of cornbread.
Bake in the top third of the oven for 30 minutes, the cheese should be melted and the top golden brown.
Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes then sprinkle the sliced scallions on top and serve.
Now just how simple was that, right? We hope you enjoy this delicious, easy-to-make chili dish.
Steve and Kim

Related articles by Zemanta

• Chili Beans and Cheese (notecook.com)
• Would you like porridge or gruel? (ask.metafilter.com)
• 7 Super Bowl Recipes That Score Big (lifescript.com)
• Cooking on a Budget: Texas chili (mysanantonio.com)