The weather is getting warmer & olives are working their way back into the menu, more & more. I am a bit in love with green olives at the moment & the bonus, some fabulous health benefits which are great for everyone.
Olives have some great health advantages, notably their healthy fats which are extracted to produce olive oil. Olives contain roughly 15% fat, & a whopping 74% of that, is oleic acid (a type of monounsaturated fatty acid). It is the main component of olive oil & one of the key components of the Mediterranean diet. Oleic acid is linked with decreased inflammation & a reduced risk of heart disease; plus, research is being done for its effect on cancer & osteoporosis. Wow, some pretty impressive stuff.
Now there is more to olives than just the olive oil story, they are also super high in vitamin E & some other powerful antioxidants. OK, antioxidants – heard of them but unsure what they actually do? These substances help protect your cells against free radicals, which can play a role in many diseases. These free radicals are produced when your body breaks down foods or exposure to toxic chemicals such as pesticides, air pollution or smoking.
Some of you following Shân’s Consciously Nutritious facebook page may be aware I have recently started onto a new style of eating. I mention this as I have adapted a few recipes I have been using, hence some extra comments about what I omitted or added.
Image: The Spruce Eats
Easy Green Olive Tapenade
Source: The Mom 100
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
🥄 1 cup pitted green olives
🥄 2 anchovies, rinsed & chopped (I omitted this)
🥄 ½ tsp minced garlic
🥄 ¼ cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
🥄 ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
🥄 1 tbspn capers, drained (I subbed the same amount of finely diced gherkin)
🥄 2 tspn lemon zest, finely grated
🥄 2-3 tspn lemon juice (depending on your taste – I only used a very small amount 1 tspn for lemon flavour)
🥄 Sea salt & ground black pepper
Method:
🥄 Place olives, anchovies, garlic, parsley, olive oil, capers, lemon zest & lemon juice into a food processor. Pulse until coarsely blended.
🥄 Taste & season as desired.
🥄 Continue to pulse or puree until the mixture is as coarse or fine as you like.
Notes:
🥄 Delish on fish, stir through pasta, use as part of a grazing platter – hello summer BBQs, as a dip or thin tapenade with extra olive oil to make it into a dressing for vegetables or salads.
🥄 Lasts for approx. 2 weeks in a covered container in the fridge
🥄 Vegan option – omit the anchovies
🥄 Substitute green olives for black olives – easy peasey
#Recipe #GlutenFree #DairyFree #Vego #AntiInflammatory #MedInspo #ConsciouslyNutritious