Olive Oil Gingersnaps

As much as I like the intricate and more difficult cookies and baked goods around the holidays, sometime you just need a good simple cookie to whip up for a last minute party or event. These gingersnaps are those cookies. They're perfect all year round and are some of my favorite cookies.

Tuscan White Bean Soup

Today at lunch I went for a hot bowl of Tuscan White Bean Soup from the cafeteria at work. Our cafeteria went through a remodel last year and actually serves some pretty decent food. The soups have always been great but this one was extremely underwhelming. Not necessarily bad but really not good in any way. I even had to go get a big side of onion rings to make up for it. 

Crispy Sweet Potato and Zucchini Pancake

 

If you've seen the recipes I typically post, you obviously know that I'm not Diabetic. But the Virtual Potluck group is celebrating World Diabetes Day and our challenge was to share a diabetic friendly recipe! We're also working with two great companies, Anolon and Microplane so that made the challenge even more interesting. Best part is, you'll be able have a chance at winning the tools that we used for this dish!

Mahi Mahi Tacos

It's still just me in the house, which is good and bad. I cleaned the house on Friday and I love knowing that I won't have to clean hand prints off the windows or pick up toys in the playroom for the next two weeks, but it's awfully quiet in the evening around here. I've been keeping myself pretty busy though and invited some guys over to cook with me Saturday night. Well, technically one of them (yep, you Joe) invited himself over, but I was all for it. Guys night cooking some great food.

Flank Steak with Pineapple Salsa

Hope everyone had a great Fathers Day! For us it was the weekend of steak. My wife and I went out to dinner Friday night, one of the last times we'll have without a newborn for awhile, and we had a great steak there. I had the leftovers from that Saturday for lunch and then I grilled this amazing flank steak for the family Saturday night.

Cranberry-Almond Quinoa Cookies

I don't think I've ever posted this many healthy recipes in a row! This Tasty and Healthy New Years challenge with Bobs Red Mill and California Olive Ranch has been so much fun and I've really enjoyed the challenge of creating some fun things that taste great and are still pretty healthy. We're going to end with dessert of course and I went with a tasty healthy cookie using both the Quinoa that was featured last week as well as the Whole Grain White Wheat Flour from Bob's Red Mill.

Curried Whole Grain Pilaf with Bacon, Mushroom and Cabbage

We're now in our second week of recipes for a Tasty and Healthy New Year with California Olive Ranch and Bob's Red Mill. We're moving on to side dishes this week and pairing together the Grande Whole Grains Blend and the Miller's Blend Olive Oil. Did you do a double take when you saw the title of this post and then saw healthy in the first line? Bacon and healthy... yeah, it works in my book. You see the thing is, coming from a non health nut, it's about balance. I am trying to eat better but I also like some things that aren't necessarily good for you. It's about moderation and making sure that the healthy foods usually outweigh the bad. And we all know, bacon makes eveything better, right? And come on, it's only four slices for the whole thing. You'll love it.

Olive Oil and Whole Wheat Flatbread with Veggies

Starting today, our Virtual Potluck group is working with California Olive Ranch and Bob's Red Mill to bring you healthy options as we start this new year. We'll be sharing some fun and healthy ways to combine whole grains and fresh olive oils to create some fantastic new recipes. Find out more about the potluck and see who's participating here!

Cafe Levain with California Olive Ranch

Where does your Olive Oil come from? Well, on July 6th at Cafe Levain, our Olive Oil came directly from California. Chef Adam Vickerman and the California Olive Ranch partnered to prepare a fantastic meal that highlighted the skillful talent of Adam and the fresh, refined taste of olive oil from California Olive Ranch.

Chocolate Budino Tart with Olive Oil and Sea Salt

Can you imagine taking chocolate, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt and coming up with a decent dessert? Well how about one that is simply amazing? As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program I recently received samples of Crisco's Olive Oil varieties and wanted to find a recipe that really showed off the great flavor. This tart contrasts the sweetness of the chocolate and the savory flavors of the olive oil and sea salt resulting in a deep flavor that I never would have expected.