Olive Oil Education

My education in olive oil all culminated from a conversation I had with a man who spent nearly two decades living in Italy. He was looking for a place in Fresno where he could get REAL olive oil! Like knock on the door of someone who has an olive tree in their yard real olive oil. Even though I use olive oil every day and in every meal, I was embarrassed to admit I've been buying just run of the mill, grocery store, olive oil! GASP!

Hang in there with me and at the end of this post, I'll share with you one of "those" knock on the door places. I mean, c'mon - it's Fresno - we have everything awesome here!

In the meantime, if you're like me, you know you love and use olive oil, but you may not know much about it. This prompted me to head down to We Olive. The gentleman behind the counter basically put me through the rigors of olive oil. We did a tasting that was just like wine tasting. As he explained to me the flavors, I was amazed at the differences! I was able to distinguish pepper and grass and more!

The difference between this fresh oil and that which I've been using was extreme!

Here's a little tidbit that he shared with me. Olive oil is one of the few things not regulated by the FDA. Olive oil from the grocery store may be as little as 20% pure olive oil and the rest could be other types! You can be sure I'm not going to do that again!

What's cool too is that you pay by the ounce. You can bring in your own container or purchase one of theirs. It's just a one time fee and then you can bring that bottle back next time. The one I chose is actually made at Fresno State, which pleased me too!

Point of this whole long post is this. Fresh is better. Pure is better. Local is better. Education is better. I received all of those from this experience and would highly recommend you do the same!

NOW, for those of you who are hardcore, let me share another tidbit. Apparently no one knows the name of this place, but it's pretty much a "Oh look they have olive trees, I wonder if they make their own oil?" I was told to just follow these directions :) (Sounds like the real deal to me)

Take Minnewawa to Copper
Left on Copper
Take an immediate right onto Auberry Rd
Within a 1/2 mile or less on the right hand side you will see a sign that says "Olive oil for sale" and there will be instructions on it. (Something about a house and where to knock or ring haha) If you get to the Eucalyptus grove before seeing the sign you've gone too far.

Now, if one of you actually goes there, LET ME KNOW!!

Chili Bean Enchilada Casserole

Well, this is recipe seems really bad for you, but it serves 4 and actually only has 360 calories per serving. That's pretty darn good! I, of course, made my mine with a vegetarian chili and added some kidney beans to it for extra protein, but you can just use a regular can of chili con carne.

There's only a few ingredients in this recipe and it's definitely bachelor approved.

Preheat oven to 425. I'm making mine in 2 mini casserole dishes so I cut the tortillas to fit in each one better.

Spread some enchilada sauce in the bottom of your dish and brush onto the sides.

Put in 1 layer of tortillas and top with ingredients of your choice. (You're going to do multiple layers so you don't have to put 1 of everything on each layer if you don't want to.)

Add another layer of tortillas and top with more enchilada sauce.

Top again with your choice of ingredients.

Repeat again with the tortilla, enchilada sauce, and more ingredients.

Top with final layer of tortilla, enchilada sauce, and cover with cheese. Spray foil with cooking spray before covering so it doesn't stick to the cheese when baking.

 

 

Bake at 425 covered for 20 minutes. Then remove foil.

Put back in the over and continue baking until fully heated through and browned. While the casserole finishes cooking, chop up whatever toppings you would like. I chose avocado and cilantro.

Let it cool for a few minutes, plate, garnish, and ENJOY!

Cauliflower Casserole

Here's a cute recipe for cauliflower that my mom used to make for us. It's not THAT healthy, I can admit, but it's a cheesy creamy way to get non-vegetable lovers on board.

First, preheat your over to 375 degrees.

Steam the cauliflower. Remember, it's going in the oven, so don't over cook it.

While the cauliflower is steaming add some mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper to a small bowl.

Stir thoroughly and to taste.

Place steamed cauliflower in a casserole dish (or two mini ones!)

Spread mayo/mustard mixture lightly and evenly over the top.

Top with sliced cheddar cheese.

Bake, uncovered, until cheese melts and just starts to brown.

SERVE!