Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Cinnamon Balsamic

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

1 tbs. Garlic Olive Oil
1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 tbs. ground cumin
1 1/2 tbs. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp. Galena Garlic Himalayan Pink Sea salt
8 cups Chicken stock ( you can use chicken broth from the box or can)
29 oz. can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
15 oz. can white beans, drained
2tbs. Cinnamon Pear Balsamic vinegar
2 Tb. honey

Suggested Toppings:
1 cup french fried onions (from can or bag)
Cayenne Pepper, ground or flakes
Sea Salt
Wild Mushroom and Sage Croutons                     (recipe on our website at www.oholive.com)
Dollop of sour cream

Directions:
Place a large sauce pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil, onion, garlic and jalapenos. Saute for 3-5 minutes until soft. Stir in the cumin, oregano and salt. Saute another 4 minutes.
Add the stock, pumpkin puree and beans to the pot. Simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered. Then add the vinegar and honey and simmer another 3-5 minutes.
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth, or use your regular blender and do in small batches.

Serve with toppings as suggested and a dollop of sour cream.

Pumpkins and more!

It's almost pumpkin time and that makes us think of our Pumpkin Stew recipe made with some delicious high poly, ultra premium Picual extra virgin olive oil. It's an awesome Fall dinner. Serve in pumpkins that have been cleaned of seeds and strings.

                                         

                                        Pumpkin Stew
Ingredients
•
¼ c. Ultra Premium Picual extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 lb skinless, boneless white breast chicken meat
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp Oh Olive Garlic Blend Seasoning
2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) chicken broth 
1 can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp Galena Garlic Smoked Chipotle Paprika
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups 1-in. cubes peeled sugar pumpkin or butternut squash (1 lb)
1/2 lb. fresh green beans, cut in half
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (secret ingredient)


Directions
• Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add chicken; sauté 4 minutes or until browned. Remove chicken and reduce heat to a simmer. Add onion, pepper and garlic; sauté 4 minutes until softened.
• Add 1 1/2 cups broth, the tomatoes, paprika seasoning, and salt. Bring to a boil; add chicken, pumpkin and beans. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 12 minutes or until chicken and pumpkin are tender.
• Meanwhile stir remaining broth, the cornstarch and peanut butter in a bowl until smooth. Add to pot; stir until blended. Cook 2 minutes or until consistency desired.

Garnish with some croutons made with our Wild Mushroom and Sage olive oil! (recipe on our website;www.oholive.com)

Delicious!!!!!!!

Ok, so we love pumpkin, so let's stay with the theme. Our pumpkin muffins are both healthy and delicious! They use one of our customer favored oils; Butter Oil, but here's the catch: no butter in the oil at all; just tastes like butter! All-natural, organic, dairy and gluten free, too! Use it anywhere you would use butter. I love it on fresh veggies and in the pan for scrambled eggs, but it's also great on toast, pasta, rice, and in many recipes. What more can you ask for?

                            Pumpkin Muffins

  

                             

I love to experiment with recipes to make them healthier. I hope you enjoy this high fiber, healthy fat adaptation!You can add chocolate chips or cranberries; sometimes I add nuts, too.

1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. ground almonds
1/2 c. flax seed meal (ground flax seeds)
1/2 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ginger
1 c. canned pumpkin
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
                                                1/3 c. Delizia Butter olive oil (dairy, gluten free & vegan; no butter in it!)

Optional: course sugar (I use raw cane sugar) and coarsely chopped walnuts to sprinkle on top

1. Use olive oil to lightly grease muffin tin or line with paper liners. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Be sure ingredients are well mixed.
3. Combine pumpkin, milk, eggs and butter olive oil in a separate bowl and mix thoroughly.
4. Add pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Divide mixture between 12 muffin cups and top with sugar and walnuts if desired. Bake 15-20 minutes or until baked through. Cool in pan 5 minutes but remove muffins before they cool.

This recipe is easy enough to make with your kids. All the mixing is done with a whisk or spoon-perfect for involving beginning cooks. Any leftovers make a nutritious, quick breakfast on school mornings.

No "Grate" Olive Oil Carrot Cake

Love to eat carrot cake, but don't like to grate those carrots? Here's a simple recipe for a no grate carrot snack cake.  It's moist and rich due to the addition of olive oil in the recipe. And, you can add your favorite cream cheese frosting recipe or use mine below!

Cream Cheese Frosting
Beat together 4 oz. cream cheese (room temperature), 4 tablespoons butter, 2 cups confectioner's sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until smooth.  Spread on carrot cake.

Cinnamon Pear Balsamic Apple Crisp

Do you love apple pie? It's the time of the year for those great apple desserts, and this is a great one to try.  The Cinnamon Pear Balsamic carmelizes under the topping to create a gooey, delicious glaze over the apples.

Cinnamon Pear Balsamic Apple Crisp

8 cups peeled and sliced apples

1 cup flour

½  cup brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

2 sticks butter, cubed

4 tablespoons Delizia Cinnamon Pear Balsamic (or a little more to cover)

2 tablespoons Delizia Butter Olive Oil

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Peel and slice apples.  Pour the Butter Olive Oil into the bottom of a 9x13 pan to coat bottom and sides.  Arrange apples in pan to cover bottom evenly.  Sprinkle cinnamon over apples.  Drizzle the Cinnamon Pear Balsamic over all. 

In a separate bowl, mix in the cubed butter with the sugars and flour until topping resembles coarse mixture with small lumps.  Sprinkle topping mix evenly over the apples.  Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes until brown and bubbly.  Serve warm with vanilla icecream.

Divine Pumpkin Olive Oil Bars with Rum Frosting

Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year, and one of the things I love about it is the Fall pumpkin harvest!  Love making pumpkin bars, cookies, soups, and pancakes.  Here are a couple of recipes that I really enjoy.......

Divine Pumpkin Olive Oil Bars with Rum Frosting

Ingredients:

Bars:

1 tsp salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon Delizia Cinnamon Pear Balsamic

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups white whole wheat flour ( I like King Arthur)

1 cup Brown Sugar (I use Splenda Brown Sugar Blend) If using regular brown sugar, use 1 2/3  cup.

2/3  cup Delizia Roasted Walnut Oil

1/3 cup Delizia Chemlali or Sweet Barnea olive oil

16oz  fresh or canned pumpkin

4 eggs

Frosting:

Large bar of cream cheese, softened at room temperature

1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

½ cup butter

4 tablespoons dark spiced rum or bourbon whiskey (I use Capt. Morgan’s)

2 ½ cups powdered sugar

Chocolate Shavings

Chopped Pecans

Grease and flour a 10 x 13 jelly roll pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in bowl.  Set aside. Mix the brown sugar, pumpkin, walnut oil and olive oil until well blended.  Add eggs one at a time, then ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.  Add the Cinnamon Pear Balsamic and mix for 3 minutes at medium speed.  Scrape sides of bowl and begin to add the flour mixture in small amounts at low speed, until all has been well incorporated into the batter.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350 or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Try not to over bake.  Cool bars completely before frosting.

Mix the cream cheese, vanilla extract, butter and rum on high speed until creamy and light.  Add powdered sugar in small amounts until the frosting has the desired consistency.  Frost the cooled bars and sprinkle chocolate shavings and pecans over all.  Enjoy these amazing bars for dessert, breakfast, or just because....

Pumpkin Pancakes

Hearty Breakfast for a crisp, Fall Morning

2 ½  cups of your favorite pancake mix (I love Sturdiwheat, and you can order it online)

1 egg

½ cup milk

1 cup fresh or canned pumpkin

2 tablespoons Delizia Chemlali extra virgin olive oil

Mix liquid ingredients into the pancake mix and blend well.  Add the pumpkin and stir. Heat the oil on the griddle. Drop by ¼ cupfuls onto a hot griddle.  Serve with Maple syrup, honey, or your favorite jam! 

Are you ready for two totally exciting, new events from Oh Olive? On October 20, we kick off our innovative and exceptionally fun Rev-OIL-utionary Recipe Challenge in conjunction with the debut of the newest cocktail in Chicago: the "Tangier Toddy", created by mixologist Dante Lopresti, (made with our world famous Tiesta Tea). Dante's original recipe for this cocktail will be available for customers to take home and make for their own holiday gatherings! Here's the best part; these events are absolutely free to our customers! Come on down to our Lincoln Park location and celebrate with us on Saturday, October 20, from 11:00- 4:00 PM. Meet Dante and our tea boys; sample the new cocktail and also our Peach Bellini, as in the photo below. In addition, you will taste appetizers and desserts made with our oils & vinegars, and get the recipes! You can also submit your own recipe, and receive a free 60 ml. bottle of olive oil. So what are you waiting for?  http://www.facebook.com/OhOliveStore

Oh, my! Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  It is my favorite holiday with all of those delicious, holiday aromas in the kitchen.  I have a killer recipe for a different stuffing for your Thanksgiving turkey.  It always gets rave reviews, and there's never any leftovers.  Here it is, but prepare yourself to make a double batch, if you want some for the next day.

Oh Olive Rye Bread Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 lb. loaf of rye bread with seeds, cut into 1 inch chunks

2 cups chicken or turkey stock (can be made with vegetable stock)

11/2 teaspoons of caraway seeds

6 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups celery chopped

2 Golden delicious (or other) apples, peeled and chopped

1 large sweet onion, chopped

¼ cup Delizia Wild Mushroom & Sage Olive Oil

¼ cup Delizia Butter Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Galena Garlic Stuffing & Dressing Seasoning

½ teaspoon Sonoma Gourmet Sea Salt

Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place bread chunks on cookie sheet and drizzle with the Wild Mushroom & Sage oil.  Toast until lightly browned and crispy.

Cook caraway seeds in Butter olive oil in sauté pan over medium heat for about two minutes.  Next, add celery, chopped apples, garlic and onions.  Stir veggies and sauté until veggies are softened slightly.  Add seasoning, salt and pepper.  When all are browned (10 minutes or so), add the chicken stock and scrape up any of the browned bits to add to the stuffing mix.  Pour mixture over the toasted bread cubes, and toss until coated well.

Transfer mixture to a 3 quart casserole dish.  Drizzle top with Mushroom & Sage oil. 

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until stuffing is crisp on top.

Note: You can make this a day ahead and refrigerate.  Reheat at 300 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. You can also do individual stuffing servings in a muffin pan!