What's with the Olive Oil Imposters

Once you go Paleo there are some things that become essential staples around the house.  While olive oil is pretty popular in general it is a must for Paleo households.  We cook with it, put it on eggs, put it on salads, put it on just about anything.  Good olive oil with some salt and spices is just plain heavenly. Olive oil is so good that it has become big business and with big business comes profit, marketing, cost cutting, and sometimes fraud. The news over the last few months has been flooded with stories about the prevalence of counterfeit olive oil. This piece Extra Virgin Suicide - NYTimes.com gives an entertaining high level on the problem. UC Davis clearly puts a lot of research into olives and in a 2010 study found that 69% of imported extra-virgin olive oils bought in California supermarkets including some very popular brands failed to meet international standards. The worst part of all this is the olive oil you thought was healthy is in many cases the exact same omega-6 laden highly refined oil you were trying to avoid.  

From my high level scrub of the news and research it seems the best way to ensure your olive oil is pure is to either stick with oil that is produced in the US or do a little extra work to verify that a specific olive oil has a seal of approval from a bonafide independent testing organization.  If you want to dive deeper into this rabbit hole, search for "olive oil" on Google News and you will find dozens of articles calling out specific brands good and bad.  

We have decided to give Trader Joe's California Estate Olive Oil a try. It is reasonably priced and was referenced in numerous articles as one that passed the purity tests.  We'll let you know what we think.  

Thanks for stopping by!
Chuck

Photo 1:Wikipedia Olive Tree
Photo 2: Trader Joe's

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/21/4925146/how-extra-virgin-is-your-olive.html#storylink=cpy

Paleo Hush Puppies

After making some Paleo Angels on Horseback we had a little extra egg wash and almond meal batter and decided to try our hand at some on the fly Paleo Hush Puppies.  These bad boys turned out pretty darn good.  We may have to tweak our recipe a little to be sure they are plenty spicy.  Serve these little guys with any your favorite seafood dishes.

• PREP5 mins
• COOK5 mins
• READY IN10 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond meal 
• Your favorite seafood seasoning (AKA Old Bay) to taste
• 2-4 tbsp. olive oil 
• 1 Egg

Directions:

1. Mix almond meal and Old Bay to create the almond meal seafood batter
2. Add batter to the egg wash and mix until you have the consistency of almond butter.
3. Heat a skillet with olive oil to medium heat.
4. Use a spoon to drop in grape to golf ball size lumps.
5. Fry on all sides until crispy brown and serve. 

Paleo Angels on Horseback

My Dad and his friends have been making conventional Angels on Horseback for years, so named by the legendary country cook Mrs. McGrady.  I was recently watching Mathieu Lalonde's presentation on nutrient density and oysters topped the charts. When I saw that oysters were on sale at the market I couldn't resist.  Now let me tell you, these things are absolutely ridiculously delicious and addictive.  If there are people in your family that don't think they'll like them, DO NOT talk them into trying one, agree with them, and thank yourself later that you have a few more for yourself.

I was a little concerned how the almond meal batter would work out but I think in the end these are even better than the conventional version.   I was a little rusty on keeping all the batter on during the fry.  Speaking of keeping the batter on during frying, the refrigeration step is absolutely critical, use a fork to ease each oyster up when ready to flip, don't rush to flip, and in the end if you lose the crispy coating don't worry because they will still be awesome.

• PREP20 mins
• CHILL15 mins
• FRY
  4-6 mins
• BAKE
  5 mins
• READY IN
  45 mins

Ingredients:

• 8oz Jar of oysters
• 1/4 pound of bacon
• 2-4 tbsp. of olive oil
• 1 cup of almond meal
• 1 egg
• Your favorite seafood seasoning (AKA Old Bay) to taste

Directions:

1. Place oysters on paper towels and pat dry
2. Cut bacon into 1/2-1 inch wide by 3 inch long strips
3. Wrap oysters with bacon and skewer with toothpicks
4. Mix your seafood seasoning and almond meal in a bowl to create the almond meal batter
5. Mix a small amount of water with an egg to create the egg wash
6. Dip each bacon wrapped oyster in the egg wash, let drip a little, then roll in the almond flour batter, and place on a cool plate.
7. Put the plate in the fridge for 15 mins. 
8. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan to medium heat
9. Place the oysters in the pan and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes.
10. Remove and place on a cookie sheet and put in a preheated 400 degree oven for 5 min.
11. Remove from the oven and place the little angels on a paper towel covered plate.  
12. Let cool, add a little more seasoning if you like, and serve warm or refrigerate for a cold snack later.
    
    
    NOTE: If you have a little extra egg wash and almond meal batter cook up some Paleo Hush Puppies to go with.
    
    

Zesty Sweet Potato Chips

Sweet potatoes are delicious and incredibly good for you.  We eat sweet potatoes regularly and are always trying new ways to eat them.  This is one very simple and very healthy way to prepare them.  The old bay is just one way to spice them up but you can go with just about anything.  These pretty much go with anything or are great as a snack.

• PREP10 mins
• COOK20 mins
• READY IN30 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
• 1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Add olive oil, salt and pepper in mixing bowl and set aside. 
3. Cut potatoes into 1/4 inch slices and add to the mixing bowl and toss until coated
4. Place the slices on a cookie sheet and spread them out as even as possible 
5. Cook at 400 degrees  for 10 min. on each side or until the slices are slightly brown on both sides.
6. Place chips on serving plate, sprinkle with Old Bay, and serve.

Crispy Brussels Sprouts

I have seen similar recipes on a lot of different sites so this one is not unique but I can tell you this, these are delicious!  If you don't like Brussels sprouts then you have to give them one more try.  I hated Brussels sprouts my whole life and once Steph laid these on me they became a staple that we have at least twice a week. The recipe below calls for salt and pepper but you can get creative and add any number of your favorite spices to mix things up. Enjoy these with a thick cut steak and some paleo mayo!  They are also great for lunch leftovers.

• PREP5 mins
• COOK20 mins
• READY IN25 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 bag Brussels of fresh sprouts (we get bag at Whole Foods)
• 4 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 2 tsp. sea salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine oil,salt and pepper in mixing bowl and set aside. 
2. Cut brussels sprouts in half and put in mixing bowl stir and coat well. 
3. Place the sprouts on cookie sheet and cook for 10 mins. on each side until slightly browned take out of oven and put in bowl and serve.