Yesterday was National Martini Day, but I promise it is not too late to celebrate. Today, let's look at the health benefits of a martini's best accessory: olives. Whether they are stuffed with blue cheese, marinated in spices, or you just like the juice, olives are a great way to spruce up and personalize the vodka or gin of your choice!
- 3.5 ounces of olives are just 116 calories. That adds up to 59 calories for 10 olives
- Olives contain 11-15% fat. about three quarters of that fat is oleic acid, the main component of olive oil. This has several health benefits including decreased inflammation and a reduced risk of heart disease.
- Olives are full of Vitamin E, Iron, Copper, and Calcium.
- Olives are very bitter and not something that people normally eat raw. To help with the taste, many olives are pickled or cured and fermented. The fermentation process can help the final product reduce cholesterol levels
- Fun Fact: Did you know that olives are related to mangos, pistachios, cherries, peaches, and almonds?
Recipes:
Easy Tapenade (cookieandkate.com)
- 1 cup Castelvetrano Olives, pitted
- 1/2 cup Nicoise or Kalamata Olives, pitted
- 1/4 cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf Parsley
- 1 tablespoon drained Capers
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 medium Cloves Garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- In the bowl of your food processor, combine all of the ingredients (pitted olives, parsley, capers, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice). Pulse briefly about 10 times, then scrape down the sides of the jar.
- Pulse 5 to 10 more times until well chopped, but not pureed, or until you reach your desired texture. Serve as desired. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Chicken and Olives (allrecipes.com)
- 4 boneless Chicken Breast halves with skin
- Salt and Ground Black Pepper to taste
- 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup sliced Shallots
- 1/2 cup pitted and sliced Green Olives
- 1/2 cup brine-cured pitted Olives, such as Kalamata
- 1 cup Chicken Broth
- 1 Lemon, zested and juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf Parsley
- 2 tablespoons Cold Butter, cut into four pieces
Season skin-side of chicken with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Turn breasts over and season skinless side with salt, black pepper, cayenne, and herbes de Provence. Turn again so that the skin-side is facing up; rest for 10 minutes.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Place chicken skin-side down in hot oil. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook chicken until skin is well-browned, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken and cook until just browned, about 2 minutes; transfer to a plate.
Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir shallots in the hot skillet until just softening and golden brown, about 2 minutes. Stir olives into shallots and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Pour the chicken broth into the skillet; bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the reserved olive brine, lemon zest, and cumin; increase heat to high and cook until sauce is reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes.
Reduce heat to low and return chicken, skin-side up, to the skillet. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 5 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove chicken to a plate and cover with aluminum foil.
Stir parsley and butter into sauce, stirring continuously until butter is melted and sauce is shiny. Spoon sauce over chicken.
Marinated Olives (dontgobaconmyheart.co.uk)
- 14 ounces pitted Olives
- 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup finely diced Fresh Parsley
- 4 fat cloves of Garlic
- 1 small Orange, peeled into strips with a vegetable peeler
- 1 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Dried Chili Flakes
- block of Feta
- Sliced, toasted Ciabatta to serve
In a large shallow dish whisk together extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, parsley, oregano and chilli flakes. Toss in olives, orange peel and garlic.
Cover and marinate at room temp for at least an hour, tossing every now and then if you can. If you're marinating longer than an hour, marinate in the fridge. Bring to room temp before serving so the oil loosens up. See notes for serving with feta.
