Many white chicken chili recipes are full of unhealthy ingredients, so we wanted to create a recipe that not only tastes good but is good for you too! Our first “twist” was using our spicy Red Cayenne Chili EVOO to saute the onions and garlic. We then added our savory Oregano Balsamic Vinegar, white cannellini beans, cream of chicken soup, chicken stock, shredded chicken, and spices. Simmer the soup for about an hour and top diced avocado, sliced cherry tomatoes and chopped cilantro before serving.

It’s pretty simple to substitute our EVOOs for butter or vegetable oil when baking. The rule of thumb is easy to remember . . . if you are substituting a liquid fat (like vegetable oil) with an EVOO then you will substitute in equal measure; however, if you are substituting a solid fat (like butter) with an EVOO there is a slight conversion. Butter contains about 15% water and so you will use a little less olive oil. For a complete butter to oil conversion chart go to: http://www.goodcooking.com/conversions/butt_oil.htm

Our “twist” for this week’s recipe is using our Whole Fruit Fused Blood Orange EVOO instead of the butter that is often found in oatmeal cookie recipes. This EVOO is one of our favorite oils we use in baking. From our Blood Orange Chocolate Brownies to our Blood Orange Zucchini Bread, this EVOO adds a wonderful orange flavor to any recipe! Another “twist” we added is the addition of our Aged Black Cherry Balsamic Vinegar. We often will substitute a dark balsamic vinegar for vanilla extract in recipes. This sweet, tangy balsamic vinegar complements the dried cherries that are added to the oatmeal cookie batter.

If you are looking for a great “make ahead” appetizer, then put this recipe on your list! All the components can be made the day before and you can assemble the crostini right before your guests arrive. The flavors in this crostini are outstanding – tart cherries, tangy goat cheese, and savory rosemary! Our “twist” on the recipe is to create a delicious topping for the crostini using our Aged Black Cherry Balsamic Vinegar, fresh cherries, honey, and chopped rosemary. You’ll cook the mixture until the sauce reduces in half. Another “twist” we added is to brush the baguette slices with our incredibly flavorful Fused Wild Rosemary EVOO. This oil will not only help toast the bread but will provide a subtle rosemary flavor.

Our “twist” on this baked zucchini dish is to thinly slice the zucchini before tossing it with our delicious Garlic EVOO, herbs, and cheese. The dish is baked until the zucchini is tender and the cheese is golden brown! The finished dish is perfect to serve alongside grilled meats or as a side for spaghetti and meatballs!

The “twist” on this week’s recipe is to create a simple syrup with sugar, water, and our Cascadian Wild Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar. This white balsamic vinegar is sweet yet pleasingly tart – perfect for vinaigrettes, marinades, and cocktails! The simple syrup mixture is then pureed with fresh raspberries and strained through a colander (to remove seeds) before adding the remaining ingredients. We love how the fresh raspberry puree gives a little body to the martini and the tartness the new vinegar provides!

This recipe does not require a campfire or even sticky marshmallow fingers! Our first twist on this caramel corn is to pop the kernels in our delicious Butter EVOO. We love the simplicity of using our olive oil to make popcorn – no chemicals or other ingredients required!! Our second twist is to make a delicious caramel sauce using our Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar, butter and brown sugar. This sauce is poured over the popcorn mixture and baked to perfection. The caramel corn is then slightly cooled before sprinkling with mini marshmallows and drizzled with melted milk chocolate. Yum.

Chicken tenders are generally fried but our “twist” is to bake them in the oven with buttery cracker crumbs drizzled with our Butter EVOO. This is a great alternative if you are trying to limit fried foods in the new year. Simply dip a raw chicken tender in beaten eggs and then press into a mixture of buttery cracker crumbs and seasoning. The tenders are then drizzled with our Butter EVOO before baking until golden brown and crispy.

Risotto recipes tend to be labor intensive and finicky; however, we promise this one is worth the time! It’s creamy, warm and full of interesting flavors! Our first “twist” is to swap out the use of butter with our Butter EVOO to not only roast the butternut squash cubes but to also sauté the onions, garlic and Arborio rice. White wine and broth is slowly stirred into the rice mixture with a splash of our Fig Balsamic Vinegar. We love the tangy twist the balsamic provides. The risotto is finished by adding the roasted butternut squash, parmesan cheese and chives.

Roasting strawberries is incredibly delicious! It is a great way to use strawberries that are not fully ripe or not as sweet as you’d like. Or maybe you bought the big container at Costco thinking you were going to eat healthy all week and now the berries are starting to look a little past their prime. Roasting will give those strawberries a second life! This isn’t the first time we have created a roasted strawberry sauce BUT this is the first time we added bourbon to it!

Our first “twist” is to toss quartered strawberries with our Butter EVOO and roast in the oven for about 15 minutes. The roasted berries are then transferred to a sauce pan and we added a good dose of bourbon whiskey, pure maple syrup, our Maple Balsamic Vinegar and a pinch of salt. The mixture is then simmered for about 15 minutes. What do you do with this amazing concoction?!? Besides eating it by the spoonful from the pan, there are a ton of uses from breakfast to dessert! We have drizzled it over chocolate chip Belgium waffles (see picture), brushed over grilled chicken, and even spooned over ice cream or a hunk of pound cake! Yum!

The “twist” for this week’s recipe is to use dried blueberries that are rehydrated using our Aged Blueberry Balsamic Vinegar. Fresh blueberries taste great in muffins but often times they sink to the bottom of the muffin when baked or they expand too much when baking and the muffin falls apart easily. You can avoid these mishaps and substitute dried blueberries that have been slightly rehydrated with our Aged Blueberry Balsamic Vinegar. Another “twist” we added to this recipe is the addition of our Whole Fruit Eureka Lemon EVOO instead of plain vegetable oil. We love this EVOO in baked goods because it provides a nice lemony flavor which pairs perfectly with our Aged Blueberry Balsamic Vinegar.

Since July is National Blueberry Month we thought it was only fitting to create a recipe using our delicious Aged Blueberry Balsamic Vinegar and fresh blueberries. Although you can purchase fresh blueberries year round (often times from South America) there is nothing more delicious than fresh, ripe domestic blueberries. They even taste better when you go pick them yourself at a local fruit farm or maybe even on your own backyard blueberry bush! Blueberries are high in fiber, rich in vitamins, and only about 80 calories for 1 cup.
Our “twist” on this week’s recipe is creating a flavorful vinaigrette with our Aged Blueberry Balsamic Vinegar and Whole Fruit Eureka Lemon EVOO. This is one of our favorite summertime pairings and we also added a fun “twist” with the addition of fresh thyme and garlic. Another “twist” we added to the recipe is to roast whole almonds with a small amount of the Whole Fruit Eureka Lemon EVOO. You can always use raw almonds but we love the added crunch and flavor that roasted almonds provide! The finished salad is made with peppery baby arugula, salty crumbled feta cheese, and of course fresh, sweet blueberries. You’ll top the salad with the chopped roasted almonds, lemon zest, and the delicious blueberry lemon vinaigrette.

Chocolate bark is super easy to make and requires minimal ingredients and time! Our first “twist” is to roast whole almonds with a bit of our Blood Orange EVOO to give it a nice citrus taste. We then chopped the roasted almonds and added fresh orange zest. Our second “twist” is to add some Blood Orange EVOO with bittersweet dark chocolate chops. This adds a delicious orange flavor to the chocolate! The melted chocolate is sprinkled with the orange flavored roasted almonds and sea salt.

We stumbled upon Steelhead Trout many years ago while living in NY state. This delicious fish is incredibly similar to salmon and many people would not even know the difference. At Costco, you’ll find it right next to the fresh Salmon. The Steelhead Trout tends to have a deeper color and is generally a smaller fish than salmon, so we find the filets easier to handle on the grill.

Our “twist” on this recipe is to create a delicious glaze using our Olive Wood Smoked EVOO and Blackberry Ginger Balsamic Vinegar to brush over the trout as it cooks on the grill. We love the sweet and spiciness this glaze adds to the fish. This delicious glaze would also work well on poultry or pork!

Roasting potatoes is one of the simplest side dishes you can make! A basic recipe is to cut potatoes into similar sized pieces, toss with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in the oven until crispy. Our “twist” on this recipe is to use Madagascar Black Pepper EVOO. This delicious olive oil has a unique spicy and floral flavor with notes of freshly ground black peppercorn.

Chili is the ultimate comfort food! It’s hearty, has some warmth, and you can eat a big pot of it for days!! Our “twist” for this recipe is using our Red Cayenne Chili EVOO to sauté the meat and veggies which provides a nice spicy kick to the chili without causing the spiciness to overpower the dish. Another twist to the recipe is the addition of our delicious Aged Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar. This is the perfect balsamic vinegar to add to a spicy chili recipe as it provides a touch of sweetness!

Grilling potatoes is an easy way to cook potatoes especially when you are looking to keep your house cool or if you need your oven for another dish. Our “twist” on this week’s recipe is to use our Basil EVOO to add incredible flavor to the potato wedges. Another “twist” to the recipe is creating a multi-temperature grilling zone by only heating a portion of the grill – the potatoes will get their color and crispiness on the “direct” heat side of the grill before being transferred to the cooler side (“indirect” heat side) to finish cooking. These grilled steak fries are perfect for burgers, chicken, steak, and more!