We celebrate the existence of olive oil in our everyday lives. We love it. It’s a wonderful cooking oil that is incredibly versatile. You can use light olive oil for baking cakes and darker olive oils for flavorful dressings and sauces. It’s terrific for heart health. It’s an amazing ingredient.
But, we often don’t think about the whole fruit. It’s divisive on pizza, and people often don’t think to eat them on their own. But that’s a mistake. Olives are a great snack plain. They are filled with healthy fat and protein. And they have a salty, delicious flavor that can satisfy your desire for a snack without loading you up with carbs. Different colors and varieties have different taste profiles, and they are all worth trying! Some can be bitter; others are almost sweet.
June 1 is National Olive Day. To celebrate the fruit, we’re sharing four wonderful recipes. We encourage you to eat them just as they are. But, these are great options when you want to include them in a dish instead of on their own!
We love tapenade as an ingredient stirred into savory dishes but also as a topping on crackers or zoodles. You can also add a spoonful on top of a chicken breast or a fillet of white fish for a flavor boost. It’s an incredibly versatile dish. We’ll be honest, we’ve spent far too much money in the past on jars of it in the supermarket. Then we found this wonderful recipe that lets us make it ourselves for much less money, and we couldn’t be happier! A serving has 156 calories, 2.1 grams of carbs and 1.5 grams of fiber. Get the recipe.
Olive salad is one of our favorite sandwich toppings. With how good low-carb bread is nowadays, sandwiches are no longer off-limits to people with blood sugar concerns. And we think every sandwich deserves to be packed with incredible flavor. Muffuletta olive salad in the New Orleans style that we adore. You can get it in jars at the supermarket, but this is much better. The ones in jars often have vegetables that are higher in carbs. This version cuts some of those out while keeping the excellent flavor profile. A serving has 56 calories and two grams of net carbs. Get the recipe.
Za’atar is a spice blend we don’t use enough even though it’s widely available in stores, you can easily make it at home and it’s so tasty! You incrust this bread in parmesan and za’atar, making it taste like garlic bread. At the same time, olives give it salty pops throughout the loaf. It’s made with almond and coconut flavors, so it’s low in carbs while having a big flavor punch. It’s sure to be a hit in your house. A serving has 178 calories, five grams of carbs and two grams of fiber. Get the recipe.
This is not your average crusty loaf of olive bread that you can buy from the store. This is a Greek-inspired bread, and we love the flavors! The bread uses olives, feta cheese, Greek seasoning, oregano and green onions for a loaf with a lot of flavor and protein! This will be a winning recipe that can become a staple for people who like Greek flavors as it is so easy to make. A serving has 244 calories, seven grams of carbs and three grams of fiber. Get the recipe.
We know that people tend to love or hate olives. We think that one of these recipes could change your mind about the fruit! If you are on the fence about trying it, we suggest making the za’atar bread. It’s a great recipe to try if you feel torn over whether you like olives!
