Vegan Bacon EVOO and Plum Basil Wilted Greens

I have the best recipe to share, and guess what,,,,my eight year old daughter went completely Ga-Ga over this! What a great way to introduce to the pickiest eaters just how delicious greens can be. The Plum basil vinegar add a particular sweetness to the bold green flavors of the coniferous vegetables. Just a note, you can add whatever selection of greens you would like, I would highly recommend Kale, collard greens, spinach, and shaved Brussel sprouts.

Ingredients:

5 -6 cups of greens
3-4 Tablespoons Vegan Bacon EVOO
1/4 onion, diced
1/4 cup Plum Basil
1/2 cup chicken broth ( poured slowly over cooking time)
salt and pepper to taste


Directions

Place large saute pan over medium high heat. Add oil. Add greens. saute incorporating the greens with the oil for about 2 minutes. Add onion. Saute for another 2 minutes. Add plum basil vinegar and about 1/4 cup chicken broth. cover and let boil for about 30 minutes, add more broth if needed. ( I had to keep adding the chicken broth over the greens, the kale takes awhile to cook 30 minutes is a good amount of time, however I have to admit sometimes I cook it for about 40 minutes! But it is so good.) add a little salt and pepper to taste and more Plum basil if needed. Enjoy!

Garlic EVOO Moroccan Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

Right now is the time to gather up all the pumpkin or squash seeds and make lots of batches of homemade spiced pumpkin seeds. I love surprising me family with all the different and unusual combinations of spices in my roasted pumpkin seeds. This recipe is by far the winner this year. The Garlic EVOO is amazing when paired with Moroccan seasonings. If you don't have a Moroccan blend mix up some Coriander, Cumin, curry, and coriander. Hmmm, so good!!

Ingredients:

3 cups Pumpkin Seeds
1/4 cup Garlic EVOO
1 Tablespoon Moroccan Spice ( or to taste)
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups water

Preheat oven to 375*
In stock pot, add pumpkin seeds ( works great with squash seeds as well) water, and salt. Boil for about 15-20 minutes. Drain and reserve seeds. Transfer to bowl and add oil and spices. Place on jelly roll pan. Bake in oven for 30-45 minutes. Enjoy!

Gifts from the Groves: Our 1st Annual Olive Oil Cupcake Bake-off

Photo By Serge Bertasius Photography, Free Digital Photos

Do you love cupcakes? Do you love olive oil? Well, how about an olive oil cupcake?!? 

We're inviting home bakers to compete in GIFTS FROM THE GROVES, our olive oil cupcake bake off! Chef Wendy Brodie and our Recipe Blog Editor Anni Brabeck Willford will be judging. Guests of the festival will taste how you can create delicious desserts with California Olive Oil!

Read our rules below.

To Enter: email us at quailandolive@gmail.com 

GIFTS FROM THE GROVES

OLIVE OIL CUPCAKE BAKEOFF RULES AND INFORMATION

The 2014 Carmel Valley Olive Growers Fest Bakeoff will be held Saturday, November 8, 2014 at The Quail and Olive, 3 Pilot Road in Carmel Valley, CA. Here are the contest rules and basic information. The theme of the 2014 bakeoff is "Gifts from the Groves".

To enter, please email The Quail & Olive at quailandolive@gmail.com. We are limiting to ten contestants; first come, first served.

Entries should be delivered between 2pm and 3pm on Saturday, November 8.

Judging begins at 4 pm.

Awards ceremony 4:30 pm.

Criteria for judging: General appearance, moisture, texture, flavor and creativity with the bake-off theme.

CONTEST RULES

No professional bakers, please.

Each contestant may enter only one recipe.

All entries must be made with California olive oils.

All cupcakes must be fully baked and complete.

Cupcakes are to be prepared in a sanitary manner.

Please enter one dozen cupcakes.

No commercial or box mixes may be used.

All entries must be placed on a paper plate enclosed in a Ziploc bag or covering.

You may use your own dish, with name on the bottom, and at your own risk.

Any leftover items will be the property of the contest and will be used for the tasting activity.

Each entry should be marked with a name of your cupcakes when you register on the day of the contest (for example, Lemon Olive Oil Cupcake).

Entries must be accompanied by the recipe used to bake it.  Judges will use the recipe as part of their information for judging.

Also with your permission, the recipes will be collected for distribution to the public. If you choose not to give this permission, please indicate on your entry and understand it will not affect whether your entry will win a prize.

Blood Orange EVOO Belgian Waffles

Hi everyone, this is Mary the Publicity Quail!

Recently, me and my boys were up in Big Sur for our annual summer camping trip. After roughing it on the river, we packed up and trekked to Carmel. We always start with breakfast at Little Swiss Cafe, where we find Puss & Boots in the mural and enjoy those crispy sweet Belgian waffles.

Last Sunday back at home in Newport Beach, we were craving those waffles. So I dusted off my waffle maker and decided to do something special with The Quail & Olive Blood Orange Olive Oil.

These waffles were delicious! While mixing the batter, I could immediately smell the bright citrus. While the waffles cooked, the boys called out that it smelled great! The first bite was light, crispy and delicately sweet. I added a drizzle of the blood orange olive oil and this instantly became a recipe I'll be using again.

Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs separated
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter melted
1/2 cup Quail & Olive Blood Orange Olive Oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
In a bowl, combine flour, sugar and baking powder. In another bowl, lightly beat egg yolks. Add milk, butter, olive oil and vanilla; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until combined. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter.

Bake in a preheated waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions until golden brown. Drizzle with Quail & Olive Blood Orange Olive Oil. Warm maple syrup is also recommended!

Basil EVOO Pesto Crab Pasta

We have been so very lucky since our move here to Carmel Valley. The fish here is exquisite and the crab...yum! Everyone needs to try the recipe, the pasta that is sold at The Quail and Olive is amazing. It is all freshly made and no artificial ingredients. One small package was enough to feed four hungry adults and 3 children. Enjoy!

Basil EVOO Pesto Crab Pasta

Ingredients:

1 small package of Organic Farfalline Arcobaleno Pasta
1 cup fresh crab, shelled
2 cups Basil Leaves, chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/2 cup Basil EVOO
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 garlic cloves, chopped
salt and peper to taste

Combine all ingredients (with the exception of the crab and pasta) into a food processor. Pulse to combine. Cook pasta according to directions on back of pasta. In large bowl, combine pasta, crab, and pesto. Serve with a salad and enjoy!

Lime EVOO Fish tacos

There is nothing better than fresh fish and a great taco bar. My middle child absolutely loves tacos and I make sure its on our meal plan at least one time a week. This is a great and very easy recipe to prepare. Enjoy!

Lime EVOO Fish Tacos


Ingredients:

1 lb fresh fish ( we used rock cod fillet) cut into 2 oz portions
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup corn meal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
pepper to taste
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 T Lime EVOO
1 head of Red cabbage, thinly sliced
corn tortillas


Directions:

Combine flour, corn meal, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and pepper in medium sized bowl. In another bowl, beat the egg and Lime EVOO. Dip fish into egg mixture. Then coat the flour mixture over fish. Place on dish and set aside. Heat grill, grill fish on both sides until done, usually 3-4 minutes per side. Slice the cabbage and place into bowl. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the cabbage and add about 2 T of Lime EVOO. Mix to combine. Serve tacos with some fresh pico de gallo Salsa and a creamy white Dill Sauce. Enjoy!


Recipe for creamy white Dill Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 T fresh lime juice
1 t jalapeno pepper, minced
1 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t dried dill
1/8 t garlic powder

Bacon EVOO Fish Chowder

This week we had some fresh rock fish from our local CSA. I decided to make this chowder for our family and friends. This was a hit! I especially loved using the Bacon EVOO, a very special guilt free meal,  everyone loved it and so did my little girls. I will definitely be making this again. Enjoy!

Bacon EVOO Fish Chowder

Ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds fish ( raw it will cook in chowder), cut into chunks
4-6 cups Fish Stock
2 Baking Potatoes; peeled and chopped
1 T fresh tarragon, chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 T sugar
1 t of white pepper to taste
2 Bay leaves
2 t thyme
1 cup whipping cream
1-2 cups cream sherry
salt and pepper to taste
4 ribs celery, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 package frozen corn
1/4 cup Bacon EVOO



Directions:
In large stock pot, add Bacon EVOO. Place on medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery. Add a little salt and pepper. Saute for about 5-7 minutes. Add tarragon and parsley. Cook for another minute or so until fragrant. Add cream sherry and deglaze pan, making sure to scrap the sides of the pot to get all that extra flavor incorporated in the mixture. Add the stock, potatoes, white pepper, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring to boil and then reduce heat. Cook until potatoes are softened, about 30 minutes or so. Add the fish, cook for about 15 minutes more or until fish is done. Add frozen corn, whipping cream, and sugar. Stir to combine. Cook for about another 5 minutes. Take bay leaves out before serving.  I love the Habanero EVOO and it tasted exquisite over this chowder. Enjoy!