Sides and Appetizers

Mushroom Brie Bake

White Bean Dip with Spicy Garlic Oil

Olive Oil Knowledge

• Only about 30 percent of all olive oil production ends at extracting the oil from the olives. Refining involved using solvents and high heat to neutralize the tastes of the oil. This allows producers to use olives that are not in the best condition, and blend from oils from a wide variety of sources (even countries) because the bad tastes resulting from oxidized olives and the mass production process are chemically removed. When you see “Pure Olive Oil” at the store, or a bottle that says simply “Olive Oil,” these are refined.
• Unrefined olive oils do not undergo chemical refining. In unrefined olive oils, such as “extra virgin” and “virgin” olive oils, the process goes no further than extraction and bottling. Producers of unrefined olive oils need to use fruit that is in good condition and carefully manage various factors, because the oil will not be treated to chemically hide bad tastes that would result from oxidized olives or some other contamination.
• An unrefined olive oil that exhibits nice fruity flavors, has no taste “defects” and meets certain benchmarks in its chemical composition can be called “extra virgin.” In extra virgin olive oils, the tastes of the fruit is intact, and its quality reflects the great care along the entire production process. Extra virgin olive oils have higher amounts of nutrients and therefore provide greater health benefits.
• Extra virgin olive oil is made simply by crushing olives and extracting the juice. It is the only cooking oil that is made without the use of chemicals and industrial refining.
• Pour a little in a small glass and warm the glass in one hand, while covering it with the other. Now put your nose into the glass to sense the aromas. Hopefully, it reminds you of things like fresh olives, grass, bananas and apples. Hay, cardboard, vinegar, mud and mustiness are some of the aromas that indicate an olive oil has gone bad.
• When you heat olive oil, it loses flavors. Which is fine if it’s your cooking oil of choice. But to really show off a great olive oil’s flavors, serve it uncooked – like with the bruschetta.
• You can keep unopened olive oil in a cool, dark place for up to two years (high quality olive oil will last longer than one that wasn’t great to begin with). Once you open the container, the oil begins to degrade much faster. A good rule of thumb is to use it within a few months after opening. Keep the bottle tightly capped and away from heat and direct light. The best strategy is to use olive oil often, and go through it quickly.

Spinach Knowledge

• Spinach belongs to the chenopodiaceae family (also known as goosefoot), a family of nutritional powerhouses including beets, chard and quinoa. It shares a similar taste profile with these two other vegetables; the bitterness of beet greens and the slightly salty flavour of chard.
• Spinach is available all year round but is in season during the spring (March – June)
• High in iron
• Three types of fresh spinach are widely available: Savoy, flat-leaf, and baby. Baby spinach is harvested before its mature, so the flavor and texture is much more delicate
• It should be stored loosely packed in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge where it will keep for about four days.
• Don’t wash spinach before storing since the moisture will cause it to spoil

Zucchini Knowledge

• Use stem as a “holder” when grating
• It can be eaten raw! Just slice thin.
• Removing water from zucchini does two things: prevents water from coming out into dish, AND intensifies the natural flavor of the squash

Avocado Egg Rolls