I Love Oil!

Since we were on the topic of coconut oil yesterday, let's finish the week off with good ol' olive oil. I love olive oil as much as I love coconut oil. If you were in my kitchen right now, you would find them in the cabinet side by side. As with coconut oil, or any other oil for that matter, you want to make sure that it is labeled ORGANIC EXTRA VIRGIN. Those are your three key words for any oil. This insures that you're getting the highest grade and the best tasting oil.

Organic means no pesticides were used. Extra virgin means that the oil has not been heated. Therefore, not killing any beneficial properties, nor changing its taste.

You can eat this oil raw which means, without heating or you can use it as you would any other vegetable oil such as corn oil. I think that raw has so many more beneficial qualities that I use this oil mainly for making salad dressings or bread dips. The only time I cook with it is when I'm frying tortillas for tacos, nachos, or in enchiladas. It gives the tortilla a bit of a corn oil taste.

By this point you may be asking yourself, "Why not just use regular corn oil?" Corn is good for you after all. The answer is quite simple corn oil has a high amount of polyunsaturated fat. Polyunsaturated fats, contain Omega 3's and that's very good, until you heat it. Once heated, corn oil oxidizes and becomes a free radical in your body leading to premature aging, disease, and all sorts of damage.

Olive oil can oxidize as well, but it has a much higher heating point. So the rule of thumb here is don't use high heat when cooking with olive oil. Use a low to medium flame. Also, make sure it comes in a dark tinted bottle. The dark tint keeps out the light. Light is not good for any oil as it helps to start the oxidation process.

Like coconut oil, olive oil may also be used as a skin moisturizer. It may also be used as a hot oil treatment for the hair. If you decide to use this topically remember to separate the desired amount into a clean container to avoid contamination.

Olive oil is easy to find and can be found at just about any grocery store. Trader Joe's, Sprouts, and Whole foods are three of the stores that carry this product.

Here's a wonderful recipe for a simple salad dressing using olive oil:

Simple Salad Dressing
Juice from one lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon basil (you can go crazy with the basil and add more)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (you may add more depending on your taste)
2 cloves minced garlic

In a cup mix all of the ingredients together. As a tip, I like to use a fork to mix everything together quickly and efficiently. That's it, easy! You may also use this recipe as a bread dipping sauce as is, or you can omit the lemon juice depending on your taste.

Hope you enjoy! Try it and let me know what you think!

Melissa
Our Daily Veg