Everyone knows olive oil is packed with tons of health benefits for the whole body. Being cholesterol free and packed with good fats, it works to keep your heart and blood vessels healthy. It helps to prevent strokes, keeps your gut happy, reduces the risk of obesity and type 2 Diabetes, treats rheumatoid arthritis and fights against Alzheimer’s disease too.
Olive oil is also rich in antioxidants which lower the adverse effect of free radicals thereby preventing cancers and keeping you younger. In addition to this, its ample vitamins K and E, and its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties also make it superior to other cooking oils.
So, it only makes sense to reap all those ‘olive oil for cooking benefits by using it in your daily diet, doesn\'t it?
But if you are like us who don’t like to spend too much time in the kitchen yet wish to eat healthier home-cooked meals, here are some great olive oil recipes for you to try.
Easy and Quick Olive Oil Recipes
Bread Dipping Oil
This is one of the easiest recipes you can make with olive oil. Simply mix in a bowl, some fresh crushed garlic, mixed herbs (oregano, basil, thyme), chilli flakes, finely cut fresh coriander leaves and salt to taste. To this add a lot of olive oil and mix well. Your dipping oil is ready to enjoy with any kind of bread you fancy.
Olive Oil Pasta (Aglio e Olio)
This 3 ingredients easy yet fancy olive oil recipe is ideal for date nights.
To begin, lay the noodles flat at the bottom of a pan and cover them with cold water. Add some salt to it and bring it to a boil. Now heat some olive oil in a skillet and shallow fry thinly sliced garlic until they turn brown at the edges. Add some pasta water to it to emulsify the sauce and then add the cooked noodles. Toss well and your Aglio e Olio is ready to serve.
Mediterranean Salad
If you want something that’s both hearty and healthy, this scrumptious dish is for you. First, separately boil some chickpeas and pasta of your choice in salted water. Once cooked, drain their water and toss them together with the generous help of this cholesterol-free oil. Keep aside. Now chop up some tomatoes, cucumber, fresh parsley and pine nuts, and add them to the chickpeas-pasta mixture. Make a salad dressing by whisking together some vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, mixed herbs and lemon juice. Pour this dressing over the salad. Roughly tear off the feta cheese and add to the salad. Now mix everything up well and enjoy!
Roasted Veggies
Simply cut vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots etc lengthwise. Drizzle some extra light olive oil over them and season with salt and pepper. Now bake in the oven until crisp. You can use them as a side dish or enjoy them as a snack with some yoghurt dip or hummus.
Herbed Rice
Steam or boil some rice with herbs like rosemary, thyme and basil. Fluff it up once cooked and toss it together with some seasoning of your choice, parsley, chopped nuts and olive oil. Team it up with some chicken or vegetable curry and salad for a complete meal.
Bruschetta
Take a pan and heat up some olive oil in it. Add some finely chopped garlic and fry until golden. Switch off the flame and set it aside to cool down while you chop up ripe tomatoes. Cut basil leaves into thin ribbons. Add the tomatoes and basil to a bowl along with the cooled-down oil and garlic, parmesan, balsamic vinegar and some seasoning. Mix everything together and place spoonfuls of the mixture on slices of toasted french bread. Use this refreshing dish as an appetizer or snack.
Indian Cuisine
While all the above-mentioned recipes are simply delicious, you certainly can’t deny that there’s no food like Indian food. So, how can you use olive oil to make your favourite comfort foods back from home without burning the oil or losing all the flavour and nutrients? Simple. Just use extra light olive oil or pomace oil for cooking. It is perfect for all kinds of Indian recipes for several reasons:
- It is tasteless so doesn’t alter the taste of the dish
- It has a high smoking point, meaning you can easily use it for frying puris and pakoras too.
- It can be used for tadkas, shallow frying, baking and so on.
With this cholesterol-free oil, you can make all kinds of Indian dishes. Just like with any other cooking oil, you can prepare anything from the humble khichdi to the mighty chhole-bhature and much more, but with added health benefits.
Conclusion
With these easy recipes, you can get all the olive oil for cooking benefits that you can ever ask for without compromising on taste. Bon appetit.