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This Strawberry Balsamic Syrup Recipe is the perfect addition to your summer parfaits, waffles, pancakes, or french toast! This syrup has the perfect balance of maple to strawberry flavor, making it sweet and tart at the same time. We recommend tasting your syrup as you go to make sure that it is the perfect level of tartness and sweetness for your tastebuds! You can also make this syrup with our other white balsamic vinegars, like our Apricot or Peach White Balsamic Vinegars!

Strawberry Balsamic Syrup Recipe:

Makes 2 servings

• 1/4 cup Wild Groves Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar 
• 1/4 cup pure Maple Syrup
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract 

Instructions:

1. Heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Add in the vinegar, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
3. Bring to a low simmer for 2-3 minutes, making sure it does not burn. The mixture should be quite thin. The key here is to cook off the vinegar so you are left with the sweetness from the balsamic and just a little acidity. 
4. Take the pan off the heat and let cool for 5-10 minutes, then serve!

Product Links:

Wild Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar

Oh, avocado toast! A breakfast staple nowadays along with a fried egg, fruit, a yogurt parfait... anything goes! The great thing about this "recipe" is that it really isn't a recipe! This version of avocado toast is our favorite way to eat it, but it is different for everybody. The only non negotiable ingredient in this recipe is of course, the olive oil. A good drizzle of EVOO on your avocado toast truly elevates the flavors and makes it absolutely delicious. And don't knock the honey until you try it, it is surprisingly tasty! 

The Perfect Avocado Toast Recipe:

• 1 slice of bread, your choice (We used Dave's Killer Bread)
• 1/2 a ripe avocado
• Red Chili Flakes
• Freshly Ground Pepper
• Kosher Salt 
• Everything But the Bagel Seasoning 
• Drizzle of Honey 
• Drizzle of Wild Groves Ascolano Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions:

1. Place your bread in the toaster or toaster oven and toast to your desired shade. 
2. Mash half of an avocado in its shell and then spread on the slice of toast after the bread has cooled slightly (this will ensure that your toast stays crispy). 
3. Sprinkle salt, everything but the bagel seasoning, chili flakes, and ground pepper on top of the avocado.
4. Drizzle a little bit of honey on top and finish with a drizzle of Wild Groves Olive Oil. Enjoy! 

Product Links: 

Ascolano Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Pizzelles are a classic Italian wafer cookie that are traditionally made during the holidays. However, these can be made anytime you are craving a crisp, delicious cookie. One of the most common flavors of Pizzelle is anise (black licorice). Anise is not a flavor that everyone loves, however it is very delicate in this recipe. You can use more or less depending on your preference. Other flavors for pizzelle include vanilla, almond, lemon, and even chocolate! You can also use a Wild Groves flavored oil in this recipe to bump up the flavor. 

P.S. If you want to try these cookies and do not have a pizzelle maker, you can use a grill press and a griddle to make these delicate cookies! 

Olive Oil Pizzelle Recipe:

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon anise extract 
• 1 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup Wild Groves Kitchen Blend Olive Oil 

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until thick. Stir in the melted butter, vanilla extract, and anise extract. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder, and blend into the batter until smooth.

2. Heat the pizzelle iron, and brush or spray with oil. Drop about one tablespoon of batter onto each circle on the iron. You may need to experiment with the amount of batter and baking time depending on the iron. Cook for 35- 60 seconds, or until steam is no longer coming out of the iron. Carefully remove cookies from the iron. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Product Links:

Wild Groves Kitchen Blend Olive Oil 

This Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake is perfect for springtime! Using our Meyer Lemon Olive Oil and fresh lemon zest gives this coffee cake a lightness that traditional coffee cakes do not have. The addition of the blueberries adds a nice sweetness and burst of flavor in the cake as well. This quick cake makes a perfect dessert, breakfast treat, or snack and only uses simple pantry and refrigerator staples!

Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake Recipe:

Cake:

• 2 Cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 Cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 Cup milk of choice
• 1 egg
• 1/4 Cup Wild Groves Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
• 1 Cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Streusel:

• 1/3 Cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 Cup brown sugar
• 1/3 rolled oats 
• 1/3 Cup unsalted butter, softened 

Instructions:

Product Links: 

Meyer Lemon Olive Oil 

This is probably the easiest recipe we have ever posted, but there is nothing wrong with simplicity! And since when are chocolate covered strawberries boring? Using our Chocolate Olive Oil in this recipe makes the chocolate smooth and silky, and allows it to create a lovely shell on the strawberries when refrigerated. Just an hour i in the fridge, and you have a great dessert or midday snack! You can also feel free to dip whatever fruit you like in the chocolate, such as apples, tangerine slices, pineapple, or bananas. 

3 Ingredient Chocolate Covered Strawberries Recipe:

• 1 bar of dark or milk chocolate 
• 1 tablespoon Wild Groves Chocolate Olive Oil (or substitute any Wild Groves oil)
• 6-7 washed and dried strawberries 
• Sea salt, optional

Instructions:

1. First, melt your chocolate. You can do so in a double boiler or in the microwave. In the microwave, break chocolate into small pieces and place in a microwave safe bowl. Stir in 45 second increments and once the chocolate has melted halfway, add the olive oil. Place in the microwave again and heat until almost completely melted. Stir to melt the remaining pieces of chocolate. 
2. Next, dip your strawberries in your melted chocolate. Sprinkle with sea salt if desired and place on a plate one by one. Cool them in the refrigerator for an hour and then enjoy!

Product Links:

Wild Groves Chocolate Olive Oil 

Yes, you read that correctly! Pasta chips! These chips are the quintessential quarantine snack, because everyone has pasta in their cupboard right now. You can use almost any pasta shape for these chips, and naturally the smaller shapes work better, like farfalle, sedanini, fusili, or rotini. The seasonings on these are also 100% customizable, but we used a garlic olive as well as salt and pepper to keep it simple. These are delicious to dip in marinara sauce, pesto, hummus, or even guacamole...anything goes! 

2 Ingredient Pasta Chips Recipe:

Inspired by Bethany Ugarte of @Lilsipper 

• 1 serving of your favorite pasta 
• 1 tbsp Wild Groves Toasted Garlic Olive Oil
• Salt and pepper, or seasoning of your choice 

Instructions:

1. First, preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Then, set a medium sized pot of water to boil for your pasta. Cook your pasta until it is al dente, about 1-2 minutes before the package's instructions say it will be fully cooked. 
3. Drain the pasta and empty it onto a lined baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and seasonings of choice. Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Enjoy while warm, and serve with marinara sauce, guacamole, hummus, or any other dip of choice! 

Product Links:

Wild Groves Toasted Garlic Olive Oil

In this blog post we will be chatting about all things baking with olive oil. This article will be handy if you are wondering whether you can substitute the butter in a recipe, or even substitute another oil with olive oil.

We recommend baking with olive oil as often as you can, because it imparts a delicious flavor to your baked goods (especially when the oil is flavored), and is arguably healthier than using butter in all your baked goods. Olive oil is also high in monounsaturated fat, a fat that is recommended for a healthy diet, and contains polyphenols, micronutrients that are packed with antioxidants. Other sources of monounsaturated fats are nuts, seeds, avocado, and fatty fish like salmon. Butter, on the other hand, is high in saturated fat, which is less nutrient dense and if consumed in excess can clog arteries. 

Now, you may be wondering: Can the polyphenols in olive oil survive a hot oven? The answer is yes, they can! According to a study from the Institute of Food Science Technology, baking with olive oil retains more phenolic antioxidants than frying or boiling does. So, it is definitely worth trying to bake with EVOO. 

Another hot topic is about the flavor of olive oil itself, and how it may affect your baked goods. Ideally, you enjoy the taste of olive oil, and want to impart a little bit of the wonderful flavor of olive oil into your baked good. Extra virgin olive oil adds a floral, slightly peppery flavor to baked goods, so while you may not want that flavor in your birthday cake, it would suit a rustic apple cake or a rich chocolate cake perfectly. It goes without saying that olive oil is perfect for savory baked goods like scones, rolls, flatbreads, or focaccia. In particular, olive oil pairs particularly well with cornmeal cake, pie crust, and citrusy muffins according to Oleologist Maia Hirschbein. One of our favorite ways to use olive oil is in granola, which makes a perfect snack or addition to ice cream, yogurt, or smoothies!

Now that you understand when to choose EVOO for baking, here's a quick conversion table to reference when looking to swap olive oil for butter in your baking recipes:

Now that you're armed with all this knowledge about using olive oil in your baking, here are a few recipes to get you started: 

1. Lemon Olive Oil Cake
2. Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies
3. Rosemary Focaccia
4. Pumpkin Bread
5. Double Chocolate Olive Oil Cookies
6. Chocolate Olive Oil Cake 
7. Olive Oil Granola 

And that's it on baking with olive oil!

This Olive Oil Granola recipe contains no questionable ingredients, is very customizable, and is better than any store-bought granola out there. It is delicious on yogurt, in milk, on top of a fruit crumble, or by itself as a snack. This recipe only takes about 35 minutes to make, and keeps fresh for about a week...if it lasts that long. We used our Kitchen Blend Olive Oil in this recipe, but feel free to experiment with our flavored oils like our Chocolate Olive Oil, Meyer Lemon, or Blood Orange! You can also switch out the add-ins according to what you have in your pantry, so you make make your granola fit exactly to your tastes. Enjoy!

Olive Oil Granola Recipe:

• 1/2 cup Kitchen Blend Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup raisins or other dried, chopped fruit (We used jumbo raisins and dried figs)

• 1 cup sliced almonds

Instructions:

1. Heat the oven to 300°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together the olive oil, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. 

3. Add the oats and almonds into the oil mixture and stir to coat. Don’t worry if you add a little more oats or almonds — granola is very forgiving. 

4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer. If the granola is clumpy, use a spatula to press it into the pan.

5. Bake, stirring halfway through, for about 20 minutes total. The granola is ready when golden-brown and the almonds have toasted — it will still feel a little wet coming out of the oven but will dry as it cools.

6. Next, mix in your dried fruit. If you want clumps of granola, press down the granola before it cools, which will help it stick together. Cool completely before storing.

7. Transfer the cooled granola to an airtight container for long-term storage at room temperature.

Product Links:

Kitchen Blend Olive Oil 

This Wild Rice Salad is a fantastic way to combine all your favorite things in a hearty grain salad. It is easily customizable– if you don't have apples, use pears! If you don't have dried cranberries, use another type of dried fruit! You can also omit the nuts if you prefer, or simply substitute them with another nut or seed of your choice. Serve this salad on top of mixed greens for a light lunch, or serve alongside a protein of your choice. 

Wild Rice Salad Recipe:

• 1 cup wild rice, rinsed
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 tbsp Wild Groves Crushed Mandarin Olive Oil or Blood Orange Olive Oil
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds 

Instructions: 

1. In a medium pot, combine the rice, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low; cover and simmer until the rice is tender and most of the grains have split open, about 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer the rice to a fine-mesh strainer to drain any excess water. Let cool.
2. Once the rice is cool, toss it with the olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Add more olive oil or vinegar as needed to suit your preferences. Season with salt and pepper. Add the walnuts or pecans, dried cranberries, parsley, apple, and pumpkin seeds. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if desired. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Product Links:

Crushed Mandarin Olive Oil

Blood Orange Olive Oil 

Today, we have a recipe by Catrina Barb of @plantedfamilies. Using our Crushed Mandarin Olive Oil, she developed a recipe for this stunning Mandarin Upside Down Cake! This recipe is perfect for the springtime, and uses many pantry items. You can even get creative with the fruit on top- any type of sweet citrus would work here, as well as strawberries or raspberries. 

Upside-down Mandarin Olive Oil Cake Recipe:

From Catrina Barb of @plantedfamilies 

You may have heard of Spanakopita, which is a Greek spinach pie, but have you ever tasted the Italian version? There are several ways to present this delicious dish, whether it is in a loaf shape, or in a calzone! All you need for this delicious recipe packed with spinach is pizza dough (homemade or store bought), frozen spinach, olives, breadcrumbs, chili flakes, garlic, s&p, parmesan or Romano cheese, breadcrumbs, and LOTS of Wild Groves Olive Oil! We used Foxy in this recipe, but any of our oils will work perfectly!

Recipe:

• 1 bag Trader Joe's Pizza dough, or 1 recipe homemade dough 
• 2 bags frozen spinach, thawed
• 2 cans sliced black olives
• 1/4 cup Wild Groves Foxy Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more to brush on top before baking 
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs 
• 1/2 grated Romano or Pecorino cheese 
• 2 small cloves garlic, smashed and sliced 
• Red chili flakes, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste 

Instructions:

1. First, make sure your spinach is thawed. If your spinach is not thawed, it will make your filling much too watery and as a result your dough will become soggy.
2. If using store bought dough, take it out of the refrigerator and let it warm on the counter. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  
3. Next, make your filling. Place the thawed spinach in a colander and squeeze out all the water with your hands. Place the spinach in a large bowl and add olives, olive oil, breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. if the mixture is too wet, add a tablespoon of breadcrumbs more and mix again. Taste for seasoning, and then set this mixture aside while you work on your dough. 
4. For the dough, flour your hands and a large flat surface. Begin stretching out your dough into a large rectangle for a log-shaped spinach pie. Place the spinach mixture all along the center of the rectangle, like a stripe. Next, wrap the mixture up with the dough into a log shape. Make sure both ends are sealed and there are no holes in the dough! Then, brush the top of the log with olive oil and sprinkle coarse salt on top. Bake your spinach pie for about 20 minutes until golden brown, flipping halfway through. Let cool for 5 minutes, and then slice and enjoy! 

Product Links:

Wild Groves Foxy Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

Craving a warm and comforting soup during these uncertain times? This is a delicious, traditional Italian soup that feature many pantry ingredients and vegetables that keep a relatively long time. The only speciality ingredient is the escarole, which is a member of the chicory family and is similar to frisée, endive, and radicchio. Escarole can be served raw or cooked, but when cooked, it adds delicious flavor to soups and becomes tender. If you can't find escarole in your area, feel free to use another leafy green such as kale, spinach, or chard. The more the merrier! In addition, if you can't find white beans, use chickpeas! This recipe is friendly to substitutions...the most important part is all the garlic! 

Escarole and White Bean Soup Recipe:

• 3 tbsp Toasted Garlic Olive Oil 
• 6 cloves garlic, smashed and sliced
• 1/2 an onion, finely diced
• 2 large carrots, finely diced
• 2 ribs celery, finely diced 
• 5-6 cups Vegetable or Chicken Stock 
• 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 head of escarole, washed and torn 
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• Chopped parsley, optional
• 1 lb Cavatappi (or other smaller shape) pasta  

Instructions:

First, sauté the onion in olive oil until translucent. Add in the sliced garlic and cook until fragrant, 3-5 minutes. Then, add in your diced carrot, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Then add in the diced celery, and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Next, add in your stock, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for about 10 minutes. At this point, put on another pot of water to boil now with about a teaspoon of salt (for your pasta). Then, add in your rinsed white beans to your soup pot, and cook for a few more minutes. Next, add in your escarole and stir to incorporate it into the soup. Continue to simmer on medium-low heat. At this point, your water should be boiling for the pasta, so cook your pasta according to the package directions. Drain your pasta, and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and parsley if desired. Serve pasta on the side, or with your soup, and top with parmesan cheese, more parsley, red chili flakes, and additional olive oil if desired.

Product Links:

Toasted Garlic Olive Oil