Summer Sippers with The Spicy Olive’s balsamic vinegars!

Summer Sippers with The Spicy Olive

Melanie shared The Spicy Olive’s recipe for delicious and refreshing summer drinks on The Living Dayton Show. Any of our white balsamic vinegars can be used in cocktails. Melanie made a Skinny Pina Colada using our Golden Pineapple white balsamic vinegars with Coconut flavored sparkling water, all the taste of a Pina Colada minus the  the cream, sugar or calories. She also demoed a Sicilian Lemon Sipper using our Sicilian Lemon balsamic, sparkling water and a slice of lemon for garnish. Other options for Summer Sippers include the Spicy Olive’s Key Lime, Cara Cara Orange Vanilla, Grapefruit, Cascadian Raspberry  or  Cranberry Pear balsamic vinegars. Another great idea to try is adding our Honey Ginger white balsamic vinegar to a Moscow Mule! There are endless options for delicious, low calorie, low sugar summer drinks at The Spicy Olive. If you want to make the drink an adult version, simply add vodka or rum.

The Spicy Olive introduces Olive Leaf Teas!

Olive leaf teas have been enjoyed and used to boost health in the Mediterranean region for centuries. Olive leaves have the same anti oxidant and anti inflammatory properties that olive oils contain. Stone and Grove Teas from Australia create these lovely tea blends. They pick the tea leaves and roll and dry them within an hour or 2 from picking, ensuring that the healthy phenols in the leaf are preserved for your tea.

The Spicy Olive carries several tea blends:

100% Olive Leaf Tea- This tea is delicious and contains the highest level of anti oxidants.

Olive Leaf Tea and Sencha Green Tea Blend

Women’s Health Blend- contains olive leaf, rose hips and nettle to aid in urinary tract health and other women’s health issues

Energy Blend- this blend is the only tea blend that contains some caffeine. Contains Yerba Matte

Immunity Blend-this blend contains olive leaf, echinacea, lemon peel, and other herbs to encourage your immune system.

Detox Blend- this blend has olive leaf and other natural herbs to aid in the health of your liver and kidneys

These teas are great for these cold winter days, but are also delicious iced.

The teas come in  canisters that contain 16 tea bags for $11.00

 

Recipes From April 2016 Newsletter

April  Recipes Featuring the Flavors of the Month:

Roasted Beet Salad

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds fresh beets
1/3 cup arugula blossoms (optional) 
8 oz. chèvre (fresh goat cheese)
6 cups baby arugula or mixed greens
1 cup whole pecans, toasted
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons The Spicy Olive’s White A-Premium balsamic vinegar 
1 tablespoon good quality grainy mustard
fresh ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons The Spicy Olive’s single varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Ultra Premium)

Directions 
Preheat the oven to 400. Trim the beets and wrap in one foil packet drizzled with a tablespoon of water. Roast for 1 hour or until tender when pierced through with a knife. Once the cooked beets are cool enough to handle, peel them by rubbing the skin off between paper towels.

Cut the peeled beets in to 1″ pieces and toss with 2 tablespoons of white balsamic whisked together with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and set aside.

In a medium size bowl, whisk the remaining white balsamic with the grainy mustard until well combined. Slowly drizzle in your olive oil of choice, whisking constantly until the mixture is thickened or emulsified. Add freshly ground pepper and sea salt to taste.

Arrange the greens in a bowl or on a platter and dress with the white balsamic vinaigrette. Add the marinated roasted beets to the salad, along with the crumbled fresh goat cheese, and toasted pecans

Serves 6-8 generous portions

The Spicy Olive’s Blackberry Ginger Pork Tenderloin

One of our most popular recipes featuring this month’s flavors of the month!
1/4 cup The Spicy Olive’s Blackberry Ginger balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup The Spicy Olive’s Garlic olive oil
1 pkg pork tenderloins
Place the pork tenderloins in a ziplock bag. Pour the balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the tenderloins. Seal the bag and place in refrigerator overnight. Grill or bake in a 375 degree oven until internal temperature of 160 degrees. Cover with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Drizzle with a little Blackberry Ginger balsamic vinegar before serving. Enjoy!
The Spicy Olive’s Blackberry Ginger Lemonade

Ingredients:

  • 8 cups cold water
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 strips lemon peel (3″ x 1″ each)
  • 2½ c fresh lemon juice (about 12 lemons)
  • ½ cup The Spicy Olive’s  Blackberry Ginger Balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup raspberries
  • 1 cup blackberries
  • Ice cubes
  • Seltzer or club soda
Prepare sugar syrup:
  1. In 4-quart saucepan, heat 4 cups water with sugar and lemon peel to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally.
  2. Cover saucepan and boil 3 minutes.
  3. Remove saucepan from heat and cool slightly.
Meanwhile, in food processor, pulse berries until pureed.
  1. Pour into medium-mesh sieve set over large bowl and press berry mixture with back of spoon to remove seeds; discard seeds.
  2. Remove peel from syrup; stir syrup into berry puree with lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and remaining 4 cups water. Makes 13 cups.
  3. Pour into large pitcher with tight-fitting lid. Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days. Serve over ice.
  4. Add seltzer to taste; garnish with berries.

Recipes From December 2015 Newsletter

The Spicy Olive’s Appletini 

1 1/2 oz. vodka
1 oz The Spicy Olive’s Gravenstein Apple balsamic vinegar
Place ice in a cocktail shaker. Put vodka and balsamic vinegar over ice and put lid on shaker and shake. Strain cocktail into martini glass and enjoy!
You could make this cocktail with many of our white balsamic vinegars: Cranberry Pear, Cara Cara Orange Vanilla, Sicilian Lemon  or Ripe Peach. The balsamic vinegars contain much less sugar than flavored syrups and are low calorie as well! (3 grams of sugar and 10 calories per Tablespoon) A great way to enjoy a cocktail without the guilt!

The Spicy Olive Holiday Ham 

1/3 cup The Spicy Olive’s Butter olive oil
1/3 cup The Spicy Olive’s Vermont Maple balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup Steinke’s local honey

 

Place pineapple, cherries and cloves on ham. Mix olive oil, honey and maple balsamic together in a bowl. Use mixture to baste ham. Bake ham at 350 degree oven , basting frequently, about 50-60 minutes until heated through. Enjoy!

Two Great Appetizers for Holiday Entertaining:

The Spicy Olive’s Baked Brie with Vermont Maple Balsamic Vinegar
Bake brie until warm and softened in a baking dish. Meanwhile reduce Vermont Maple Balsamic vinegar (1/2 cup) in a sauce pan until thickened, simmer 10-15 minutes. Drizzle Maple Balsamic over warm brie and serve with crackers.

The Spicy Olive’s Marinated Mushrooms or Mozzarella Cheese Balls
1/2 cup Tuscan Herb olive oil
1/2 cup Neapolitan Herb or Traditional Balsamic
1-2 cups fresh mushrooms
1-2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese balls
Place olive oil and vinegar in a bowl and place mushrooms or cheese balls into the bowl to marinate. Marinate for 24 hours and serve with toothpicks.

Recipes From September 2015 Newsletter

Neapolitan Herb Balsamic Bloody Mary
Ingredients:
ground pepper to taste
1/2 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
3/4 ounce Neapolitan Herb Balsamic Vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons horseradish
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 ounce Worcestershire sauce
12 ounces tomato juice
6 oz. Vodka
4 celery stalks with leaves attached
Directions
 Add ice to 4 glasses. Mix vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, Neapolitan Herb Balsamic, and horseradish (if using) and pour into glass.
Garnish with a celery stalk.
Serves 4
Blueberry Lemon Paletas
Creamy, smooth, healthy, refreshing, interesting, delicious.
2 cups fresh whole blueberries, washed
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons The Spicy Olive Lemon olive oil
1 cup whole milk yogurt
1/2 cup honey
Place the blueberries in a medium sauce pan over medium heat along with 2 tablespoons of water, the lemon zest, and honey.  Heat until the blueberries until simmering for approximately 2 minutes.  Allow the mixture to cool slightly, and then add the yogurt and olive oil, whisking until blended.  When the mixture is at room temperature, portion into 12 popsicle (or paleta)  molds and freeze.
The Spicy Olive’s Fizzy Fig
1 teas. The Spicy Olive’s Fig balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup ginger ale
1 jigger Canadian whiskey
Fill a cocktail glass with ice. Add jigger of whiskey. Add ginger ale to fill glass. Add teaspoon of fig balsamic and stir. Add more balsamic to taste. Enjoy!
The Spicy Olive’s Skillet Steak and Wilted Kale Salad
1 bunch kale, stems removed
2 (3/4 inch thick) beef strip steaks
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. The Spicy Olive’s olive oil (plain or a flavor like Harissa, Garlic,Tuscan Herb, Herbs de Provence)
1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, sliced
1 Tbsp. The Spicy Olive’s Traditional Balsamic or Neapolitan Herb balsamic
Crumbled blue cheese (optional)
Preheat oven to 450°F. Chop kale. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. Cook steaks in 2 Tbsp. hot olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat 3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and place on a baking sheet and place in preheated oven for 6 minutes.

Add remaining 1 Tbsp of olive oil to skillet and add onion. Saute until tender. Remove steak from oven and wrap with foil. Allow meat to rest before slicing. Add kale to the sauteed onion and stir constantly for 5 minutes or until kale is wilted. Stir in balsamic vinegar. Place wilted kale and onions on a plate. Top with sliced steak and sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese if desired. Enjoy

August Recipes:
Sparkling Gravenstein Apple Balsamic Cocktail
2 oz. vodka, chilled
1/2 oz. Gravenstein Apple white balsamic. vinegar
3 oz. club soda, chilled
Fill a tall glass with ice. Add vodka, Gravenstein Apple balsamic and soda water. Stir to gently mix and serve immediately. Enjoy!
 Heirloom Tomato Salad
4 ripe heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 Tablespoons The Spicy Olive single varietal olive oil
2 Tablespoons The Spicy Olive’s Neapolitan Herb balsamic
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch Italian parsley or basil
Place cut tomatoes in a bowl. Top with the oil and balsamic vinegar. Chiffonade the fresh herbs and sprinkle on top. Toss to coat with the balsamic and olive oil and season to taste with the salt and pepper. Serve and Enjoy!
Apple Pasta Salad with Lime Vinaigrette
8 oz. Farfalle Pasta, cooked according to package instructions and drained
1 cup roasted chicken, shredded
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
2 small yellow squash, thinly sliced
2 apples, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese
Stir together pasta, chicken and next 5 ingredients in a large salad bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Dressing:
1/4 cup The Spicy Olive’s Gravenstein Apple white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup The Spicy Olive’s Persian Lime olive oil
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
Whisk together salad dressing ingredients. Pour over pasta salad, toss and enjoy!
( Could also make this pasta salad with peaches or nectarines and our Ripe Peach balsamic)

Fuzzy Fig

1/4 c. The Spicy Olive Fig Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 c. Bourbon
1/4 c. Ginger Ale
Ice and muddled mint together in a cocktail glass
Put Fig Balsamic Vinegar and bourbon in cocktail glass over ice and mint. Add ginger ale, stir and serve.

Mock Mojito

1 c. Sprite

1 tbsp. The Spicy Olive’s Lemongrass Mint White Balsamic Vinegar
1 slice of lime and a squirt of lime juice
Fresh mint leaves

Muddle fresh mint in the bottom of a tall glass. Add a squirt of lime juice. Add ice and then pour in Sprite. Add Lemongrass Mint Balsamic Vinegar and stir. Top with fresh lime juice.

To make a real mojito, just add rum. Enjoy!

Watermelon Chiller

3 cups blended watermelon fruit
3 tbsp. Spicy Olive Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar
Several sprigs of chopped Corsican mint or Pineapple mint


The Spicy Olives recommend using their Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar for this beverage, but any of their fruity vinegars will work…



  • Black Cherry
  • Pomegranate
  • Wild Blueberry
  • Ripe Peach
  • Blenheim Apricot
  • Sicilian Lemon
  • Coconut

Try one – or them all – and let us know which you prefer!

The Spicy Olive’s Egg Nog Shrub

The Spicy Olive’s Egg Nog Shrub

1 cup Premium Egg Nog

1 jigger rum

1 teaspoon The Spicy Olive’s Maple or Cinnamon Pear Balsamic (or more to taste)

Mix together in a short cocktail glass. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg and enjoy!