Olive Branch Recipes

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CAPRESE SALAD

INGREDIENTS

• Tomatoes
• Basil
• Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
• 18 Year Traditional Balsamic Vinegar

All you do for this easy, light Italian salad is chop your basil and tomatoes. Cube your mozzarella cheese Drizzle The Olive Branch's 18 year Traditional Balsamic Vinegar and toss. There's no exact measurement as to how much balsamic you should use. Start light and add if you feel it needs more.

CILANTRO LIME DRESSING

INGREDIENTS

• Cilantro
• Persian Lime
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Chop about 1/2 cup of cilantro leaves Add about 1/3 cup of The Olive Branch's Persian Lime Extra Virgin Olive Oil This recipe works best if you have a food processor or even a blender. Combine the 2 ingredients and blend until smooth. Great over fish or make a great Spanish flavor chicken with the combo!

HOMEMADE SALSA

INGREDIENTS

• 3 large tomatoes
• 1 small red onion
• Cilantro

The Olive Branch's Chipotle Extra Virgin Olive Oil Quarter and thinly slice 3 large tomatoes. Quarter and thinly slice 1 small red onion. Chop about 1/2 cup of cilantro. Add more if needed. A pinch of salt.Simply put all ingredients into a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of our Chipotle Extra Virgin Olive Oil and toss. You can serve right away. Or put it in the refrigerator and let the vegetables really soak up the flavors and eat later.

*You can also add a little of our Persian Lime Extra Virgin Olive Oil for a twist to ordinary salsa!
**Add 2 teaspoons of Hot Sauce if you'd like your salsa to be spicy!

GARLIC ROASTED POTATOES

INGREDIENTS

• 3-4 potatoes depending on how many people you're feeding
• Tuscany bread dipping seasoning from The Olive Branch
• Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cut potatoes in half, then again so you have 4 pieces. Then place in a baking dish, skin side down. On top of the potatoes, sprinkle the Tuscany seasoning over the top. (As much as you like there's really no specified amount. I like a lot of flavor so I use a lot!) Then, drizzle the Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil all over the top of the potatoes. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 40 mins. Your friends and family will think you spent hours making this when really it takes minutes. A different twist to the old butter and sour cream on your potatoes.

GARLIC ROAST DELIGHT

INGREDIENTS

• The Olive Branch's Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Tuscany Bread Dipping Seasonings
• A roast of any kind
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Mushrooms

This is perfect for me because I work all day so I throw all of the ingredients above into a crock pot and let it cook all day on low heat. If you're looking to eat right away, you can also do this dish in the oven. All you do is cut the potatoes into fours, peel your carrots and slice according to the size you prefer, and add sliced or whole mushrooms. Sprinkle the Tuscany Bread Dipping Seasoning all over everything, meat and veggies. Then, drizzle Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil all over everything! Cook and enjoy the flavor of your meats and vegetables in a quick and simple way. The aroma alone makes your house smell like grandma's cookin'!

CITRUS CHICKEN SALAD

INGREDIENTS

• Romaine lettuce (or whichever greens you prefer: spinach, lettuce, etc. I just prefer Romaine because its a more sturdy lettuce, less likely to get soggy or wilted.)
• 1 can of mandarin oranges
• 1 bag of Tyson chicken chunks (Or, you can use chicken breast, cubed or sliced)
• Fresh strawberries if in season (not necessary but an added bonus)
• Sliced Almonds (they have a good brand out there call Almond Accents in the produce area of your grocery store and they have different flavors. The one that works best with this salad are the butter toffee Almond Accents.)
• Blood Orange Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Tangerine Balsamic Vinegar

If you're like me and don't have a lot of time you can buy the pre cooked chicken that's already cubed. I like Tyson Chicken Chunks in the grocer's freezer. You're able to just heat the chicken over the stove top for about 10 mins. Or, you can cook your own chicken breast and slice or cube it. You can always put the extra in Tupperware and make another salad later.... You don't have to do this but, I cook the chicken with a little bit of the Orange Extra Virgin Olive Oil to get a bit of orange flavor in the chicken. Wash your lettuce of choice and arrange in a large bowl.

Place chicken over the top Open and drain the can of mandarin oranges (I usually cut these in half because you get more of the oranges and they are fairly large) and put on top of lettuce as well. In a separate bowl, whisk together The Olive Branch's Blood Orange Extra Virgin Olive Oil along with the Tangerine Balsamic Vinegar. Try 2 parts vinegar and 1 part oil. Taste to decide if your dressing needs more of one or the other....

If you're feeding a family I'd use the entire bag of Butter Toffee Almond Accents Pour your Orange and Tangerine dressing over everything and toss. I haven't had one person say they don't like it, unless your don't care for citrus flavor. It's great for a summertime salad or to boost your spirits on a cold, dark day. Again, at The Olive Branch, you can always come in and try it out first to see if you like it but I'm sure you will!

CAPRESE BRUSCHETTA

INGREDIENTS

• Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
• Tomatoes, sliced
• Flatbread
• Basil
• The Olive Branch's 18 year old Traditional Balsamic Vinegar

First we're going to make the actual bread portion of my favorite appetizer. Its simple. First, I get flatbread from my local grocer. They've got wonderful flavors, too. I like the Sundried Tomato and Basil or you can simply use a plain flatbread without any flavor.

Take the flatbread and sprinkle the Tuscany or Parmesan Flavored Bread Dipping Seasoning from The Olive Branch over the top. Then, drizzle our Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the top of that. I usually smooth the mixture out with a pastry brush or the back of a spoon. Set your oven to 350 degrees and put the flatbread on a cookie sheet. I grease first with cooking spray so they don't stick. (You can do more than 1 at a time as well) Keep an eye on them because they only take about 8-10 mins for them to be ready. You'll see them starting to brown up. Take out and cut while still warm. I cut them in a circle shape since my tomato and mozzarella are going to go on the top and their round in shape as well. A cookie cutter works well. Or, if you're like me and don't have cookie cutters, I found out that you can use the lid of the bread dipping seasonings and cut around that! Set to the side on a plate and let cool. They will turn crispy.

Next, slice your fresh mozzarella into a circle. The thickness is up to you but I make it consistent with the thickness of the tomato. Slice your tomato as well. Again, the thickness is up to you. Now that your flatbread has cooled (which only takes about 5 minutes) layer it with a slice of tomato, fresh mozzarella, and a basil leaf of top. Then, simply drizzle The Olive Branch's 18 year old Traditional Balsamic Vinegar over the top. Put one on a small plate if its just the 2 of you. Or, put them all on a large plate for the whole family to enjoy. I know the directions seem long but trust me, it literally takes 15 minutes to put together and it's a GREAT appetizer! It's also a great after school snack. My nieces LOVE it!

STRAWBERRY FIELDS SALAD

INGREDIENTS

• Romaine lettuce or spinach, your choice
• Fresh Strawberries
• 1 can of Mandarin Oranges
• A bag of dried cranberries
• A bag of Almond Accents (optional)
• Chicken breast, cubed or sliced
• The Olive Branch's Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar

This salad is similar to the Citrus Chicken Salad, but sweet Strawberry is the key flavor here. Cook your chicken breast and cube. I'd use 1-2 breasts. Or, you can always use the Tyson Chicken Chunks in your grocer's freezer if you're in a hurry. They only take 10 mins. to heat up on your stove top. Let the meat cool.

Rinse your lettuce and chop into pieces. Put in a large bowl. Rinse your strawberries and slice add to your bowl with the lettuce Add the dried cranberries to your salad Add your cubed or sliced chicken breast to the salad Drain your can of mandarin oranges and put over the top of your salad. I cut them in half first. You get more oranges and their smaller, bite size pieces. Put the Butter Toffee Almond Accents over the top of your salad Drizzle The Olive Branch's Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar over everything and toss. If you like Strawberry, you'll love this. Personally, it's my favorite balsamic vinegar we sell.