10 Ways to cook with Olives - Dairy free

OLIVES

Technically Olives are a fruit, however they are most commonly used in savoury dishes.  There one of those love or hate them foods.  Me I love them, I can eat them straight from the jar as a snack.  

There also a great ingredient in cooking , as there a versatile fruit that gives a salty kick to your taste buds.  

1. Au naturale

The olives that buy stored in brine or oil are cured.  It they weren't they would be bitter and sour and not really pleasant to eat.

Scotland as far as I know, doesn't have any olive tree's.  However I still think it's worthwhile knowing how to cure your own.  It's always a good idea to know how your food is made.

- How to cure your own olives

2. Antipasto

Antipasto is basically Italian word for appetiser.  Simple small dishes you can nibble on, before your main meal. You can buy some really good cured olives and simply serve, or you could try the recipes below and make them even more special.

- Garlic & Chili Olives

- Vegan Vinegar Veggies

- Black Olive Crostini

3. Tapas

Tapas can be an appetiser, something to nibble with a drink or served as part of a family style meal.   There's something great about getting a range of small dishes, that everyone can eat together.  

- Lemon Olive Tapas

- Tomato and green olive salsa

- Olive Tapenade

4. Salads

It's a sunny weekend here in Scotland. According to the weather reports, its hotter than Cyprus. I made myself a sweet potato and Black Olive Salad for lunch.  

Instead of boiling my potato's a prefer to roast them in the oven, then tossed them in a simple green pesto and black olive dressing.  The hot sweet potato's soak up all the wonderfully flavours as they cool down.  

- Panzanella with Artichoke and olives

- Taco Red Potato Salad

- Mediterranean Potato Salad

5. Soup

Olives are not just for summer, they also work well in hot dishes like soup.  

- White bean & Black Olive Soup

- Sweet potato & Olive Soup

- Spanish potato & Green Olive Soup   (Leave out the cheese to make dairy free)

6. Breads

Bread is great in winter for dipping into hot soups and stews. In the summer it's perfect in or a long side a salad.  

One of my favourite holiday memories, is walking with my dad to the bakery every morning to buy a stick of fresh french baguette in Paris.    Being  yeast intolerant, I really miss fresh baked bread.  Which is why I've included a yeast free quick bread to my list below.  


- Aussie Olive Damper bread

- Mediterranean Black Olive bread

- Walnut, Thyme and Olive bread

7. Baked

You don't just need to make bread, to oven bake mushrooms.  There are a lot of vegetarian and vegan recipes that use them as an ingredient.  Personally I can't wait to try the Olive Lentil Burger recipe from the Guys at PPK (Post Punk Kitchen)


- Olive Lentil Burgers

- Stuffed Portobello mushrooms with olive caramelised onions  (Leave out the Parmesan to 
make dairy free)

I took inspiration from the polenta recipe below to make my own dairy free version.  I used vegetable stock and vegan butter instead and served it with a poached free range egg on top.  

- Polenta Olive Fingers

I'm stretching a bit with this recipe, the Olives are used as a dressing for the roasted Cauliflower

- Roasted Cauliflower with Olives & Rosemary

8. Mediterranean fast food

Forget relying on the microwave to make a quick meal when you get home from work.  One of my favourite fast foods is Pasta.  Dried pasta only takes 10 - 12 Min's to cook, and fresh is ready even quicker.

I pre-make my own sauces and freeze them into portions.  I take them out of the freezer in the morning and there defrosted by evening.

For an even quicker meal, I love to mix chopped olives and vegan pesto into my cook pasta.  

Jeanettes healthy living.com

- Spaghetti with cauliflower, green olives and almonds  (Again leave out the cheese to make dairy free.  There are so many great flavours this recipe doesn't really need it)

- Puttanesca tofu scramble

- Spanish Omelette with Olives



9.  Fried

Fried food is another of my IBS triggers, I am not selfish so can not leave it off the list.  A girl can dream..... I believe the new trendy term is reading food porn.


- Fried Garlic Olives

- Pan Fried Olives with Rosemary

- Beer battered Fried Olives  (Use dairy free yogurt as a substitute to make this dairy free)



10.  Sweet

When ever my Friend and I go to the cinema, I get us some Morrison's own brand sweet and salty popcorn.  It's a lot cheaper and more importantly tastier than the stuff the cinema sells.  

The below candied Olive recipe reminds me of them, it's both sweet and salty at the same time.    Its this combination that makes Olives a great addition to a dessert.  

Use vegan butter, non dairy milk and a flax seed egg substitute to make the recipes below dairy free and vegan.  

- Candied Olives

- Olive Biscuits

- Portuguese sweet lemon and Olive Cookies  

- Black Olive Chocolate Truffles

There is more to olives than as a simple appetiser. 

The only problem I have now is what to cook next  xxx