Disclosure

I hate to feel like a food snob (because I’m not) but my husband actually caught me using the phrase “flavor profiles” the other day. It’s just that since we started eating healthier, I have more of an awareness of foods and ingredients.

And yes, flavor profiles.

No, that isn’t my pantry. It’s the variety of oils available at Walmart.

Since we don’t make much from a box, we have a pantry stocked with tons of different, yet similar, products.

In addition to the normal array of herbs and spices, we have several varieties of vinegar: distilled white, apple cider, white wine, rice, balsamic, raspberry balsamic and fig balsamic. They all have different uses, different tastes and… wait for it… flavor profiles!

The same holds true for our stash of oils. You know, not all oils are the same. Some are better for frying while others are great as a base in salad dressings or marinades. The list of options is quite extensive: Examples include vegetable, corn, canola, grapeseed, sunflower, safflower, sesame, peanut, olive, extra virgin olive and the list goes on. All with different functions and… yes, flavor profiles. As you can see from the shelves at Walmart, the choices among olive oils alone is pretty huge. Only through this outreach campaign did I realize that it can be even further sub-categorized. STAR Olive Oil differentiates itself by not just making “olive oil” but making different varieties using different types of olives. Each of the three compliments a different type of food. Picual for beef/lamb, hojiblanca for poultry/fish and arbequina for vegetables. Since we eat very little beef these days (sshh… I live in Iowa and that could get me kicked out so don’t tell anyone), we grabbed the varieties for poultry/fish and vegetables.

Hubby does most of the cooking around here so I told him I wanted to make fish and cauliflower to try out these new oils and he whipped up a nice plateful of deliciousness. I’m a fan of cauliflower raw and always have been but when it comes to cooking it, I find the taste less than ideal. We usually steam it and sprinkle it with Mrs. Dash or some other herb/spice. This time, the method of cooking was saute.

Sauteed Parmesan and Garlic Cauliflower
(Serves 4)

1 Head Cauliflower
2 Tbsps STAR Arbequina Olive Oil
1-2 Tsps California Garlic Salt (The kind with parsley in it, season to taste)
2 Pinches Dried Basil
2 Tsps Parmesan Cheese

Chop and clean cauliflower. Heat Arbequina Olive Oil to pan. Add cauliflower and allow to cook for a few minutes, stirring to prevent sticking. Add California garlic salt and basil. (If you don’t have California Garlic Salt, substitute regular garlic salt and a pinch of parsley.) Cook for additional 5 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Stir to prevent sticking while cooking for additional few minutes or until desired tenderness.

Parmesan Encrusted Tilapia
(Serves 4)

4 Tilapia Filets
2 tbsps STAR Hojiblanca Olive Oil
4 tsps Parmesan Cheese
Cookie’s Flavor Enhancer (or your seasoning of choice, use sparingly)

Season each filet with a pinch of Cookie’s seasoning and 1 tsp Parmesan cheese – dividing equally on both sides. Set aside. Warm Hojiblanca Olive Oil in a pan. Add Tilapia and cook for 1½ minutes on each side (depending on thickness of filet). Serve immediately.

Serve Parmesan Encrusted Tilapia, Sauteed Parmesan and Garlic Cauliflower, salad and fruit and you’ll have a healthy dinner! We’ve had this Tilapia before and it always goes over well, but this is our first try with this type of cauliflower. I’m pleased to say that the kids actually asked for more. We had prepared the entire head, but it certainly didn’t seem like enough. Personally, I could have eaten much more myself and am adding it to our regular vegetable lineup! Whether it was the new cooking technique or an olive oil specific to vegetables, I don’t know. But if buying a special bottle of olive oil gets my kids to ASK for more vegetables, I’ll certainly be sure to stock it in my pantry.

For more information on STAR Olive Oil, visit their website where you’ll find available products, nutritional information, recipes and coupons. You can also follow STAR Olive Oil on Twitter, like them on Facebook, or check out their boards on Pinterest. Don’t miss out on the STAR Olive Oil giveaway running on Facebook, too!

53 thoughts on “Kids Asked for More VEGETABLES!

  1. I am going to make this!! YAY – I love new veggie recipes! That was so funny " flavor profiles" but true when you have so many variations of Olive Oils to use for certain dishes!! -jenny at dapperhouse

  2. I love your tilapia recipe; talapia is one of our favorites around here. And, in my pantry, you will find Star Oil. I love them and actually feel like they improve the flavor of my food where others leave my feed just feeling greased and well, oily.

  3. We love cooking vegetables in new ways. I’m going to have to try this because my kids love their vegs as long as I get creative every once in a while.

  4. I just bought cauliflower at Trader Joe’s and the Sauteed Parmesan and Garlic Cauliflower looks like a perfect way to prepare it. I love ways to make veggies more appealing to my family.

  5. I have a bottle of the vegetable one on the shelf in my pantry too – I really like using it with squash, the flavor profile really brings out the nuttiness of the fall vegetables 🙂 I’ll have to try your cauliflower recipe.

    1. Sofia – I like cauliflower but not a fan of it steamed. If you cook this, don’t cover it at all and it will be crispier and tastier. At least that’s my opinion… When it gets covered to speed cooking, I definitely think it has a different taste.

  6. I didn’t realize there were different flavorings in the oils besides just being basic olive or vegetable, etc oils. This is so cool! I would love to try out the vegetable variety.

  7. This is actually my favorite brand of olive oil! My kids already like veggies, but I’d love to get them to ask for even more.

  8. Yummy Saute Cauliflower how good does that sound I’m so trying that for lunch tomorrow. Plus Parmesan encrusted Tilapia is so good i just bought some more.

  9. This looks like a yummy recipe! I’ll try to make it soon. Just an fyi vegetable, corn, canola, grapeseed, sunflower and safflower oils are not really the healthiest options. I love the book nourishing traditions by sally (I can’t remember her last name off the top of myhhead), she explains different oils really well in it.

  10. That recipe sounds amazing! I’d love to give it a try – it combines three of my faves so it will be a success, I’m sure. I was under the impression that canola oil is the healthiest – is this true?

  11. I learned so much from this post – thx!!! and now I will be on the lookout for Star arbequina!! olive oil!!

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