12 Days To a Clean Christmas: Day 2 The Best Addition To Your Meals!
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Day 2: Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Local Small Business
On the second day of Christmas….
Now I don’t like to play favourites but my love for Olive Oil can not be denied. I truly love a good oil, so much so that my sister carried a bottle from Spain all across Europe for me…I make my love known ;)
When it comes to setting up your kitchen, buying a hostess gift or just stepping up your meal prep game, Olive Oil is your best friend. Not only does it add incredible flavour with a light drizzle before serving, it amps up a dressing in an incredible way and it also helps to carry flavours to really bring your recipe together.
Good Olive Oil does not come cheap but I like to think of it as the gift that keeps on giving. Day 2 is devoted to a nice bottle of Olive Oil for all of these reasons. I live near Commercial Drive in Vancouver which is conveniently Little Italy. This means getting my hands on oil isn’t too tricky- if you live in the area try Bosa Foods on Victoria Drive for all your Italian needs!
There are so many varieties out there it can be tough to decide. When selecting Oil as a gift I highly recommend a pure Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It will go perfectly with a beautiful loaf of sourdough and can be drizzled onto a salad or big bowl of pasta to give it that needed bit of depth. I also love Sunshine Coast Olive Oils, Truffle/Garlic/Wild Mushroom and Sage varieties. A great excuse to stop on my way up the coast! It’s a fun treat to try out all the oils and vinegars and the various combos!
On top of all of these great reasons for buying Olive Oil is of course the health benefits! Olive Oil is an unsaturated fat and is packed with Oleic Acid and Polyphenols(depending on which type you buy) which are a form of antioxidants and a great addition to your diet! Another reason to buy high quality oils!
Also as an added perk you can educate your recipient on caring for your oil. Let them know that Olive Oil doesn’t like heat/air/light so be sure to keep it in a dark place (so don’t store it above your oven!)- most good oils come in dark glass which is very helpful in preventing it from going rancid!
I love to buy oils from Vancouver Olive Oil Company and Sunshine Olive Oil, as you can test out the flavours and the bottles are beautiful and make for the perfect gift! I live across the country from my family and so it’s always nice to give a little piece of the West Coast! Most places have some sort of local Oil company similar to these two and offer a variety of flavours and complimenting Vinegar!
The best part of this gift is you may even reap the benefits at the next dinner party ;)
** I highly recommend buying the little $2 insert for the top of your bottles! It saves on pouring too much at a time, is reusable and ideal for getting the perfect drizzle!