Which oils are good to cook with ?

I've been curious about this for a long time and I know that coconut oil is very beneficial and has a high heat point but sometimes I don't want that slight coconut flavor in my food. So what else is there?  The chart at the bottom gives a great run down of the oils good to use and the temperature they are best at. I have been using grapeseed oil for a while and I am interested in seeing what else is out there. I have another link related to oils on this blog that has better sources than this one but it seemed to agree with a lot of other information out there on the net so I included it. I have removed any text relating to the store or brands promoted on their site. Tip: You can get walnut oil reasonably priced from Indian stores.

5 standout cooking oils

While olive, canola, safflower and even sesame oils are standard in most kitchens, we offer a host of specialty oils that add nutrition as well as nuance or depth of flavor to a dish. You'll find an assortment of options at PCC, including oils that are best used raw, some that bake well, and others that are great for high-heat cooking.

Almond — With a pure, clean flavor, almond oil is extremely versatile in the kitchen. It's great for high-heat cooking, as it has a smoke point of 495° F. It's also loaded with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. 

Avocado — The rich nutritional content of avocados, including vitamin K, fiber and potassium, makes avocado oil a wonderful, healthy alternative. It's fantastic used raw in dressings, dips and marinades, but with a smoke point of 450° F, it also is well-suited for high-heat cooking, whether you're searing meat or stir-frying veggies. 

Coconut — Coconut oil is high in beneficial lauric acid, which supports a healthy metabolism and has health-protecting properties. It also may help stabilize blood sugar and may lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Unrefined coconut oil can be used for sautéing over medium-high heat; its smoke point is 280° to 350° F. It also is superb for baking. The oil can have a bit of a coconut flavor, so it's best used in dishes where a slight taste of the tropics will marry well with the other ingredients. 

Grapeseed — A fantastic, everyday cooking oil, grapeseed oil has a light, neutral taste that helps bring out the flavor of food. It also works really well for high-heat cooking thanks to its smoke point of 485° F. It's a good option for low-fat cooking too, as it has the lowest levels of saturated fat of any oil. 

Walnut — Walnut oil adds great character to salads, marinades and sautés. Try drizzling it over tender spring greens, blue cheese and toasted nuts. With a smoke point of 400° F, it also can be used over high heat. Plus it's a great source of omega-3s. 

by Lydia Cox, PCC Taste, May 2011 - from http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/taste/1105/cooking_oils.html

Cooking with oils

Oil	Raw	Low heat	Med. heat	Med. High heat	Very high heat	Characteristics and uses
Low heat = 275º to 325º F • Medium heat = 325º to 350º F • Medium-high heat = 350º to 400º F • Very high heat = 400º to 495º F — Please note, oil availability may vary by store.
Almond, refined	X	X	X	X	X	Pure, clean flavor and a high-heat wonder. Smoke point 495º F.
Avocado (expeller-pressed), refined	X	X	X	X	X	Lovely texture, wonderful for searing meat, whipped potatoes and stir-fries. Smoke point 450º F.
Avocado (cold-pressed), unrefined	X	X	X	X	X	Lovely texture, wonderful for searing meat, whipped potatoes and stir-fries. Smoke point 500º F.
Canola (medium-high heat), refined	X	X	X	X		Neutral flavor, all-purpose, good for baking. Smoke point 425º F. May be genetically modified if not organic.
Canola, unrefined	X	X				Mild flavor, may be genetically modified if not organic.
Coconut (virgin/extra virgin), unrefined		X	X			Lovely for cakes, pie crusts, light sautéing. Cholesterol-free. Smoke point 280º to 350º F.
Ghee		X	X	X		Wonderful in sauces, with lobster or crab, and for quick frying.
Grapeseed (expeller-pressed), refined	X	X	X	X	X	Clean, neutral taste. Smoke point 485º F.
Hazelnut, unrefined	X					Rich flavor. Drizzle on food or use for dipping bread. Potential allergen.
Macadamia nut (cold-pressed), unrefined	X					Nutty, buttery flavor and higher in monounsaturates than olive oil.
Olive (extra virgin), unrefined	X	X				Ideal for salads, raw foods, pesto and dipping bread. Smoke point 325º F.
Olive (extra light/originale), refined	X	X	X	X		Mild and tolerant of low heat. Smoke point 460º F.
Peanut (expeller-pressed, vitamin E added), refined	X	X	X	X		Adds flavor to lightly cooked foods and cold dishes. Smoke point 212º to 400º F. Potential allergen.
Peanut (high oleic), refined	X	X	X	X	X	Neutral flavor for tempura, fish and stir-fries. Smoke point 450º F. Potential allergen.
Safflower (high heat), refined	X	X	X	X	X	Mild flavor for high-heat cooking. Smoke point 450º F.
Safflower, unrefined	X					Delicate flavor.
Sesame, refined	X	X	X	X	X	Adds smoky flavor to seared meats, stir-fries. Smoke point 445º F.
Sesame, unrefined (including toasted)	X					Aromatic, nutty, best in dressings and sauces.
Sunflower (high oleic), refined	X	X	X	X	X	Nearly neutral flavor. Smoke point 450º F.
Sunflower (expeller-pressed), refined	X	X	X	X	X	Multi-purpose. Smoke point 460º F.
Sunflower (cold-pressed), unrefined	X					Rich flavor, best in cold dishes.
Vegetable shortening (palm fruit), refined		X	X	X		Good for cakes, pie crusts, sautés. Not hydrogenated.
Walnut, refined	X	X	X	X		Adds character to salads, marinades and sautés. Smoke point 400º F. Potential allergen.

From http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/guides/tips_cooking_oils.html

Additional links from other sources

http://nutritiondiva.quickanddirtytips.com/which-oils-are-best-for-cooking.aspx

Bean, Cheese and Rice Burrito

You will need:

a bunch of flour tortillas OR for a gluten free option rice flour tortillas, lettuce wraps, Vietnamese rice wraps

tiny bit of oil (I use grapeseed)

A can of seasoned black beans, refried beans, 

Rice- seasoned, or plain

Cheese of your choice

Prepared salsa or chopped tomatoes, lime, cilantro, onion combo.

Sliced avocado

Sour cream

Hot sauce

To prepare the tortillas:

Place a dime sized amount of grapeseed oil in the pan- spread it all over the pan

Dip in 1 tortilla and then flip it immediately once some oil is on one side.

Saute until it is lightly brown in spots then flip and brown.

The reason I have this method is I find the oil dries up after one side is complete and then you would have to add more oil. This way you get the minimum amount on the tortilla.

Once your fillings are ready place them on the tortilla in the order of cheese, beans, rice. Then wrap it like it the picture and brown it further so the cheese gets melted. To make things quicker have the beans and rice already warm.

Pretty easy peasy.

Serve with the fixing or just with tortilla chips or a fresh salad.

Make a few extra and put it in the fridge for lunch the next day already wrapped.

Raw Chocolate Hazelnut Brownies

I'm such a cheat taking a photo of the book but it was faster! I have taken to doing that with recipes I like from books. Who has time to write them down or photocopy them? Works perfectly.

I love love this cookbook I picked up at Community Food Co-op (http://www.communityfood.coop/) in Bellingham where these authors are from. Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre provide over 200 gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free recipes and they are fantastic. 

Just a few ingredients and a food processor this was really easy to make.  Packed with tons of protein and fibre these bars are a great breakfast on the go or snack in between meals.

I didn't have enough hazelnuts so I added roasted cashews that I had. I am reading about the value of rehydrating raw nuts (soaking them) before consuming them and will post later about it.

It did get a little thick in the processor so I found it helpful to remove half of the batter and process it separately as all the dates did not blend as easily as before.

  

I put coconut inside as well as on top.

Tahini Protein Power Bowl

Angela over at Oh She Glows (http://ohsheglows.com/)  is an amazing inspiration to me and I often cruise her site to get new ideas for meals to make. I often tend to us a recipe as a base and then throw in whatever ingredients I have on hand. My fridge is usually stocked with a number of things and I don't like going out often to get one or two things that are missing so I just substitute if I can and turn it into something like the recipe. Of course there are some ingredients, such as the tahini in this recipe, that you would not want to substitute.  Please note if you haven't already that I am not aiming to take glorious photos like Angela or most other bloggers for that matter. I take the photos as I go very quickly and I am happy if I have the time to post at all. Maybe some day I will have the time to take better photos :)

The spring mix from Whole Foods on Cambie, in Vancouver is totally worth it. It stays fresh for a while unlike the spring mix from Costco which goes bad in a matter of days.

  

I have an INCREDIBLE rice cooker and if you cook a lot of grains I would highly encourage you to look into the Japanese rice cookers with the fuzzy logic technology. Sounds strange but it has to do with having an intuitive nature to it that cooks whatever you throw into it with perfection. I throw in red rice, lentils, brown rice all together sometimes as I did with this recipe (on the brown rice setting) or I add quinoa and it ALWAYS cooks it to perfection. Measure, add water to the line, press button- cue starting song. Stays warm for over 12 hours! I have a Zojurushi and it is the most used appliance in my kitchen, hands down.

  

I wish I'd had the red pepper but I used swiss chard, snap peas and cherry tomatoes instead.

   Ta da!!!

Reposted from: http://ohsheglows.com/2011/05/12/lightened-up-protein-power-goddess-bowl/

Lightened Up Protein Power Goddess Bowl

Angela adapted this recipe from Protein Power Goddess Bowl, which was adapted from The Coup Cookbook.

Yield: 6 cups
Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked green lentils (yield 2 & 3/4 cups cooked)
• 1 cup uncooked speltberries (yield 2 cups cooked) OR grain of choice, like brown rice
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil, for sautéing
• 1/2 red onion (~1 & 1/3 cups), chopped
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 3 cups spinach or kale, roughly chopped (I used Lacinato kale)
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 1 batch of Lightened Up Tahini-Lemon Dressing (recipe below)
• Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste
• Lemon Wedges & lemon zest, to garnish

Directions:

1. Cook lentils and speltberries (or grain of choice) according to package directions. I did this the night before to save time. Drain and set aside.

2. Prepare the Lightened Up tahini-Lemon dressing in food processor (see below for recipe).

3. In a large skillet over low-medium heat, add your olive oil and sauté the chopped onion and minced garlic for a few minutes, being careful not to burn. Now add in the chopped red pepper and tomato and sauté for another 7-8 minutes.

4. Stir in the chopped kale or spinach and sauté for another few minutes, just until tender. Stir in the full batch of tahini-Lemon dressing, the cooked & drained grains and lentils, and simmer on low for another few minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the minced parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with lemon wedges and zest. Makes 6 cups.

Once you cook your desired grains and make the dressing, you simply sauté some vegetables of your choice until tender.

Lightened Up Tahini-Lemon Dressing

Adapted from Tahini-Lemon Dressing.

Yield: Just under 1 cup of dressing

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Tahini
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1/4 cup Nutritional yeast or a bit more, to taste
• 2-4 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
• 1 tsp kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• 3 tbsp water, or as needed

Directions:

1. In a food processor, add all ingredients and process until smooth. Makes just under 1 cup.

I only had a half a lemon so I squeezed in a few tablespoons of lemon juice concentrate and water because I thought the lemon amount was too much any way for me and because I didn't have the lemons :). I happened to have the nutritional yeast and I think it gives it a nice nutty flavor. If you don't have it you could through in some chickpeas maybe to round out the flavour.  You can find the yeast in the bulk section. Good to give added nutritional value to meals.

Angela's lovely photos.

Yesterday, I added Lacinato Kale instead of spinach and I loved it! It’s less bitter than regular kale.

 

Mix in your grains and dressing.

 

When it’s all cooked, remove from heat and stir in the minced Parsley for another kick of fresh flavour.

Taste test… Uncontrollably!

Serve with a lemon wedge and zest and you have yourself a protein and fibre packed dinner! It’s creamy & comforting, with a tangy kick that is just irresistible.

This will definitely be my go-to version of this salad from now on. We didn’t miss the 6 tablespoons of oil at all.