Learn more about Jennifer Iserloh at skinnychef.com, and read her exclusive Slashfood blogs every Monday and Friday.

Last Saturday morning, after coffee, and in search of inspiration, I opened the cabinets where I store odds and ends from second-hand stores and little shops I've encountered on my travels. A smooth wooden olive spoon from California caught my eye. I admired its delicate handle, topped with a round perforated scoop to lift olives from their brining liquid.

Olives, a staple of ancient Greece cuisine, are tasty eaten on their own but they can also be a healthy and delicious way to add flavor to old American standbys like sandwiches and pasta. I love olive spread or tapenade since it's flavorful and full of nutritional benefits like iron and Vitamin E. You won't find those in mayo or ketchup. I make this tapenade with extra virgin olive oil since nothing can beat the fruity, rich taste that comes from the first cold press of the fruit of the olive tree. "Light" olive oils go through additional processing, such as filtering and refining, and tend to be lighter in flavor, but it still has the same fat content and calories -- 14 grams per tablespoon at 120 calories -- as extra virgin.

Get Jennifer's Orange Olive Tapenade recipe after the jump.

Orange Olive Tapenade

Makes 3/4 cup of tapenade

1/2 cup pitted olives of your choice, green or black

Zest and juice from one medium orange

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, peeled, cut in half

Place the olives, orange zest, juice, olive oil, mustard and garlic in a food processor or mini-chopper. Pulse until a smooth mixture forms about 10 to 15 pulses. Spread on your favorite sandwich bread or toss with 1/2 pound of your favorite cooked pasta with fresh steamed veggies.


Response to a reader comment on my Cupcake post:

Hi Alicia,

I'm so glad you enjoyed the post. The only icing that has a slight tang to it is the green tea. But if you like the taste of green tea ice cream, you'll like it. I've tested these icings on my friends with kids and they love them, and believe me, when it comes to food, kids never lie.