NEW ARTICLES

WHITE PAPERS

"The desert found me, and it was natural to launch my business here". Chef Grecia is a culinary-trained private chef focused on healthy, seasonal eating in Joshua Tree, CA.

Private Chef and Entrepreneur, Chef Grecia Parra

Chef Lisa Lofberg of Little Moss has pioneered a locally-driven and elevated culinary program on the southeastern shore of Massachusetts.

The Pioneering Locavore, Chef Lisa Lofberg of Little Moss

Pioneering Chef Alek Zito has risen to Chef de Cuisine at the two Michelin-starred restaurant Saison in San Francisco, leading their Foraging and Fermentation Program, reducing food waste, and more.

Raising the bar with Chef Alek Zito, Chef de Cuisine of Saison

Straight from the Michelin-starred kitchen to your home, Chef Stuart Brioza of State Bird Provisions shares his process for preparing mushroom conserva.

Mushroom Conserva

15 minutes to Kimchi Fried Rice - cooked to perfection using Zero Acre oil.

Kimchi Fried Rice

Leave it to @veggiekins to create a simple and delicious scallion oil that you can drizzle, cook and finish your recipe with to add a punch of flavor.

Scallion Oil

Chef Brioza shares his signature Rice-Crusted Trout dish designed for you to savor in the comfort of your own home.

Rice-Crusted Trout with Garum, Brown Butter, Hazelnuts, and Mandarin Oranges

Looking for healthy, seed-oil-free travel snacks on the go? Look no further than this comprehensive list where we did the research for you.

44 Seed-Oil Free Healthy Travel Snacks

44 Seed-Oil Free Healthy Travel Snacks
JUNE 13, 2023
WRITTEN BY: Sabrina Tillman
Article at a Glance
When sourcing healthy travel snacks, be mindful of dietary restrictions or allergies, nutrient content, shelf life, and convenience.
Our list of 18 easy, healthy travel snacks can be prepared in advance to bring with you. We walk you through how to prep and pack them so they’re ready when you are.
When snack prep isn’t an option, our curated list of best, better, and good brands can help you grab and go.
Introduction
Healthy travel snacks aren’t just for kids. Sometimes life gets too busy to sit down to eat a proper meal, flight delays and traffic jams happen, and arriving in new time zones can mean grumbling stomachs at inopportune times. When you’re on a road trip, a healthy travel-ready snack can save you from loading up on gas station hot dogs or Cheetos from a vending machine.
Unfortunately, fake cheese powder isn’t the only thing you’ll need to avoid when you’re on the road. Vegetable oils, also known as seed oils, top the ingredient lists of most snack options, whether you’re at a roadside pitstop or an airport snack kiosk.
Yes, it can take a little more foresight to shop for healthy travel snacks and, in some cases, to prepare them. And, yes, fresh fruits and veggies are at the top of most lists of portable, healthy snacks. But those shouldn’t be your only go-tos when you’re avoiding inflammatory seed oils and other nasty additives.
Plus, it may just be easier than you think to find healthy (or healthier) snacks at any grocery store or major airport – you just need a little culinary inspiration and a few brand names in mind to keep it quick and easy. 
We’ll show you how to shop and prep so you can have healthy, balanced snacks on hand any time at home, not just when you travel. Our recommendations for best seed-oil free snacks include fresh foods, high-protein picks, and sweet and savory items so everyone is happy. Pack them up to tote along or cruise our best-better-good list when you need to buy something ready-made.
What to Consider When Choosing Healthy Travel Snacks
When sourcing healthy snacks, consider the following: 
Dietary restrictions and allergies
Nutrient content
Shelf life
Portability and convenience
Avoid snacks that contain anything you can’t, don’t, or won’t eat. You likely know your triggers, so scrutinize the ingredients label. If you’re allergic to an ingredient, make sure to check any packages and containers for notices about potential cross-contamination with ingredients that commonly cause allergic reactions such as gluten or peanuts. 
You might want to give preferential focus to ingredient lists vs. nutrition fact labels. The FDA doesn’t require 100% accuracy on nutrition labels; for example, calories, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, total fats and saturated fats can be up to 20% inaccurate. “FDA's continuing policy since the 1970s assigns the manufacturer the responsibility for assuring the validity of a product label's stated nutrient values,” says the agency’s guide to the food industry about nutrition labels [*].
Other than that, try to avoid seed oils, and beware that there are 61 different names for sugar on food labels – not to mention the fact that food manufacturers add sugar to 74% of packaged foods sold in grocery stores, gas stations, and vending machines [*,*]. 
Tips for Packing and Storing Healthy Travel Snacks
If you’re packing kid snacks for activities or need to grab something quickly for yourself on the way out the door, try to plan ahead. Stock your pantry with no-prep snacks like:
Seed oil-free, low-sugar protein bars
All-natural nut butters
Raw or dry-roasted nuts and seeds (check the labels for added seed oils)
Snacks made with coconut, avocado, or olive oils
Tinned wild salmon, sardines, or tuna
Protein powder that can be shaken up with water in a blender bottle
Pre-packaged olives 
For perishable snacks that require refrigeration, keep freezer packs at the ready. Pack perishables with frozen packs in an insulated bag. 
When you get home from a grocery run, take a few minutes to meal prep snacks: 
Wash and portion cut veggies with slices of cheese and pack them in ready-to-go reusable containers.  
Wash fruit and put into containers with mixed nuts or pumpkin seeds; pack these in ready-to-go reusable containers.
Put a serving of plain Greek yogurt into reusable containers or small mason jars. In separate small containers, pack toppings such as fruit, walnuts or slivered almonds, chia or hemp seeds, and unsweetened shredded coconut.
Portion non-perishable snacks into single-serve resealable bags or reusable containers, and keep them visible on your shelves so you can grab them when you need them. 
18 Healthy Snack Options for Travel
If you’re avoiding seed oils and a lot of added sugar, you’ll want tasty high-protein and fiber-rich snack recommendations (which can keep you feeling satisfied for longer) [*]. Our travel-friendly healthy snack options feature something for everyone.
Fruits and Vegetables
Pre-cut fruits and veggies: This one tops our list because raw fruits and veggies are as convenient and portable as nature-made snacks can be, and they’re filled with antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber.
Avoid browning on apple and pear slices by soaking them in half a teaspoon of kosher salt and one cup of water (rinse any salty flavor off with tap water before serving).  
Store cut veggies in water in mason jars or airtight containers in the fridge to stay fresher for longer. Change the water every few days for longer storage.
To keep berries from going moldy too quickly, soak them in three cups of water and one cup of white vinegar for five to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the berries in a colander before storing in the refrigerator.
Dried fruits: Tread lightly here, as the lack of moisture concentrates the sugars in the fruit. Less water also means you’ll feel less full eating dried fruit compared to fresh, and calories can add up fast. A small serving packs polyphenols (an antioxidant) and fiber, but beware of brands that add sugar, seed oils, and preservatives. To help with satiety, combine some dried fruit with nuts to make a basic seed oil-free trail mix.
Dried seaweed: Enjoyed by Asian populations for centuries, seaweed is now recognized by Western nutrition research as a therapeutic powerhouse. Some seaweeds contain 10 to 100 times more minerals and vitamins than land-dwelling plants and animals [*]. Interestingly, one research review found that countries where seaweed is eaten regularly show fewer instances of obesity and diet-related disease [*]. Dried seaweed has a slightly mineral, briny flavor and packs a satisfying crunch. Brands that use olive oil or no oil include Seasnax, One Organic, and Sea Castle.
Fruit and vegetable chips: Beware of the health halo around packaged fruit and veggie chips. Some brands add seed or vegetable oils, sugar, and additives. Look for single-ingredient freeze-dried fruit (they have a crisp, more brittle bite), fruit and veggie chips made with coconut, avocado, or olive oils. You can also make your own fruit and veggie chips at home with Cultured Oil, seasonings, and an oven: 
Use a mandolin for thin, even slices of root vegetables or fruit like apples, place the slices in a single layer on clean kitchen towels and dust with salt. Let sit for 15 minutes then dab moisture off with a towel. 
Place sliced produce on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone mats in a single layer; brush with Cultured Oil, season, and bake at 300ºF for 15 minutes. 
After 15 minutes, switch oven racks and rotate the pans, then bake for another 15 minutes. Rotate pans again and bake for another 5–10 minutes, or until chips are golden and crisp; some pieces may be ready faster than others, so remove those that are done first.
Nuts and Seeds
Raw nuts and seeds: These provide vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, and unsaturated fats, and the combo of fat, fiber, and protein help keep you fuller for longer. To keep calories and portions in check, learn how many nuts and seeds make up one serving and portion out the amount you eat to align with your nutritional needs. A nutritional underdog, walnuts are the only nut that contain omega-3 fatty acids [*]. Nuts and seeds that pack the most protein include peanuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews, as well as pumpkin, chia, flax, hemp, sunflower, and sesame seeds [*].
Nut butter packets: Stick to the brands whose ingredients include simply the nut or seed and salt (no added oils or sugar). You can also make your own healthy nut butter at home to ensure you have control over the ingredients and potentially save on the expense of premium, store-bought varieties.
Trail mix: Nuts and seeds provide the foundation, and dried or freeze-dried fruit add flair to trail mix. Making your own trail mix gives you more nutritional control and may be more cost-effective if you buy the ingredients in bulk. If you prefer to purchase a premade mix, scrutinize ingredient labels and accept that you pay for what you get in this category. Avoid things like fried sesame sticks, yogurt-covered pretzels, M&Ms, and butterscotch chips combined with nuts and dried fruits – these are all seed oil and sugar bombs.
Protein-Rich Snacks
Jerky and meat sticks: This roughing-it-in-the-outdoors classic has received a culinary upgrade in the past few years. Now available without added sugar, chemicals, nitrates, and excess sodium, you have access to brands like Epic Provisions, The New Primal, and Chomps. Some companies now offer salmon, turkey, mushroom, and even vegan options (Louisville Vegan Jerky uses extra virgin olive oil). 
Hard-boiled eggs: Easy for make-ahead snacks, hard-boiled eggs contain about six grams of protein per egg plus phosphorus, magnesium, choline, potassium, and folate [*]. To avoid foul-smelling sulfur, avoid overcooking the eggs. A fool-proof method: Place eggs in a pot just big enough to hold them in one layer. Pour just enough cold water on top to cover and bring them to a rolling boil. Let boil for one minute, then take them off the heat and let sit for about 20 minutes. 
Roasted chickpeas: A cheap plant-based source of protein, fiber, and quite a bit of calcium and magnesium, chickpeas have a creamy mouthfeel and neutral flavor [*]. Roast them in Cultured Oil or olive oil with some salt and paprika and they will pop pleasantly in your mouth with every bite.
Hummus and veggies or crackers: Our hero legume, the chickpea, stars in another snack combo. Pair an olive oil-based hummus with celery, baby carrots, jicama, bell pepper strips, cucumber coins, cauliflower or broccoli florets. Crackers made without seed oils make a crunchy counterpart to the yielding, creamy hummus; brands to explore: Wisecrackers Avocado Oil & Sea Salt, Hu, Fat Snax, Flackers, and Every Body Eat.
Plain Greek yogurt: Tart, creamy, and probiotic-rich, plain Greek yogurt contains 15 grams of protein and 170 mg of calcium in six ounces [*]. Unadorned, it’s an acquired taste, but you can add fresh fruit, a touch of any natural sweetener you like, a sprinkling of dried coconut or trail mix.
Plain cottage cheese: Same song as Greek yogurt, different verse. Classic diner diet food, one cup of cottage cheese contains 25 grams of protein, 187 mg of calcium, and plenty of potassium and phosphorus [*]. The texture isn’t for everyone, but the flavor is tart and creamy like yogurt; dress it up similarly with fresh fruit, any natural sweetener you enjoy, or add savory spices and herbs.
Canned tuna, salmon, sardines: Pick fish packed in water or olive oil for a briny, savory bit of protein that’s rich in omega-3s. Spoon onto seed oil-free crackers, rice cakes, or eat straight out of the tin.
Savory snacks
Rice cakes: Retro diet food is back. Consider these crispy pucks as mini platters to top with salty, savory combos like roasted red pepper hummus with sliced black olives, a piece of sharp cheddar and sliced hard-boiled eggs, or sweet and salty combos like peanut butter with fresh raspberries, and cottage cheese with cinnamon-dusted apple slices.
Popcorn: Pop with Cultured Oil and season simply with salt, or get fancy and add truffle salt, parmesan cheese, nutritional yeast, or try cayenne pepper and allulose or maple syrup for a sweet-spicy mix. Portion 1–2 cups of popcorn into resealable bags or reusable containers. Do the same with already-popped corn; brands that use avocado, olive, or coconut oil include LesserEvil, Good & Gather Organic Olive Oil, Trader Joe’s Organic Popcorn with Olive Oil.
Sweet snacks
Dark chocolate: Health nuts rejoice to pop a small square of dark chocolate – rich in polyphenols, flavonoids, vitamins, and minerals. True, but several of these health-boosting nutrients get lost during the processing of dark chocolate [*]. Buy dark chocolate fortified with antioxidant-rich fruit like blueberries, spices like cinnamon, or probiotics. You can also pair chopped dark chocolate with nuts and dried fruit in trail mix, or melted and mixed with oats, seeds, a touch of maple syrup, and shredded coconut and baked in a low oven to make granola.
Cookie dough balls: No need to sneak raw cookie dough anymore. Add protein powder to safe-to-eat-raw cookie dough and it’s healthier! Make an easy at-home version by mixing together 2 cups oat flour, ⅓ cup protein powder, ½ cup melted and cooled nut butter, 4 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ cup milk of choice, and ¼ cup mini chocolate chips. Roll 2 tablespoons of the combined cookie dough into balls with your hands until the mix is gone. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator [*].    
Best, Better, Good List of Airport & Convenience Store Snacks
If you can’t find a protein box at Starbucks, a fruit cup or veggies with dip at a shop near your gate, the following grab-and-go packaged items can suffice. Do your best and don’t sweat it too much.
Bars
Best: RxBar, Larabar
Better: Go Macro, ALOHA 
Good: Bobo’s, Simple Mills Almond Flour Bars
Chips
Best: Bare Snacks, Boulder Canyon, Kettle Brand with Avocado Oil
Better: Barnana Organic Plantain Chips, Lesser Evil Paleo Puffs
Good: The Good Crisp, Jackson’s Honest Tortilla Chips
Chocolate
Best: Hu, Lindt Excellence, Alter Eco
Better: Skinny Dipped, Chocolove, Green & Black’s
Good: Unreal, Theo
Sweets
Best: Walkers Shortbread
Better: Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Thin & Crispy 
Good: Rip Van Wafers, Tate’s Bake Shop, HighKey
The Takeaway
When you’re moving fast, out all day, or traveling, it helps to have healthy travel snacks on hand so you’re not ravenous by midday. Real-food snacks you can prep in advance and bring along for the ride are preferable, but prepared food options without seed oils and excess added sugars exist. Do your best to read ingredient labels before you run around the world so you know what brands to look for in a pinch. Pick the good, better, or best option available where you are and continue on your way.

 Instead of battered and deep-fried Baja fish tacos, our healthier fish tacos give spiced mahi mahi a few minutes to sizzle in a skillet.

Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos

Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos
MAY 25, 2023
WRITTEN BY: Sabrina Tillman
Fish tacos conjure wistful yearning for the sun-saturated, sandy surfer’s haven that starts in Mexico and snakes up the coast into the southernmost swath of California. The way high noon speckles the waves as they sweep up and down the powdery shore illustrates an understated magic to this place, where there’s little rush to do anything except catch a wave. In these towns where much time is spent outdoors close to the salty cerulean expanse, there’s a culture where shoulders unhunch and pace slows. 
Fish tacos reflect the unfussy coastal mood they originated from. Plump white fish kept tender by a beer-battered flour coating and crisped from a swim in the deep fryer are placed on a pliable corn tortilla and covered with finely shaved cabbage and adobo crema. 
Instead of battered and deep-fried Baja-inspired fish tacos, our healthier fish tacos give tender mahi mahi a coat of blackening spice and a few minutes to sizzle in a skillet. Rest the peppery, buttery-soft white fish on tiny flour or corn tortillas sprinkled with cilantro lime rice; top with sliced avocado, sweet and kicky mango salsa, and a drizzle of cilantro-flecked Green Goddess dressing. Freshen the bundles with a few squeezes of lime, pinch two sides together, and sink into that seaside escape. 

Ingredients
2 mahi mahi filets 
2 tbsp. blackening seasoning* 
1 tbsp. Cultured Oil
1 avocado
6 small flour or corn tortillas (street-taco size)
¼ serving Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice
½ serving Easy Mango Salsa
Trader Joe’s Green Goddess Dressing, optional
*We used Old Bay Blackening Seasoning
Instructions
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 42 minutes
Prepare the Cilantro Lime Rice and mango salsa before you start the tacos. Set those aside.
Heat a cast iron skillet to medium heat. While it heats up, use a silicone brush to paint each filet with Cultured Oil. 
Pour the blackened seasoning on a flat plate. Place the mahi mahi in the seasoning, making sure it’s well coated before flipping over to the other side. 
Add the oil to the skillet. Spread around quickly and make sure it’s well greased. Add the mahi mahi filets to the skillet.
Cover the skillet to trap in the heat. Cook the filets for 2–3 minutes on each side, then flip and cook for 2–3 minutes on the other side.
Once the mahi mahi is cooked, remove from the skillet and let it cool for a moment. Use a knife to cut it up (it should be buttery soft and flaky. If it’s not, it’s overcooked). 
Heat the tortillas in a warm skillet over medium heat for about 1 minute per side. You can also place all of the tortillas on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Heat on high for 30 seconds.


*Cook’s tip: It’s easy to overcook mahi mahi. The internal temperature of the fish should be 145°F when it’s done. Cooking with a lid allows the fish to cook quicker and more evenly.
Assemble the tacos:
Line all of the tortillas on plates or a large serving dish. Layer each tortilla with rice, slices of avocado, and the mahi mahi. Top with fresh mango salsa and a drizzle of Green Goddess dressing if you wish. 
Garnish each taco with the juice of a small lime wedge.
How to Switch Up Your Tacos
Skip the dressing and use a sauce: Make an easy crema by whisking together 1 cup of sour cream, juice and zest from half a lime, 3 tablespoons adobo sauce (the sauce from canned chipotles) or your fave hot sauce, ½ teaspoon salt.  
Use a different protein: Try cod, salmon, hake, tilapia, or halibut. Swap the fish for shrimp or grilled calamari. Chicken, steak, carnitas, or even pork loin work, too.
Add grilled scallions: The blackened char from grill grates add a smokey dimension to tender green onions that compliments the blackening spice used on the mahi mahi.
Add cheese if you please: Fish and cheese pair nicely when it’s a sprinkle of salty cotija or a layer of toasted sharp cheddar or monterey jack cheese crisps. Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Place a silicone baking mat or parchment paper on a baking sheet and pile handfuls (about the size of your street taco tortilla) of shredded cheddar, pepper jack, or monterey jack in circles on the baking sheet. Bake the cheese for 7–9 minutes, or until melted and bubbly but not brown. Place a cheese crisp on top of each tortilla before piling on the rest of the fixings.

Nutritional Information
Servings: 3
2 tacos
Calories: 452
Fat: 19 grams
Carbs: 40 grams
Protein: 33 grams
Nutrition info collected from Cronometer. 
This delicious recipe was developed and photographed by Courtney Paige.

Avoid gloopy pucks of potato salad, tasteless frozen burger patties, and oversalted potato chips with our roundup of better-for-you Memorial Day recipes that you can make ahead of time.

35 Delicious Memorial Day Recipes You Can Prep Ahead of Time

35 Delicious Memorial Day Recipes You Can Prep Ahead of Time
MAY 23, 2023
WRITTEN BY: Sabrina Tillman
Article at a Glance
All-American backyard cookout recipes can be laden with added sugar, seed oils, and excess sodium. 
Luckily, it’s easy to avoid ultra-processed, unhealthy Memorial Day foods when you plan ahead.
Here, you’ll find 35+ options for healthier, seed-oil-free snacks, mains, and desserts that you can prep ahead of time.
You don’t have to DIY everything. It’s a holiday, after all. Scroll to the end for our list of the best-quality convenience items that require little more than opening a package or bottle, then accepting all of the praise. 
Introduction
It’s the first national holiday after a monotonous string of workdays and a mix of gray skies and wintry weather. We want to celebrate Memorial Day with enough fanfare to usher in the season of sunny skies and fireflies in giddy run-through-the-sprinkler fashion without forgetting our fallen servicepeople. 
We do this best by gathering to watch parades march along shady flag-lined boulevards then congregating in backyards to laze, laugh, and lunch. Avoid the gloopy pucks of potato salad, tasteless frozen burger patties, suspect ultra-processed hot dogs, and oversalted, seed oil-laden potato chips with our roundup of better-for-you Memorial Day recipes. 
Our Memorial Day recipes nod to the barbecue classics, sans inflammatory seed oils, gluten, and excess sugar. We also offer our picks for the best store-bought helpers because not everything needs to be homemade (you’ve waited for this day off, after all). 
Appetizers and Party-Starters
White Bean Queso
Undrained cannellini beans provide just enough aquafaba (culinary glue) to make this creamy vegan queso thick enough to coat a corn chip. Oven-blistered jalapeño and garlic are blitzed with nutritional yeast, white beans, and raw cashew butter to make a shareable dip that’s both simple and complex.  
Roasted Beet Dip with Goat Cheese and Honey
a bowl of food
Blushing beets blended with creamy goat cheese gives this dip its striking fuchsia hue. Use store-bought roasted beets, blitz the ingredients in a food processor, and you’re ready to stun.  
Avocado Deviled Eggs
This mayo-less deviled egg recipe can sit for longer on a sunny backyard table. The creamy, satisfying richess of avocado makes mayo redundant. Simply hard boil the eggs, combine the yolks with avocado, dijon mustard, lemon juice, and seasonings and pipe the filling into the egg white cradles if you feel fancy. 
Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Snappy, salty, savory, Asian chicken lettuce wraps cup ginger-garlic-shallot-spiked ground chicken and diced shrimp. Drizzle a sauce of salty coconut aminos, honeyed apple juice, and fiery hot sauce thickened with almond butter on top of each wrap and you officially have a conversation starter. 
Veggie Tortilla Pizza
More tostada than pizza, this vegetarian appetizer provides a big nacho wedge that you can munch as you walk around. Spiced refried black beans (mash up drained canned black beans if you can’t find these) get spread on top of a toasted tortilla, topped with veggies and shredded cheddar, then baked until the cheese bubbles. Swirl a simple avocado crema on top of the pizzas, sprinkle with diced scallions, and serve.
Chipotle Potato Crisps
a plate of food
Thick-cut homemade potato chips air-fried or oven-crisped don’t involve copious amounts of oil and deep-fried mess. No, they’re not as easy as store-bought chips but they’re arguably more addictive and certainly fresher. Serve with a creamy green chili dipping sauce and make sure to grab a few before you set them down on the buffet table. 
Shrimp Cocktail
People forget about this simple throwback but set it out at a party, and people will crowd around it. Make your own five-ingredient cocktail sauce, adding as much nose-tingling horseradish and hot sauce as you’d like. 
Charcuterie Board
Retro and bountiful, charcuterie boards appeal to our eat-with-our-eyes-first tendency. The bonus points they earn for being no-cook could be negated when you get home and realize you don’t have a clue how to arrange a bunch of different ingredients on a board. Learn how to fold, pile, and style like a champ from a seasoned food blogger. 
Meaty Mains
Grilled Pork Loin
Coat uncooked pork loin with a light brush of honey before sprinkling on an herb and seasoning dry rub. Marinate until you’re ready to light the grill, taking care not to overcook this lean meat. Serve sliced on a platter with chutney and grilled pitas, with corn tortillas and pineapple salsa, or on a mound of sliced grilled fennel and apples. 
Green Goddess Salmon Burgers
a cheeseburger on a cutting board
Homemade green goddess dressing made creamy with Greek yogurt and mayo (choose one made with avocado oil), anchovies, and a generous spattering of garden-fresh herbs gets slathered on top of well-spiced salmon patties. Grill or skillet-fry the burgers and serve with gluten-free buns or a tangle of arugula and sliced avocado.
Beijing Lamb Skewers
Switch up the usual chicken or beef skewers with chunks of lamb seasoned simply with salt, dried chili flakes, and cumin seeds. Use Cultured Oil to brush the seasonings on the meat and sear each side with the smoky flames of a hot grill. Indulge your primal urges and hoist a drippy bit of still-skewered meat into your mouth, no utensils needed. 
Tandoori Chicken
The secret to this six-ingredient chicken: marinating it for as long as 24 hours does all the work of sealing in an exotic blend of spices tempered by coconut cream. Simply bake or grill until golden and lightly charred, then don’t tell anyone how hard you didn’t work. 
Grilled Steak with Herb Butter
Hot grill. Steak topped with lazily melting herb-studded butter. Not much more needs to be said here except that you should use Cultured Oil to brush your steaks or grill grates to avoid sticking.
Teriyaki Chicken Burgers
Asian-Hawaiian fusion shines in an approachable way in these grilled teriyaki chicken burgers. Sharp ginger, spring-green chives, and full-bodied sesame oil, and savory coconut aminos season ground chicken that gets slightly smoky and charred on the outside. Top with a grill-caramelized pineapple ring and chili-spiked aioli. 
Smoked Pork Shoulder
Slow-smoked meat imparts an umami, woodsy flavor that clings to fatty cuts of protein. It’s a backyard project that, well, emits a lot of smoke, but you can’t replicate the flavor with liquid smoke and a prayer. Piquant yellow mustard, crisply acidic apple cider vinegar, apple juice, lemon and cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder add sweet-salty-peppery depth to the pork. 
Beef Kabobs
The secret to tender bites of beef: a sprinkle of baking soda. Next, marinate the beef in a bath of salty, funky, savory, and spicy splashes of sauces and oils. Baste some of the reserved sauce onto the beef kabobs as they grill to give them a sticky coat. 
Plant-based Mains
Stovetop Mac and Cheese with Cauliflower
a bowl of pasta
Serve this one as a side dish or a main dish for pasta-and-cheese-loving kids (and kids at heart). Macgyver this one any way you will — use lentil or chickpea dried pasta, sub vegan-friendly cheese and milk, omit the all-American crumble of Ritz crackers on top. 
Quinoa Patties
Instead of burning boca burgers (because, really, how long do you grill them?), bake these quinoa burgers flavored with dill, chives, garlic, and toasted cumin. Serve with burger fixings or with a side of hummus. 
Cauliflower Nuggets
No, these don’t taste like chicken… arguably, they taste better. Cheap and bland, cauliflower provides a blank canvas for assertive flavors like sesame, ginger, garlic, and red chili peppers. Toss cauliflower florets in a chickpea flour batter, dunk in gluten-free breadcrumbs, then bake for 25 minutes. Douse crispy cauliflower in homemade sweet and sour sauce and a generous sprinkle of sesame seeds and scallions.  
Vegan Ribs
An ingenious take on the smoky and deeply savory flavor of ribs, these vegan ribs pack the umami punch and toothsome texture you want without the bone and gristle. King oyster mushrooms are sliced into one-inch thick slabs, flash-fried in a pan, coated with a mix of store-bought barbecue sauce (we like Yo Mama’s or Date Lady), hickory liquid smoke, and a cornstarch slurry, then broiled to make the sauce sticky.
Crispy Baked Falafel
Crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, falafel is typically deep-fried, doused with hummus, and served wrapped in a pita cloak. It’s as close to a brick-in-the-gut feeling as a vegan can get. This oven-baked falafel recipe uses pantry ingredients and comes together in about 35 minutes. 
Mushroom Veggie Burgers
A mix of mushrooms star in this veggie burger recipe binded with brown rice, walnuts, and ground flaxseed and flavored with half a pantry shelf of sauces and spices to deliver just the right balance of sweet, umami, savory, and spicy. 
Cucumber Noodles with Thai Peanut Sauce
a bowl of ramen
Slather creamy, nutty, sour, slightly spicy Thai peanut sauce on a leather shoe and you might consider eating it (or at least licking the sauce off). A masterful sauce to tuck in your back pocket and never let on how easy it is to make, Thai peanut sauce even makes cool, crunchy spiralized cucumber something to talk about. 
Side Dishes
Grilled Wedge Salad with Spicy Ranch
If you’ve never tried grilled lettuce, get ready for enlightenment. There’s something sexy about the way the high heat of the grill singes sturdy leaves of iceberg or romaine, leaving them a little smoky, a little wilted and blushing. This grilled wedge salad doesn’t stop there; it educates on how to top this fork-and-knife salad with a homemade spicy ranch that’s shockingly simple and irresistible. 
DIY Salad Dressings Without Seed Oils
Salads can be relegated to the “a little something green” on the side of a plate, but they’re only as good as the quality of their ingredients — and only as interesting as the imagination of their creator. But you can elevate the most basic lettuce, cucumber, and tomato salad with a snazzy dressing. Consult our easy salad dressing roundup to witness how five or six pantry staples can convince anyone to have a second helping. 
Sesame Noodle Salad
A tangle of gluten-free angel hair mixed with sweet snap peas, julienned carrots and red bell peppers, crisp cucumber, and grassy cilantro leaves gets coated in a sesame dressing with notes of citrus and spicy ginger. If the tiny bit of brown sugar in the dressing offends you, substitute with monk fruit, allulose, or honey. This one gets better as it sits. 
Southwestern Chicken Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing
a plate of food
This meal-in-a-bowl Tex-Mex salad pleases palates that don’t prefer salad. Taco-seasoned chicken breasts sit atop romaine leaves, diced tomato, black beans, corn, and avocado. Toss with a simple dressing made with sour cream, cilantro, salt, and lime juice and everyone’s happy.
Broccoli Salad
Ubiquitous at Midwestern potlucks and parties, the classic broccoli salad recipe takes a nutrient-packed vegetable and smothers it with a dairy-heavy dressing, chopped bacon, and shredded cheddar. And this keto broccoli salad is no exception because, well, these ingredients are tasty. Pick a mayo made with avocado oil and sub plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream if you must, and if you’re not down with a powdered keto sweetener, use a little maple syrup or honey. 
French-style Potato Salad
No gloopy potato pucks here. Creamy boiled baby potatoes get tossed with chicken broth, vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, and a generous spattering of fresh chopped herbs. Finely diced shallots and champagne vinegar add understated elegance to the humble potato. 
Strawberry & Watermelon Arugula Salad
Understated and elegant, this salad balances contrasting flavors masterfully. Bitter, punchy arugula curls around sweet and juicy cubed watermelon and strawberries. Fresh basil and mint provide garden-fresh perk, sliced shallots add a mellow onion note, crumbled feta adds salt, and a simple balsamic vinaigrette adds musky, acidic, fruity notes. 
Desserts 
No-Bake Cookie Dough Bites
Seemingly simple but surprisingly fussy, baking stay-soft chocolate chip cookies requires the right blend of moisture and slight underbaking. Dispense with this altogether and satisfy sweet cravings with no-bake cookie dough. This gluten-free version combines oat, almond, and coconut flours with cashew butter and maple syrup to make safely edible but addictive cookie balls.
No-bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
Why anyone would choose to fuss with a bain-marie to gently bake a cheesecake is beyond us. In this recipe, the freezer does the work of solidifying the crumbly crust and the silky, creamy filling. This no-dairy cheesecake relies on raw soaked cashews, coconut oil, and full-fat coconut milk to give it an unctuous mouthfeel. Freeze-dried strawberries add concentrated berry flavor and a ballet pink hue to the cake. 
Birthday Cake Truffles
These truffles have a celebratory charm whose easy make-ahead method makes them ideal for a large gathering. Almond butter, oat flour, and maple syrup make up the bulk of the inside, and a little butter and melted white chocolate serve as the candied outer layer. Rainbow-colored sprinkles make these birthday themed, but you can dispense with that confetti and dust the truffles with cocoa powder or powdered freeze-dried raspberries. 
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Tart
Earthy, rich, and slightly bitter, dark chocolate needs perking up if it’s to star in a tart. Sun-ripened raspberries provide a hint of sweet and sour that softens any harshness in the dark chocolate. A conservative amount of maple syrup adds an oaky sweet note to the tart, but it’s the bashful bridesmaid in the background.  
Chocolate Pudding Cake
a chocolate cake with ice cream and a spoon
Springy on top, fudgy and melty on the inside, this chocolate pudding cake doesn’t ooze like a lava cake but charms all the same with its half-baked vibe. The technique to get the pudding right requires no-stir restraint, but follow the directions and you’ll reap the reward. 
Best Ready-Made Picks for Your Cookout
Just because you may want to avoid seed oils, excess added sugar, and possibly gluten doesn’t mean you have to make everything from scratch. That’s a whole lot of hassle, especially when you’re feeding a crowd. We recommend our best picks for store-bought convenience foods with better-for-you ingredients.
Meats
Teton Waters Ranch
Grass-fed burgers, hot dogs, brats, and sausages with none of the suspect additives — just pure beefy flavor.
Applegate Farms
Humanely raised meat without antibiotics or GMO additives, Applegate Farms turkey burgers, hot dogs, and chicken apple sausages are open-and-grill quickies that everyone can agree on. 
Salad Dressings & Condiments
Fody Foods
Fody’s unsweetened ketchup, salsas, sauces and marinades pack gut-friendly flavor without a lot of added sweeteners and chemicals you can’t pronounce. 
Noble Made
Build a low sugar, no dairy pantry of seasonings, sauces, and salad dressings made with extra virgin olive oil with intention. Noble Made offers mild, medium, and hot buffalo sauce, goes-with-anything citrus herb marinade, and less common but fabulous carrot ginger dressing. 
Chosen Foods
Choose avocado oil-based salad dressings and mayo accentuated with distilled vinegar, herbs, spices, and feisty flavors like chipotle, smoked paprika, and tamari.
Chips & Snacks
Lesser Evil
Popcorn and puffs made with coconut oil, ghee, or avocado oil in fabulous flavors similar to kettle corn, cheese, and flamin’ hot without the garbage. 
Siete Foods
Grain-free tortilla chips made with avocado oil and seasonings you recognize like red chile powder, nutritional yeast, and coconut milk powder. Pair the Ranch tortilla chips with a black bean dip, or the Fuego chips with guacamole. 
Boulder Canyon
Let’s face it: Crisp, salty potato chips are hard to beat. Look for Boulder Canyon potato chips made with avocado or olive oil — the cheddar sour cream and jalapeno flavors are particularly addictive. 
Check out these articles for a full list of seed oil-free snacks and an entire shopping list.
The Takeaway
You don’t have to sacrifice fun and convenience in order to stay healthy this memorial day. Keep inflammatory oils low with these easy, make-ahead recipes and swap in Cultured Oil when you cook for more healthy fats and unbeatable taste. 
Combine some store-bought convenience with a few homemade recipes, toss a few things on the grill, then slip your shoes off and let shady blades of grass tickle your toes. It’s the season for languishing in the outdoors long after the sun slinks gloriously out of sight. 

Your quick guide to easy salad dressing recipes and seed oil-free options you can buy at the store — from creamy ranch to vinaigrettes and everything in between.

Easy Salad Dressing Recipes + The Best Store-Bought Options

Easy Salad Dressing Recipes + The Best Store-Bought Options
MAY 3, 2023
WRITTEN BY: Courtney Sperlazza
Article at a Glance
If you've been trying to avoid seed oils in your diet, you might find that the majority of salad dressings contain them, leaving you with limited options.
There are seed oil-free salad dressing options available, which you can either purchase ready-made from the store or prepare yourself, depending on your preference.
Label-reading isn’t fun, so here is a list of 18 salad dressing options — 6 store-bought and 12 recipes — so that you can craft the salad of your dreams without worrying about oils that drag you down. 

Introduction
As fresh veggies come into season, you might be ready to get creative in the kitchen with crisp, colorful salads. But, how to top them? Most salad dressings are predominantly made with inflammatory seed oils, and if you’ve been moving away from those, you might feel like your options are slim. The good news is, you have seed oil-free salad dressing options that you can pick up from the store ready to go, or make yourself — whichever you prefer. 
It’s disheartening to take the time to prepare a meal centered around vegetables, only to find that your typical dressing options might contribute to inflammation and stand in the way of your goals. That’s why we put together this list of dressings that work with your lifestyle, not against it — no matter what you’re craving. 
Store-bought Salad Dressings
Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing
Ranch deserves a spot in every pantry, and just because you’re avoiding seed oils doesn’t mean you have to find a new top-it-all dressing. Primal Kitchen makes an avocado oil-based version that tastes as good as the well-known brands that are full of seed oils. There’s a plant-based version as well, also without seed oils. 
Primal Kitchen Caesar Dressing
A crisp, classic caesar salad goes with everything, and it’s even easier to get your salad on the table when the dressing is ready to go. You can pick up regular, or choose the plant-based version of Primal Kitchen Caesar, also seed oil-free.
Newman’s Own 
Newman’s Own is a well-known dressing brand and recently rolled out a handful of staple dressings that contain avocado and olive oil instead of seed oils. Seed oil-free versions include their Avocado Oil & Extra Virgin Olive Oil Dairy Free Italian Dressing. 
Acid League Mango Jalapeño Cilantro Vinaigrette
Acid League is a line of creative vinegars, oils, and other deliciously pourable enhancements. Mango Jalapeño Cilantro Vinaigrette is one of the fun and flavorful dressings in their line, ready to add zing to whatever you toss with it. 
Acid League Pink Peppercorn Honey Yuzu
Another dressing variety that you don’t see every day, Pink Peppercorn Honey Yuzu adds a little tang from the vinegar, sweetness from the honey, and a floral bite from the pink peppercorns — all without seed oils. 
Noble Made Sriracha Tahini
Tahini levels up any Mediterranean dish, and Noble Made Sriracha Tahini offers a nice kick of heat alongside smooth sesame.  
12 Easy Homemade Salad Dressings
Prefer to mix together your own quick DIY seed oil-free dressing? Here are 11 easy homemade salad dressing recipes that you can whisk together in minutes, and add your own flair if you like. 
4-Ingredient Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette
published


4-Ingredient-Lemon-Garlic-Vinaigrette-Zero-Acre




1/2 cup Zero Acre oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest 
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and black pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a mason jar and screw on the lid. Shake until well combined.
Want to change it up? Try any combination of the six variations here.
Classic Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup Zero Acre oil
1 teaspoon honey (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and garlic. Slowly whisk in Zero Acre oil. Season with salt and black pepper, and if you prefer your dressing a little sweet, whisk in a little honey.
Creamy Avocado Lime Dressing
1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Zero Acre oil
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Blend avocado, lime juice, water, Zero Acre oil, and garlic in a blender until smooth. Season with salt and black pepper.
Honey Mustard Dressing
published


iHoney Mustard Salad Dressing With Cultured Oiljpg




1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup Zero Acre oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together Dijon mustard, honey, and white wine vinegar. Slowly whisk in Zero Acre oil. Season with salt and black pepper.
Lemon Tahini Dressing
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pinch paprika
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons Zero Acre oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together tahini, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, and water. Slowly whisk in Zero Acre oil, and sesame seeds if using. Season with salt and black pepper.
Caesar Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise (preferably seed oil-free)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
2-3 anchovies, minced (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and anchovies, if using. Season with salt and black pepper.
Ginger Soy Dressing
published


Ginger Soy Dressing with Cultured Oil




2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup Zero Acre oil
White pepper to taste

Whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, ginger, and garlic. Slowly whisk Zero Acre oil. Season with salt and black pepper.
Ranch Dressing
published


Ranch Dressing With Cultured Oil




1/2 cup mayonnaise (ideally seed oil-free)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, parsley, chives, and garlic. Season with salt and black pepper.
Spicy Thai-style Peanut Dressing
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup Zero Acre oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sesame seeds or crushed peanuts (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, honey, ginger, and garlic. Slowly whisk in Zero Acre oil. Stir in red pepper flakes and sesame seeds or peanuts, if using. Season with salt and black pepper.
Cilantro Lime Dressing
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup Zero Acre oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together lime juice, Zero Acre oil, honey or syrup, and cilantro. Season with salt and black pepper.
Maple Dijon Dressing
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup Zero Acre oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar. Slowly whisk in Zero Acre oil. Season with salt and black pepper.
Extra Thick Herby Avocado Salad Dressing 
published


Extra Thick Herby Avocado Salad Dressing




1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, like dill, parsley, chives
1/4 cup Zero Acre oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons water (as needed to thin out the dressing)

In a blender or food processor, combine the avocado, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and herbs. Pulse until well blended. With the blender running on low speed, slowly add the oil and continue blending until smooth and creamy.
Season with salt and black pepper to taste. If the dressing is too thick, add 2-3 tablespoons of water to thin it out to your desired consistency.
The Takeaway
Incorporating seed oil-free salad dressings into your meals is a simple and effective way to make your salads healthier and more flavorful. Whether you're looking to cut calories, avoid unhealthy fats, or simply experiment with new tastes, the options listed in this article offer a variety of flavors to level up your salad game. From tangy balsamic vinaigrettes to creamy avocado dressings, there's something to please every palate.

Our homemade, handheld Cinco de Mayo recipes include flavorful dishes like long-simmered proteins, fresh salsas, homemade tortillas and chips — all without seed oils.

Fast, Flavorful Recipes for Any Cinco de Mayo Party

Fast, Flavorful Recipes for Any Cinco de Mayo Party
Article at a Glance
Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that commemorates a regional Mexican military battle against French forces but has evolved to become a much loved and celebrated day in the United States. 
From jalapeño poppers to empanadas, there's something for every taste preference.
These recipes skip seed oils and prioritize slow-cooked meats, fresh produce, and smoky peppers.
Try out these easy-to-make recipes, whether you're planning a party or a solo feast!

Introduction
Cinco de Mayo recipes should pop — with kicky salsas, smoky peppers, ripe produce, generous squeezes of fresh citrus — and provide elements of homey, slow-braised meats, marinated seafood, or savory simmered beans. Arguably, Cinco de Mayo recipes should also be portable to share with friends and loved ones, and handheld so you can nosh as you sip and mingle. We’ve rounded up the best Mexican-themed recipes that fit this bill to make your fiesta flavorful and fabuloso. 
Mexican cuisine combines ingredients like organs and tougher cuts of meat stewed until tender, gradually softened beans, and fire-roasted chiles with the fresh snap of sliced radishes, grassy leaves of cilantro, and sweet-spicy spoonfuls of salsas. This marriage of slow-cooked with raw and ripe flavors strikes a balance that’s often overlooked when compared with brick-sized burritos and platters packed with rice and cheese-blanketed enchiladas.
While some people might not equate a Cinco de Mayo spread with healthy faire, we beg to differ. You can absolutely enjoy your favorite Mexican dishes with fresh vegetables, hearty proteins, and more — all without added high linoleic seed oils.
Fiesta Bites
Jalapeño Poppers Stuffed with Shrimp
Part lower-carb enchilada, part bar appetizer, these jalapeño poppers are crowd-pleasers you can bake in bulk. Use crab, chicken, or black beans if you prefer; just make sure you make an extra batch. 
published


Jalapeno-Shrimp-Poppers-18




Tostones with Mango Salsa and Chimichurri
These two-bite appetizers elevate the idea of nachos into a more sophisticated form. Pan-crisped plantain slices serve as the bed for a pile of sweet mango salsa drizzled with avocado and cilantro chimichurri. Sprinkle the tostones with crumbled cotija or feta cheese.
Seven-layer Taco Dip
Redolent of Midwestern potlucks, this seven-layer dip omits any seedy oils and browns ground beef and onions in avocado oil. Take a glass casserole dish (you want to see the layers after all) and fill the bottom with the seasoned beef, a layer of cashew cream (or sub sour cream), guacamole, salsa, shredded lettuce, black olives, and pickled jalapeños. You’ll need sturdy tortilla or plantain chips to heft this meaty salad into your mouth. 
Sopes de Chorizo
This is meat and potatoes, Mexican style. Pile chorizo and pan-fried potatoes on top of sope shells then load ‘em up with pico de gallo, avocado slices, crema, and queso fresco.
Air-Fried Guacamole
Hold chips and guacamole in the palm of your hand with these air-fried guac balls coated in cassava chips.
Chunky Guacamole with Feta
This dip takes a less-traditional spin on guacamole. Creamy mashed avocado serves as the bed for a salad of finely diced vegetables that’s crowned with tangy, salty crumbles of feta cheese. Serve with sturdy tortilla chips or thickly cut carrot or jicama sticks. 
published


Chunky Guacamole with Feta Dip Finished




Puffed Tortilla Chips
Grain-free chips just got more interesting. Cut homemade tortillas made with almond and coconut flours into triangles and either bake or deep-fry (in lard, the old-school way); deep-frying them gives them a crisp, puffy texture. Season with crap-free “Dorito dust” or — even better — use them to make nachos.
2-Ingredient Tortillas
Tortillas are a bland, blank canvas upon which we pile meats or slow-cooked beans, shredded cabbage or lettuce, salsas and cremas. Try making your own and you’ll understand why anyone ever goes to the trouble. These golden-colored corn tortillas require only masa harina, water, and salt.
Elotes
Grilled Mexican street corn is fragrant while toasting on the grill, slathered in a creamy, cheesy, spicy sauce, then doused with fresh lime juice. In a word, mouthwatering. 
Roasted Cauliflower Tacos
For all the veggie lovers who hold steadfast to cauliflower even if it’s faded from the low-carb spotlight, these vegan tacos feature aggressively seasoned, oven-caramelized cauliflower florets. Pile the cauliflower florets on to corn tortillas, top with red cabbage, sliced avocado, and smoky romesco sauce made with almonds and fire-roasted tomatoes. 
Seafood
Peach, Jalapeño, and Shrimp Ceviche
Refreshing and just right for warm May days, ceviche douses shrimp (or fish) in lime juice then gets mixed with salsa — in this case, one with diced peaches, avocado, red onion, jalapeños, and cilantro. This one comes together quickly, in just 20 minutes, so it’s perfect for a last-minute quick dish. 
Lettuce-wrapped Shrimp Tacos
Emerald-green butter lettuce serves as the crisp yet yielding bed for these shrimp tacos. It’s like a more nutritious mashup of the soft tortilla and hard taco shell. Marinate the shrimp in fragrant lime zest, oregano, garlic, and avocado oil for 30 minutes before baking. Drizzle the lettuce-wrapped tacos with avocado crema made with more muted onion flavor from chives and extra richness from full-fat coconut milk. 
published


Lettuce wrapped Shrimp Tacos




Meat Dishes
Orange and Cumin Pork Carnitas 
This 10-ingredient carnitas recipe tenderizes pork shoulder in freshly squeezed orange and lime juice and spices until it shreds when barely poked with a fork. Slice celery root into rounds the size of small tortillas and grill or griddle until pliable, then pile the aromatic shredded pork on top.
Cheesy Gordita Crunch Wrap
This is one-too-many-margs food, no pretense or shame. It’s almost like the wee-hours breakfast you’d have with your college friends before calling it a “night” at 5am. A thin egg omelet wraps around a crunchy taco shell filled with ground beef, a tangle of shredded cheese, lettuce and diced tomato. Dollop with queso because at this point, why not?
Loaded Taco Sweet Potato Sliders
More bunless burger slider than taco, the mini burger patties are seasoned with taco seasoning and chipotle powder before pan-fried. Place the beef patties on generously sliced rounds of cooked sweet potato, top with guacamole and homemade chipotle ranch dressing. Two of these sliders make a meal. 
Chipotle Chicken Wings with Avocado Crema
This sweet-and-spicy take on the classic party fave gets its smoky heat from chipotles and smoked paprika. Dates add sweet balance to the kick, and the baked chicken wings can be dipped in a cool, creamy avocado, lime, and cilantro sauce. 
Poblano Chicken Empanadas
If you fancy savory, these poblano chicken empanadas will please any palate — even kiddos, as poblanos knock gently rather than bang. Corn and buttery Oaxaca cheese add familiar comfort.
Beef Birria
Technically you can’t exactly eat this with your hands (unless no one’s looking) but piling a tangle of this rich, spiced, two chili-spiked slow-simmered beef on a homemade tortilla requires nothing else but a sprinkle of chopped onion, salsa de aguacate, and a few cilantro leaves if you’re feeling chefy. 
Chicken Tacos
Beyond basic, these chicken tacos stuff the whole taco plate into the tortilla — refried beans, rice, guac, and tomato jalapeño salsa included. It may be simple, kid-like food, but it’s a stalwart you’ll make often.
No-Dairy Chicken Quesadillas
This is a grown-up version of the kids classic. Leftover shredded chicken gets topped with cashew cheese sauce and sandwiched between two cassava flour tortillas. Pan-crisp for a few minutes on both sides, cut into quarters, and pile on a platter with guac and pico de gallo on the side.
Sweet Treats
Vasos de Fruta
The fruit is incredible in Mexico — sun-kissed, honeyed, and ripe all year round. Add some kicky chili powder and tangy lime to it and you have a beloved street cart snack. Chunk or thickly julienne pineapple, mango, watermelon, jicama, and cucumbers, then stand them up, soldier-proud, in tall cups or mini mason jars. 
Pineapple Empanadas
Empanadas are the dumplings of Mexican cuisine. A buttery pastry cocoons any sweet or savory filling, gets pinched or fork-seamed closed, then can be baked or deep-fried until golden. Savor this pillowy dessert version where cinnamon-spiked pineapple gets reduced until syrupy. 


You might avoid chips because they’re deep-fried, but seed oils may be a bigger concern. There are satisfying seed oil-free options for potato chips, tortilla chips, grain-free chips, and chip alternatives.

Seed Oil-Free Chips: The Best Potato, Tortilla, and Grain-free Chips You Can Buy

Seed Oil-Free Chips: The Best Potato, Tortilla, and Grain-free Chips You Can Buy
Article at a Glance
If you’re taking steps to eat better, you may be avoiding chips, which are typically deep-fried and high in fat.
Evaluating the healthfulness of chips goes beyond just the fat content, as the use of seed oils during the frying process may pose health concerns. 
While baked, air-fried, or popped chips may seem like healthier options than their deep-fried counterparts, they often still contain seed oils, which are high in inflammatory omega-6 fats.
Today, you have plenty of better-for-you options including potato chips, tortilla chips, grain-free chips, and chip alternatives that taste as good or better than the chips you likely grew up with.

Introduction
Grocery store shelves are lined with thousands of options these days, especially when it comes to snack foods. As companies strive to make “healthier” alternatives to cult favorites, it begs the question: what makes a food healthy?
Today, we’re talking about one of the most satisfying snacks on the planet – chips. Those crunchy, salty, deliciously fatty snacks with a crunch that keep you coming back for more.
So, what makes chips so unhealthy? Are low-fat, air-fried, or air-popped chips better options? Or is it the types of fat that make a chip unhealthy?
It turns out that chips fried in seed oils such as soybean, sunflower, or corn oil may not be the best choices due to their high omega-6 linoleic acid fatty acid content. Excessive consumption of these fats can lead to inflammation, which is linked to many chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers  [*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*].
So, all of those low-fat, air-popped chip varieties that compromise taste and texture and still use seed oils? Well, they’re definitely not worth your time or money. 
The good news is, a lot of brands have started to offer seed oil-free versions of your favorite crunchy, salty snacks, and they’re just as satisfying as the conventional versions. And we did the research for you, so you can shop the best chips brands with ease.
Here are some best brands of potato chips, tortilla chips, grain-free chips, and chip alternatives that can help keep your linoleic acid levels low.
Potato Chips
Good Health Olive Oil Potato Chips
Boulder Canyon Olive Oil Kettle Cooked Potato Chips
Boulder Canyon Avocado Oil Potato Chips
Kettle Brand Avocado Oil Himalayan Salt Potato Chips
Good Health Avocado Oil Kettle Style Chips with Sea Salt
Thrive Market Non-GMO Avocado Oil Potato Chips, Himalayan Salt
Boulder Canyon Potato Chips Coconut Oil Sea Salt

Tortilla Chips
Siete Grain Free Tortilla Chips with Avocado Oil
Jackson's Honest Tortilla Chips, Yellow Corn, Sea Salt, Organic
Maiz Totopos Corn Tortilla Chips

Grain-Free Chips
Siete Grain Free Tortilla Chips with Avocado Oil
Lesser Evil Paleo Puffs with Himalayan Pink Salt & Avocado Oil
Jackson’s’ Honest Sea Salt Sweet Potato Chips with Avocado Oil

Chip Alternatives 
Jackson’s’ Honest Sea Salt Sweet Potato Chips with Avocado Oil
Rhythm Superfoods Original Kale Chips 
Hippie Snacks Avocado Crisps with Sea Salt
Conscious Kitchen Real Coconut Sea Salt & Flax Crackers
Coco Goods Organic Toasted Coconut Chips
Lesser Evil Paleo Puffs, Himalayan Pink Salt

FAQ About Chips Without Seed Oils
Does it matter if chips are fried or baked?
Ounce for ounce, baked or air-fried versions of chips might contain less fat than fried chips. But, if you’re concerned about seed oils, chips that are prepared without a fryer often still contain the types of oils you want to avoid. 
There is a big difference between marketing claims and actual ingredients, so be sure to flip the bag and read through ingredients before you decide whether a chip brand aligns with your health goals. 
Read next: Why Are Fried Foods Bad for You? (The Real Reason)
Why are chips made with avocado oil or olive oil better?
Consumers reach for chips made with avocado oil and olive oil for a few reasons:
Avocado oil and olive oil are lower in omega-6 fatty acids than other seed oils. Compared to most seed oils, avocado oil and olive oil are lower in omega-6 fatty acids. If you’re eating a standard Western diet, you’re probably getting too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3 to balance it. 
More heart-healthy and heat-stable monounsaturated fats. While seed oils generally contain low levels of monounsaturated fat, live oils and avocado oils contain between 55-83% monounsaturated fat.
Antioxidant content. Avocado oil and olive oil contain naturally-occurring antioxidants, which are an attractive option when your other options are chips fried in oxidized seed oils. 

What are the healthiest chips?
The definition of “healthy” is different depending on who you’re talking to. Someone with diabetes might have different ingredient preferences from someone with a heart condition or someone who wants to shed a few pounds. 
It’s a good idea for everyone to start paying attention to seed oils on ingredient labels. Seed oils are high in linoleic acid, which appears to be problematic for our health when consumed in excess. These days, you have plenty of snack options without seed oils no matter what your health concerns or ingredient preferences are. 
The Takeaway
When you decide to eat healthier, you may consider avoiding chips due to their high fat content from deep-frying. However, it may not be the fat content itself that is the issue, but rather the type of fat in seed oils, which can contribute to inflammation in the body and may lead to chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers [*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*].
Baked, air-fried, and popped corn versions of chips are marketed as a healthier option but may also contain seed oils, so you have to read labels to be sure. 
Fortunately, many brands have started offering seed oil-free versions of chips, including potato chips, tortilla chips, grain-free chips, and chip alternatives. Choosing higher-quality options with better ingredients can satisfy cravings while also supporting a seed oil-free lifestyle.


Try a healthier spin on jalapeno poppers when you make them at home with Cultured Oil.

Jalapeño Poppers Stuffed with Shrimp

Jalapeño Poppers Stuffed with Shrimp
Reminiscent of boisterous happy hours, tailgating or rooting for your favorite team from your couch, jalapeño poppers are a bar food classic for a reason.
The cream cheese and aged sharpness of the cheddar cheese cool the tingly spice of the peppers, the bacon adds a smoky, salty edge, and the shrimp add a slightly sweet, briny elegance to the appetizer that’s baked then broiled until bubbly. These poppers lack the thick coat of breading and deep-fried treatment of frozen heat-and-eat boxed appetizers or chain restaurant offerings, but oily breadcrumbs would only disguise the stars of this pepper and stuffed shrimp recipe. 
Keep a bag of frozen shrimp in your deep freeze, place about eight shrimp in a resealable bag, then thaw in a bowl of cold water for 40 minutes if you don’t have fresh raw shrimp on hand. The rest of the recipe prep takes five minutes and, aside from cooking the shrimp and bacon, your oven does the rest of the work. It’s just the thing for a Friday night when you’re too worn out from the work week to go out but want to bring a little bar food to your living room. 

Ingredients
½ pound raw shrimp (approx 6–8 pieces of shrimp) 
1 tbsp. Cultured Oil
½ tsp. onion powder 
½ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. chili powder 
5 slices of bacon 
6 medium jalapeños
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature 
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Garnish: jalapeño slices, diced green onions, 1 piece of cooked, diced bacon 
Instructions
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 42 minutes
Heat a skillet to medium heat. Add Cultured Oil and the raw shrimp. Sprinkle seasoning mixture (onion powder, paprika, chili powder) over the shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes on each side. Be careful not to overcook. 
Allow shrimp to cool, remove the tails, and dice into small pieces.
In the same skillet, prepare the bacon. Use kitchen scissors to cut the bacon in very small pieces (~¼ inch) and add to the pan on medium heat. Cover the skillet with a lid and allow the bacon to cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the bacon is crispy, remove from heat and drain on a plate covered with a paper towel to remove any excess grease.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Slice the jalapeños in half vertically, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, and place in a baking dish. 
In a mixing bowl, combine cooked bacon, cream cheese*, ½ cup cheddar cheese, and diced shrimp. Use a rubber spatula to fold together. 
Use a spoon to scoop the shrimp mixture into the jalapeños. Press the filling down to fill the peppers completely. 
Top the poppers with the remaining ½ cup cheese. 
Bake for 20–25 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and jalapeños have slightly softened. 
Broil at 500°F for 2–3 minutes for bubbly, caramelized cheese.
*Cook’s tip: Starting with room temperature cream cheese will make it easier to mix. If needed, use an electric hand mixer to break down the cream cheese block prior to mixing with the rest of the ingredients.


How to Switch Up Your Poppers
Make a dairy-free version: Use vegan cream cheese and no-dairy shredded cheese.  
Use a different protein: Swap the shrimp for diced, cooked chicken thighs or breast, cooked and cubed ham, or cooked lump crab meat.
Use a different pepper: Try the recipe with poblano, banana, anaheim, or bell peppers.
Switch up the dairy: Cream cheese is classic, but you could try herbed cream cheese, goat cheese, sour cream, plain Greek yogurt, or mayo instead. Cheddar isn’t always better; try pepper jack, monterey jack, or gruyere.

Tips for Storage and Advanced Prep
Store extras in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat in a toaster oven, Airfryer, or under the broiler to keep the cheesy bubbly and avoid the peppers from getting soggy.
You can make these jalapeño poppers a day in advance. Prep them until they’re ready for the oven, cover, and store in the fridge overnight. When you’re ready to nosh, transfer to your baking pan and bake as directed.
Serving Suggestions
While these handheld snack-a tizers explode like a firecracker of flavor when they hit your taste buds, you can cool things down or amp up the spice factor with dipping sauces. 
Coat your poppers in cool creaminess with ranch or bleu cheese dressing, sour cream, guacamole, or french onion dip. 
Add more spicy kick with buffalo sauce, cholula or sriracha, chili onion crunch (from Trader Joe’s), or a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
Walk the line between cool and kicky by serving these poppers with salsa. Pick your poison — from mild salsa verde to punchy mango habanero.
Nutritional Information
Servings: 12
1 popper:
Calories: 111
Fat: 9 grams
Carbs: 2 grams
Protein: 6 grams
Nutrition info collected from Cronometer. 
This delicious recipe was developed and photographed by Courtney Paige.

Most mayo contains unhealthy fats, but products with avocado, olive, or coconut oil are better. Or you can make your own healthy mayo, including vegan or fat-free.

Is Mayonnaise Healthy? It Depends!

Is Mayonnaise Healthy? It Depends! 
Article at a Glance
Commercial mayonnaise contains at least two-thirds vegetable oil by weight.
Most vegetable oils are actually seed oils like soybean or sunflower oil, which are high in omega-6 fats and linked to inflammation, obesity, and other health problems.
Healthier authentic mayo products made with avocado oil, olive oil, or coconut oil are available, or you can make your own using our delicious recipes.
It's also easy to create homemade vegan, low-calorie, or fat-free mayo without using unhealthy fats (and we'll show you how).

Introduction
Love it or hate it, mayonnaise is the most popular condiment in the world. 
In the U.S. alone, it's a $2 billion a year industry, because the average American consumes over 4 pounds of mayo annually [*]. To put its popularity into perspective, the market for mayo is twice the size of the ketchup market and four times the size of the mustard market or hot sauce market [*].
Whether or not you agree with the outrageous popularity of plain mayo, it's likely in many of your favorite sauces. Mayonnaise is the base ingredient of aiolis, tartar sauce, ranch and thousand-island dressings, most fry-dipping sauces, and countless "secret sauces" and specialty sauces served at restaurants.
In this guide, you'll learn important health and nutrition info about mayonnaise, including the reasons most mayo options may be unhealthy, what to look for when you're shopping for mayo, the healthiest brands, mayonnaise substitutes, easy and healthy homemade recipes, and more.
Mayonnaise Ingredients and Nutrition Facts
Contrary to popular belief, mayonnaise isn't a dairy product. 
According to FDA regulations, commercial mayo products must contain [*]:
At least 65% vegetable oil by weight
Vinegar or lemon or lime juice (or a combination)
Eggs or egg yolks

Optional ingredients that are commonly used include salt, sugar, natural flavoring, and preservatives.
Commercial and homemade mayo's unique, creamy texture occurs because the yolks are beaten and fluffed as the oil is added slowly. The acidifying ingredients add a mild, tangy bite.
A tablespoon of store-bought mayonnaise contains [*]:
94 calories (kcal) 
0 grams of protein 
10 grams of fat 
1.5 grams of saturated fat 
5.5 grams of omega-6 linoleic acid 
0 grams of carbs 
0 grams of fiber

A tablespoon of reduced-fat or "light" mayo has [*]:
37 calories (kcal) 
0 grams of protein 
3.5 grams of fat 
0.5 grams of saturated fat 
1.8 grams of omega-6 linoleic acid 
1.5 grams of carbs 
0 grams of fiber

A tablespoon of vegan mayonnaise contains [*]:
33 calories (kcal) 
0 grams of protein 
3 grams of fat 
0.5 grams of saturated fat 
1.3 grams of omega-6 linoleic acid 
2.5 grams of carbs 
0 grams of fiber

From a quick glance at the nutrition facts, mayo might seem like a benign food if consumed in moderation. However, most mayonnaise is high in an omega-6 fatty acid that's linked with health problems.
Is Mayonnaise Healthy?
The short answer is: it depends. Commercial mayonnaise brands contain seed oils, which are high in inflammatory omega-6 linoleic acid. Unfortunately, research links high linoleic acid consumption to health problems, including inflammation, obesity, chronic pain, heart disease, cancer, and more [*,*,*,*,*,*,*].
Food historians think the original mayonnaise recipe contained Spanish olive oil [*]. But today, mass-produced seed oils like soybean oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, and seed oil blends are commonly used in processed foods and condiments (including mayo) because they're cheaper than higher-quality oils. 
The problem is that until recently, humans evolved on diets containing only 1-2% of their daily calories from linoleic acid, which they derived from minimally processed food sources like nuts, grains, and meat [*]. This omega-6 fat is required in low amounts, but higher intakes increase inflammation and disease risk [*].
During the 20th century, when industrial mass production of seed oils first became commonplace, there was an unprecedented increase in linoleic acid intake in the United States and elsewhere. And the average person today eats approximately 6-10% of their daily calories from linoleic acid — five to ten times what our bodies need [*].
A single tablespoon of mayonnaise made with soybean oil has nearly 6 grams of linoleic acid, and a large sandwich or a serving of egg salad or tuna salad normally contains about two tablespoons of mayo [*]. 
For an individual who eats approximately 2,000 calories per day, this means a typical serving of mayonnaise singlehandedly elevates your linoleic acid intake to 5.4% of daily calories, which is about five times higher than the evolutionarily appropriate, healthy level.
Of course, commercial mayonnaise isn't the only food that's high in linoleic acid. If you don't regularly read ingredient labels and avoid seed oils, you may be consuming unprecedented amounts at every meal. Restaurant foods, and especially fried foods, are another common source of linoleic acid that most people don’t even realize they’re consuming.
What to Look for in Mayonnaise
Shopping for better mayonnaise isn't difficult at all if you know what to look for. And fortunately, healthier options are available at most grocery stores.
First and foremost, make sure the nutrition label doesn't list any of these ingredients, all of which are moderately high to very high in inflammatory omega-6 fats:
Corn oil
Canola oil 
Cottonseed oil
Grapeseed oil
Peanut oil
Rice bran oil
Safflower oil
Soybean oil
Sunflower oil
"Vegetable oil blend" (most of the time, this simply means soybean and sunflower oil)

Of course, authentic mayo still contains fat as the primary ingredient, so the best quality products substitute healthier oils in place of seed oils.
When you're purchasing mayonnaise, be aware that some companies list healthier oils on the front of the package (particularly olive oil), but the products often still contain undesirable seed oils that only show up in the fine print of the ingredients list.
It's also wise to choose products that contain no added sugar, synthetic flavoring agents, or artificial preservatives. These ingredients don't necessarily improve the taste or quality of authentic mayonnaise and are usually a sign of an inferior mayo.
Seed Oil-Free Mayonnaise Brands
You can buy seed-oil-free mayonnaise made with avocado oil, olive oil (as in the original recipe), or coconut oil. These options are much lower in unhealthy omega-6 fats. 
And while they have a subtly different flavor profile, they may taste fresher than mayos made with seed oils. Linoleic acid, the predominant fatty acid in seed oils, is an unstable polyunsaturated fat that breaks down during processing and storage, which can lead to a stale or rancid taste. 
Chosen Foods 100% Avocado Oil-Based Classic Mayonnaise
Chosen Foods Classic Mayonnaise is a popular classic mayo made with avocado oil. It contains cage-free eggs, organic ingredients, and no added sugars or synthetic preservatives.
Ingredients: Avocado oil, filtered water, egg yolks, organic whole eggs, organic distilled white vinegar, organic mustard (distilled organic vinegar, water, organic mustard seed, salt, organic spices), salt, organic rosemary extract.
Hunter & Gather 100% Olive Oil Mayonnaise
It's nearly impossible to find 100% olive oil mayo — almost every brand contains a blend with around 75% seed oils (usually soybean or canola) in addition to olive oil. 
UK-based Hunter & Gather sells a reasonably-priced mayo that uses Spanish olive oil exclusively and is one of only two brands that offer such a product (the other is Ybarra, a Spanish company, which doesn't have worldwide distribution).
Ingredients: Spanish olive oil (80%), pasteurized British free-range egg yolk (9%), apple cider vinegar, Himalayan salt. 
Thrive Market Coconut Oil Mayonnaise 
Thrive's seed-oil-free mayo offering uses a base of coconut oil. Some customers prefer the unique flavor profile. It also contains a very small amount of added honey (contributing less than 1 gram of sugar per serving), and the eggs are from cage-free hens.
Ingredients: Coconut oil, organic egg yolks, organic distilled vinegar, water, organic honey, salt, organic lemon juice, mustard, rosemary extract
Chosen Foods Classic Keto Mayo with MCT Oil
Most mayo is low enough in carbohydrates to be considered keto-friendly, but Chosen Foods' Keto Mayo includes a special ingredient. The medium-chain triglycerides or MCT oil, derived from coconut oil, increase your body's production of anti-inflammatory ketones whether or not you follow a ketogenic diet [*].
Ingredients: Refined coconut oil (medium chain triglycerides), egg yolks, water, distilled vinegar, salt. Less than 1%: Mustard, organic rosemary extract
Cultured Oil Mayo Recipe
Making your own mayonnaise is a fun, easy way to reduce your seed oil consumption and discover your favorite twist on classic mayo.
Cultured Oil is a new type of cooking oil made through fermentation. It contains over 90% monounsaturated fats and the lowest level of inflammatory omega-6 linoleic acid (less than 3%) of any liquid cooking oil. It's also much better for the environment than conventional oils.
Homemade Cultured Oil Mayonnaise (makes 1 cup):
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons (10 ml) lemon juice
1 teaspoon (5 ml) Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
1 teaspoon (5 ml) cold water
3/4 cup (177 ml) Cultured Oil

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard, salt and 1 teaspoon cold water together until frothy. Starting drop by drop, slowly add the oil while whisking constantly. When the mayonnaise is thick and emulsified, you can add the remaining oil in a steady stream. 
Refrigerate your homemade mayo and it should last about two weeks.
Healthy Mayonnaise Alternatives
Eliminating unhealthy seed oils is the biggest reason to steer clear of commercial mayonnaise products. However, if you're vegan or follow a low-fat or low-calorie diet, alternatives to mayo that don't contain eggs or have less fat can work — even where healthier versions of classic mayo may not.
Vegan Mayonnaise Substitutes
All vegan mayonnaise substitutes and recipes exclude eggs, but many still contain seed oils. Companies like Avonaise, Chosen Foods, and Thrive Market offer vegan avocado-oil-based mayo with ingredients like avocado, chickpeas, or fava beans in place of eggs, but you can also make your own.
Vegan mayo recipe (makes 2 cups):
A cup and a third (315 ml) of Cultured Oil, olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil 
Two-thirds of a cup (160 ml) of unsweetened soy milk or aquafaba (chickpea cooking liquid)
1 tablespoon of vinegar (distilled, red or white wine, or apple cider)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)

Ensure all the ingredients have reached room temperature, then add the soy milk or aquafaba to a food processor, blender, or bowl (if using an immersion blender). Process or blend for 1-2 minutes, or until the liquid thickens.
Add vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, and salt to the thickened liquid, then process or blend for 30 seconds or until well-mixed.
Use a spatula to scrape any excess off the sides and bottom of your container, then mix while slowly adding a few drops of oil at a time simultaneously. 
When you've added about a third of the oil, the mixture should be noticeably thicker due to emulsification. Scrape the sides again, then slowly add the rest of the oil as you continue mixing.
Store it in the fridge.
Reduced-Calorie Greek Yogurt Imitation Mayo Recipes
Plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt has a thick, creamy texture similar to authentic mayonnaise, but with fewer calories, less fat, and more protein. 
You can mix it with real mayo to make a "lite" version, or create your own imitation lower-fat or no-fat imitation mayonnaise from scratch. Greek yogurt also works well as a one-for-one substitute in most recipes that call for mayo.
Nonfat Greek yogurt is available, but even full-fat Greek yogurt has significantly less fat than mayo, so either type can work for mixing, imitation mayo, or substitutions, depending on your dietary needs and taste preferences.
To make a reduced-calorie mayo blend, simply mix equal parts Greek yogurt and mayonnaise (preferably a brand without seed oils!). You can also add salt, vinegar, or lemon juice to taste.
Low-calorie Greek yogurt imitation mayo (makes 2 and 1/4 cups):
One cup (236 ml) of plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt (optionally nonfat) 
2 tablespoons (30 ml) apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons (1/4 cup) of arrowroot or cornstarch
1 tablespoon (15 ml) Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) lemon juice (optional)

Allow the ingredients to come to room temperature, then heat the vinegar in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk the arrowroot or cornstarch into the vinegar until thickened, then remove from heat.
Add the yogurt to a bowl or food processor, then whisk or mix while slowly adding the thickened vinegar. Scrape with a spatula, then add remaining ingredients and continue stirring or mixing until thoroughly blended.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until the mixture cools and thickens, which takes about two hours.
The Takeaway
Most commercial mayonnaise is high in unhealthy omega-6 fats, but some brands offer healthier alternatives made with avocado oil, olive oil, or coconut oil.
You can also make your own delicious mayo at home with Cultured Oil, a new, environmentally-friendly cooking oil that's low in omega-6 linoleic acid with a clean, neutral taste.
Switching to healthier mayonnaise that's made without seed oils is important, but lowering your linoleic acid levels as much as possible also requires eliminating other common sources, especially processed food and seed-based cooking oils.
Instead, switch to vegetable oil alternatives that are low in inflammatory omega-6 fats. But rather than throwing out your soybean, sunflower, or other seed oils, keep them on hand to season cast iron pans, lubricate squeaky door hinges, and for other household uses that don't involve eating them.

It’s hard to find seed oil-free versions of your favorite game day snacks, so we’ve put together a list of 35+ options that work with your seed oil-free lifestyle. 

35+ Seed Oil-Free Big Game Day Snacks

35+ Seed Oil-Free Big Game Day Snacks
Article at a Glance 
A lot of your football party favorites are made with seed oils — especially fried foods. 
We made a list of 35+ seed oil-free foods that are sure to please a crowd, no matter who you’re watching the Big Game with. 
From traditional favorites, to dips, appetizers, and more, we’ve got your Big Game day spread covered. 
Try Cultured Oil in place of the other oils in these recipes, for more sustainable, vegan, low-linoleic options.

Introduction
Whether you’re in it for the football, the halftime show, or the commercials, you’re probably looking forward to the Big Game snacks and dips the most. But, if you’re staying away from seed oils, you might be a little lost or frustrated when it comes to choosing dips and delicious appetizers for your football party. 
So, we’ve put together a massive list of 35+ football party snacks that work with your seed oil-free lifestyle. The best part? You can still enjoy your favorite game-day snacks without compromising your health! Simply make these snacks from scratch and sub Cultured Oil whenever your recipe calls for a higher-linoleic acid vegetable oil like soybean or canola oil. 
35+ Game Day Seed Oil-Free Snacks
When you watch football with friends, some foods are just expected. Here are a few favorites to get your party started. First, we’ll cover all the classics, from wings to chips to onion rings — all without inflammatory oils!
Buffalo Wings
Wings are standard football party fare, and for the big game, they’re almost expected. Problem is, wings usually take a dunk in high-heat seed oils before they make it to your party table. In this buffalo wings recipe, you air fry your wings using your favorite non-seed oil. The recipe calls for avocado oil spray, but tossing your wings in Cultured Oil will further reduce your linoleic acid intake and let the flavor of the wings shine.
Hot Dogs
Whether you serve them in a bun or dress them up as appetizers, hot dogs are great to have around when you’re expecting a hungry crowd. Hot dog ingredients run the gamut, so label-reading is a must. Choose a brand that won’t derail your seed oil-free goals and is preferably organic and nitrate and nitrite-free. Applegate Organics is a good choice!
Chicken Tenders 
Chicken tenders are always a hit — especially if you’re expecting kids at your football party. Most frozen tenders are fried in soybean or canola oil before packaging, so if you’re moving toward better-for-you oils, take a few minutes and make these air fryer Paleo chicken tenders at home.
published


airfryerchickentenders-3




Homemade Potato Chips
Potato chips are great for grazing and dipping, but most packaged varieties are dripping with soybean oil or other high-linoleic acid options. Frying them yourself is less involved than you think, and they taste a million times better than the chips that have been sitting on the shelf for who knows how long.  
Chili 
Chili feeds a crowd, and setting out a variety of toppings is a fun way to let your guests add their own personal flair. Here’s how to set up a chili bar with all the fixin’s. Just add some seed oil-free crackers or cornbread as a finishing touch.
Cornbread
We don’t make the rules — if you’re going to have chili, you have to have cornbread with it. This Paleo cornbread recipe tastes great, doesn’t contain seed oils, and your gluten-free friends can indulge, too.
published


cornbread




Onion Rings
A little salty, slightly sweet — onion rings are a fantastic vehicle for dipping. As with anything fried, store-bought onion rings are usually dripping with soybean or other seed oils. These are easy to make and they’re better than the store-bought version. Plus, they’re baked, so you won’t have to worry about cleaning up oil splatter before everyone arrives. 
Game Day Dips
Even when your friends aren’t into football, they’ll show up for the dips. Here are a few dips that are great with veggies, crackers, pretzels, chips – anything you like.
Roasted Beet Dip with Goat Cheese and Honey
It’s earthy, salty, sweet, and bright pink! You’ll earn major points for the color pop on your game day spread. Bonus points for getting a nutrient-boost from better-for-you ingredients. 
Roasted Beet Dip with Goat Cheese and Honey recipe
published


Roasted-Beet-Dip-8




Spinach and Avocado Dip
Spinach dip is another versatile condiment that goes with everything. This spinach and avocado dip recipe uses raw spinach and avocado, which gives this delicious dip its brilliant green color. 
Garlic Cauliflower Dip 
This garlicky cauliflower dip adds a delicious umami punch to your snack table. Made with decadent cream cheese, roasted garlic, and a drizzle of spicy honey, your guests won’t be able to tear themselves away.
published


Cream Cheese Garlic Dip




7-Layer Dip
If one recipe gets all the compliments, it's a 7-layer dip. It’s colorful and satisfying, and goes great with that chili you made earlier. If you want to make sure your 7-layer dip is seed oil-free, use Siete refried beans for the bean layer. 
7-Layer Dip recipe
Primal Kitchen No Dairy Queso Style Dip
If you’re expecting guests who eat plant-based, they’ll be pretty excited to have a queso-style dip that they can enjoy too! All you have to do is unscrew the lid. Pair with some seed oil-free chips like Siete’s grain-free option. 
Seed Oil-Free Appetizers
For football, grazing for a few hours is more fun than sitting down to a big meal. Here are some seed oil-free small bites so that you can keep your plate filled all day. 
Football-Themed Cheese Ball Platter
Shaping your cheese ball into a football takes about 30 seconds, but looks like you put in major effort. Try this football-themed cheese ball with your favorite veggies, crackers, chips, and pretzels. 
Zucchini Pizza Bites
Everyone loves pizza, but you might not love the pizza hangover that comes after eating a greasy pie. These bite-sized bursts of pizza flavor are just enough so that you will have room to try one (or three) of everything else. And they’re great for any of your low-carb or keto friends.
Better-For-You Egg Rolls
Egg rolls make a fantastic party food, but the typical takeout version is a seed oil double-whammy: First, restaurants sautee the filling in cheap oil, then they deep-fry them in oil that’s been used over and over, and likely super oxidized by the time it gets to your batch. You can try your hand at making your own Paleo version for a healthier flavor-packed punch.
Bacon Avocado Deviled Eggs
Bacon makes everything better, and whipped avocado adds a creamy, colorful spin on traditional deviled eggs in these bacon avocado deviled eggs.
published


Avocado Deviled Eggs




Sloppy Joe Sliders
Sweet potatoes make the perfect mini “bun” for these Sloppy Joe sliders. While they may require a plate, fork, and napkin, they are deliciously seed oil free. 
published


sloppy-joe-sliders




Party Nuts
There’s nothing like a mix of salty, spicy, sweet, and crunchy nuts. Unfortunately, most store-bought nuts are drenched in inflammatory seed oils. This delicious nut mix calls for butter, but you could easily make them vegan by subbing Cultured Oil. Make extra, because you’ll refill the bowl of these salty, spicy, sweet, herby nuts over and over. 
More Seed Oil-Free Appetizers to Try
Sausage and Goat Cheese Mushroom Caps
Bacon Meatballs with Mango Honey Mustard Sauce
Ground Beef Jalapeno Poppers
Charcuterie board with meats and dried fruit
Cheese board with fig preserves and Mary’s Gone Crackers Original
Veggie platter with seed oil-free ranch dressing

Ready-to-Eat Superbowl Snacks
Boulder Canyon Avocado Oil Sea Salt Potato Chip
Lesser Evil Organic Popcorn
Siete Grain-Free Tortilla Chips
Savor by Susie Grain-free Sea Salt Pretzels

Seed Oil-Free Game Day Sweets
Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes
The texture of these paleo chocolate cupcakes is light and fluffy, making each bite a delightful experience. They also offer a rich chocolate flavor – perfect for any chocolate lover.
published


Paleo-Chocolate-Cupcake-10.jpg




7-layer Bars
These paleo-friendly 7-layer bars are meant to be shared, and your football friends will want something a little sweet after passing around all of the salty and crunchy snacks all day. 
Berry Cobbler
You need at least one comfort food option, in case your team has a rough quarter. This blackberry blueberry cobbler is seed oil-free and reminisent of a warm, cozy, crumbly pie. 
published


paleo-blueberry-cobbler




Lemon Bars
Lemon bars are bright and refreshing, and you can cut them as big or as small as you want to feed a crowd. This version is gluten-free and dairy-free so that everyone can enjoy a sweet treat. 
Other Sweet Treats for Game Day 
Straus Family Creamery Organic Maple Cream Ice Cream
Smart Sweets sugar-free candies
Hu Grain-free Cookies
Fresh fruit platter with Silk Vanilla Almond Dairy-free Yogurt for dipping


This stovetop mac and cheese recipe includes a few modern swaps to the classic. Learn how to customize it to suit your preferences and the season.

Stovetop Mac and Cheese With Cauliflower

Few dishes unite a family (or group of friends) around the dining table like mac and cheese. Whether your first brush with the dish came from the blue box with dried elbow pasta and neon orange cheese dust or your grandma’s bubbling casserole topped with golden breadcrumbs and sharp cheddar clinging to spiral noodles, most of us share a childlike fondness for mac and cheese.
Our stovetop version makes a few modern swaps to the classic recipe. Whole-milk shredded cheeses add the expected creaminess to the roux (white sauce), but we use Cultured Oil instead of butter, and recommend an alternative pasta for extra protein or fiber. 
Lightly caramelized white onions and softened cauliflower florets add extra nutrition and balance to the dairy-forward richness. Customize our version to suit your (and your family’s) tastes, the occasion, or what veggies are in season — scroll after the recipe for inspiration.
published


Mac-n-Cheese-23




Ingredients
14-oz. box ofyour favorite dried pasta 
8 oz. raw cheddar, shredded cheddar 
8 oz. shredded mozzarella 
2 ½ tbsp. Cultured Oil, divided 
¼ cup diced white onion 
1 bag frozen cauliflower* 
¼ cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour
1 1/2 cups skim milk or seed oil-free unsweetened plant-based milk 
1 tsp. paprika 
½ tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp. spicy mustard 
Optional but tastes great: 16 ritz crackers, crumbled on top

*You can use fresh cauliflower florets (one small head) or even a bag of riced cauliflower. 
Instructions
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Bring a medium-sized pot to a boil. Add salt. Cook the noodles according to the box instructions. Strain after noodles are al dente and set aside until needed. (Feel free to add a few drops of Cultured Oil to your pasta to keep it from sticking.)
Use a cheese grater to finely shred the cheeses. Set aside.
Use a vegetable chopper (or knife) to finely dice the onions and cauliflower. 
Heat a dutch oven/large sauce pot to medium heat and add ½ tablespoon of Cultured Oil. Add in the diced onions and cauliflower and sauté. Cover the pan for a few minutes to let cauliflower steam, allowing it to soften and resemble a noodle-like texture. Remove the vegetables from the pot and set aside.
Use the same dutch oven/pot and add 2 tablespoons of Cultured Oil. Whisk in flour until completely absorbed. Continue whisking fervently while slowly adding the milk. 
Add all of the shredded cheese while continuing to whisk. The result will be a thick cheese sauce. If the sauce is too thick to stir, add more milk until you have your desired consistency.
Turn off the heat and sprinkle in all of the seasoning and mustard to the cheese sauce. Add the cooked noodles and sauteed vegetables to the pot and stir again so everything is evenly coated.
Top with crumbled crackers (optional) and serve hot!

How to Customize Your Mac and Cheese
Use another cheese: Cheddar and mozzarella are classic cheeses that melt well, but you can use practically anything to switch up the creamy flavor. Try shredded pepper jack, gouda, parmesan, or provolone. Sprinkle in goat cheese, crumbled feta, or blue cheese for different flavors and textures. 
Add extra veggies: Pretty much anything goes here, but favorites include broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, or peas. Make it seasonal with asparagus in the spring, summer squash or eggplant in the summer, butternut squash or pumpkin in the fall, and Swiss chard or kale in the winter.
Add protein: Make this mac and cheese a casserole-like meal by adding shredded chicken, cubed ham, or diced turkey breast. Flaked (or canned) salmon or low-Mercury tuna are also tasty options. 
Change up the spices: Instead of paprika and garlic, try chili powder, turmeric, onion powder, oregano, or elote seasoning.

Savory Flavor Combos To Try
Umami: Add sauteed mixed mushrooms (try cremini, shitake, portobello, and maitake or porcini), shallots instead of white onion, fresh diced garlic, and a few splashes of soy sauce or coconut aminos. Add dried thyme and rosemary instead of paprika and dried garlic. Use a blend of shredded gruyere and parmesan.
Spicy queso: Add diced garlic, chopped tomatoes, diced green onions, and about four ounces of fire-roasted green chilies (you can also use hatch chilies or pickled jalapenos). Use 16 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese (omit the mozzarella) and use cumin and cayenne pepper for the spices. 
Luxe lobster: Add chunks of cooked lobster, a sprinkle of ground nutmeg instead of paprika, and a combo of shredded cheddar and gruyere cheeses. For even more decadence, add a small handful of crisped, crumbled bacon to the top instead of the crackers.

Is This Mac and Cheese Healthy?
This mac and cheese recipe includes cauliflower, real cheese, and skim milk for protein and calcium, plus an extra protein and fiber boost if you use a protein-heavy pasta like Banza. 
Compared to boxed mac and cheese loaded with additives and colors, this homemade stovetop mac and cheese recipe uses real-food ingredients for a healthier family pasta dish. It also uses Cultured Oil to caramelize the diced onions and soften the cauliflower, so, unlike restaurant dishes, you won’t have to worry about high-linoleic seed oils.
You can swap a traditional cracker crumble for the top of the mac and cheese with seed oil-free options like Mary’s Gone Crackers or Hu’s Grain-Free Crackers for some crisp without the toxic additives.
How to Make This Mac and Cheese Kid-friendly 
Tip 1: Blend the cooked cauliflower and onion together with a few splashes of milk in a high-speed blender or food processor. Add it to the cooked pasta before the shredded cheeses. Stir together and nobody will be the wiser!
Tip 2: For sensitive palates, swap the spicy mustard and paprika for a dash of white or black pepper and ground mustard powder. 
Nutritional Information
Servings: 7
Per serving:
Calories: 559
Fat: 27 grams
Carbs: 55 grams
Protein: 29 grams
Nutrition info collected from Cronometer. 
This delicious recipe was developed and photographed by Courtney Paige.







Nuts are an excellent source of healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. The best nut butters have only a single ingredient: high-quality nuts.

10 Healthy Nut Butters: Nutrition Facts, Benefits & How to Choose 

Article at a Glance
Nut butters often contain several added ingredients like seed oils and sugar. Be sure to look for nut butters that contain only one or two ingredients like nuts and salt.
Though nut butters are calorically dense, they can be healthy in moderation and provide a rich source of certain vitamins and minerals
Some nut butters are relatively high in omega-6 linoleic acid, making them less-than-ideal as a daily snack.
By making nut butter at home, you can easily save 40% or more compared to retail nut butter products.
You can make your own low linoleic acid nut butter by mixing a one-to-one ratio of peanut butter powder and Cultured Oil.

Introduction
Whether you prefer crunchy or creamy, nut butters are one of life's simple pleasures. And if you know what to look for, nut butter can be a healthy snack or fun addition to your favorite recipes.
Nuts are an excellent source of healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber — the problem is that some manufacturers add unnecessary ingredients for sweetness, flavor, or cost savings, which means some nut butters shouldn't be considered health foods.
In this guide, you'll learn about the healthiest types of nut butters with detailed nutrition info, brand recommendations, and recipes, but first, here's what you should keep in mind next time you shop for nut butter.
How to Choose a Healthy Nut Butter
The best nut butter products have short ingredient lists, often with just one ingredient: nuts. With the exception of a little bit of salt, or blends with more than one type of nut, it's generally best to avoid products that add any extra ingredients.
Ingredients like artificial flavors, sugar, or seed oils are unnecessary — it's difficult to improve on naturally delicious nut butter — and are usually a sign that the manufacturer is looking to save money or cut corners in terms of product quality.
Research suggests synthetic additives like artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, or preservatives may be harmful to your gut microbiome [*]. And they likely serve no benefit to the average consumer, so you're better off skipping products that list them on the label.
Cane sugar and high-fructose corn syrup are sometimes added to nut butter products to "enhance" the flavor, but these ingredients don’t add any real nutritional value. High-quality nut butters have a subtle, yet balanced, natural sweetness. 
When you look at a nut butter label, not only should the ingredients list not show sugar or related ingredients, but there should be zero grams of "added sugars" in the nutrition facts section. While most nut butters naturally contain a few grams of carbs (which are harmless), added sugars refer to sugary ingredients other than nut butter, like sugar or high-fructose corn syrup.
A common reason for ingredients like added sugar is to increase profit by substituting a less expensive ingredient (sugar) in place of a more expensive one (nuts). A leading national brand of peanut butter contains 3-4 grams of added sugars per 2-tablespoon (33-gram) serving. That's not a ton of sugar from a dietary perspective, but why not let the natural flavor of nuts shine in your snack or dish? 
If you want extra sweetness, you can always add your own cane sugar, honey, or a natural sugar substitute like monk fruit, stevia, or allulose without paying extra for low-quality pre-mixed products. 
Finally, many nut butters contain added seed oils like soybean oil, sunflower oil, or grapeseed oil. These ingredients serve a similar purpose to added sugar as an inexpensive filler but there's another issue: they're high in inflammatory omega-6 linoleic acid.
Excess linoleic acid intake is linked with chronic health issues like inflammation, obesity, heart disease, cancer, and more. Seed oils used as cooking oils and ingredients in processed foods are the single biggest source of linoleic acid in modern diets.
Avoiding nut butters with added seed oils is easy, especially since seed oils don't add any benefit in terms of taste or texture. 
The 10 Healthiest Nut Butters
These are the healthiest nut butters, including some nutrition information and recommended brands. This list isn't a ranking from healthiest to least healthy, but we've provided some information so you can make fully informed decisions that suit your nutrition and health goals.
Any type of nut butter can be healthy in moderation (provided it doesn't contain unnecessary ingredients like added sugar and seed oils), although some people may choose to limit their consumption due to the caloric density of nuts. 
Fortunately, research shows that nuts are also very filling and satisfying, so for most people, eating nut butter or nuts daily won’t significantly increase your caloric intake [*]. You can enjoy a daily nut butter snack and chances are, it won't result in gaining unwanted weight. On the flipside, adding some nut butter to your meals can help you bulk up if you’re looking to gain weight. 
Macadamia Nut Butter
Macadamia nuts are high in fiber, low in digestible carbs, and a good source of magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and selenium [*]. They're also high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and low in omega-6 linoleic acid, making for a healthy, delicious, naturally sweet nut butter. 
Nutrition Facts
An ounce of macadamia nut butter contains [*]:
203 calories (kcal)
2 grams of protein
2.5 grams of fiber
2 grams of net carbs
22 grams of total fat
3.5 grams of saturated fat
Less than half a gram of omega-6 linoleic acid

Recommended Brands
Vör Pure Macadamia Nut Butter Spread: Premium, single-ingredient macadamia nut butter.
Wilderness Poets Raw Macadamia Nut Butter: Raw, salt-free macadamia nut butter made in micro-batches.
Blue Mountain Organics Macadamia Nut Butter: Stone-ground nut butter made from raw, sprouted macadamia nuts.

Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is the world's most popular nut butter, but often comes with unnecessary additives and fillers (like sugar or seed oil). Quality peanut butter is high in protein, a good source of fiber, and provides magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and vitamin E [*]. 
Nutrition Facts
An ounce of peanut butter contains [*]: 
182 calories (kcal)
6.5 grams of protein
1.5 grams of fiber
5 grams of net carbs
14.5 grams of total fat
3 grams of saturated fat
3.5 grams of omega-6 linoleic acid

Recommended Brands
Vitacost Certified Organic Peanut Butter Smooth & Unsalted: The best deal on organic peanut butter.
Trader Joe's Creamy Unsalted Peanut Butter From Unblanched Peanuts: Widely available, reasonably priced single-ingredient peanut butter.
PBfit Pure Peanut, 100% Powdered Peanut Powder: An innovative, reduced-fat powdered product made from non-GMO peanuts.

Coconut Butter
Coconuts are a good source of fiber, potassium, and selenium [*]. Coconut butter, made from shredded or dried coconut meat, is a light, sweet, creamy, delicious nut butter that resembles coconut oil but with more texture (and additional protein, carbs and fiber).
Nutrition Facts
An ounce of coconut butter contains [*]:
190 calories (kcal)
2 gram of protein
4.5 grams of fiber
2 grams of net carbs
18 grams of total fat
16 grams of saturated fat
Less than half a gram of omega-6 linoleic acid

Recommended Brands
Kevala Organic Coconut Butter (8 lb): An extremely good deal on bulk organic coconut butter.
Artisana Organic Raw Vegan Coconut Butter: This pureed organic coconut butter is perfect for spreading.

Almond Butter
Almonds are a good source of protein, fiber, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, and vitamin E [*]. Use almond butter anywhere you would normally use peanut butter.
Nutrition Facts
An ounce of almond butter contains [*]:
165 calories (kcal)
6 gram of protein
3.5 grams of fiber
2.5 grams of net carbs
14 grams of total fat
1 gram of saturated fat
3.5 grams of omega-6 linoleic acid

Recommended Brands
Trader Joe's Creamy Almond Butter No Salt: The best deal on single-ingredient almond butter.
Jiva Organics Raw Sprouted Organic Almond Butter: Made with unpasteurized almonds, then soaked for 24 hours to sprout them before grinding.
Wilderness Poets Organic Almond Butter (7 Pound - 1 Gallon) - Save big by buying a bucket of raw, organic, unsweetened, salt-free almond butter.

Pistachio Nut Butter
Pistachios are a good source of protein, fiber, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium [*]. Pistachio nut butter is earthy, slightly sweet, and decadent. 
Nutrition Facts
An ounce of pistachio butter contains [*]:
160 calories (kcal)
5.5 gram of protein
3 grams of fiber
4.5 grams of net carbs
13 grams of total fat
1 gram of saturated fat
4 grams of omega-6 linoleic acid

Recommended Brands
Fiddyment Farms Pistachio Butter: Reasonably priced, single-ingredient pistachio butter.
Nutrawbar 100% Raw Organic Pistachio Butter: High-quality, raw organic pistachio nut butter.
Wilderness Poets WPBulk Organic Pistachio Butter - Excellent prices for 7 lb (1 gallon) and up.

Hazelnut Butter
Hazelnuts, also called filberts, are a good source of monounsaturated fats, fiber, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and vitamin E [*]. Hazelnut butter is delicious by itself, and you can use it as a base for DIY chocolate hazelnut spread and other tasty treats.
Nutrition Facts
An ounce of hazelnut butter contains [*]:
175 calories (kcal)
4 gram of protein
2.5 grams of fiber
2 grams of net carbs
17 grams of total fat
1 gram of saturated fat
2 grams of omega-6 linoleic acid

Recommended Brands
Vör Pure Hazelnut Butter Spread: Premium single-ingredient hazelnut butter.
Artisana Organics Hazelnut Cacao Spread: This organic blend includes coconut sugar and cacao along with hazelnuts, but it's also reasonably priced and delectable.

Walnut Butter
Walnuts are a good source of fiber, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and copper [*]. However, they are relatively high in omega-6 linoleic acid, so they're not an ideal choice as a daily staple.
The earthy, savory, slightly bitter taste of walnut butter pairs well with sweet or savory foods.
Nutrition Facts
An ounce of walnut butter contains [*]:
185 calories (kcal)
4.5 gram of protein
2 grams of fiber
2 grams of net carbs
18.5 grams of total fat
2 grams of saturated fat
11 grams of omega-6 linoleic acid

Recommended Brands
Crazy Go Nuts Organic Walnut Butter: Best deal on organic walnut butter.
Sun & Seed Raw Organic Walnut Butter Spread: Premium raw organic single-ingredient walnut butter.

Cashew Butter
Cashews are high in magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and monounsaturated fats [*]. Cashew butter has a mild, light taste with a hint of sweetness and a creamy texture.
Nutrition Facts
An ounce of cashew butter contains [*]:
165 calories (kcal)
4.5 gram of protein
1 gram of fiber
8.5 grams of net carbs
13 grams of total fat
2.5 grams of saturated fat
2 grams of omega-6 linoleic acid

Recommended Brands
Blue Mountain Organics Bulk Cashew Butter (8 lb): The most economical raw organic cashew butter.
Octonuts Dry Roasted Pure Cashew Nut Butter: Budget-friendly dry-roasted cashew butter.

Pecan Butter
Pecans are low in digestible net carbs and a good source of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and monounsaturated fats [*]. The unique, rich flavor and texture of pecan butter make it equally at home in sweet or savory dishes, as a stuffing ingredient, or as a snack.
Nutrition Facts
An ounce of pecan butter contains [*]:
195 calories (kcal)
2.5 gram of protein
2.5 gram of fiber
1 grams of net carbs
20.5 grams of total fat
2 grams of saturated fat
6 grams of omega-6 linoleic acid

Recommended Brands
Pecan Shop Texas Native Pecan Butter: Premium wild-harvested, raw, sprouted, single-ingredient pecan butter.
Guidry Organic Farms Organic Pecan Butter: Lightly salted, small-batch handmade organic pecan butter.
Wilderness Poets Organic Raw Pecan Butter Organic, Bulk (4 lb): Budget-friendly raw, organic pecan butter.

Nut Butter Blends
Buying or making your own nut butter blends opens up a nearly endless number of possibilities. You can strike a balance between sweet and savory flavors, or add a smooth, creamy ingredient like coconut butter to an old favorite for an entirely different texture.
You can also save money on multi-nut blends compared to buying expensive single-ingredient nut butters like pistachio or hazelnut. 
The same rules of thumb apply for buying nut butter blends. Look for quality products that have as few ingredients as possible, and preferably only nuts listed on the label. Avoid fillers like sugar and seed oils.
Recommended Brands
NuttZo Organic Power Fuel: Reasonably priced, organic blend of cashews, almonds, brazil nuts, flax seeds, chia seeds, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, and celtic sea salt.
Kirkland Signature Mixed Nut Butter: Economical and tasty blend of dry-roasted almonds and cashews with pumpkin, chia, and flax seeds.
Nutrawbar 100% Raw Pistachio + Macadamia Butter: Premium raw organic blend.

How to Make Nut Butter at Home
Making your own nut butter is easy, takes as little as 30 minutes, and can save you money compared to store-bought products. All you need to get started are quality nuts, a food processor or high-speed blender, and any optional ingredients like salt or cacao.
First, let's talk about the economics of making homemade nut butter. How much money can you actually save, and is it worth it?
Kirkland Creamy Almond butter from Costco costs around $27 for two 27-ounce containers, 54 ounces total, or about 50 cents per ounce. In comparison, you can buy 48 ounces (3 pounds) of bulk almonds for about $14, or around 30 cents per ounce. 
Making your own nut butter could save you at least 40% compared to buying it, or even more if we compare the savings on premium brands rather than discount (Costco). That's significant.
You do need a quality food processor or a high-speed blender like a Vitamix. Normal blenders won't do the trick because they don't have the horsepower.
The 30-minute time investment (including clean-up) is relatively small, but might be important depending on how much you value your time. But if you make a large enough batch of nut butter — or devise a particularly delicious recipe — it's probably worth it!
What about raw versus roasted? It's mostly personal preference based on the flavors, but raw nut butters may have a slightly higher nutritional value on average and tend to have a shorter shelf life. Roasting nuts can break down the polyunsaturated fatty acids, contributing to rancidity.
If you choose the roasted route, you can buy roasted nuts or buy raw and roast them in the oven before you process them into nut butter. Roast your nuts for 15-20 minutes in the oven on a baking sheet at 325°F, checking regularly to make sure they aren't burning.
Making the nut butter is easy:
Weigh the nuts before you add them to the blender or food processor.
Optionally, add sea salt to taste: a 1/4 teaspoon per pound of nuts works well.
Blend or process on a high setting until they reach your desired consistency, usually between 5 and 10 minutes.

If you want to add extra dry ingredients, you can add them before blending or at any stage prior to completion, depending on the texture you want. Here are some of our favorite ideas:
Raw cacao or other yummy chocolate
Dates, dried berries, or other dried fruit
Coffee beans (an ounce of arabica beans has around 500 milligrams of caffeine, so don't go overboard!)
Matcha powder for a kick of caffeine and antioxidants
Chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, or other seeds for a boost in crunchiness and nutrition
Monk fruit extract, stevia, or allulose for sugar-free sweetening
Stir in granola for some extra crunch
Add a small amount of vanilla extract or maple syrup — just don’t go overboard or your nut butter will be too thin

That's it! Use a spatula to scrape your homemade nut butter into a jar or other sealed food storage container, refrigerate to preserve freshness and prevent natural oil separation, and you're finished. You can also freeze nut butter for long-term storage.
Homemade Nut Butter Alternatives
For a low-calorie, lower-fat version of nut butter, powdered peanut butter is an interesting option. This product is made the same way as peanut butter, then pressed to remove oils, leaving mainly protein and fiber. It's literally a powder that tastes like peanut butter and can be used similarly.
The two most popular peanut butter powder brands are PB2 and Naked Nutrition.
With either of these products, you can make a nut butter paste by adding water. Use a two-to-one ratio of water to powder for a spreadable paste, or a one-to-one ratio for a more buttery consistency (like normal peanut butter).
But the big reason peanut butter powder caught our eye is that you can also mix your own low-omega-6 peanut butter. Using a healthy fat low in linoleic acid to reconstitute peanut butter powder is a great way to enjoy delicious peanut butter and minimize your intake of inflammatory omega-6.
We recommend mixing a one-to-one ratio of peanut butter powder and Cultured Oil. With over 90% heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and just 3% linoleic acid, Cultured Oil is an exciting new option to reduce your omega-6 intake.
The Takeaway
Nut butter is naturally delicious, and the simplest products are usually the healthiest (and tastiest).
There's nothing too complicated about shopping for nut butters. Always read the label and try your best to avoid products that contain added sugar, seed oils, artificial flavoring, and other unnecessary additives. The fewer ingredients, the better — a single-ingredient nut butter is generally best.
If you're feeling creative, you can also make your own at home easily using an oven and a food processor or blender to roast and grind your own nuts into nut butter. You can easily save 40% or more compared to retail nut butter products, or even more if you buy nuts in bulk.


This cake mashup combines all you love from pumpkin spice with a twist on the traditional carrot cake. Oil instead of butter makes the crumb moist and tender.

Pumpkin Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This isn’t your grandma’s carrot cake. Packed with unexpected substitutes — think craisins instead of raisins, brown sugar instead of white, and honey roasted pecans instead of plain — this cake recipe throws in a few flavor bonuses like lemon zest, toasted coconut, and yes, pumpkin!
It uses oil instead of butter for a meltingly tender crumb. The oil combined with pumpkin puree and hand-grated carrots lends a level of moisture to the cake that stays for days after it’s baked. Observe how a baked slice of the layered cake slumps cozily on the plate. This is a good thing; it's a visual affirmation that each bite will dissolve on your tongue and leave behind a whisper of warm cinnamon, caramelized pumpkin and carrot, and sweetened creamy frosting. 
The list of ingredients runs a touch long, but don’t let that intimidate you. Homemade cakes are well worth the effort, and a food processor makes quick work of grating the carrots so you have little left to do aside from beating or folding the ingredients together and letting the oven do the rest. 
published


Healthier-Carrot-Cake-30




Ingredients
For the cake:
8 large carrots, finely grated 
2 cups light brown sugar 
½ cup Cultured Oil 
1 cup canned pumpkin 
1 tsp. vanilla extract 
4 eggs 
3 cups oat flour (we used Bob’s Red Mill) 
2 tsp. ground cinnamon 
1 tsp. salt 
1 tsp. baking powder 
1 tsp. baking soda
⅓ cup dried craisins 
⅓ cup honey-roasted pecans, finely diced 
1 tsp. lemon zest, optional
Cooking spray

Cook’s tip: Grate your own carrots instead of buying the pre-shredded kind from the store. It makes a big difference in the taste and texture of the cake. 
For the frosting: 
4 oz. cream cheese 
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp. unsweetened almond milk 
¼ cup shredded coconut  
¼ tsp. lemon extract 

For the topping:
¼ cup shredded coconut, toasted

Instructions
Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 40 minutes
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. 
Prep the carrots: Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin from the carrots and then add to a food processor. Pulse until all of the carrots are shredded into small pieces. You can also shred on a cheese grater if you don’t have a food processor; just make sure to grate them finely. 
Add brown sugar and oil to a mixing bowl. Beat on high until all of the sugar is absorbed by the oil. Add the canned pumpkin and vanilla extract and beat again until combined. 
Add the eggs to the bowl, one at a time, beating after each. Beat for 4–5 minutes until everything is very well combined. 
Pour oat flour, ground cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda into the mixing bowl. Beat for another 2 minutes until well combined. 
Use a spatula to fold in dried craisins, diced pecan pieces, lemon zest, and shredded carrot. 
Line two 8x8 pans with parchment paper and grease with cooking spray. Divide the batter evenly among the two pans.
Bake for 35–40 minutes or until the center is completely set. Note: Depending on the size pan used and how much is in each pan, baking times will vary. Insert a toothpick into the center of each cake to test for doneness (if the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done).
Allow the cakes to cool completely before adding the frosting. Remove the cakes from the cake pans and let cool on a cooling rack.
Make the frosting: Combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, almond milk, and lemon extract in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer. Mix until all of the powdered sugar is dissolved. Fold in the shredded coconut. 
Place ⅓ of the frosting on one of the cakes, then place the other cake on top of the frosted one. Add the additional frosting to the top of the cake and decorate as you wish.
To add toasted coconut on top of the frosted cake: Spread shredded coconut in one layer on a cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet under the broiler and toast for 2–3 minutes. Remove it promptly before it starts to burn! Allow the toasted coconut to cool before sprinkling on top of the frosted cake. 

Cook’s tip: Store any leftover cake in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to seven days.

Can You Freeze Pumpkin Carrot Cake?
Yes, pumpkin spice cake, carrot cake, and pumpkin carrot cake freeze well. Just wrap the baked cake layers in plastic cling twice (or once and then wrap again with aluminum foil) and freeze the cake layers for up to six months. 
When you’re ready to eat the cake, defrost the cake layers in the refrigerator or on the counter. If you defrost the cake layers in the refrigerator, take them out to come to room temperature on the counter. Once the cake layers are at room temperature, ice them and top them with toasted coconut.
Is Carrot Cake Healthy?
This might depend on how loosely you define “healthy.” Yes, the cake contains carrots and pecans, which are nutrient-dense whole foods, but it is still a cake that contains a fair amount of sugar and calories. Everything in moderation, right?
Tips for the Best Pumpkin Carrot Cake
Tip 1: Shred the carrots into small pieces, aka finely grated, so they suspend evenly throughout the cake batter. Since the cake doesn’t bake for a very long time, you want to make sure the carrot pieces are small enough to cook completely (no crunchy bits).
published


Healthier-Carrot-Cake-14




Tip 2: While the oil in the recipe keeps the cake moist for days (really, until it’s gone), it doesn’t add the same leavening that a cake with creamed butter and sugar does. Some bakers could overcompensate for this and add too much baking powder to the cake, but this recipe doesn’t do that. You’ll see that this cake doesn’t have the same fluffy volume that a buttery vanilla cake might, but the tender, moist crumb and spiced flavor make this cake unique. 
published


Healthier-Carrot-Cake-24




Nutritional Information
Servings: 12
Per slice:
Calories: 547
Fat: 20 grams
Carbs: 88 grams
Protein: 8 grams
Nutrition info collected from Cronometer. 
This delicious recipe was developed and photographed by Courtney Paige.




This sunshine-bright lemon vinaigrette brightens any dish with fresh citrus flavor and comes together in a flash with four simple ingredients.

4-Ingredient Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette

One look at this sunshine-bright lemon vinaigrette and you can see how it will brighten any salad, slaw, soup, oven-roasted veggie, roasted meat or fish. 
Like the little black dress of the kitchen, lemon garlic vinaigrette pairs well with any veggie and any meaty or plant-based protein you can grill, sear, poach, boil, or bake. Spoon on top of baked salmon or cod with a spatter of capers, add a few spoonfuls to pan-seared shrimp, drizzle on a rack of lamb as you roast it, marinate chicken thighs before air-frying, or brush on top of tofu slices while grilling.
published

4-Ingredient-Lemon-Garlic-Vinaigrette-Zero-Acre

Enhance the flavor of any raw or cooked vegetable you can think of — bitter greens like arugula, kale, and Brussels sprouts as well as endive and fennel pair particularly well with the tart pucker of the lemon and sharpness of the raw garlic.
As long as you have fresh lemons in the fruit bowl, the rest of the simple ingredient list uses pantry staples and adds up to four easy mix-ins (not counting the perennial salt and pepper). But the real secret to a fresh, delicious vinaigrette is to use top-quality ingredients and, because there aren’t many in here, you’ll want to use the best oil and fresh lemon juice — concentrate or the juice in bottles in the cocktail aisle doesn’t taste as fresh.
Ingredients
½ cup Cultured Oil
¼ cup lemon juice
½ tsp. lemon zest 
3 cloves garlic, minced
Dash of salt
Black pepper, to taste

Instructions
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Add all ingredients to a mason jar and screw on the lid. 
Shake until well combined. 

Cook’s tip: If you don’t have a mason jar, a clean cocktail shaker can work, too. Just make sure to put the top on tightly before you shake.
How to Serve Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette
A no-brainer for salads, this lemon vinaigrette sings when drizzled on any greens but helps tame the bitter bite of vegetables like dandelion greens, kale, arugula, collards, and broccoli rabe particularly well. Toss with raw, thinly sliced Brussels sprouts, pan-fried pancetta or sliced chestnuts, toasted and chopped hazelnuts, and shaved romano. 

In the spring, use a vegetable peeler to shave strands of raw asparagus and toss with carrot and zucchini ribbons; drizzle on the lemon-garlic vinaigrette and sprinkle on crumbles of goat cheese or fresh ricotta. 
Use this vinaigrette as a marinade, basting sauce, or alternative to barbecue sauce when grilling. The citrus works wonders for fish, shellfish, and seafood; it also cuts through the richness of fattier cuts of meat like lamb, duck, and chicken thighs. Dot on top of fresh oysters with a little minced shallot or snipped chives, or serve as a dipping sauce for charred octopus.
This versatile dressing adds pizzazz to white pizzas, whole grain bowls, and lentils. Stir into broth-based vegetable soups, tomato-free seafood stew, or a pot of quinoa or couscous before you fluff it. 
More Variations for Your Lemon Vinaigrette
There are plenty of ways to switch up your lemon vinaigrette if you can’t find fresh lemons or you want to vary the flavor. 
Use a different citrus fruit: Try lime, grapefruit, orange, or blood orange. 
Instead of minced garlic, sub minced shallot, snipped chives, or diced green onion. 
Experiment with a dash of smoked salt, fleur de sel, or Himalayan pink salt. 
Use crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne, white pepper, or smashed Sichuan peppercorns instead of the black pepper.
Add a pinch of dried herbs or ½ teaspoon of chopped fresh herbs. Dried herbs de provence, dried oregano, or basil would work. Fresh chopped parsley, rosemary, basil, mint, and thyme — especially lemon thyme — could make lovely floral accents.  
Try a dollop of honey to balance the flavors and sweeten things up.

published


Lemon Vinaigrette




How to Store Leftovers
Place any leftover vinaigrette in a storage container or mason jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 14 days. If you’d like to make a double batch and freeze the vinaigrette, pour into empty ice cube trays and place in the freezer until frozen solid. Remove the frozen vinaigrette from the ice cube trays and place in freezer-safe resealable bags (label the outside of the bag so you know what’s inside). The frozen vinaigrette keeps for up to six months. 
Defrost the vinaigrette in the refrigerator or on the countertop. You can also use the frozen vinaigrette ice cubes to flavor soups, broths, or as a starter for a pan sauce. 
Nutritional Information
Serving: 2 Tbsp.
Calories: 151
Fat: 17 grams
Carbs: 1 gram
Protein: 0 grams
Nutrition info collected from Cronometer.
This delicious recipe was developed and photographed by Caitlin Fontana.



Choose (or make!) a coffee creamer without added seed oils to get the most health benefits out of your daily cup of joe.

13 Seed Oil-Free Coffee Creamer Alternatives

Article at a Glance
Most people like to add creamer to their coffee for flavor and to help balance out the bitter taste of black coffee.
Many conventional non-dairy coffee creamers contain hidden vegetable oils, added sugars, synthetic flavors and thickening agents which may undermine the research-backed health benefits of coffee.
Making coffee creamer at home is simple and easy, and allows you to control the ingredients you use.
In a pinch, reach for a store-bought coffee creamer made without seed oils.

Introduction
When consumed moderately (up to three to four standard cups per day), coffee itself is generally thought to be a healthy beverage, with a large body of research supporting its association with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, mood disorders and more [*]. 
Fresh, high-quality coffee prepared with care can often be extremely flavorful on its own. But if you’re like any of the 6 in 10 Americans who enjoys consuming at least one cup of coffee a day, you may also like your coffee with a bit of cream and sugar — or pumpkin spice [*,*]. Both liquid and powdered coffee creamers have been a supermarket mainstay for years, and come in a range of intriguing flavors. Unfortunately, most conventional coffee creamers also come with a questionable list of ingredients that may undermine most of coffee’s inherent health benefits.
5 Reasons to Avoid Most Coffee Creamers
Seed Oils
Have you noticed that most non-dairy coffee creamers often contain vegetable oils as a primary ingredient? Because non-dairy milk lacks the creaminess of dairy fat, manufacturers often turn to seed oils as an inexpensive plant-based alternative to replace the creamy mouthfeel of dairy fat. The seed oils commonly used as coffee creamer ingredients are soybean and sunflower oil which are primarily composed of the polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) omega-6 fat called linoleic acid. Excessive omega-6 intake has been linked with many chronic diseases related to the modern diet [*]. Coffee creamers are just one contributor to the rising rates of omega-6 overconsumption globally, and it’s about time we find a replacement.
Added Sugars
Beyond adding creaminess, most creamers are also designed to add sweetness to balance out the delightfully bitter notes of coffee. Many sweetened, flavored coffee creamers contain 4-5 grams of sugar — about a teaspoon of sugar — per tablespoon serving. Considering that most people are likely to use far more than one tablespoon per cup of coffee (and have more than one cup of coffee per day), sweetened coffee creamers can easily become a significant source of added sugars in your diet. 
The most recent consensus on dietary guidelines in the U.S. suggests that individuals ages 2 and older should keep total added sugar to less than 10% of total daily calories — about 12 teaspoons for someone who needs approximately 2,000 calories per day [*]. Surely, it may be possible to drink sweetened coffee and still achieve a healthy intake of added sugars; it just depends on what other foods you’re eating consistently and whether or not those foods are also a significant source of added sugars. Sticking with a lower sugar or sugar-free option leaves a lot more room in your day for other foods to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Natural and Artificial Flavors
Most coffee creamers are made without whole food ingredients like maple syrup, cocoa, or vanilla beans. Instead, manufacturers often rely on cheaper and more reliable flavorings to achieve their specific flavor profiles. Natural and artificial flavors are chemical compounds derived either directly from plants or animals (natural flavors) or reproduced in a lab (artificial flavors) [*]. 
Food scientists often combine many flavor compounds together, both natural and artificial, to achieve a desired taste sensation. Labeling laws, however, do not require manufacturers to list individual chemical compounds on their ingredient lists unless they are derived from a top food allergen like milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts or soy. So, as a consumer, it’s virtually impossible to know just what flavor compounds are in your food, or where they came from, which could be particularly concerning for those allergic to less-common allergens like sesame, banana, or cherries. 
In 2018, the FDA banned the use of seven synthetic flavor compounds based on evidence that they are carcinogenic to animals — but their natural counterparts are still in use [*,*]. The FDA generally considers natural and artificial flavors as safe to consume since they are mostly added to food in very small amounts, which is why they’re still plentiful in many packaged food products today. 
Added Thickeners
Like seed oils, manufacturers add gums and thickeners to non-dairy coffee creamer to increase creaminess and make up for the lack of dairy fat. Emulsifying agents like these help to keep the added oil from separating from other water-based ingredients, so you’re less likely to encounter them in a creamer made without added oil. While many added emulsifiers and thickeners are generally thought to be safe to consume in moderate amounts, certain ones, like carageenan, may lead to digestive inflammation and distress for some [*,*]. Scientists continue to explore the relationship between additive emulsifiers and gut health, and more research is likely needed before the FDA changes its stance on their safety [*,*]. 
Expense
Let’s not forget to mention that packaged coffee creamers also come at a cost to your wallet — from around $5 per bottle for conventional coffee creamers to upwards of $35 for specialty products. Your money may be better spent stocking a pantry full of wholesome ingredients you can use to make many more cups of coffee without inflammatory seed oils and other unwanted additives.
13 Healthy Coffee Creamer Alternatives 
Don’t worry — if you’re not up for the challenge of acquiring a taste for black coffee, or simply find yourself in the mood for a sweet and creamy coffee drink, you’re not completely out of luck. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite coffee creamer options that aren’t served with a side of vegetable oil or sketchy additives.
When you make food at home, you get to decide what you add and what you leave out. Making your own coffee creamer might seem a bit extra but we promise it’s worth it. All of these recipes are simple to throw together and require just a few staple pantry ingredients. Plus, you may even be able to sneak a few extra health benefits in that cup of joe, too.
Homemade Coffee Creamers
Vanilla Creamer
2 cups milk or non-dairy milk of choice
1 tbsp pure maple syrup (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Cultured Oil Coffee
8 oz. coffee
1 tbsp milk of choice
1 tbsp Cultured Oil
1 scoop protein powder of choice
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy.

Pumpkin Spice Creamer 
1.5 cups milk or non-dairy milk of choice
2 tbsp pumpkin puree
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or make your own by combining cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, allspice, and black pepper)
1-2 cinnamon sticks (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool in the pan before transferring to a jar and storing in the fridge or adding to coffee.

Homemade Powdered Creamer 
1 cup powdered milk
1 tablespoon coconut oil
½ cup powdered sugar (optional)
Pulse dry ingredients together in a blender or food processor until combined. Add coconut oil and blend for another 30 seconds. Store in an airtight container for up to a year!

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Creamer
1 cup milk of choice (or half and half for an extra creamy version)
2 tablespoons maple syrup or brown sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Once simmering, stir for one minute to allow flavors to meld and cocoa powder to emulsify. Remove from the heat and cool, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week.

Salted Caramel Creamer
1 can full-fat coconut milk
3 tablespoons coconut sugar
A pinch of sea salt
Combine coconut milk and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, to caramelize the sugar. Remove from heat and add a pinch of salt to taste. Let cool then transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for about a week.

Seed Oil-Free Coffee Creamers
Not all store-bought options are off the table when it comes to ingredients you can feel good about. Thankfully, there are some awesome brands out there creating delicious creamers without seed oils. When you’re in a pinch, look no further than these standouts:
Laird Superfood
Offering both powdered and liquid creamer options, Laird Superfood Creamers feature coconut and oat milk and offers a variety of sweetened and unsweetened flavors with no seed oil to be found.
Nut Pods 
Coconut and Almond-based creamers come in a variety of sweet and unsweetened flavors, though their sweetened varieties are still sugar free thanks to erythritol and stevia extract.
Malk 
non-dairy milks are made from almond or oat, and do not contain any added vegetable oils, thickeners or synthetic flavors. Try steaming the vanilla oat milk in your next homemade latte.
Vital Proteins Collagen Creamers
Vital Proteins Collagen Creamers feature 10 grams of collagen peptides and make for a creamy coffee thanks to powdered coconut milk without any added seed oils. Since it’s a dry powder, this is also a great shelf-stable option.
Emulsified MCT Oil 
MCT oil is a popular fat derived from coconut oil. When emulsified, it turns creamy without the use of seed oils or fillers and comes in a variety of creamy flavors. 
Coconut Milk Creamer
So Delicious Organic Coconut Creamer is unsweetened and is made without seed oils. This could be a great dairy-free alternative to half and half.
Chobani 
Milk-based creamers are a simple and flavorful oil-free option for those opting to stick with dairy and who are comfortable with a little cane sugar.
The Takeaway
Drinking black coffee isn’t the only way to harness the most of coffee’s suggested health benefits, and you don’t have to deny yourself the enjoyment of a sweet, creamy cup of coffee forever. Most conventional creamers contain ingredients like vegetable oils and other additives designed to mimic the effect of dairy fat, but thankfully these are no longer your only option. Whip up a homemade version of your favorite coffee flavor using ingredients you already have on hand, or try out Cultured Oil coffee for a tasty, monounsaturated-fat-packed delight.


This unique roasted beet dip with goat cheese and honey is quick to prep and boasts multiple layers of delicious flavor.

Roasted Beet Dip with Goat Cheese and Honey

Beets aren’t a “go-to” when you think of popular dips and spreads. Notorious for their gnarled, dirt-laden appears and earthy-sweet taste, beets are more popular as a chopped or shaved salad topping. But beets might just be the missing element at your holiday get-togethers and sports-centric gatherings.
Roasted beets add structure and balance to this creamy beet dip punctuated with tangy Greek yogurt, salty goat cheese, and warm honey. The startling hot pink color of the dip will attract all eyes at a party. If you buy already-roasted beets, you can dispense with making your cutting board and hands look like a crime scene and save time. Simply toss the ingredients into a food processor and whizz.
published


Roasted-Beet-Dip-8




Ingredients
6 beets, peeled and roasted*
1 tbsp. Cultured Oil
2 tbsp. Greek yogurt, plain, whole-milk
½ lemon, zest and juice
6 oz. soft goat cheese
1 tbsp. honey
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. salt

*We used Love Beets pre-roasted beets. If you’d like to roast the beets yourself, preheat the oven to 350ºF, peel the beets and slice them into quarters (tip: wear rubber gloves to avoid staining your hands). Place the beets in an oven-safe dish and toss with 1 tbsp. Cultured Oil and ½ tsp. salt. Roast for 50 minutes or until soft. Allow the beets to cool before making the dip.
Instructions
Prep time: 5–10 minutes
Cook time: 55 minutes (if roasting your own beets)
Add all ingredients to a food processor or high-speed blender. 
Pulse for 40–60 seconds until the goat cheese is well combined.

How to Serve Roasted Beet Dip
This dip shines brightest in a bowl with sugar snap peas, baby carrots, jicama sticks, bell pepper strips, or celery sticks. Use a sturdy pretzel stick, corn chip, cracker, or toasted pita wedge for scooping.
To make a more elegant bite, spread the dip on top of crostini and top with pan-seared mushrooms cooked in brandy and a healthy splash of cream. Spoon onto endive leaves and top with crisped cubes of pancetta and snipped chives. Spread onto cucumber rounds and top with caramelized onions and a bite of seared steak for fancy occasions.
More Variations for Your Roasted Beet Dip
There are plenty of ways to dress up your roasted beet dip for even more texture and varying flavors. 
Throw a head of garlic in with your roasting beets and add the umami-sweet garlic to your blender. 
Top with (more) crumbled goat cheese and chopped hazelnuts or roasted and shelled pumpkin seeds.
Add a swirl of fresh yogurt, sour cream or crème fraîche on top. 
Experiment with different fresh and fragrant chopped herbs like dill, thyme, or sage.
Sub Greek yogurt with crème fraîche for an even more decadent texture and taste. 

Ingredient Swaps That Work
Don’t do dairy? Switch the Greek yogurt and goat cheese for a vegan cheese made from nuts and a few splashes of full-fat coconut milk to get things whizzing in the food processor. 
Instead of beets, you could use roasted sweet potatoes (envision the sunset-like orange hue!), roasted pumpkin or kabocha squash, or any sort of cooked bean or lentil. The vegetable provides the substantial base upon which to build the flavors that will make the dip linger on your tongue for a bit. 
published


Roasted-Beet-Dip-ready-to-serve




How to Store Leftovers
Place any leftover dip in a storage container and store the dip in the refrigerator for up to three days. If you’d like to freeze the dip, place in an airtight container or freezer-safe resealable bag and store in the freezer for up to three months. 
Nutritional Information
Servings: 10
Calories: 88
Fat: 5 grams
Carbs: 7 grams
Protein: 4 grams
Nutrition info collected from Cronometer. 
This delicious recipe was developed and photographed by Courtney Paige.




This chunky guacamole combines Tex-Mex and Mediterranean flavors to steal the thunder from other dips. 

Chunky Guacamole with Feta

Part fresh, vibrant salad, part dip loaded with bite-sized vegetables, this chunky guacamole packs fresh, vibrant flavor in every bite. Tex-Mex-inspired ingredients like jalapeno, lime, fresh cilantro, chile pepper, and cumin collide with Mediterranean additions such as salty, briny feta cheese and the sweet burst of cherry tomatoes. 
Each fresh or dried flavor accentuates the strengths of the other: Lime and red wine vinegar add brightness and acidity to balance the palate-coating creaminess of the cubed avocado, feta crumbles, and Cultured Oil.
published


Avocado-Crack-Dip-14




The dip uses ready-made spice mixes from Trader Joe’s — either Everything But the Elote (a mix of dried chilies, parmesan cheese, and cumin) or Chile Lime (a blend of red bell and chili peppers plus citrus) — but you can make your own seasoning blend in a pinch. 
If you can find fresh avocados and cherry tomatoes year-round, this dip can act as the “vegetable” at your Game Day party or team sport tailgate. If not, tuck this one in your back pocket for the days when avocados are plentiful and you can find fresh limes aplenty.
Ingredients
2 large avocados
½ cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
¼ cup red onion, diced
1 small jalapeno
2 tbsp. cilantro
2 limes, juiced
1 ½ tbsp. Cultured Oil
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Everything But the Elote or Chili Lime seasoning*
½ cup feta cheese, crumbled

Note: We used Trader Joe’s seasoning blends (we tested both, and they’re both delish!). If you can’t find these seasoning blends, scroll to the section below titled Make Your Own Seasoning Blend.

Instructions
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Slice the avocados in half and remove the pits. Slide a spoon between the skin and the flesh of the avocado halves to detach the skin. Cut the avocado halves into cubes and place in a bowl.
Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters and place into the bowl with the avocado cubes.
Dice the red onion and jalapeno (leave the stem and seeds if you like spice; if not, remove them), and add them to the bowl.
Chop the fresh cilantro and sprinkle into the bowl.
In a mason jar or bowl, add the lime juice, Cultured Oil, vinegar, salt, and seasoning blend. Screw the top of the mason jar on top and shake to combine. If using a bowl, whisk the ingredients with a fork until combined. Pour the vinaigrette into the bowl with the other ingredients.
Sprinkle the feta cheese in the bowl. With a rubber spatula, carefully mix the ingredients together. Take care not to mash the avocado too much. 

How to Serve Chunky Guacamole Dip
Put a bowl of this in the middle of a big serving platter and pile up crudité, tortilla chips, toasted pita wedges, bagel chips, or plantain chips along the outer ring for a punchy spin on the chips-and-dip party fave.
Make your Chunky Guacamole Dip a side salad by adding diced roasted red bell peppers, fire-roasted corn, and cooked black beans. Serve it as an entree salad by tossing it with chopped romaine lettuce and strips of char-grilled chicken, steak, shrimp, or tofu. 
Use as an avocado salsa to spoon on top of tacos, fajitas, low-carb steak or pork lettuce wraps, or piled on top of quesadilla wedges. This also jazzes up everyday grilled or baked fish, chicken thighs, or pork loin when served as a side. 
published


Chunky Guacamole with Feta Dip Finished




Tips for Finding Ripe Avocados
We like hass avocados (black skin and emerald flesh) for this dip, but you can use any type you like as long as they’re ripe. An avocado is ripe when it’s slightly soft to the touch, but not mushy. You should be able to remove the stem easily when an avocado is at its peak. 
If you can’t find ripe avocados at the store, buy them underripe and place them in a brown bag with another piece of fruit. Fold the top of the brown bag to close the top. The gas the produce emits will encourage the avocado to ripen. Check the avocados each day to see if they’re ripe. 
Make Your Own Seasoning Blend
If you can’t find Trader Joe’s Everything But the Elote or Chili Lime seasoning blends, you can make your own. Store the seasoning blends in airtight glass containers or mini mason jars in a cool, dry place. Note: If the seasoning blend contains a perishable item, like cheese, keep it in the refrigerator. Label it with the date you made it; seasoning blends stay fresh for about six to eight months.
To make your own Everything But the Elote blend, combine: 
1 tsp. granulated sugar
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. finely grated parmesan cheese
¼ tsp. chipotle powder
¼ tsp. lime zest
⅛ tsp. dried cilantro
⅛ tsp. cumin powder

Combine all ingredients in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. 
To make your own Chile Lime blend, combine:
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. lime zest

Combine all ingredients in an airtight container and store in the pantry.
How to Store Leftovers
Place any leftover dip in a storage container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the dip. This will help prevent the avocado from turning brown. Secure the top of the storage container over the plastic wrap. Store the dip in the refrigerator for up to three days.
We don’t recommend freezing this dip. Defrosting the dip would add moisture that would make the dip a watery mess. 
Do I Have to Use All Fresh Ingredients?
We recommend using fresh produce, particularly avocados, onions, and tomatoes. In a pinch, you could substitute the fresh cilantro for 1 tsp. dried cilantro and use store-bought lime juice (you can usually find this in the produce or alcohol sections). 
You could also use canned chipotle chilis if you can’t find fresh jalapenos; chipotles are just smoked jalapenos that are canned in adobo sauce. Chop the chipotles like you would a fresh jalapeno. You might even find that you prefer the smoky layer of flavor.
published


Chunky-Guacamole-with-Feta




Nutritional Information
Servings: 10
Calories: 90
Fat: 8 grams
Carbs: 4 grams
Protein: 2 grams
Nutrition information includes 1 tsp. Trader Joe’s Everything But the Elote Seasoning blend. Nutrition info collected from Cronometer.
This delicious recipe was developed and photographed by Courtney Paige.


Sweet, roasted garlic mashed with fresh herbs and honey, then drizzled with deliciously clean oil. This dip is a year-round favorite.

Creamy Roasted Garlic Dip

Family-style, bountiful buffet, build-your-own-party-plate boards grab attention on social feeds and at events because we feast with our eyes first. Quintessentially classic charcuterie boards don’t fall out of style like the of-the-moment breakfast and butter boards do. This Creamy Roasted Garlic Dip competes for the spotlight on a charcuterie board and blows any herb- and spice-studded butter board away with its layers of flavor. 
It also stands alone as the centerpiece for game day snacking and shouting at the TV, or as a room temperature-friendly dip to tote to a potluck. 
The best part: You get caramelized, savory, mellow umami flavor from slicing the stems off two garlic bulbs and placing them into a hot oven to roast. The magic starts there and crescendos when you dump all of the ingredients into a food processor or high-speed blender and whizz until smooth. Effort is as minimal as dumping wings into the air fryer. 
published


Cream Cheese Garlic Dip




Ingredients
2 bulbs (or heads) garlic
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp. Cultured Oil, divided
1 ½ tsp. salt, divided
4-5 stalks fresh parsley
8 oz. cream cheese
½ lemon, juiced
½ tsp. black pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes
½ tbsp. Green Goddess seasoning*
1 tbsp. spicy honey, optional

*Note: We used Trader Joe’s Green Goddess Seasoning. If you can’t find this blend, you can combine any of the following spices you have on hand: granulated garlic, onion, salt, pepper, dried chives, dried parsley, spinach powder. 
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. 
Cut the top ½ inch or so of each garlic bulb off so the cloves are exposed (no need to peel). 
Place the two full bulbs of garlic on a small oven safe baking dish and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of Cultured Oil. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt. 
Bake for 25–30 minutes or until the garlic is golden brown and sizzling. 
Allow it to cool before handling. 
Use a knife or small spoon to lift the skin away from the edges of each glove. Pick up the bulb and squeeze it from the bottom up and the roasted gloves should slide right out. 
In a food processor or high-speed blender, combine parsley, cream cheese, ¼ cup cultured oil, lemon juice, all seasonings, roasted garlic, and spicy honey (if using). 
Blend on high until the cream cheese block is fully blended and mixture is smooth throughout. 
Remove the dip from the food processor with a rubber spatula and place into a serving dish. Garnish with the remaining 1 tablespoon of Cultured Oil.

Cook’s Tip: To make homemade crostini for the dip, leave the oven on, cut French bread into ½-inch thick pieces, drizzle with Cultured Oil, and any seasoning you like. Bake for 14 minutes, flipping halfway through.

How to Serve Creamy Roasted Garlic Dip
Plunk the dip into a serving bowl, dump into a hollowed-out sourdough boule, smear on crackers or crostini topped with sliced cherry tomatoes and snipped chives, or dollop on top of any soup. This versatile dip doubles as a spread, substitute for sour cream, or even as a sauce stirred into a hot skillet with bronzed chicken thighs and mushrooms. Mix it into hot pasta for a creamy alternative to alfredo. Other serving ideas:
Dip for chips, pita, veggies, crackers, crusty bread, or pretzels
Spread on a sandwich 
Swap it with the fig jam on your charcuterie board
Smear onto the inside flap of butterflied chicken breasts. Top with prosciutto and sliced creminis or baby spinach leaves, close the top of the chicken breasts and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. 

How to Customize Your Dip
Make it en fuego: Add your favorite hot sauce, chopped serrano peppers or arbol chilies, or stir in adobo sauce and diced chipotles
Add smoky flavor: Stir in crumbled crispy bacon bits, a few drops of liquid smoke, or pan-fried pancetta cubes
Add chewy sweetness: Chop sun-dried tomatoes and stir in
Switch up the cheese: Swap cream cheese for goat, ricotta, feta, or chevre
Go vegan: Use nut-based soft cheese or tofu cream cheese
Go green: Switch the chopped parsley for fresh thyme, rosemary, oregano, or basil 

Do I Need to Use Fresh Garlic?
Yes. The roasted garlic is the namesake of this dip and what gives it a smokey, sweet taste. Swap it with raw garlic or cooked (but not roasted) garlic and it’s just not the same. 
Do I Need to Use a Food Processor?
If you have a food processor, pull it out. The ease of this dip makes the clean-up effort worthwhile. A high-speed blender also works to create the smooth consistency you want. You just may need to scrape down the sides of the blender with a rubber spatula to ensure everything gets blended evenly.

Can I Make This Ahead of Time?
Absolutely. You can make the roasted garlic ahead of time, let it cool, and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2–3 days before you make the dip. You can also make the whole recipe ahead of time and store it in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
How Do I Store Leftovers?
While it’s highly unlikely that you’ll have leftovers after tasting this smooth, garlicky dip, you can store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. You can also store it in a freezer-safe bag or vessel and freeze for up to 3 months. 
Nutritional Information
Per serving: 2 tbsp.
Number of servings: about 15
Calories: 110
Total Fat: 11 grams
Sodium: 338 mg
Total Carbs: 3 grams
Protein: 1 grams
Nutritional information supplied from Cronometer. Nutritional info does not include optional 1 Tbsp. spicy honey. 
This delicious recipe was developed and photographed by Courtney Paige.


The smoke point of oil is the temperature at which it starts smoking. Choosing cooking oils with the right smoke points is crucial for cooking and for your health.

Cooking Oil Smoke Points: A Practical Guide for Cooks and Chefs

Article at a Glance
If your cooking oil smokes, it’s an indicator that your oil is getting too hot. 
Overheating cooking oils creates undesirable flavors and harmful byproducts.
If you're cooking at 350-400°F or higher, choose an oil with a high smoke point.
Along with smoke points, also consider thermal stability and fatty acid content when choosing oils.
Cooking oils high in polyunsaturated fats have the worst thermal stability as well as other downsides.

Introduction
You may have noticed that throwing some butter in a pan at high heat generates a different reaction than avocado oil. After a short time, it’s likely that the butter will start to smoke and turn brown, while avocado oil stays clear and won’t smoke until it sizzles for a few minutes.
The amount of heat it takes for a fat to smoke is called its smoke point, and every cooking oil and fat has a different range. Knowing the smoke point of an oil can make the difference between a perfectly cooked meal, and one that tastes burned and contains some harmful chemical byproducts. 
This article covers the smoke points of common cooking oils, why there’s so much incorrect data surrounding smoke points, and other science-backed information to help you choose the best cooking oil every time.
What Is Smoke Point?
An oil's smoke point is the temperature at which it begins to smoke visibly when heated. Chefs and home cooks often use smoke point information to determine whether a given cooking oil is appropriate for sauteing, pan-frying, or deep-frying foods.
In most cases, a smoke point represents the absolute upper limit of the usable temperature range of an oil. In other words, the smoke point of an oil is the maximum temperature, and you should avoid heating it past that point whenever possible.
If your cooking oil starts smoking, that's a sure sign that you're using too much heat. This can ruin the flavor of your favorite dishes and trigger the smoke alarm in your kitchen. But even worse — overheating certain oils can create harmful compounds in your food that can negatively affect your health [*].
Overheating certain oils can actually create byproducts such as acrylamides, toxic aldehydes, hydroxylinoleate, free radicals, and trans fats [*,*]. Another adverse effect of using too much heat is generating cooking oil fumes that can increase the risk of lung cancer [*].
But smoke points have several limitations when it comes to choosing the right oil for cooking. One significant issue is that some oils, especially those high in omega-6 polyunsaturated fats, are highly unstable and begin to break down well before they start smoking visibly. That means that some cooking oils can have relatively high smoke points but still aren't suitable for high-heat cooking.
Also, kitchens are uncontrolled environments, unlike laboratories. The smoke point of an oil is very much dependent on how you store your oil, and if the oil is subjected to heat, light, moisture, and many other environmental variables [*]. Therefore, compared to accurate smoke points measured by scientists, the results you experience in your kitchen can vary.
Factors That Affect Smoke Point
The smoke points of common dietary fats range from as low as 300°F all the way up to nearly 500°F. Factors that contribute to these differences include sedimentation (solids left over from processing) and free fatty acid (FFA) content [*]. An oil's thermal stability also affects flavor and other properties when the oil is heated [*].
Sediment refers to non-fat solids contained in cooking oil. Unrefined oils contain more sediment compared to refined oils. These solids begin to smoke at lower temperatures than pure fats or oils, and as a result, lower the smoke point of oils when present.
In other words, most unrefined or "virgin" oils aren't great choices for high-heat cooking. They smoke at lower temperatures than their refined counterparts.
Free fatty acid (FFA) content is another factor behind smoke points. Most fatty acids in cooking oils are in triglyceride form, but slowly break down into FFAs. FFAs in cooking oils are less stable than fatty acids in the triglyceride form, and also smoke at lower temperatures [*]. 
The FFA content of different oils increase when they are heated [*​​]. This is why reusing cooking oil is a bad idea. Each time you reheat it, the smoke point decreases and the oil becomes less heat-stable.
Storage is another factor that can affect FFA levels. Buying quality oil and storing it properly (out of direct light, at room temperature) keeps FFAs in check.
Why Most Smoke Point Data Is Wrong
This may be surprising if you regularly browse recipe websites that confidently throw smoke point figures around: most smoke points listed online are incorrect. And some of them are totally fabricated.
Many websites reference the Wikipedia "Smoke point" article, which has a large table listing several dozen oils with their smoke points:
The only problem? Most of the references used in the Wikipedia article aren't scientific sources, and many of their citations go to an article hosted on a website that isn't credible and doesn't cite any studies, either.
Other popular websites don't cite sources, either, and often even make up their own smoke points. As a result, most smoke point data on cooking and recipe websites is unreliable.
This article uses the best available information on smoke points from credible sources like Bailey's Industrial Oil and Fat Products, 6th ed. (2005) and other reference materials. These sources are generally expensive to access and don't tend to show up in search results.
Next, we'll cover why oil smoke point isn't the only factor to consider for high-heat cooking.
Smoke Point vs. Thermal Stability
Smoke point isn't the same thing as heat stability. While it may seem intuitively true that oils with higher smoke points should be better for high-heat cooking, this often isn't the case.
Thermal stability or heat stability is how slowly or quickly a cooking oil breaks down when heated [*]. And it doesn't relate directly to an oil's smoke point, but rather to the fatty acid composition of an oil.
Of the common types of fatty acids, saturated fats are the most heat-stable, followed by monounsaturated fats, while polyunsaturated fats are the least heat-stable [*].
For a simple illustration of how this works in the kitchen, we'll compare these popular cooking oils:
Extra virgin olive oil, predominantly monounsaturated fat (up to 83%), with a typical smoke point range of 350-406°F [*]
Soybean oil, predominantly polyunsaturated fat (55%), with a typical smoke point range of 400-450°F [*]

If you only looked at the smoke points, you might think that olive oil is a poor choice for high-heat cooking and soybean oil is a perfect high-heat choice, but that's actually not the case at all.
Olive oil is a perfect example of how you need more data besides smoke points to understand the thermal properties of cooking oils.
In reality, at typical high-heat cooking ranges of 350-400°F, olive oil is much more resilient than soybean oil. It's high in stable monounsaturated fats and polyphenol antioxidants (while soybean oil contains lots of unstable polyunsaturated fats that will break down easily) [*,*].
When you're choosing oils, be sure to keep in mind heat stability, not just smoke point. And remember to avoid seed oils high in unstable polyunsaturated fats.
How to Choose the Right Cooking Oils
When you're shopping for healthy cooking oils, keep these considerations in mind:
The temperature ranges you're using for cooking
The fatty acid content and health effects of each oil
The flavors and other culinary characteristics of oils

First, when you're cooking at relatively low temperatures — such as most baking and sauteing — you don't need to worry about heat stability. But if you're grilling, broiling, or deep-frying, you need an oil that can withstand temperatures of 400°F or higher.
Remember that smoke point is one factor to consider, but thermal stability is also important.
That brings us to fatty acid content: saturated fats are the most stable, monounsaturated fats are also stable for high-heat cooking, and polyunsaturated fats are the least stable.
Polyunsaturated fats are also inflammatory and may be associated with the rise in chronic illness. Minimizing your omega-6 linoleic acid intake is a wise health decision, and avoiding seed oils is one of the best ways to do this.
Finally, the type of oil you use can affect the taste of your dishes. Some fats like butter, lard, bacon fat, or olive oil have distinct flavors. While some dishes call for the flavor of bacon fat or the grassy taste of olive oil, other meals require something more flavor-neutral and you’ll want to choose accordingly.
Smoke Points of Popular Cooking Oils
published


The Smoke Point of Cooking Oils




Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Cooking Oil and Smoke Points
What Are High Smoke Point Cooking Oils?
The cooking oils with the highest smoke points are Cultured Oil (485°F) and avocado oil (up to 482°F), while olive oil (up to 406°F) is considered moderate. Other vegetable oils have moderate smoke points around 400 ºF or higher. These include olive, peanut, cottonseed, rice bran, corn, soybean, safflower, and grapeseed oil. Ghee or clarified butter, while not considered a cooking oil, clocks in with a smoke point of around 482°F.
Along with smoke points, the thermal stability of oils is also important for health and cooking safety. Avoiding seed oils high in polyunsaturated fats is an easy way to ensure your cooking oils have good thermal stability.
What Does a High Smoke Point Mean? 
A high smoke point means your cooking oil won't smoke at normal cooking temperatures. Any oil with a smoke point of 480°F or higher has a high smoke point. Oils with high smoke points and good thermal stability are excellent choices for high-heat cooking.
What Are Low Smoke Point Cooking Oils?
Cooking oils that smoke below 400 degrees Fahrenheit are low smoke point oils. Some oils with significant amounts of solid sediment (like butter or unrefined plant oils), or high free fatty acid content, have a low smoke point of around 300-400°F.
As long as you're not using high heat, there's nothing wrong with cooking with butter or unrefined oils. But if you are using high temperatures, use an oil with a smoke point of 400-450°F or higher (like Cultured Oil or refined avocado oil), and be sure you store it out of direct light and at room temperature to keep it from breaking down.
What Happens at the Smoke Point? 
The smoke point of cooking oil is the temperature at which oil begins to smoke visibly. In other words, when you hit the smoke point, your oil is burning! This is bad news for flavor — and also releases harmful byproducts into your food and the air during cooking.
Does Smoke Point Matter?
Yes, smoke point matters. But the smoke point doesn't tell the whole story when it comes to taste and health. You've also got to consider thermal stability (how stable a particular oil is when it's heated).
For example, olive oil has very good thermal stability, even though its maximum smoke point is around 406°F. That’s because it's high in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants [*,*]. On the other hand, soybean oil has a smoke point of up to 450°F but has poor thermal stability, making it an inferior choice for high-heat cooking [*].
What Is the Healthiest Oil to Cook With? 
For general-purpose cooking, you need an oil with a high smoke point and good thermal stability that's also low in polyunsaturated fats. Cultured Oil boasts a sky-high smoke point of 485°F and contains less than 3% linoleic acid. It also has a neutral taste so you can use it in pretty much everything. Other options include avocado oil, olive oil, and coconut oil. 
Does Olive Oil Have a High Smoke Point? 
Olive oil's smoke point ranges from 350-406°F depending on the batch, so it's not necessarily a high smoke point cooking oil. However, research shows that it's got good thermal stability. It's lower in linoleic acid, and high in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants, which makes it a much better choice than most vegetable oils [*,*].
According to the UC Davis Olive Oil Center, certain olive oils can have a smoke point as high as 464ºF, although most most sources cite lower ranges [*].
What Is the Best Oil for Deep Frying?
The best oils for deep frying include avocado oil, olive oil, and Cultured Oil. Solid fats like coconut oil, ghee, lard, and tallow may also work for deep frying. These cooking oils and fats have appropriately high smoke points, good or excellent thermal stability, and are low in inflammatory unhealthy omega-6 polyunsaturated fats.
What Oil Do Restaurants Use for Frying? 
Nearly all restaurants use seed oils like soybean oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, or corn oil for frying. They're the most popular choice because they're readily available, inexpensive, and neutral-tasting. Unfortunately, seed oils are also high in polyunsaturated linoleic acid, which is linked with health issues like obesity, heart disease, cancer, and more.
Is It Healthy to Reuse Frying Oil?
Reusing frying oil is a terrible idea, especially if you're cooking with unstable polyunsaturated fats. After just 30 minutes, toxic byproducts in omega-6 oils increase ten-fold as fatty acids break down [*]. Even worse, research shows that most restaurants reuse oil dozens or hundreds of times [*].
It might seem economical to reuse frying oil, but it's not worth the adverse health effects. If you enjoy fried foods, make them at home with appropriate frying oils instead of buying them at restaurants. 
The Takeaway
Smoke points are a helpful starting point, but they're far from the only factor to consider when you're selecting cooking oil. An oil's smoke point doesn't tell the full story.
In general, the best cooking oils contain relatively low amounts of sediment (leftover solids that smoke when heated) and low levels of unstable polyunsaturated fats.
To find the right oil for your recipe, consider the temperature range you'll be using so you can choose an oil with an appropriate smoke point and thermal stability. 
Seed oils high in polyunsaturated fats are unstable when heated. Even though several seed oils have smoke points of around 450°F, they're not suitable for use as cooking oils — the polyunsaturated fats break down and release harmful byproducts into foods and the air.
For high-heat cooking, always choose an oil with a smoke point of 480°F or higher and excellent thermal stability, like Cultured Oil.


Are fried foods inherently unhealthy? You can make fried foods healthier and tastier with these top best oils for frying.

Best Oils for Frying: Pros, Cons, Which to Avoid

Does the perfect cooking oil exist? Zero Acre oil is slow to oxidize and stable at high and low temperatures, making it the healthy, versatile option your kitchen needs.

Top 8 Ways to Use Zero Acre Oil

Article at a Glance
Cultured Oil is made by fermentation, which means it leaves a much smaller environmental footprint than any other cooking oil.
Cultured Oil contains over 90% monounsaturated fats and less than 4% polyunsaturated fats, with the lowest level of inflammatory omega-6 linoleic acid (less than 3%) of any liquid cooking oil.
Cultured Oil has a sky-high smoke point of 485ºF, making it an option for high-heat stir-frying and deep frying.
Cultured Oil remains liquid when refrigerated, which makes it ultra versatile.
Cultured Oil can even be used to replace melted butter and vegetable oils in baking.
With a neutral aromatic profile, Cultured Oil is ready to take on any flavor — from sweet, to savory, to spicy — without overwhelming your dish.

Introduction
Cultured Oil has officially entered the culinary scene — an all-purpose cooking oil made using the ancient art of fermentation — as opposed to pressing or chemically extracting oil from seeds and grains. Fermented oil may be new to your kitchen, but the fats it contains are the same ones you’ve been using your whole life (mostly monounsaturated fats — just like olive oil).
Still, you may be wondering how best to use it. With more versatility than any existing cooking fat, Cultured Oil will easily become your go-to for everything from whipping up a salad dressing, to making brownies or frying up some homemade french fries.
Cultured Oil can withstand high heat cooking without oxidizing as easily or introducing any off or rancid flavors. It remains liquid at room and refrigeration temperatures, and has a clean, neutral taste that easily takes on the flavor of whatever you’re cooking with. But before we get into how exactly you use Cultured Oil, what exactly is it?
What is Cultured Oil?
Cultured Oil is an all-purpose cooking oil made by fermentation — one of the oldest forms of culinary technology. Full of heart-healthy and heat-stable monounsaturated fat, Cultured Oil is the perfect replacement for destructive, inflammatory seed oils. 
And because it doesn’t rely on monocrop agricultural production, it promises to save millions of acres of land, fresh water, CO2 emissions and biodiversity if you swap it for comparably unsustainable cooking oils [*,*]. 
Not only is Cultured Oil better for the future of the planet, it’s bursting with even more healthy monounsaturated fats than olive oil and has one of the lowest levels of linoleic acid of all currently available liquid cooking oils [*].
Cultured Oil Benefits 
Cultured Oil is a liquid oil with an ultra-low concentration of inflammatory omega-6 fat, linoleic-acid — under 3%.
Cultured Oil is high in monounsaturated fats, boasting even more than olive oil and avocado oil.
Because it’s high in monounsaturated fats, Cultured Oil is more stable when exposed to heat than other vegetable and seed oils with higher polyunsaturated fat concentrations. 
Cultured Oil has one of the highest smoke points of all cooking oils available at 485ºF — only refined avocado oil has a comparably high smoke point. 
Cultured Oil has a clean, neutral taste, so it’s extremely versatile and can be used for just about anything.

published


Cultured Oil Benefits




8 Flavorful Ways to Use Cultured Oil 
Salad Dressings
Chef and food writer Samin Nosrat famously illustrated the essential components of a balanced salad dressing in her seminal cookbook, and later Netflix series, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. 
She writes, “The most important thing about any dressing is to strike a proper balance of salt, fat and acid.” Along with your favorite savory seasonings and citrus or vinegar of choice, Cultured Oil is here to take your homemade salad dressing to a new level.
Not only does oil in dressing contribute to a salad’s satisfying mouthfeel, it enhances your body’s ability to absorb the fat soluble vitamins and minerals (vitamins K, E, D, and A and various minerals like zinc and copper) that are already abundant in your colorful bowl [*]. 
Because of their high freezing points (the temperature where liquid turns to solid), salad dressings made with olive or avocado oil harden when stored in the refrigerator, making them difficult to use if you make a large batch in advance. Cultured Oil’s uniquely low freezing point allows home cooks and restaurant chefs to make, store, and use homemade dressing without any added frustration.
Make it: Samin Nosrat’s “Best Vinaigrette”
Adapted from: Sue Moran ℅ Samin Nosrat [*]
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients
1 shallot, peeled and minced finely
2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1 Tablespoon warm water
1 cup Cultured Oil
1-½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
1-½ teaspoons grainy mustard
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 clove garlic, grated
Coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions:
Rince the minced shallot under cold water in a fine mesh strainer. Let drain, and then put the shallot into a mason jar or small bowl. Add vinegar and warm water, and let sit for a few minutes to let the flavor mellow. Whisk in the oil, mustards, honey, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. Taste the dressing and adjust to your liking. 
Homemade Mayo
Most store-bought mayonnaise is made primarily with high linoleic acid seed oils like canola or soybean oils because of their neutral flavor profiles. While a tablespoon here and there might not seem like a big deal, too much omega-6 linoleic acid over time can add up in your body, contributing to issues like obesity, heart disease, and blood sugar imbalance. 
Luckily, you can easily whip up a fresh batch of mayo or aioli at home with Cultured Oil. And because of its neutral flavor profile, you won’t get the grassy, “green” flavor that comes with mayos made from olive or avocado oils. Check out the easy recipe below to use in sandwiches, salads, and more.
Make it: Homemade Mayo
Adapted from the New York Times [*]
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients:
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cold water
¾ cup Cultured Oil

Directions: 
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard, salt and 1 teaspoon cold water together until frothy. Starting drop by drop, slowly add the oil while whisking constantly. When the mayonnaise is thick and emulsified, you can add the remaining oil in a steady stream. 
Marinades 
Marinades are as important for flavoring as they are for tenderizing. Marinades are traditionally made with some combination of oil, acid, salt, and aromatics like herbs and spices. The salt and acid help to tenderize the proteins and connective tissue in meat, which is particularly helpful for tough cuts like flank steak or pork shoulder. 
Meanwhile, oils help to transfer fat-soluble flavors from the herbs and spices onto the surface of the protein. When herbs like oregano, rosemary, thyme and sage are used, marinades can also help reduce the formation of carcinogenic compounds like heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), in high heat grilling and broiling [*]. 
How long you let your food marinate depends on how much tenderizing it needs — fish and vegetarian proteins like tofu need just a few minutes of marinating, while a pork tenderloin can marinate in the fridge for 24 hours. 
Cultured Oil is perfect for marinades because it will remain liquid at room temperature and in the fridge, allowing the marinade to do its job whether that takes 15 minutes or the whole day. 
And because Cultured Oil has over 90% monounsaturated fat, and less than 4% polyunsaturated fat, it is resistant to oxidation and won’t produce harmful byproducts when cooked at high temperatures, as marinated foods often are. 
Make it: Herb and Garlic Marinade
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living [*]
Yield: ¾ Cup
Ingredients:
⅓ cup Cultured Oil
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup chopped fresh herbs (mixture of oregano, thyme, parsley, basil, sage, rosemary, etc.)
2 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Whisk ingredients together in a non-reactive bowl (ceramic, glass or stainless steel). Immerse protein of choice in the marinade and ensure that all surfaces are covered. Place marinated protein along with remaining marinade in a dish or bag with an airtight seal, and refrigerate according to marinating times below prior to cooking.
Marinating times:
Shellfish: 20 minutes
Cheese, tofu, and vegetables: 30 minutes
Thin and flaky fish filets: 30 minutes
Thick and fatty fish filets: 1 hour
Beef, chicken, game, lamb, and pork: 6 to 24 hours

published


marinating times of different foods




Baking
While Cultured Oil is not a one-to-one replacement for lard, butter, or tallow, which are animal fats that are solid at room temperature and often used in baking, it still deserves a place in your baking cabinet.
Contrary to what you might believe, oil can be just as much of a workhorse as butter in your baking recipes, and, as featured in the Washington Post, actually leads to baked goods that are more moist, tender, and long-lasting than their butter-based counterparts [*]. 
Using oil instead of butter leads to more tender cakes, quickbreads, and brownies because the dough is less likely to be overmixed, which contributes to gluten formation — the protein in wheat, rye and barley that gives bread its signature chewy texture. Oil is also 100% fat, whereas butter contains about 20% water that interacts with the gluten protein and increases the chewiness factor of the end product.
You can substitute Cultured Oil for any baked good recipe that calls for melted butter by using about ¾ of the recommended amount, since butter is only 80% fat. Cultured Oil is also an easy one-to-one replacement for vegetable oil in recipes that call for it, like brownies. 
Make it: “Katherine Hepburn Brownies”
Adapted from Epicurious [*]
Yield: 12 Brownies
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons Cultured Oil
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:
Melt chocolate with Cultured Oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Once fully melted, take off the heat and set aside. Add sugar to a medium bowl. Add eggs and vanilla extract to the bowl with the sugar, and beat with an electric mixer or whisk. Add melted chocolate and oil mixture to the bowl. Next, add the flour, salt, and walnuts (if using) and stir until everything is combined. Add the batter to a prepared 8” baking dish and bake at 325°F for about 40 minutes.
Grilling
Aside from campfire cooking, grilling is the closest we get to the traditional method of cooking over an open flame, where the high heat of the grill sears and caramelizes the outer layer of meat, seafood, and vegetables, imparting its signature “char.” In order to grill healthfully, without increasing the formation of harmful oxidative byproducts, you need a cooking oil built to withstand the high temperatures of the flame. 
Because Cultured Oil has a sky-high smoke point of 485ºF, and contains up to 10 times less polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) than olive oil, avocado oil, and canola oil and 20-40 times less than other seed oils, it’s far less likely to break down or oxidize at high temperatures. That means you’ll actually reap the benefits of the oil when you enjoy your dinner from the grill, instead of consuming unwanted toxic aldehydes and burnt byproducts. 
Finishing
Finishing a dish with a drizzle of oil provides a photo-worthy shine and mouth watering flavor. Part of the reason fat makes food taste good is that it helps bind flavor compounds to your taste buds and distributes that flavor throughout your mouth when you chew. To liven up the flavor of a bowl of soup, a dish of hummus, or a pile of veggies, drizzle a small amount of oil on top. 
If you’re looking to pack even more wow factor, consider flavoring your finishing oil with garlic or toasted spices. Exposing spices to heat and oil unlocks the flavor — this is known as “blooming” — and infuses it into the oil. Experts recommend using an oil with a high smoke point for blooming spices, so Cultured Oil is a perfect fit.
Make it: Garlic-Infused Cultured Oil
Yield: ½ Cup
Ingredients:
½ cup Cultured Oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled

Directions:
In a small saucepan, gently heat oil and garlic together on low. Watch carefully to ensure the garlic cloves do not burn. Simmer gently on low for 30-35 minutes until the garlic is light golden and soft. Remove from the heat and gently smash the garlic cloves with the back of a wooden spoon. Let the smashed garlic and oil infuse together as they cool for another 30 minutes. Strain the garlic from the oil using a fine mesh strainer. Drizzle on everything from hummus to popcorn. 
Stir-Frying
Stir-Frying is a traditional Chinese method of cooking that features the use of a Wok, whose unique shape contributes different heat “zones” in the pan that helps to cook food quickly as it is tossed, or stirred, around. Without the Wok, a shallow frying pan will heat to a relatively uniformly high temperature, which is helpful for forming a crust or sear on meat, fish, or vegetables.
Use Cultured Oil instead of canola, peanut, or vegetable oil when stir-frying to amp up the monounsaturated fat content of your dish while retaining a neutral flavor that won’t compete with whatever sauce you choose to add down the line, and without smoking up your kitchen. 
As pointed out earlier, Cultured Oil is unique in its resistance to oxidation when exposed to heat compared to other cooking oils. In a third party test, Cultured Oil was the only cooking oil studied to show zero measurable PUFA-derived aldehyde formation after 10 minutes of cooking — the typical amount of time you’re likely to stir-fry [*]. 
Deep Frying 
Equal parts luxurious and nostalgic, deep fried foods are irresistable and impossible to replace. Deep fried foods get a bad rep in the health space, but it turns out they don’t necessarily have to be bad for you. 
A lot of the fear of deep fried foods lingers from our cultural fear of fat that spurred out of early cardiovascular research, which has since become a lot more nuanced (sparknotes: the type of fat matters a lot more than the amount of fat, and fat is a crucially important part of a balanced diet!). 
While it’s true that research has linked consumption of deep fried foods with increased risk for disease, it’s not simply because deep fried foods are high in fat — it’s because of the type of fat used in the cooking [*]. 
For one thing, deep fried foods aren’t necessarily higher in fat or calories than pan-fried foods, and the amount of fat absorbed in cooking has a lot to do with the moisture content of the food being cooked — high moisture content leads to high fat absorption both in the pan and in the fryer [*]. 
What’s more, a telling cohort study in Spain found no association between fried food intake and all-cause mortality. Researchers of the study concluded this likely had to do with the use of high monounsaturated fat oils like olive oil in cooking, suggesting that the health effects of deep fried foods have more to do with the type of oil used than the deep frying itself [*]. 
Deep frying cooks food at temperatures between 350-375°F. Many industrial and restaurant kitchens reuse oil after heating, repeatedly increasing exposure to oxygen and water which increases the amount of oxidation over time. Vegetable oils that are high in PUFAs are most likely to oxidize, while Cultured Oil, which contains less than 4% PUFAs, is 3-4 fold more stable and will not produce trans-fatty acids at frying temperatures [*]. So, if you want healthier fried foods — definitely choose Cultured Oil.
Make it: Homemade Potato Chips
Adapted from Taste of Home [*]
Ingredients:
7 unpeeled medium potatoes (about 2 pounds)
2 quarts ice water
5 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1½ teaspoons celery salt
1½ teaspoons pepper
Cultured Oil for deep frying

Directions:  
Using a vegetable peeler or mandolin, cut potatoes into very thin slices. Place slices in a large bowl with ice, water and salt. Soak for 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes and pat dry on towels. In a small bowl, combine the spices and set aside. In a heavy skillet, heat 1-½ inches of oil to 375°F. Fry potatoes in batches until golden brown, 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain oil on paper towels. Immediately sprinkle with seasoning mixture.
published


How to Use Cultured Oil




The Takeaway
Though Cultured Oil is new to the scene, it’s here to become a mainstay in the kitchens of home cooks and restaurants alike. The versatility of a high-heat, neutral oil that resists oxidation and remains liquid at refrigeration temperatures just about does it all. You can clean out your pantry to make room for the one oil you’ll be able to use for any purpose, knowing that you’re also leaving a smaller trace on the planet.


To understand how the magic of fermentation is used to produce bread, beer, cheese, and Zero Acre oil, it's helpful to first understand what fermentation is.

How Zero Acre Oil is Made

Highlights
Fermentation has been used for thousands of years to transform one type of food into another — it’s the oldest culinary art after fire.
Today, an estimated one-third of all foods we eat are fermented.
Just as there are microbial cultures that make bread, beer, cheese, yogurt, and kombucha, there are also cultures that make oil.
Fermentation can be used not only to create some of the healthiest and most delicious foods on the planet but also to make them more sustainable. 

Introduction
Humans have used the culinary art of fermentation for thousands of years to transform one type of food into another. In fact, fermentation is the oldest culinary tradition after fire. By marrying food with microorganisms, fermentation is what makes some of our favorite foods and drinks possible, including bread, beer, cheese, yogurt, wine, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, coffee, and even chocolate.
Fermentation is also the process that makes Cultured Oil possible. 
To understand how the magic of fermentation is used to produce bread, beer, cheese, and Cultured Oil, it's helpful to first understand what fermentation is.
What is Fermentation?
published


Cultures Create Our Favorite Foods




Fermentation describes the process of microbial communities, or "cultures," converting natural sugars like those found in wheat, barley, milk, and grapes into entirely new foods like bread, beer, yogurt, and wine. The microorganisms that make up a culture include bacteria, microalgae, yeast, and other fungi.
Fermentation is a natural process that humans have harnessed for millennia to create a number of the foods and drinks we love today.
Let’s look at a few examples.
Bread
Sourdough is one of the oldest forms of grain fermentation, wherein live cultures transform the sugars in wheat flour into carbon dioxide gas. The carbon dioxide causes the bread to rise, and chains of gluten (a wheat protein) hold the gas in, creating those tiny holes that form sourdough's airy texture. Other microorganisms in the culture also feed on the wheat sugars to produce lactic acid — putting the "sour" into sourdough.
Sourdough cultures, called “starters” or “starter cultures,” are so prized for their unique microbial cultures that they’re often kept alive to use over and over in different batches of bread and are even passed down between family members.
Beer
From the lightest lager to the funkiest sour, every beer is fermented, and every fermentation starts with a microbial culture. In the case of beer, microorganisms feed on the sugars in malted barley — a grain that looks a lot like wheat — and convert (ferment) those sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. 
The alcohol, of course, is the main attraction of beer, and the carbon dioxide gas gives beer its subtle carbonation.
Before fermentation, hops (flowers of the hop plant and a member of the hemp family) are added to the malted barley. Hops contain acids and oils that give beer its bitterness, aroma, and distinctive flavor.
published


How beer is made




Cheese
Like many fermented foods, cheese was created out of a necessity to preserve milk for long periods of time before the advent of refrigeration. 
Unlike bread and beer, which are products of fermented plant sugars, cheese is a product of fermented animal sugars — those naturally present in the milk of cows, goats, and sheep.
In the cheesemaking process, live cultures ferment milk sugars (lactose) to produce lactic acid. The longer the fermentation, the less sugar remains. For instance, soft cheeses like mozzarella and brie result from relatively short fermentation periods of only a few days and still contain unfermented lactose. 
Many hard cheeses, on the other hand, ferment for months. During that time, microorganisms in the cheese continue to ferment the milk sugars, and by the time a hard cheese like cheddar or Parmesan is ready to eat, there’s hardly any lactose remaining at all.
published


How cheese is made




Yogurt
Yogurt is another popular dairy product made possible by fermentation, and the basic process of making yogurt hasn’t changed much in 10,000 years. 
To make yogurt, a starter culture is added to milk, and after a few hours or days, microorganisms in the culture ferment the milk sugar to form lactic acid, which gives yogurt its signature tang. Once the fermenting milk becomes sufficiently acidic, casein proteins begin to clump together, thickening the now tangy milk into a substance we call yogurt.
published


How Yogurt is Made




Kombucha, Wine, Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Pickles, Tempeh, Ketchup, Coffee, Chocolate, and Cows…
Bread, beer, cheese, and yogurt are just the tip of the fermentation iceberg. Hundreds of other foods have fermentation to thank for their unique properties.
Fermentation has been used since antiquity to create desirable flavors, naturally preserve foods, and transform sugary plants into prized health foods like kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, and dark chocolate.
Kombucha, for example, is the result of mixing sugar, black tea, and a starter culture, also known as a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast). After a couple of weeks, the culture ferments nearly all of the sugar into acetic acid (vinegar), a tiny amount of alcohol, and carbon dioxide to create a slightly acidic, sweet, and bubbly beverage.
Fermentation is also the secret ingredient behind one of the world’s most beloved foods: chocolate. In one of the first steps in chocolate making, microorganisms ferment and transform bitter, otherwise tasteless cacao seeds into the rich flavors we associate with chocolate [*].
published

How Chocolate is Made

Mammals even have fermentation to thank for the ability to transform certain sugars, carbohydrates, and fibers into digestible nutrients.
When ruminant animals such as cows, goats, and sheep consume plants (typically grasses), the microbial cultures in their guts (aka, the gut microbiome) break down the plant sugars and fibers via fermentation. 
So, fermentation is not only responsible for the culturing of milk into yogurt, cheese, and other fermented dairy products; it's also the first step in transforming grass into what eventually becomes milk.
Even closer to home, fermentation in our bodies is the reason that fiber is typically considered an important part of a healthy diet. Microorganisms in the human digestive tract ferment dietary fiber into a variety of outputs, including short-chain fatty acids that nourish our guts and have been associated with a number of health benefits, from immune function to mental health.
Cultured Oil
Just as there are microbial cultures that make bread, beer, cheese, yogurt, and kombucha, there are also cultures that make oil.
Instead of producing the carbon dioxide that leavens bread and carbonates beer, or the lactic acid that gives sourdough and yogurt their distinctive tang, an oil culture ferments natural sugars into healthy fats.
Ten thousand years ago, there wasn’t a name for the thick, tangy culture of milk we now call yogurt or the alcoholic byproduct of fermented barley and hops we now call beer. Similarly, until now, there wasn’t a name to describe the product of a fermented oil culture, so we came up with the most straightforward name we could think of: Cultured Oil.
Just like our other favorite fermented foods, Cultured Oil is made by feeding natural sugars to a culture and letting the magic happen. Here’s how it works:
It all starts with an oil culture (a community of microorganisms cultivated specifically for making healthy fats).
Next, the culture is fed sugar from non-GMO, perennial sugarcane.
Over the course of a few days, microorganisms in the culture convert (or ferment) this sugar into oils or fats. Some oil cultures produce more liquid oils, while others produce more solid fats.
To harvest, the culture is pressed and the oil is released.
Finally, the pressed oil is separated and filtered, resulting in Cultured Oil.

While the first food fermentations thousands of years ago were probably accidental — one of our ancient ancestors leaving wet honey out until it produced alcoholic mead, or leaving grapes and water in a bucket until it created wine — as time has progressed, fermentation has become more and more intentional. 
Today, we can harness the magic of fermentation to not only create some of the healthiest and most delicious foods on the planet, but also to make them more sustainable. 
For instance, Cultured Oil boasts even more heart-healthy monounsaturated fats than olive oil, and is low in inflammatory omega-6 linoleic acid. And by replacing just 5% of destructive vegetable oil with Cultured Oil in the U.S. alone, we would:
Save 3.1 million acres of land every year
Save 56.9 billion gallons of fresh water every year
Avoid 3.6 million tons of CO2 emissions every year
Preserve 5.1 billion square feet of biodiverse rainforest every year

Fermentation dates back well over 10,000 years. Today, an estimated one-third of all foods we eat are fermented [*], and populations around the globe rely on the microbial cultures that make fermentation possible. It’s no coincidence that the word “culture,” used to describe “the manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively,” is the same word used to describe communities of microorganisms that give us some of our favorite foods.
Like a company culture, organizational culture, or societal culture, the cultures that enable fermentation bring us together through breaking bread, cheers-ing beers, fondue-ing cheese, sharing chocolates, and now, through drizzling, sizzling, dressing, and searing our favorite foods with Cultured Oil.
Watch our video to learn more about how Cultured Oil is made.



Sourdough Bread



Fermentation 101: How Zero Acre oil is Made

Replacing vegetable oils in your recipes is easy. They’re really nothing special when it comes to cooking, and they’re also linked to health and environmental issues.