I have random moments of culinary curiosity. A few weeks ago while I was working on an article for Tom’s of Maine about quinoa, a nutritionist explained to me that she’s been drizzling algae oil on the cooked grain.
What? Algae oil? That’s a thing?
So, of course I asked her more and learned that it’s a new type of heart-healthy cooking oil that’s been mentioned by Oprah and Forbes. She sent me a bottle of Thrive, a culinary algae oil from California, that only has .5 grams of saturated fat per serving. Wow! Plus, it’s a good source of monounsaturated fat, like what you find in avocados. It has a high smoke point, which means you can use it to roast, sear, fry, bake or do pretty much anything up to 485 degrees Fahrenheit.
I have to be honest, when I first opened the bottle I had my fingers crossed. If it even remotely had a stagnant algae-covered pond scent, I wasn’t going to touch it.
Thankfully, the oil is very neutral, with no odors and really, not much flavor.
Over the last few days I’ve been drizzling it on asparagus, potatoes and even tofu to see how it handles roasting and sautéing. I love it! It gently browns my veggies, giving them a delicate crisp finish.
I’ve also learned that algae oil is an environmentally friendly product. It’s a sustainable resource that requires less land and water to create than some other cooking oils. Neat!
Have you ever tried algae oil? What’s your favorite cooking oil? Tell me in the comments below.
Until next time,
Choose healthy!
Angela
Disclosure: The Thrive culinary algae oil mentioned in this blog post was provided free of charge for review purposes. All thoughts expressed on Cupcakes and Yoga Pants are my own. ~Angela
