Sometimes a girl just needs olives. When I was a kid I would stick ’em on my fingers and wave them in peoples faces and be annoying … and then totally eat them, plus going back for more. Black olives are addicting, and so easy because all you need to do with them is drain the can and start eating. But sometimes you wanna get creative and do something different then just eating them off your fingers. Something crazy and fun. Like stuffing them. That may not sound crazy, because I love stuffing veggies – especially zucchinis. But have you ever tried stuffing an olive? Have you seen the size of the whole to press stuff into? It’s a little crazy. I hope you enjoy these vegan and gluten-free Savory Stuffed Olives.

“I received free samples of California Ripe Olives mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by California Ripe Olives and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.”

Those two free cans of yummy black olives? It was all I could do not to eat them straight from the can when they showed up! Did you know that olives are actually healthy? This may sound dumb, but I always thought they were just a fattening little side-thing to have at BBQ’s; but no, they are full of vitamin E (.25 mg per serving), iron (.49 mg per serving), vitamin A (60 IU per serving), and fiber (.5 grams per serving) and healthy fats. And seeing that olives are pretty prevalent in a Mediterranean diet I knew this recipe was going to be super healthy. And fun. I didn’t want to go classic with a Greek recipe, since most Greek recipes I see have either meat or feta. I’ve only done one Greek recipe and it turned out great, but I wanted different. Cooky even. Something that you can make that you might serve at parties … maybe a Labor Day? They are awesome as little appetizers and the stuffing will go far since you use so little in the olives. And how about using them for Halloween parties? Cause stuffed olives? They kinda look like eyeballs all lined up. How fun right? I thought stuffing them were going to be a hassle, but they were a little calming. Just standing there and gently pressing teeny bits of stuff into the olives you have to concentrate to not break them, you kinda get lost in your head for a bit. It was nice.

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But back to the olives and stuffing. Since the only things I have ever stuffed before were zucchini’s I wanted to make a different type of stuffing. I had to use my fave veg – the mushroom. I was thinking about stuffed mushrooms and how I’ve always been too intimidated to make them … silly, since I was fine stuffing an olive. But since I haven’t done the mushroom yet I figured I would use that for the base. Add a small shallot, some garlic, and ground almonds? Oh. Yum. I thought plain ole olives were addicting? Try them stuffed with savory stuffing! They are even better after stuffing and then letting them sit in the fridge to get the flavors all melded together – they taste amazing the next day. They are the perfect appetizer since you can make everything ahead of time and stash in the fridge. Easiest appetizer to put together. Drain and rinse olives then set aside to dry. Roughly chop the mushrooms, shallot, and garlic and saute with a little olive oil and black pepper until softened and browned. Grind up the almonds then add the sauteed veggies and process until smoothish. Use a 1/2 teaspoon to gently press stuffing into olives. Done and enjoy!

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Savory Stuffed Olives,

1 Can California Ripe Olives, drained, rinsed, and air-dried
1 Shallot, sliced
3 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1 C Button Mushrooms, chopped
1/8 Tsp Black Pepper
1/4 C Raw Almonds

1. Drain, rinse, and air dry olives.
2. Chop shallot, garlic, and mushrooms then saute with a little olive oil and the pepper until browned.
3. Dump almonds in a small food processor and grind into bits.
4. Add in sauteed veggies and process until smoothish.
5. Using a 1/2 teaspoon, gently squish veggie mix into olives.
6. Let sit a few hours in fridge.
7. Enjoy!