The green olives with the pimentos inside.

According to the label, they're zero carbs, 25 calories per 4 olives and a good deal of that is fat. (the good fat I presume)

My question is, are olives a good thing to eat for snacks instead of nuts? (I LOVE olives). I've never seen them specifically mentioned for this purpose, so I thought I'd ask in case there was something about them that I don't know.

Hi Raven,

I love olives too!

They're not zeor carb though, but not that high either. The lable was probably rounding up a small serving, but for a 100 gram serving, there's 5-6 grams of carbs depending on the type of olives, and they have considerable amount of fiber!

http://www.lowcarb.ca/low-carb-tool...ml?item_id=9193

Wa'il

According to my Netzer, olives have 1 g of carbs for 5 olives and 2.5g fat and 25 calories. So depending on how many you eat in one sitting, I think it's probably a good choice for a change from nuts.
I LOVE green olives, BTW. DH can't stand them, so I get the whole bottle for me. My kitties love the juice from the bottle, too.
HTH!
Michelle

Olive are good: good fats. An even better thing are green olives with anchovies inside. Even people who like neither green olives not anchovies like them because the saltiness of the anchovies counterbalance the acidity of the green olives while the oil and acidity in the green olives counterbalance the saltiness of the anchovies: they eat them… ravenously! Anchovies are good too for your omega-3. Don’t forsake the nuts though. They have their own load of good things. Variety is best!

You can also get olives stuffed with almonds or jalepenos. Great to nibble on with a piece of cheese. But like BillT, the anchovy ones are my favourite.

Karen

Thanks for the replies.

I see the good ole' USA regulations allow them to say zero carbs on the label since it's less than 1. But still, 5 olives is less carbs than 5 macadamia nuts. I usually pick out 10 and put them in a bowl so I won't go overboard eating from the jar.

Thanks much!! I can eat my olives without guilt now, woohoo!

Where does one find anchovy stuffed olives if there is no Trader Joes in sight? Whole Foods, maybe??

A terrific thing to do with plain green olives is to marinate as in North-Africa: I blanch 2 or 3 sliced chilies and 2 or 3 lightly crushed garlic cloves. I place them in a parboiled and air-dried canning jar before adding 1 teaspoon drained green peppercorns, 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, 2 bay leaves and bits of preserved lemon (or substitute blanched lemon slices). Add the green olives to the jar and Fill with to cover with extra-virgin olive oil. Leave to marinate in a cool and dry place 2 weeks, turning the jar occasionally. Those olives can be served as an appetizer, as part of a selection of mezzes or as a to kill for low-carb snack.
Well, I know that Smart & Final carries them (Roland brand) but there’s no Smart & Final in New Mexico. But I have seen it at CostPlus too though…

Hey BillT-

Mezzes..... I LOVE those!!! Have you ever tried to do a traditional with with the supposed 50 dishes? or is it supposed to be 100??

Could you make your own anchovie olives? A Singaporean friend of mine brings dried anchovies that are just delicious!! I usually just fry them up until brown and sprinkle on just about anything. I suppose you could just eat them together? I will try that. I don't really care for the green olives, but friends have told me to just perservere and then I will be hooked.

Lorrie

Ia salaam! La, ia habibti! 100 is too much work, even for me! Besides, the Arabian influences on my cuisine are more from the Maghrib than from the Mashrik altough I like baba ghanouj, etc. Madjboos however, will never come even close to couscous!
As for making your own olives with anchovies, sure, why not? If you don’t mind the work, it’s just a rolled anchovy inside a pitted green olive after all! There’s a Spanish tapa that adds a little sophistication:

Aceitunas Rellenas
Ingredients: 1 7 1/2 oz can pitted olives, 1 3/4 oz can anchovy fillets, 1 can pimentos, 1 clove garlic, 1/3 cup wine vinegar 1 tablespoon olive oil, oil from the anchovies.
Cut the anchovy fillets in small pieces. Drain the olives and stuff them with the anchovy fillets. Chop the pimentos and mince the garlic. Combine the chopped pimentos, the minced garlic, the vinegar and the oils and pour over the olives. Marinate overnight.

Hiyah, Raven. I've moved the olive epic to the Low Carb Kitchen

And ..... I have a question. I've never been an olive fan... I tried one a few weeks ago and surprize surprize it wasnt as bad as I remembered. I imagine its an acquired taste. Are black olives similar in taste and texture to the green ones?

Nat

Yippee. Thanks Raven for asking this question. I was just wondering what would be a good snack ... besides the cheese and nuts which are my favourite. Came here ... found the answer.

I love olives but was a bit wary of them. Well now I will eat them more often - with anchovies sometimes. Love Bill's recipe for marinating them too.
Take care.

Heya Nat. The black olives taste different from the green ones to me. They're not quite as spicy or tangy, I guess is how you'd put it. They're still pretty good though.

In that case I think they're just right for me I will give them a try in the next few days. I'm feeling so adventerous. First Olives, then avocados, now black olives.... salmon cant be far behind (shudder!)

N