Vegan olive tapenade


If I remember correctly, then exactly today ten years ago, I ditched meat. Happy veganniversary to me! A decade? It has gone by super quick. At first, I was really missing some good sandwich spreads. I was in high school and really needed some simple lunch recipes to grab with me. One of my early favorites was this mushroom spread that I still love. Then I tried different tofu products. They weren't that fabulous at first, to say the least. But they were still exciting, since I was 100% sure that I didn't want to eat animals anymore. I still remember that tofu and tomato sandwich that quickly got sodden during a long school day. Now we have so many vegan options at the store and many of them are great. But store-bought sandwich spreads are also pretty expensive, so I love to make my own. For example, this simple lentil and onion sandwich spread is divine, very filling and affordable!

But my latest favorite is this simple yet delicious olive tapenade. I've made it many times now. It's savory and tangy and just perfect on a fresh bread. My father-in-law also loved it and snacked on it with red wine. This olive spread is an amazing party appetizer but also a great and quick work week snack. I even added a couple of tablespoons of tapenade to this warming mushroom solyanka. I bet it's also great in burgers and wraps. When I made my first batch, I thought it was good, but something was missing. I decided to add a few tablespoons of tomato sauce and it gave this spread a wonderful umami taste. You can also experiment with sun-dried tomatoes and capers. Enjoy!


Preparation time: 5 minutes

Serves: a medium bowl, 4 people

  • 2 ¼ cup / 300 g black pitted olives
  • 2 Tbsp thinly chopped (red) onion
  • 3 Tbsp tomato sauce
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

Blend the olives into a paste. I used an immersion blender. Add chopped onion, tomato sauce and black pepper. Mix well. If the olives are salty enough, you don't need to add any salt. Serve on a fresh bread along with onion slices, fresh parsley or basil and some extra virgin olive oil, if you want.