Almond Oil Anyone?

My current obsession in culinary experimentation is salad dressing to complement different kinds of salad creations I've been inventing.  I started with the basic balsamic dressing using good balsamic and good olive oil.  Then I moved on to the simple vinaigrette using any kind of vinegar and the good olive oil.  Recently I ventured out to try out some of the fancier, gourmet oils found in specialty stores to see if it makes a difference in the overall taste of the dressing and thus the salad.  I recently discovered an amazing product and I thought I'd let my friends in on the info!

This week, I experimented with Almond Oil.  I have always loved the health benefits of almonds (ie. lowers bad cholesterol levels, increases heart health, curbs appetite, full of anti-aging antioxidants, and etc.) but always hated eating the nuts because of the hard texture that always seemed to mess up my food texture experience.  I've been really troubled by this dilemma.  I didn't want to believe that I would have to give up on the idea of getting all these benefits just because I had an aversion to the texture of almonds.  So, I decided to break it down to the biochemical level of things (being that I am a science nerd) in order to figure out a suitable solution to my problem...and it came to me!  The health benefits come mostly from the OILS of a nut.  Hence, a person like me, who hates the hard and crunchy texture of nuts, can still enjoy the full benefits of it by consuming the extracted oils!

This epiphany has lead me to discover Almond Oil. Certified Organic and encased in an ALUMINUM container (to preserve freshness without a bunch of added preservatives and thus also preserving the integrity of the nutrients housed in the oil).

I tell you, not only is Almond Oil soooooooooooo healthy for you, it tastes AMAZING in salads!  If you don't know how to make a good vinaigrette, just drizzle it over your store bought dressing.  It adds a delicious nutty flavor that provides the same effects as you would if you ate the nut itself.  It's a bit expensive for the quantity you get ($17-$25 for a 500mL bottle) but a little goes a long way and it's definitely WORTH the money if you are a foodie like me. 

Next up, I'm trying the White Truffle Oil I bought to make a mushroom themed pasta.  I also have an issue with paying an arm and a leg for freakin' PASTA just because it contains truffle oil!  I feel like the restaurants are really taking advantage of my love for truffles and exploiting it.  So my solution is to come up with a delicious pasta dish of my own using the truffle oils that I have a troubling weakness for and stop giving away all my money to these restaurants!