It took three different trips to Food Emporiums around New York City to finally get my hands on the hottest new cooking oil on the market… Enova! Sold out almost everywhere, this substitution for conventional oils boasts that “less Enova oil is stored as fat” in comparison to other vegetable oils. According to clinical research reports and the American Dietetic Association’s Fact Sheet Review Board, this statement happens to be true! Enova brand oil is a mixture of olive oil and canola oil, which we (should) already know are good for us. But what makes Enova different is that it consists of 80% diglycerides (DAG), making it the only DAG-rich oil on the market. So what does that mean?

   Regular cooking and salad oils contain two types of fats: triglycerides (TAG) and diglycerides. There are two types of DAG fats: (1,2) and (1,3) DAG, two differently-shaped molecules. The body breaks down TAG and DAG fats the same way after you eat them, but once they get to your intestines, TAG and (1,2) DAG get rebuilt into fat packets and can get stored as fat in your body (after passing through the lymphatic system). However, the tricky fellows at Enova are one step ahead of the game. They crafted Enova oil out of (1,3) DAG molecules, which cannot be easily rebuilt into fat. So instead of packing on the pounds, Enova brand oil gets metabolized by the liver and eliminated from your body!

Lemon Chicken with Mushrooms                                               

• 4 (4 oz.) skinned, boned chicken breast halves (antibiotic-free or organic  recommended)
• 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Enova brand oil
• 5 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce  
• 5 cloves fresh minced garlic
• ½ minced white onion
• 1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
• 1 scallion, chopped into slivers
• 3 oz sliced Baby Bella mushrooms
• Salt
• Pepper

Combine fresh lemon juice, Enova oil, minced garlic, low-sodium soy sauce, aged balsamic vinegar, and chopped scallion in a large zip-top plastic bag; add chicken to bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours. Heat 2 teaspoons Enova oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove chicken from bag and add to skillet. Pour the marinade into the skillet and cook for 3 minutes on each side (or until cooked). Remove chicken and reduce heat to medium-low. Add minced onion and mushrooms and simmer in the remaining marinade for 15 minutes or until mushrooms are soft and tender. Spoon 1/3 cup sauce with sliced mushrooms and minced onion onto chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Yield: 4 servings.

Estimated nutritional information: 220 Calories; 7 g Fat (1 g sat, 2.5 g mono, 2.5 g poly); 26 g Protein; 75 mg Cholesterol; 250 mg Sodium; 2 g Fiber; 12 g Carbohydrate

 Pomegranate Dressing and Spinach Salad  

• 2 tablespoons Enova brand oil
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 4 tablespoons pomegranate juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 12 cups torn or baby spinach (about 6 oz.)
• 1 cup sliced red onion
• 2 cans (11 ounces each) of mandarin oranges drained or 1 fresh clementine, pulled apart into slices
• ½ cup walnuts
• ½ cup dried cranberries

In a small bowl, whisk together Enova brand oil, juices, salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, combine spinach, onion, oranges (or clementines), walnuts, and dried cranberries. Pour juice mixture over spinach and toss well.

Yield: serves 8 (1 ¼ cup servings)

Click to find out where to buy Enova!