Virgin olive oil being named one of the healthiest sources of dietary fats, and rich in heart healthy antioxidants called polyphenols -- why not replace the butter in your baking, so high in saturated fat, with delicious, nutritious olive oil?

Try rich chocolatey olive oil brownies!

You'll need:

2 ½ cups Walnut pieces
1/2 lb Bittersweet chocolate (also heart healthy!)
10 Tbsp Olive Oil
4 Eggs
3/4 cup Ground Almonds
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 cup All purpose Flour

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x10-inch rectangular baking pan.
2. Coarsely chop walnuts. Break chocolate into pieces and place in the top of a double boiler to melt. Add olive oil and stir. Remove from heat. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, combine eggs, ground almonds and sugar. Add to melted chocolate and stir to blend.
4. In another bowl, combine baking soda and flour. Sift into chocolate mixture. Stir to blend. Add walnuts and stir again.
5. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake 20 - 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Let stand 5 minutes, then transfer to cool completely on rack. Best served cold.

Makes 20 small brownies. Enjoy!

Extra virgin and virgin olive oil are much more heart healthy than other vegetable oils, according to new research. Olive oil is an excellent monounsaturated fat source -- the best kind of dietary fat -- as well as rich in antioxidants known as polyphenols. Other vegetable oils are so over processed, using heat and complicated refining techniques, they not only lose all flavor but their nutrients as well. Olive oil is the only one that contains any polyphenols.

The new study found that after three weeks of using virgin olive oil instead of any other dietary fat, good HDL cholesterol levels rose -- as well as prevented oxidative stress -- the process through which bad cholesterol causes a hardening and narrowing of the arteries leading to heart attacks.

Produced through a single cold-pressing, extra virgin and virgin olive oils are naturally the least processed vegetable oil, thus allowing them to retain the maximum amount of original nutrient value. The only difference between virgin and extra virgin is that the olives used to produce the former are a bit riper than the latter.

One important note on olive oil, however, is that once you get past the virgin rating, olive oil becomes blended and more refined -- to get the most benefits, avoid these, especially the olive-pomace oil blends as well as anything labeled light or extra-light.

Promising results from a recent Greek report of olive extract -- oleuropein -- to reduce the risk of heart attack and lower blood pressure and glucose levels come from a recent study on rabbits.

Olives and olive oil are a rich source of antioxidants -- and the extract oleuropein has been shown to improve blood flow and reduce vessel blockage when used as a dietary supplement for three to six weeks. While reducing the risk of heart attack in rabbits suffering from coronary ischemia, or blood vessel blockage, new studies are needed to test the results on humans -- however, researchers are very hopeful.

A new study from Spain provides further evidence that a diet high in healthy fats, such as those found in nuts and olive oil, better prevent heart disease than low-or-no-fat diets. Previous research of Mediterranean peoples whose regional diet contains a high amount of fat revealed a very low incidence of heart disease.

Researchers prescribed a Mediterranean-style diet to a group of men and women 55 and older. This diet-style is well balanced with plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and fish, with most fat sourced from olive oil and nuts such as almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts. Red meat and processed food intake was also highly limited. Virgin olive oil, high in healthy monounsaturated fat, is the least processed of olive oils and thus retains many of its antioxidant properties. It also contains nutrients found to prevent inflammation of the blood vessels. Healthy unsaturated fats found in nuts and olive oil have been found to be of overall benefit to the cardiovascular system.

After three months, the Mediterranean eaters experienced improvements in cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure levels. Those participants who were prescribed the alternate low-fat diet that aimed to cut out most all dietary fats showed a dramatic decline in good HDL cholesterol. They also showed no change in blood pressure or sugar levels.

Fat is everywhere and you have no tasty place to hide. Too much of the wrong kind of fat can make you obese and give you heart disease. But guess what the good news is? Some fat is actually good for you, and your body needs it. Just remember, less is more.

Unsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat are good fat, the kind your body wants you to eat. Unsaturated fats, also called monounsaturated fat, are found in nuts and olive oil, as well as corn, canola and sesame oils. Olive oil is the best for dressings and sautés. If you have to fry something, as I often do, use canola or corn oil to keep that fat level in check. Polyunsaturated fats are the healthiest kind. I was overjoyed to find that mayonnaise, my favorite condiment, is full of the healthiest fat. You'll also find polys in grains, fish, soy and soft margarine.

Watch out for those margarines though. The stick variety can contain the bad fat team-- saturated fat and it's evil sidekick, trans fat. Butter is also loaded with saturated fat, as are all animal products, including cheese and ice cream. You can still have saturated fats, but only seven percent of your daily calories worth. The best spread for heart health is tub margarine. It most likely contains the good fats, but always check the label to be sure. Label reading is a good habit to get into-- many pre-packaged and processed foods, especially fast food, contain high levels of hidden fat.