Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Spice Your Holiday Gifts The Avanti Way!



Everyone is creative and crafty these days.  And everyone is thinking about healthful additions to our lifestyle.  Combine the fun of these joys as you craft fun healthful gifts this [and future] holiday season to give the gift of foodie fun, health, vibrance, spirit & flavor!  Read our Avanti post on the Ron&Lisa blog for more!

Spices, herbs & seeds are among the most invigorating and body nurturing ingredients.  So for the holidays, why not put your culinary knowledge and creativity into practice for flavorful herb & spice gift blends.  We all pay attention to the new trend of integrative medicine and nutrition.  We get so much new info on what to eat from Dr. Oz, Dr. Weil, Dr. Fuhrman, Dr. Amen and more.  And it’s great stuff.  Like Lucy Ricardo said so many years ago, “We can spoon our way to health!”  But all this info can be overwhelming.  Oregano is an anti viral, cloves are anti bacterial, turmeric & ginger are anti inflammatory.  Fennel and hibiscus are good for high blood pressure.  Cinnamon & nopales regulate blood sugar.  Chili pepper stimulates the cardio vascular system.  And so on and so forth.  So as your interest and knowledge increase and your spice cabinet explodes, how many curries can we eat on a daily basis.  Instead of spending too much time reaching for multiple jars in front of the stove, plan ahead and create great tasting & health boosting spice blends, in a fun filled creative hour in the kitchen.  Think regional flavors, think specific health benefits, think overall wellness then get out your measuring spoons and combine stuff.  I like a mixture of ground spices, whole seeds & dried herbs.  Go for Italian, Thai, Mexican, French, Japanese Spanish, Lebanese and more.  Whip up some fun labels with a list of ingredients and serving suggestions, pack the blends into wee zip bags or larger glass jars.  Blooming spices in a little evoo, avocado or sesame oil creates a ton of flavor right away.  Cooking is fast, flavorful and fun if you plan ahead.  And the spicy gifts you give nurture body (taste nutmeg, cumin, peppermint), soul (mediate on lavender, sesame, chamomile & lemon balm) and mind (think sage, saffron, rosemary, garlic & basil).  Give a tasteful hand blended gift of culinary pizzazz this holiday season.  When you begin to research the health benefits of herbs, seeds and spices you’ll find that many are across the board powerhouses.  Ginger, turmeric, chili peppers (including sweet paprika, for those that don’t like heat), sage, rosemary, parsley, saffron, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, basil, lavender and fennel are on almost every list.  Spend some time online and make up your own mind as you dream up concoctions that will fill your senses with fragrance and tantalizing flavor as they soothe and support your body’s health.  


You’ll find several Avanti Spice Blends for your low sodium buddies on the Avanti blog.    And here are our favorite ayurvedic style Avanti Golden Spice Blend.  Buon Apetito & Namaste


Eating Healthy & Delicious is a Win Win Win Situation!
Eat, Live & Party Well
Blog post by Chef Mark Cleveland

Avanti is the longstanding leader in organic, sustainable, local, flavorful cuisine in Orange County, CA.

Meaning 'forward' in Italian, Avanti Natural is a culinary philosophy that integrates the best of traditional European and Asian healthful eating with the latest nutritional information for optimum health.

At Avanti Natural, we believe that you don't have to sacrifice taste to eat healthy.  You can Eat Well & Live Well.  Follow us on social media to see what Avanti is up to now.  We are Whole Foods Experts.  Post photos of your versions of Avanti Natural recipes on our Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram pages.  Check our blog on the website for how to recipe blogs.  We’re excited to see and share your culinary creativity!

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