Avanti Cafe Musings: 2017

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Hearty Ramen & Ravioli Soups Homemade HACKS

Why start from scratch, when you can scratch mix and match delicious one bowl wonderful soup meals in minutes. You'll find a wide variety of organic, wholesome, fresh & dried ramen & ravioli in most every grocery & specialty store these days. Same hold true for the finest organic & free range broths of all kinds, roasted, vegetable, bone & more. Delicious cheeses, smokey nuts, prepared meat & meatless balls and so much more. And here's the hack, all you have to do to create homemade deliciousness is drop by the farmers market or green grocer for a few fresh enticing vegetables.

Here we're using fresh tofu, purple onions, carrots & brown rice ramen in a lemongrass broth. Saute the carrots and onions in a little sesame oil, add the broth and a splash of sake or Chinese sherry, simmer the ramen and it's homemade in 12 mins.

Get fancy and flavorful with a little romaine stirred in at the last minute.

Onions, celery & zucchini sauted in a little evoo & topped w/ golden roasted vegetable broth, ravioli & meatless meatballs comes together while you pop the wine.

Adding chopped romaine or escarole just before serving takes you on a virtual tour of Tuscany.

Et Voila, this is a great time to be a sensible, sensitive, time savvy foodie. Never settle for second best, read your labels & choose the highest quality ingredients to save time & add flavor & flair to all your easy to prepare meals.

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 and YouTube 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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Pasta Fagioli Video https://vimeo.com/133115733

Winter Squash Easy Cooking HACK

Never wrestle with winter squash again. Trying to peel and cut them raw is down right dangerous, even with the sharpest of knives. Use this kitchen hack for the easiest and most flavorful winter squash. This hack works for every winter squash recipe you'll find on the internet and in all cookbooks. If the recipe calls for cubed winter squash roast until your finger feels the slightest give in the flesh of the squash. If it calls for puree, let them cool in the turned off oven for extra roasty flavor.

Wash the squash and place whole on a parchment lined baking sheet. No need to pierce them. Put them into a cold oven and set the temp to 375. When the oven reaches temp set a timer for 20 mins. Test when the timer goes off. Just a slight give for nice chunks of squash, quite soft for purees, soups, batters, breads, etc.

I usually do them then night before and cool in the turned off oven. The slow cool yields a lovely texture and a more flavorful finished dish.

Once cool, cut in half length wise and scoop out the seeds, saving them to roast if you'd like. Pull the skin off and dice or puree as per your recipe.

You'll find all sorts of great recipes using winter squash. They are plentiful at the farmers markets in the fall, require no refrigeration until you're ready to cook them, and last for months decoratively sitting out on your kitchen shelves or mantle.

Here are some Avanti Natural Winter Squash Favorites

Baked Stuffed Acorn Squash

Bestghetti Dinner

Vegan Cheez Whiz

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.

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http://www.hungryharvest.net/recipes/

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Pasta Fagioli Video https://vimeo.com/133115733

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Easiest Pickled Baby Peppers :: Fast Pickle HACK ::

When sweet and hot peppers are plentiful in the garden and farmers market at the end of the summer and into mid fall, make jar after jar of these ridiculously easy pickled peppers.

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Prep Method
3/4	Pound	Small peppers	Sweet or HOT, pierced

Directions:

Start w/ a clean wide mouth quart jar. Did you know you can buy BPA free plastic lids for your canning jars? Wash the peppers well and pierce w/ a sharp paring knife, to allow the brine to get inside the pickle. Fill the jar half full w/ peppers and add

1	Tablespoon	Sea Salt
2	Tablespoons	Coconut Aminos	Or 1 Tsp Sugar
1/4	Cup	Orange Juice
1/4	Cup	Apple Cider Vinegar
1	Tablespoons	Dry herb seasoning blend	Italian, Mexican, Herbs de Provance
1	Tablespoon	Sherry	Optional
		Water

Top off w/ more peppers, pressing them into the jar. I put the jar into a wide bowl to catch any overflow. It’s ok if you crack a few. They will soften as they pickle. Add water to the jar to bring the liquid up to the neck. Put the lid on and shake the jar well. Let sit at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours. Shake the jar twice a day. Unscrew lightly to let the CO2 escape. Store in the fridge. These are great on everything.

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.

Full Portfolio

https://www.pinterest.com/avantinatural/avanti-natural-lifestyle-media/

https://www.pinterest.com/avantinatural/mark-cleveland-creative/

https://www.pinterest.com/avantinatural/

http://www.hungryharvest.net/recipes/

https://readychefgobags.com/recipes-home/

Youtube

Avanti Natural

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8Q6ljhrJ56QXRF3vR4snMQ

Avanti Café

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYaIGYey-BCf7gIh1-DcSQA

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/avanti.natural?ref=hl

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Avanti-Natural/665626266871334?ref=hl

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Avanti-Culinary-Consulting/166822256677277?ref=hl

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chefs-Mark-Cleveland-Tanya-Fuqua/296158060441737?ref=hl

Twitter

https://twitter.com/AvantiNatural

Instagram

https://instagram.com/avantinatural/

Avanti Natural Website & Blog

http://avantinatural.com

http://avantinatural.com/blog.html

http://avanticafe-events.blogspot.com

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/mark-cleveland/b9/a1/823

Pasta Fagioli Video https://vimeo.com/133115733

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Whole Fruit Marmalade :: Oh So British Baking ::

BASICS

For the weight of the cooked fruit use

70% Organic Cane Sugar

10% Honey

10% Port Wine or Sweet Marsala

I round up

This recipe uses whole citrus fruits boiled for several hours. It’s definitely got that bitterness that the British (and I love). I’ve cut back on the sugar, so this is even more flexible for use in savory applications. Try it w/ mango on focaccia. If you use grapefruits as I did, you’ll find the bitterness increased. For a more mild version start w/ mostly oranges and tangerines. Blood oranges add a gorgeous color. Add in a few lemons and limes regardless. They add so much flavor complexity. Meyer lemons and Bearss limes are great. Start with about 4 to 5 pounds of washed whole citrus fruits. Put into a large pot w/ enough water to cover. Put a lid on the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and simmer covered for 2 hours. Turn off heat and cool over night in the covered pot. Strain and save liquid

For the Batch in the Avanti Blog Photos

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Prep Method
4	Pounds (64 oz)	Cooked Whole Citrus Fruits	Orange, Grapefruit, Lemon
45	Ounces	Organic Cane Sugar
7	Ounces	Honey
7	Ounces	Tawny Port
64	Ounces	Cooking liquid
		Juice of 2 lemons	Optional

Directions:

The original recipe has you warm the sugar in a low oven at 200 F for 30 while you prep the fruit. Heat the liquid, honey & port while the sugar is warming. Use the widest large pot you have. Cut the fruit into dice or strips. You can pulse in batches in the food processor for a finer preserve. I like bigger strips. Add the chopped fruit and the warm sugar and bring the heat to high. Stir frequently & skim until the mixture comes to 105 degrees Celsius on an instant read thermometer. Cool, then pack into sterilized glass jars & refrigerate. You can can it if desired, but it keeps for months in the fridge. The texture is divine & the color a rich rosy amber.