Much To DO w/ Avanti Roasted Garlic Coconut Spread

Kamut couscous w/ Avanti Roasted Garlic Coconut Spread flavored mushrooms,  & sauted shallot greens + Bhut Jolokia Brandade & a sunny side up organic egg

Avanti Roasted Garlic Coconut Spread 

It's delicious & nutritious, easy to make and a fragrant comfort food that perfumes your kitchen w/ glee.  And look at all the ways you can use Avanti Roasted Garlic Coconut Spread.  Just as with traditional organic butter, the possibilities are endless.  Buon Appetito!  

Let's start w/ something easy and amazing.  Organic baby power greens from Earthbound Farm sauted w/ Avanti roasted garlic coconut spread, thinly sliced shallot, a splash of dry marsala.  Saute the shallot first in the coconut spread, add the greens and the marsala, a wee bit of salt and pepper to taste.  Don't over cook the greens.  Et Voila!

¡Adios pinche Paleos! Amber waves of grains rule the plates of the states.  Heart healthy, full of fiber, protein and B vitamins this mix of quinoa, wild rice and a whole grain brown rice medley is the kind of dish we all love to eat.  Well rinsed and soaked for at least a half an hour, then topped w/ fresh water, a dollop of miso, a splash of sherry, a sprinkle of matcha or green tea leaves, some lemon verbena, a couple of spent organic lemon carcasses, a bit of Avanti roasted garlic coconut spread.  Look how that fluffs up!  Fear not, all those flavoring ideas are optional.  Use one, two, three or more as u wish.  

Use a peeler to slice some organic colorful carrots, place them on top of the HOT rice and add another whisper of Avanti roasted garlic coconut spread.  Put the lid back on and let steam for 15 mins or so.

The roasted garlic coconut spread flavors the dish oh so subtly w/ great mouth feel and unctuous delight. 

Next let's move on to one of my favorite preparations using this delectable rich flavor spread.  Easy oven night time roasted tofu.  You can use any ingredients and fresh herbs you have at the ready.  And do it in the evening before bed.  It'll be perfectly done by morning in no time flat.  See what Dr. Mark Hyman tells us about the controversy and benefits of good quality tofu and soy in our diet

Add diced tofu on a bed of fresh herbs or greens in a baking dish.  I used pineapple sage and lemon verbena.  And to the roasted garlic coconut spread I added some tomato lime cilantro salsa, but you can use almost any sauce type condiment that you have around.  

Top w/ the flavor sauce and a sprinkle of sesame and hemp seeds.  I added a little toasted sesame oil too.  

Put into a cold oven, set temp to 375 and timer to 40 mins.  When it looks like this turn off the oven and let cool until morning.  This is what you get.  I love rubbery food.

This is great hot or cold, wonderful on salads, great in any stir fry to add protein and substance.  Tofu is a staple we all should have more of in our fridge.  Always choose organic or GMO free soy products.  

Have y'all ever been gifted one of those soup cylinders of dry ingredients from a great charity.  Folks are often helped to get back on their feet by making culinary creative products.  We love to support them and swapping out the generic oil or butter they use in their suggested recipe for Avanti roasted garlic coconut spread can make you want to go back and support some more.  

To this hearty split pea soup from The Tomorrow Project, I used the garlic coconut spread instead of the oil and the flavors complemented the savory spices to create a dish memorable in full nuanced flavor and spirit.  Always substitute up in the kitchen.  A well stocked pantry can give you a whisper of this and a soupçon of that.  Great food, like all real connections, is a succession of pinches.  Like Martin Yan's flavors there are often wee bits of a lot of ingredients that come together harmoniously on the tongue.  

Always be fearless in the kitchen.  Avanti gives y'all permission to roast up the courage to tantalize the taste buds.  

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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Chef Mark Cleveland :: Vintage Post :: Whole Life Times :: L'Amour

Long before everything was blogged, print ruled the sentences.  Here’s the culinary history of Avanti & the musing of Chef Mark Cleveland in culinary fun stuff from before any #face had been #book-ed

Toujours L’amour!

The affiliation of cuisine and sensuality is never more apparent than when the notion to prepare an aphrodisialicious Valentine’s meal strikes the amorous among us.  The shapes, colors and fragrances of food can warm the coolest hearts.  The musk of the mushroom, the voluptuous pear, the smooth flesh of the avocado beckon our touch.  Yes, the art of love and the joy of a succulent meal are intertwined, as are body and soul.

Whether your intention is to seduce, bewitch or concoct a tribute to the apple of your desire’s eye, you would do well to begin with a trip to the bookstore or library and treat yourself to Isabel Allende’s Aphrodite, A Memoir of the Senses.  This true love’s treat regales the reader with all things from the realms of romance and aphrodisia.  The recipes for this month’s column are all my original and healthy creations inspired by those amorously presented in Aphrodite.

For an enchanting romantic dinner for one or more of your intendeds, consider not just the shape of the ingredients, but the texture of the evening.  Symmetry itself is aphrodisiac in its melodic harmony.  So we begin and end this meal with pears and a whisper of brandy.  I’ve retooled a classic sauce from the sierra of Peru and Bolivia, reducing the dairy to just the fragrant whiteness of goat cheese.  Served with crisp pears and yielding avocado, the magic of seduction begins.  To provide stamina for later on, we’ll bring forth a celebration of the earth in a mushroom soup perfumed with truffle oil and brandy.  Cupid then sets his arrow with the first bite of a fresh citrus white fish, shrimp and scallop seviche.  And a hint of the exotic and exquisite luxury that awaits appears in the form of royal saffron pears with brandied crema.

Now light the candelabra, begin the feast and encourage the sirens to sing and play.

Huancaina Sauce w/ Avocado & Pear

Recipe By:         Mark Cleveland

Serving Size:         8

Preparation Time:         0:30

Categories:         Sauces        

Amount         Measure         Ingredient         Preparation Method

1/2         cup         goat cheese        

1/2         cup         silken tofu        

1/3         cup         extra virgin olive oil        

1         medium         shallot         minced

1/2         cup         rice dream®        

1         small         serrano pepper        

1/3         cup         lemon juice        

1         clove         garlic        

1         tablespoon         orange zest        

1         tablespoon         peanut butter        

                  salt and pepper        

2         cups         avocado         sliced

3         cups         pears         quartered

1         tablespoon         black sesame seeds        

Blend everything together and serve over pear & avocado slices.

Notes:         This sauce orginates in the Peruvian and Bolivian sierra.  Try it with roasted soy butter in place of the peanuts for a soyful variation.

Per serving: 274 Calories; 21g Fat (64% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 7mg Cholesterol; 47mg Sodium

Huancaina Salad w/ Avocado & Pear

Infallible aphrodisiac wild mushroom soup w/ truffle oil

Recipe By:         Mark Cleveland

Serving Size:         4

Preparation Time:         1:00

Categories:         Soups        

Amount         Measure         Ingredient         Preparation Method

1         cup         portobello mushrooms         chopped

1         cup         shiitake mushrooms         chopped

1         cup         crimini mushrooms         chopped

1/3         cup         dried porcini mushrooms         soaked then chopped

2         cups         water        

2         cloves         garlic        

1         medium         shallot        

2         tablespoons         extra virgin olive oil        

1         tablespoon         mushroom soy sauce        

                  black pepper        

3         cups         fenugreek tea         or herbal broth

1/3         cup         brandy        

2         tablespoons         brown rice miso        

1         tablespoon         black truffle oil        

4         tablespoons         crema        

Soak the porchini in the water for several hours.  Strain, wash and chop the mushrooms reserving the liquid.  Mince garlic and shallot then saute in olive oil with black pepper until just fragrant, about 3 mins.  Add all the chopped mushrooms and mushroom soy and saute until tender, about 5 mins.  Add broth and porchini liquid and bring to a simmer.  Blend brandy with brown rice miso and add to soup.  Reduce heat to very low and return to just under a simmer.  Taste & adjust seasonings.  Remove from heat, stir in black truffle oil and serve garnished with crema

Notes:         The preparation alone perfumes the air with impending romance.

        

Per serving: 239 Calories; 9g Fat (39% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 27g Carbohydrate; 3mg Cholesterol; 487mg Sodium

Seviche de Peru

Recipe By:         Mark Cleveland

Serving Size:         6

Preparation Time:         1:00

Categories:         Sea Food        

Amount         Measure         Ingredient         Preparation Method

1         pound         whitefish fillet        

1/2         pound         shrimp        

1/2         pound         scallops        

3/4         cup         white onions         thinly sliced

2/3         cup         scallion         thinly sliced

1         whole         serrano pepper         thinly sliced

1         cup         lemon juice        

1         cup         lime juice        

1/3         cup         orange juice        

1         tablespoon         lime zest        

1         tablespoon         orange zest        

1/2         teaspoon         salt        

                  black pepper        

4         whole         radicchio leaves        

6         small         purple potato        

                  oil spray        

                  salt        

Cube the fish removing any skin or bones.  Peel, clean and soak the shrimp in salted water for 10 mins.  Cut shrimp and scallops into pieces the size of the fish cubes.  Toss onions, scallions, serrano, fish, shrimp and scallops in a large glass bowl.  Add juices, salt and pepper and zests.  Cover and refrigerate at least six hours tossing every hour or so.  Before serving, slice purple potatoes in half potato, spray with oil, sprinkle with salt and roast at 400 until tender.  Serve seviche on radicchio leaves with warm purple potato on the side.

Notes:         Use your favorite whitefish, halibut, escolar, sea bass, etc.

        

Per serving: 429 Calories; 6g Fat (12% calories from fat); 35g Protein; 62g Carbohydrate; 115mg Cholesterol; 354mg Sodium

Royal Saffron Pears

Recipe By:         Mark Cleveland

Serving Size:         4

Preparation Time:         1:00

Categories:         Desserts        

Amount         Measure         Ingredient         Preparation Method

1/4         cup         saki        

2/3         cup         honey        

1/4         cup         tangerine juice        

1         pinch         saffron threads         3 to 5 threads

3         cups         pears        

1         tablespoon         brandy        

1/2         cup         crema        

Heat sake, honey, tangerine juice and saffron until simmering and just slightly reduced.  About 5 mins.  Peel and quarter the pears and add to the syrup.  Simmer another five mins.  Turn off heat and let the pears cool another 5 mins in the syrup.  Whip crema slightly with brandy and 2 tablespoons of the syrup.  Serve pears garnished first with a spoonful of syrup and topped with a spoonful of the whipped crema.

Notes:         Use firm, slightly under ripe pears.  One pear is about one cup of quartered fruit.

        

Per serving: 322 Calories; 1g Fat (3% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 76g Carbohydrate; 2mg Cholesterol; 23mg Sodium

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.

Our successful restaurant Avanti Café was located on 17^th St in Costa Mesa from 2005 through 2014.  Follow us on social media to see what is new and in store for Avanti in our culinary futures.

At Avanti Natural, we believe that you don't have to sacrifice taste to eat healthy; you can Eat Well & Live Well

We are Whole Foods Experts  It’s time to take Avanti Natural to restaurant menus & kitchens everywhere.

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!

www.avantinatural.com

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Rooting Plumeria/Frangipani From Stalk Cuttings

Plumeria, also known as Frangipani, is a fixture of California gardens.  Sculptural trunks, vibrant green leaves, small, elegant, fragrant blossoms touched by the color blends of a divine make-up artist, they've got it all.  They are not water hogs either.  They actually like a well drained soil and to be lightly moist in the growing season.  During the winter, they need little if no additional watering.  They bloom and grow well in sunny locations, and root readily in pots.  There are many ways to root plumerias, but this method from expert gardener Alden Norris worked like a charm for me, and didn't require any delicate cutting transplanting operations.  Let's see how it's done.  In pictures and descriptions:

Choose a well draining pot, unglazed terra cotta works well.  This one has a pedestal base, so the roots will not sit in water.  Rot and damp are the most common causes of plumeria failure.  Use broken pot shards to cover the drainage holes, top w/ a good well drained potting mix.  Use something like a water bottle to create a cylindrical impression in the potting mix.  

Now you have a perfect divot to put in perlite, sand, pumice or gravel.  Make sure there is about an inch or two of soil in the bottom of the indentation.  

Add in the drainage mix, about half way up.  I used a fine gravel mix.  Make sure to wear blue garden crocs when executing these sensitive garden operations. JK

Insert the prepared cutting and top off w/ more gravel.  Let's talk about the cuttings and how to prep them out.  Take a good cutting, preferably w/ two or three branches on the stalk.  I did this one in September.  But from mid spring to late summer should work fine.  Get a nice clean cut on the stem and allow the stem to dry for several days.  You're looking for a dry, healed cut and a bit of dryness on the plant.  Wait until the stem is a little bit stressed, no longer plump before you root it.  

Make sure your cutting is nicely in the center of the gravel or sand mix and then add a layer  on top of the soil.  Make a mental note to ask an Australian to tell you what they know about the plant they call Frangipani.  Everything sounds so alluring in a Aussie accent.  

Next add a layer of decorative stones for both beauty and to protect the plant from damp soil that may encourage stem rot.  

Secure the cutting in place w/ some larger stones to keep it upright.  It'll be top heavy while it's rooting so it needs some support.  Learn more about plumeria fun facts while you nurture your new addition.  

Trim off some of the larger leaves, leaving just a few medium and small green leaves to power the plant.  Too many leaves in the rooting process stress the plant as it tries to grow new roots.  Learn more about the mighty Plumeria, originally a Central American native plant that has ingratiated itself into tropical locales all around the world.  

And now the fun begins.  Your new plumeria will need some regular care during the rooting phase.  It needs to be moist enough to encourage growth, yet never overly saturated.  Water it well once to make sure that the soil is fully moist.  If using a terra cotta pot as we did, put the entire planted pot into a container of water and let it to soak in the water for one hour.  Then remove it from the water and let it drain fully.

Set the planted cutting w/ its nicely trimmed foliage in a sunny spot.  Ideally on a concrete or stone patio.  The heat from the warm concrete will encourage rapid and vigorous root growth.  Water frequently, but make sure the water drains from the pot.  They do not want to sit in sogginess.  Rooting takes a month or two.  You'll know your plant has roots when the stem plumps up and the leaves broaden out.  Remember that plumeria is deciduous so, they will lose most or all of their leaves in the winter months.  Once rooted, they may not bloom right away.  They usually do not bloom until after a full dormant period.  And they may not bloom for up to three seasons.  Don't despair.  The plant itself is beautiful, very sculptural and a garden feature all on its own.  

The blooms are deliciously fragrant, but somehow don't really show up much on the plant itself.  You must seek them out.  They make stunning cut flowers.  They float well in glass vessels, last long and remain fragrant while you enjoy them indoors.  They are ideal bed room blossoms. 

Here is the fully rooted, established plant after going through one winter and now all greened up w/ healthy vibrant leaves in the summer of 2015.  

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.

Our successful restaurant Avanti Café was located on 17^th St in Costa Mesa from 2005 through 2014.  Follow us on social media to see what is new and in store for Avanti in our culinary futures.

At Avanti Natural, we believe that you don't have to sacrifice taste to eat healthy; you can Eat Well & Live Well

We are Whole Foods Experts  It’s time to take Avanti Natural to restaurant menus & kitchens everywhere.

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!

www.avantinatural.com

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