Apricot Acorn Skillet Bread :: Chef Mark Cleveland @ Hungry Harvest ::

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 45 mins

Servings: 6 to 8

This beautiful polenta bread is chock full of veggies, but their mild taste makes it great for kids of all ages.  We introduce the HH easiest kitchen hack for prepping all winter squashes.  I do this the night before for the greatest of ease. 

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Prep Method
1	Medium	Acorn squash	Pre roasted

You’ll fall in love w/ winter squash when you use this clever HH Kitchen Hack.  Winter squash are too hard to attack raw w/ a knife.  Soften them up the night before with a gentle pre roasting.  Place them on a parchment lined sheet pan.  Load into a cold oven, set the temp to 400, set a timer for 40 mins.  Turn off oven & let the squash cool overnight in the turned off oven.  Or do it before you head out to work.  Once cool, peel, seed & dice.  Each squash yields about 2 cups diced acorn squash. 

2	Tablespoons	Toasted walnut oil	Or nut oil, or evoo
2	Tablespoons	Madeira	Or dark sherry or cherry juice
1	Teaspoon each	Sea salt & Black pepper

Over medium high heat, saute the peeled, seeded & diced squash in the toasted nut oil or evoo w/ 1 Tsp each salt & pepper & the Madeira until golden, about 6 mins. 

1	Small	Vidalia onion	Fine dice, 1 cup
1	Small	Green pepper	Fine dice, 1 cup

Add in the onion & green pepper for 4 mins more. 

3

Tablespoons

Coconut oil

Or toasted nut oil

Put the coconut oil into a 10” cast iron skillet & put into a cold oven, set temp to 450 while you prep out the bread & strawberry relish

1 1/2	Cups	Coarse (Polenta) or Med Grind Cornmeal
1/2	Cup	Ancient grain or AP flour
1	Teaspoon	Sea salt
1/2	Teaspoon	Baking soda
1/2	Teaspoon	Baking powder

Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl

1/2	Cup	Yogurt	Mixed w/
3/4	Cup	Water
1	Large	Organic egg

& whisk the yogurt, water & egg in a smaller bowl.   

Load the cooked veg & the corn kernels into the dry mix, then stir in the wet.  

 When the oven comes to temp, take out the skillet & load in the dough, 

rake it w/ a fork to create a crunchy top & press in the apricot slices. 

4

Small

Apricots

sliced

Bake for 25 to 30 mins until golden. 

STRAWBABY RELISH

1-2	Medium	Apples	Grated
2	Medium	Blood oranges	Juice & zest
1	Pint	Strawberries	Quartered
1	Tablespoons	Honey or Pomegrante Molasses	Opt
1/2	Teaspoon	Rose water	Opt

While it bakes, combine apple, orange, strawberries & opt honey etc.  I love color alliteration, so I use pomegranate molasses w/ the strawbabies.   

You can use 1 1/4 cups of buttermilk if you want, but most everyone has yogurt in the house these days.   

This is a great breakfast for dinner treat.  Serve it w/ a sea salt caramel ice cream for sweet & savory tongue tinglings.  

 

Eating Healthy & Delicious is a Win Win Win Situation!

Eat, Live & Party Well

Blog post by Chef Mark Cleveland

Chef Mark Cleveland has joined the team of Hungry Harvest creating recipe & culinary content for success in the kitchen with the amazing produce in each weekly Hungry Harvest box.  Visit www.hungryharvest.net/recipes/  for recipes, photos & More!  Follow HungryHarvest and ChefMarkCleveland on Instagram

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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Easy Baked Egg Scramble

 Avanti baked scrambled organic eggs two ways, one w/ herbs and cheese and the other fully loaded

This another Avanti favorite open-ended recipe.  No specific amounts are required.  Make it once or twice and you’ll customize it as you like.  Watch Chef Mark Cleveland and filmmaker Ryan Adams in action making these organic egg delights on the Avanti Natural Network YouTube Channel.  Fresh in the Avanti Natural Kitchen Baked Scrambled Eggs

Organic eggs and veggies ready for the oven scramble

I prefer a well-seasoned cast iron pan.  You can use a ceramic, non-stick green pan too.  The regular non-stick pans work fine as well, but make sure there are no nicks or scratches.  And it’s kind of time to phase them out now that the ceramic ones are getting much better in quality and non stick function. 

Butter & evoo in a hot pan right out of the oven

How to oven scramble one egg perfectly. 

Organic egg scramble w/ veggies almost ready to plate

Put seasoned 6 inch cast iron skillet into the oven.  No need to preheat.  Set oven to 375.  When it reaches temp, let it stay in the hot oven for 15 mins.  Whisk egg w/ a fork or spoon.  I add my hot sauce to the uncooked egg.  Go plain, or just w/ salt, pepper, herbs, cheese, about 1 T each.  Add a small pat of butter, coconut oil, evoo or a combo to the hot pan, no more than a teaspoon or so will suffice.  Once melted put the egg mixture into the hot pan.  Back in the oven for 3 mins.  Stir once, and if it needs a bit more time put it back into the oven for a minute longer

Organic egg bake w/ herbs and cheese, ready to fold

For a full breakfast meal add rice, tofu, beans, veggies etc.  About 1 cup total.  For a delish Japanese favorite add some organic cooked chicken, a little soy sauce, sake, scallion and sesame seeds and serve over organic brown rice.  The more extras you add, the longer the overall cooking time.

And the art of the folded scramble w/ veggetables

You can serve these on a plate, or right out of the hot skillet.  Put a clean and classy kitchen towel over the handle to make sure no one grabs the hot pan. 

Folded herb and cheese scramble ready to plate

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, Twitter 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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Buttermilk Polenta Bread \\ gluten free //

This gluten free version of a hearty corn meal and flax seed cast iron skillet bread is inspired by the sour cornbread recipe in Kim Severson’s memoir Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life.  Contributed by Scott Peacock and Miss Edna Lewis, this flavorful, easy to prepare skillet bread gets the Avanti treatment in a swap of flours.  We use garbanzo flour, coarse ground polenta and whole flax seeds w/ organic buttermilk and egg for richness, flavor and texture.  It’s hearty, satisfying and naturally gluten free.

Buttermilk Polenta Bread  \\ gluten free // 

Bread 10/28/14

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Prep Method
¾	Cup	Garbanzo flour
½	Cup	Polenta	Coarse corn meal
¼	Cup	Whole flax seeds
¼	Teaspoon	Sea salt	¼ to ½ teaspoon
¼	Teaspoon	Yeast	Optional*
¼	Teaspoon	Sugar	Optional*
2	Cups	Buttermilk

Directions:

Whisk to combine in a 1 or 2 quart Pyrex measuring cup.  Cover and refrigerate over night.  Next day, remove from fridge, allow to come up to room temp for 30 mins, (or an hour or two if using the yeast and sugar).  Then add the following.

2	Whole	Eggs	organic
2	Teaspoons	Baking powder	Aluminum free

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 400, put a well seasoned 10 inch cast iron skillet into the oven to heat up.  When ready to bake, add to the hot skillet. 

2

Tablespoons

Flavored oil**

No chunks

Swirl the oil around well to coat the bottom and sides.  Pour off most of the oil into the batter, stir to combine. 

Pour the batter into the pan and return to the oven.  It’s done in 45 to 50 mins when a skewer comes out clean, the bread is beautifully golden and it pulls away from the side of the pan.  Let cool for 5 mins, give the skillet a good shake to loosed it, then slide in onto a plate. 

* I like to add a little yeast and sugar for a whisper of fermentation even though there is no gluten in the batter for a big lift.

** Any flavored oil works great, toasted walnut, hazelnut or peanut oil.  Toasted seed oils like pepita or sesame are flavorful too.  Garlic or rosemary infused olive oil are great too.

This is a great bread to serve hot, warm, cool or even chilled.  It makes scrumptious croutons, stuffing & open faced sandwiches.  It’s high fiber, high protein & full of vitamins and minerals too.  It pairs well with either sweet or savory foods.  And it’s nicely moist, so it keeps for several days and freezes well.

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, Twitter and Instagram pages.  We’re excited to see and share your culinary creativity!

www.avantinatural.com

Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Avanti-Cafe/166822256677277?ref=hl

Twitter  https://twitter.com/AvantiNatural

Pinterest  http://www.pinterest.com/avantinatural/boards/

Instagram  http://instagram.com/avantinatural