Avanti Cafe Musings: healthy oils

This hearty, wholesome, tasty & healthful ancient grain cake is easy to make fully organic and gluten free (look for gluten free oats). It's also dairy free and includes the healthy fats from the oats, quinoa, pepitas and coconut oil. Always choose organic berries. They are so tasty & filled w/ natural anti oxidant nutrition.

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Prep Method
¼	Cup	Steel cut oats
¼	Cup	Rolled oats
¼	Cup	quinoa
¼	Cup	Coconut oil

Set the oven to 375. Combine all in an 8” oven proof skillet. I like the ceramic non stick. Set the timer for 10 mins. Stir once the coconut oil is melted. Set the timer for 10 more mins. When the grains are fragrant and golden brown, remove from oven. Reduce the oven heat to 325. Set the pan over medium flame and add:

1	Cup	Brewed black tea	Or water
2	Tablespoons	Port wine	Or fruit juice
1	Pinch	Salt	optional

Simmer until liquid is absorbed. About 10 to 15 mins. Reduce heat to low and add:

1	Tablespoon	Tangerine zest
1	Cup	Fresh tangerine juice
2	Tablespoons	Maple syrup

Simmer for about 5 mins until the liquid is absorbed and the grains nice and plump. Stir to cool until cool enough to touch.

Meanwhile in a medium bowl whisk:

Large

Organic eggs

Fold in the maple grain mix, then gently fold in:

1	Cup	Organic blueberries
2	Tablespoons	Pepitas

Wipe out the skillet, spray it with organic oil spray, or wipe it w/ coconut oil. Put the cake into the 325 oven and bake for 45 to 50 mins until the center is nicely set. Rotate the pan halfway through. Let cool for about 5 mins, shake the pan gently to loosen then slide out on to a plate to fully cool.

Serve w/ more organic blueberries, organic Bulgarian or Greek yogurt & mint or Aztec sweet herb garnish.

Serve warm, cold or room temperature!

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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Everyone loves roasted garlic. The creamy texture, the subtle nuanced garlic flavors that still pack a strong punch, the culinary versatility and the aphrodisiac qualities. We all know that if everyone on the Love Team is garlic-ed up, we go from Love to Game On fine and fast. When you google Roasted Garlic, you get a lot of hoopla and unnecessary steps to the goal. Our Avanti Natural method is simple, time efficient, extra flavorful & has added benefit for the avid gardener too. Here we go:

Start w/ a bag of whole garlic heads. US or California grown preferable. We get ours at the Costco from the folks at Christopher Ranch. One bag is just right for one casserole dish. Rub off any extra skin and cut the tops off each head.

This is one of so many projects where nothing goes to waste. Did you know that those skins and tops are a potent natural pest repellent for the garden? Save them all as you go.

When you're done you'll have a nice bag full of skins and tops. Aphids, slugs, snails and other pests don't care for garlic and onion refuse much at all. But the microbes in your garden sure do. The pests will run while the soil gets richer. Yet another Win Win Win. Sprinkle the refuse all around any plants that seem to be infested.

And remember that all mulch helps retain water in the soil as it breaks down, so this action saves water too. Now, let's get back to the roasted garlic. Arrange the heads in a single layer in a favorite baking dish. You can be fancy and tuck in some fresh herbs like rosemary, bay, lemon verbena, thyme, oregano, basil, dill, etc. Anything you like. Two or three at most. Top w/ very good quality healthy oils, such as extra virgin olive, avocado, grape seed, safflower, sunflower, etc. Add a 1/2 teaspoon of favorite salt. At Avanti we prefer our flavored sea salt blends such as Rosemary Coriander or Anise Hemp. And then add in some citrus slices. They really contribute to the final flavor.

Make sure the herbs are tucked beneath the garlic so they don't scorch. I like to bring the oil up just a bit over half the way. That will give you plenty of flavored oil. This time we used a mixture of EVOO and high-oleic safflower oil from the Oil Barn in Montana, where safflower grows well. You'll find that the citrus, of any sort, lemon, lime, orange, tangerine or small grapefruit compliments the richness of the finished product. Today we used a small Valencia orange.

Next, place the dish into a cold oven, and cover w/ a cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. No need to waste aluminum foil here. Set the oven to 350. Set the timer for 1 1/2 hours. When the timer goes off it should look like this:

Not quite done, pale golden, some cloves starting to ride out. This is what you want when the timer goes off. Replace the lid, turn the oven off and let the dish cool in the turned off oven. Effective use of a turned off oven is both a lost art and the true cook's best friend. There's something about a dish cooling slowly that enhances flavor and texture like no other. The old folks understood that. We need to return to those tried and true ways.

Et Voila. The next morn, removed from the oven, here's what we have. Room temperature, ready to prep and fully delish. Of course, you can pack them up just like this. Remove the herbs and discard. I personally use the citrus along w/ the garlic. Slice it up or puree it. It's equally as subtle as the golden garlic orbs. I like to prep the garlic out at this stage as follows. I think it makes for ease of use and also provides me w/ a superb broth too.

So now, with impeccably clean hands, squeeze all the garlic heads into clean glass jars. Fill the jars about 2/3 full. Top off w/ the oil that's in the dish. Save the citrus separately or add them to the broth below as you wish.

Save all the spent garlic heads and the herbs. Put them into a medium stock pot and cover w/ water. Add a pinch of salt and a splash of dry vermouth, about 3/4 of a cup or so. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer and let it perk for about 30 mins.

Let the broth cool in the pot, then strain. The garlic herb citrus broth is rich w/ the oils you've used and makes a great start to any garlic or onion soup. Remember that it has a higher oil content than most broths, so it works well for grain soups such as millet, quinoa & barley or for a great pasta fagioli, rice soup or potato chowder.

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.

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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