Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts

Friday, January 13, 2017

A Really Good Spiced Peanut




Amount
Measure
Ingredient
Prep Method
1
Pound
Toasted peanuts
No salt
1/2
Cup
Honey

1
Tablespoon
Port




Directions:



Preheat the oven to 300, and prep a sprayed parchment lined sheet. 

Boil the honey & port for 5 mins.  Remove from heat and stir in the peanuts.  In another larger bowl combine



1/2
Cup
Sugar

1 1/2
Teaspoon
Sea salt

1
Teaspoon




Stir the peanuts into the sugar mixture & coat well.  Press the sugar into the nuts as much as possible.  Spread onto the sheet pan.  Slow roast for 30+ mins.  Stir every 7 mins.  They are done when nice and crispy and no longer sticky.  They keep well in an air tight container.  


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

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!

Avantinatural.com

Pinterest




Youtube

Avanti Natural


Avanti Café


Facebook





Twitter


Instagram


Avanti Natural Website & Blog



linkedin




Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Tasty Holiday Gift Basket of NUTs w/ Manhattan Plums

Naturally one never shows up to a party empty handed.  But time is tight during the holiday season.  We've created an easy to prepare, charming to look at & tasty to eat seasonal holiday gift basket of nuts for the Ron & Lisa November Blog  

Check it out, make up a bunch at once in a jiffy and head out to all of your holiday parties in a festive stress free mood.  There's even a little gift card pdf on that blog page to download to customize your gift to each of your friends, family, acquaintances and associates.  

And here's a little bonus treat for those that have some extra time and would like to add a homemade touch to the basket.  Manhattan Plums.  Assemble several jars in no time at all.  In a small glass jar of about 4 oz size, loosely pack in the highest quality dried plums or prunes.  Add one Tablespoon of fine bourbon & top off w/ a good French sweet vermouth.  Secure the lid, give it a good shake and tie off w/ a ribbon, yarn or string.  These are great w/ ice cream or served w/ a piece of pumpkin, apple or fruit pie.  



Happy Holidays Avanti Style!


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 17th 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!




Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Avanti In Motion


By the time this blog is published, it will be the end of an era for Avanti Café on 17th Street in Costa Mesa.  We have sold our restaurant location and are entering a new and exciting new phase for Avanti Natural & the Avanti Natural Kitchen. 

Starting in late summer, we’ll be doing culinary consulting, recipe, menu & product development as well as creating Avanti Natural Lifestyle content for our Avanti Natural YouTube channel.  We look forward to engaging w/ members of the Southern California community that share our interest in all things environmentally conscious and naturally delicious.  If you have a topic or guest suggestion for our youtube talk show, please contact us.  We’re excited to broaden our scope and talk on a wide variety of subjects w/ active people interested in creating a better environment for us all.  

Our other big project will be the Avanti Natural Kitchen cookbook, which will feature many recipes you’ve enjoyed here at Avanti Café.  The book will launch as an ebook in a whole new concept geared toward serious foodies and beginners as well.  All recipes will have complete tutorials, ingredient info and culinary nutrition tips.  And all will be based on the Avanti Natural philosophies of natural cooking & living. 

Make sure to follow Avanti Natural on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram and like Avanti Café and Chefs Mark Cleveland and Tanya Fuqua on Facebook too.  You’ll find everything that is going on w/ us posted daily. 

We’ll also be doing catering, events & pop ups locally.  And feel free to send new and exciting opportunities our way.  We plan to take the Avanti Natural concept of creating food that is BOTH Healthy AND Delicious to restaurants, delis & quality food purveyors far and wide. 

Our nine-year run here at Avanti Café has been the high point of our careers so far.  And now it’s time to take the skills that we have honed within these four walls to a wider platform and larger audience.

As we bid everyone a fond adieu from the Avanti Café restaurant location here are a few photos of some of our culinary triumphs

Avanti Famous HOT Tacos (photo: Anne Watson Photography)


Two organic sprouted corn tortillas stuffed w/ garlic pate, lime dressed napa, green & red cabbage & topped w/ a selection of our original seriously HOTsauces

Summer Omelette Brunch Special (photo: Avanti Natural)
Summer vegetable filled omelet w/ tomato basil cream sauce & fresh citrus, cilantro, basil & dill pesto + golden & red cherry tomatoes w/ sake simmered scallion & edible petals

A classic from our Holiday Menus (photo: Anne Watson Photography)
Roasted whole kabocha pumpkin.  Stuffed w/ garnet yam, white bean, brown rice pilaf, chives & your choice of pistachio or gorgonzola

The full on amazement of the Avanti Margarita Pizza (photo: Avanti Natural)
Avanti tomato cumin, garlic shallot baby arugula & spinach, Avanti cheese blend, fire roasted tomato sauce, smoked mozzarella

And of course the line up of Avanti sweet treats (photo: Avanti Natural)
Featuring the mighty Avanti Chocolate walnut brownie, the very best Snickerdoodle in the galaxy, superb Tangy oat chew, epic Chocolate chip pecan & uber chocolaty Chocolate truffle cookie


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 17th 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
Facebook  AvantiNatural

Twitter  AvantiNatural

Pinterest  AvantiNatural

Instagram  AvantiNatural