Avanti HOT Lime Indian Pickle

Start w/ about 25 to 30 firm organic limes, your favorite variety.  Quarter them length wise.  If using key limes you’ll need about 50, cut in half.

The Seed Blend

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Prep Method
3	Tablespoons	Cumin seed
3	Tablespoons	Coriander seed
2	Tablespoons	Yellow mustard seed
2	Tablespoons	Brown mustard seed
2	Tablespoons	Fennel seed
1	Tablespoon	Allspice berries
1	Tablespoon	Anise seed

The Spice Blend

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Prep Method
½	Cup	Evoo
1 ½	Tablespoons	Avanti Golden Spice*
1	Teaspoon	Asafetida	Optional
5	Cloves	Garlic	Sliced or minced

Directions:

Turn the oven to 400 degrees.  Put the seeds on a sheet pan.  Put the oil, golden spice and garlic mix into a cast iron skillet or oven safe bowl.  Put both the seeds and the oil mix into the oven and then turn the oven off.  Set a timer for 10 mins.  When the seeds are fragrant and popping a little they are done.  Let the oil mix bubble and bloom for about 5 mins longer (total 15 mins). 

Fill 4 wide mouth impeccably clean quart jars about 1/2 full w/ lime quarters.  Divide the seeds and the oil mixture among the four jars. 

To EACH jar ADD:

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Prep Method
3	Tablespoons	Avanti HOT Sauce*
2	Tablespoons	Sea salt
1	Tablespoon	Cider vinegar
1	Medium	Orange	Juice and zest

Cover well, leave out on the kitchen counter and shake upside down to distribute the spices and juices twice a day for 4 days.  Then open the jars and use a spoon or very clean fingers to press the limes into the brine, releasing more of their juice.  Wipe the jar rims and clean the lids well.  Continue shaking for 4 more days.  Wipe the rims and clean the lids well again, and place in the fridge.  They are ready to eat, but the flavor and texture will continue to improve in the fridge for several more months. 

*NOTE:  You’ll find Avanti Golden Spice and Avanti Pequin HOT Sauce recipes here on the Avanti blog.  Or, feel free to sub your favorite curry, 5 spice, chili powder or garam masala spice blends and your favorite HOT sauce as you wish.

Here's the world's easiest HOT Pickled Lime Egg Salad Supreme.  It's one lime segment for each hard boiled organic egg.  Both finely chopped & topped w/ some blue basil blossoms.  Sublime!

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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Savory Flavored Brown Rice :: How To ::

The flavor, glory & versatility of the mighty brown rice in all its forms.  Long and short grains, brown basmati, sweet brown.  Jasmine, cargo, arborio, black, forbidden, all rices come in a full grain form w/ the bran still intact.  We love mixing rices to create and ever changing Avanti blend.  For those that are new to brown rice, and not sure about the taste and texture, add some white rice into the pot.  We'll explain as we go.

This is an open ended recipe to guide you on creating your own, multi grain, full flavored brown rice dishes in one rice pot or rice cooker.  Rice cooks best if you start w/ about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of whole grain rice.  You'll find that try to cook less, the rice cooker doesn't complete its job, delivering a nice pot of fluffy rice.  There are lots of things you can add to your brown rice each time you make a pot.  Lentils, adzuki & mung beans, split peas & beans, quinoa, millet, etc.  Then are are seeds like flax, sesame, chia, mustard, fennel, anise, perilla and more.

Combine your favorite mix of brown rice, beans, legumes and grains into your rice pot or rice cooker insert.  Run hot water from the faucet over the rice, agitate with your hand.  Allow the rice to run, overflowing the pot in the sink to clean well.  After a minute or two, drain off most of the water, by tipping the pot to the side.  Cover w/ fresh cool water and allow to soak for 30 mins or so.  At this point if you want to add in some white rice do so.  Then repeat the cleaning process one more time.  After you have drained off most of the water, use the Mount Fuji Rice Method to determine the water.  Chef Ming Tsai shows you his technique.  For brown rice, be generous.  It's like the Mount Fuji Plus Alpha.  You'll know the amount by feel after you do it a few times.  When adding beans and lentils be a wee bit more generous.  Or do what we do, after determining the water level, add some wine, sake, dry vermouth or sherry, just a generous splash and maybe some juicy veggies, in this case cherry tomatoes.  

Here's a step by step guide to allow your creativity to blossom in the rice cooker.  Our rice mix today includes, organic brown and short grain rice, brown basmati, cargo red, wild rice, brown sweet.  To that we've added beluga lentils, adzuki beans, and quinoa.  

Now we're going to step up the flavor w/ mince garlic, brown and yellow mustard seeds & perilla sauted in golden oil & sake.

When the mix was fragrant and the seeds began to pop a bit, we added in a couple of tables of our favorite chili powder, turned the flame off and gave it a stir.  Meanwhile on to the rice.

Here's the rice pot w/ the toasted seeds, a couple tablespoons of nutritional yeast, plus a tablespoon of miso & some cherry tomatoes.  

Set your rice cooker to rock and roll.  Here's mine in full steam boil just before it's done.

When your rice cooker clicks off, don't open it right away.  Let it stay on warm for at least 20 mins, and up to 45 before opening it for the best flavor and texture.  Fluff w/ a rice paddle & serve.  Fresh rice is a joy to the palette.  And if you have any left over, put it into the fridge, uncovered overnight.  Day old rice make the very best fried rice out there.  We did an oven fry by adding a little sesame oil & brewed green tea and roasting it, with a crispy baked organic egg, in a 375 oven until just crispy, about 25 mins.  

Brown rice is a delicious and wholesome food.  Recently quinoa is all the rage.  Why wonder Brown Rice vs Quinoa when you can enjoy them both at the same time and double the whammy.  There are some concerns these days regarding brown rice and arsenic.  Consumer Reports has new info on the subject in the January 2015 issue.  And you'll find what Lumberg Family Farms has to say in their ongoing investigation.  But as long as you choose organic rice preferably California grown and keep an eye on the lists of best quality rices all should work out fine.  Brown rice remains a healthful, fiber rice food that tantalizes the taste buds w/ glee

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

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