Avanti Cafe Musings: romaine

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 25 mins,

Servings: As Many As Y’all Want

You can make tacos every which way and loose from your Hungry Harvest Box. We did three very different versions today. One traditional, one Asian fusion in lettuce & seaweed wraps & a hearty flatbread version the kids will love.

BASIC TACO FARE

Ingredient	Prep Method
Favorite Harvest Vegetables & Fruits	Cooked and raw
Extra Harvest Salads in Jars
Extra Sriracha Cashew Broccoli

Let’s start w/ a trad taco. I used corn tortillas grilled over an open flame to crisp them up. Then I added one of my pint salads making sure not to soggy it up w/ too much dressing, next simple white beans, chili flakes & Harvest radish & mango. HARVEST HACKS:> If you’re trying to learn to like a new fruit or vegetable, just add a slice or two of each, as I did w/ the radish & mango.

TACO WRAPPERS

Ingredient

Corn or flour tortillas

Romaine or butter lettuce leaves

Pita or favorite flatbreads

Asian fusion tacos are all veg. On top of Harvest romaine leaves I layered on nori seaweed, then red kale & orange peppers marinated in a fresh squeeze of Harvest lemon juice, sesame seeds, soy sauce & toasted sesame oil. Served w/ roasted chicken, fish or meatless meat as you wish. Crisp & tasty!

TACO ADDITIONS

Ingredient

Beans

Seeds & nuts

Proteins (sausage, chicken, fish & seafood, meats, carnitas, meatless meats, etc.)

Salsa

Guacamole

Cilantro

Olives

Scallions or raw sliced onion

Flatbread tacos are good for the whole family & make a filling dinner meal. I topped a flatbread w/ tomato slices, Mexi cheese blend, then Sriracha Cashew Broccoli from last week’s Harvest recipes. Put it on a pizza pan in a 400 oven for about 7 mins, just to melt the cheese. Arrange on a plate & garnish w/ yogurt, pepitas, beans & chopped fresh tomatoes (the end bits from my slices). Fold up taco style.

Everything tastes good in tacos. And almost all tacos are mostly veggies. So this is a terrific platform for expanding our veggie preferences. I like a mixture of cooked & raw veggies, hot and cold garnishes.

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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It's getting on time for the Natural Products Expo West, coming up each early March at the Anaheim Convention Center. And Avanti creates taste sensations for the good folk who make the mighty Kamut Khorason Wheat Berry available to all organic grain lovers far and wide. While Kamut is grown in Montana and Canada, is one of Time Magazine's 50 Healthiest Foods of All Time, is always organically grown and stocks the shelves of so many quality food purveyors here in the US, it is actually much more popular in Italy. The Italians love its firm texture and earthy bite. Yet each year, you'll find more and more Kamut products on our American shelves; seek it out, taste test the pastas, cereals, crackers and more. For sampling at Expo West this year, we go purist, with the original whole Kamut wheat berries, cooked up two ways, soaked and sprouted. And then we flavor it up 4 ways using an umami base to get started and finishing up w/ herbs, spices and signature tastes from 4 of the world's grand culinary traditions. Italian, Mexican, Indian and Spanish. Please make up batches of each and let us know which ones you like the best. Post your creations all over our Avanti Natural social media pages, facebook, twitter, instagram, pinterest.

Basic Cooked Kamut Wheat Berries

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Prep Method
1	Cup	Kamut Khorasan Wheat Berries

Wash Kamut well and soak in fresh clean water for 8 hours or overnight. I use a strainer in a bowl for easy rinsing. Drain off the water and put the kamut into a medium saucepan. Cover with water by about 1 inch. Add any desired flavorings such as:

3 inch	Piece	Citrus peel
1” x 3”	Piece	Kombu seaweed	Wiped
1	Medium	Bay leaf
1	Tablespoon	Sherry, marsala or vermouth
1	Teaspoon	Miso

Cover the pan, put over medium heat. Set timer for 15 mins. Reduce the heat to low and set timer for 45 mins. When the kamut is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, remove from heat and allow to cool in the covered pan.

Yield: Basic kamut yields a generous 4 cups of cooked kamut.

Sprouted Kamut Wheat Berries

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Prep Method
1	Cup	Kamut Khorasan Wheat Berries

Wash Kamut well and soak in fresh clean water for 8 hours or overnight. I use a strainer in a bowl for easy rinsing. Drain off the water and allow the kamut to begin to sprout. Rinse and soak the kamut berries in fresh clean water for 15 mins morning and night. Drain off the water after 15 mins and allow them to sprout in the colander. They will have nice sprouted tails in 2 days. Now it’s time to cook them.

Drain off the water and put the kamut into a medium saucepan. Cover with water by about 1 inch. Add any desired flavorings such as:

3 inch	Piece	Citrus peel
1” x 3”	Piece	Kombu seaweed	Wiped
1	Medium	Bay leaf
1	Tablespoon	Sherry, marsala or vermouth
1	Teaspoon	Miso

Yield: Sprouted kamut yields a generous 3 cups of cooked sprouted kamut.

Kamut Mexicana

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Prep Method
1 ½	Tablespoons	Evoo
2/3	Cup	Onion	Diced, 1 small onion
1	Clove	Garlic	minced
¼	Teaspoon	Sea salt
1/8	Teaspoon	Black pepper
1	Tablespoon	Sherry	Optional

Sweat all in a skillet set over medium heat until onions are tender, about 5 mins.

ADD:

2	Tablespoon	Tomato paste
2	Teaspoons	Mexican oregano
1	Teaspoon	Mexican no salt spice blend	Or Italian seasoning
1	Pinch	Cinnamon	Optional

Stir to release the fragrance and flavor. Then ADD:

2	Cups	Cooked Kamut
½	Cup	Kamut cooking liquid
2	Teaspoons	Lime juice
2/3	Cup	Organic corn kernels

Stir well, remove from heat. Allow to cool, then stir in

1/3

Cup

Romaine

Fine chifonade

Kamut Indian Curry

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Prep Method
1 ½	Tablespoons	Evoo
2/3	Cup	Onion	Diced, 1 small onion
1	Clove	Garlic	minced
¼	Teaspoon	Sea salt
1/8	Teaspoon	Black pepper
1	Tablespoon	Sake	Optional

Sweat all in a skillet set over medium heat until onions are tender, about 5 mins.

ADD:

2	Tablespoon	Tomato paste
1 ½	Tablespoons	Curry powder	Finest quality, no salt
2/3	Cup	Spinach puree	Frozen is great
1	Pinch	Garam masala	Optional

Stir to release the fragrance and flavor. Then ADD:

2	Cups	Cooked Kamut
½	Cup	Kamut cooking liquid
2	Teaspoons	Orange juice

Kamut Italiano

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Prep Method
1 ½	Tablespoons	Evoo
2/3	Cup	Onion	Diced, 1 small onion
1	Clove	Garlic	minced
¼	Teaspoon	Sea salt
1/8	Teaspoon	Black pepper
1	Tablespoon	Dry vermouth	Optional

Sweat all in a skillet set over medium heat until onions are tender, about 5 mins.

ADD:

2	Tablespoon	Tomato paste
1	Tablespoon	Italian seasoning

Stir to release the fragrance and flavor. Then ADD:

2	Cups	Cooked Kamut
½	Cup	Kamut cooking liquid
2	Teaspoons	Lemon juice

Bring to a simmer, remove from heat, cool slightly and stir in

Cup

Romaine lettuce

Fine chiffonade

Kamut Romesco Español

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Prep Method
1 ½	Tablespoons	Evoo
2/3	Cup	Onion	Diced, 1 small onion
1	Clove	Garlic	minced
¼	Teaspoon	Sea salt
1/8	Teaspoon	Black pepper
1	Tablespoon	Madiera	Optional

Sweat all in a skillet set over medium heat until onions are tender, about 5 mins.

ADD:

2	Tablespoon	Tomato paste
1	Teaspoon	Thyme
1	Teaspoon	Oregano
1	Pinch	Cinnamon	Optional
1/3	Cup	Roasted red peppers	Fine dice

Stir to release the fragrance and flavor. Then ADD:

2	Cups	Cooked Kamut
½	Cup	Kamut cooking liquid
2	Teaspoons	Lime juice

Bring to a simmer, remove from heat, cool slightly and stir in

Cup

Romaine lettuce

Fine chiffonade

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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.

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

https://www.pinterest.com/avantinatural/avanti-natural-lifestyle-media/

https://www.pinterest.com/avantinatural/mark-cleveland-creative/

https://www.pinterest.com/avantinatural/

Youtube

Avanti Natural

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