Avanti Cafe Musings

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Lady Clementine Smoothie :: Chef Mark Cleveland @ Hungry Harvest ::

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 6 mins,

Servings: 2

This smoothie is ready in just a few minutes, is deliciously balanced without any extra ingredients, and can be embellished to create an exotic flavor masterpiece or a hearty complete breakfast or on the go meal. It has just the right amount of kale

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Prep Method
3	Medium	Apples	Organic
3	Medium	Pears	Organic
1 or 2	Medium	Kale leaves

Peel & core apples & pears. Strip stem off kale leaves. Discard or compost peels & cores. Kale stems make a great addition to veggie broths. Keep a bag in the freezer for soup time. Or use them in the stock for the other recipe in this box. Corn & Pepper Stew.

Tear kale leaves into blender jar. Add apples & pears, any other favorite fruits or berries you have on hand (today we had some extra strawbabies), and the optional sweeteners like

3 or 4

Pitted

Dates

Or 1 1/2 tablespoon date molasses

Along w/

Medium

Clementines

juice

I add the peel of one or two Clementines to my smoothie for added zing along w/ the juice. Add in any optional ingredients like

2	Tablespoons	Hemp seeds	Or chia, protein powder, flax
1	Cup	Yogurt	More or less
½	Teaspoon	Cardamom	Or cinnamon, pumpkin pie spce, garam masala
2	Teaspoons	Orange blossom water	Or rose water

I love the flavor of cardamom with orange blossom water & the healthy fats & creamy texture of hemp seeds. Cardamom is a natural mood elevator & has healing properties for our intestines. Then add

1 ½

Cups

Water

and blend on high speed until nice and smooth. Serve as is, or spike it w/ sparkling water (or Prosecco!), citrus zest, more seeds for a crunch, or your favorite yogurt for extra tang and protein.

For today’s smoothie flavors I used ½ teaspoon cardamom, 2 teaspoons orange blossom water & 2 tablespoons hemp seed. Look for exotic seasonings when you visit cultural markets. Date & pomegranate molasses & orange and rose water are available at Middle East and Persian markets. Check out the lovely offerings from alwadialakdar. Everything tastes good in a smoothie. Experiment wildly & share your flavors on Hungry Harvest social media!

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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

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Corn & Sweet Pepper Stew :: Chef Mark Cleveland @ Hungry Harvest ::

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 30 to 35 mins,

Servings: 4 to 6

Sometimes ya just gotta have a unctuous brothy stew. Serve the jewel family style in a big bowl w/ sides of favorite proteins & brown rice, noodles or crispy tortilla chips. Any left overs go great w/ ramen & a poached egg!

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Prep Method
2 to 3	Ears	Sweet corn

Remove the kernels from the cob w/ a small sharp knife. Strip the stalks from the kale & peel the onions. Add the cobs, stalks & onion peels to a stockpot w/ 2 quarts of water. Add in miso or bouillon cube if using, or soy sauce or salt and pepper. Add any optional flavorings

1	Stalk	Rosemary
2	Medium	Bay leaves
1	Medium	Chili pepper	Or chili flakes to taste,
		Sea salt & black pepper	To taste

Cover, set over high heat and set a timer for 15 mins. Remove the lid, lower heat slightly & let boil and reduce while you complete the rest of the dish.

2	Medium	Onions
¼	Cup	evoo

Dice the onions, add to a deep skillet over medium high heat w/ the evoo. Saute while you dice the potatoes, add them to the onions.

1 ½	Pounds	Potatoes	Diced
½	Pound	Eggplant	Diced, optional
1	Tablespoon	Miso	Or soy sauce or bouillon

Add 1 cup hot broth to the potatoes, & add diced eggplant if using, stir & turn the heat to high while you prep the peppers by cutting them in half lengthwise. When the potatoes are tender, and most of the liquid is absorbed, add

3 to 4	Cups	Mini sweet peppers	Cut in half lengthwise
1	Tablespoon	Ginger	Minced, optional

sauté for about 5 mins. Add in

Bunch

Kale

and strain in the broth.

Continue to cook on high heat for about 5 mins until the peppers & kale are tender. Then stir in

2 to 3

Ears

Sweet corn

Kernels

I cook the corn for less than a minute, but taste, add more salt, pepper, optional chili pepper if desired & cook until the corn is the the way your family prefers. Serve w/ favorite proteins & brown rice, or my favorite crispy organic whole grain tortilla chips.

If your community has commercial composting available, you can put all of your cooked & spent veggie stock components into the compost bin. We’d love to see your Corn & Sweet Pepper stew buffet table & the sides y’all dream to serve with it. Post photos on all Hungry Harvest social media. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest