Avanti Cafe Musings: Turmeric

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Pico de Plums :: Chef Mark Cleveland @ Hungry Harvest ::

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Prep Method
2	Medium	Black plums
2	Medium	Nectarines
½	Cup	Sweet onion	Half moon sliced
1	Clove	Garlic	Minced
1	Teaspoon	Fresh ginger	Optional, minced
1	Teaspoon	Fresh turmeric	Optional, minced
1	Small	Hot chili pepper	Optional, minced
½	Teaspoon	Sea salt
1	Tablespoon	Favorite preserves
1	Tablespoon	Toasted nut oil	Walnut, pepita, hazelnut, or evoo
1/3	Cup	Italian parsley	Rough chop
¼	Cup	Chives or scallion greens	Optional, thinly sliced
1	Medium	Lime	Juice and zest

I don’t peel the fruit, but feel free to do so if you like. Slice the plums and nectarines, discarding the pits.

Combine all. Allow to macerate at room temp for an hour or so, then chill. I used two daggerpod chilies from my garden for this batch.

This is great made w/ under ripe, ripe or over ripe fruit.

If you make it w/ very ripe fruit it will be more like a salsa, with under ripe fruit, more like a salad.

Either way, it makes terrific tacos! I like to use all fruit organic preserves.

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

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Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Avanti's Ayurveda Morning Drink

It’s always a good idea to greet the morning w/ something to awaken the taste buds and detoxify the body. The ancient tradition of Indian natural medicine, ayurveda touts the body benefits of turmeric, ginger, fennel & natural probiotic foods like cider vinegar to begin the day with a clean body and mind. Learn more about ayurvedic morning rituals here.

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Prep Method
1	8 inch piece	Fresh aloe vera	From the garden
½	Cup	Avanti Preserved Limes
2	Cup	Filtered water
3	Tablespoons	Fresh ginger
1	Tablespoon	Miso
1	Small clove	Garlic
1	1” x 2” piece	Kombu	Wiped w/ a damp cloth
2	Small	Pequin chili peppers	Optional
1	Tablespoon	Avanti Hawaij
3	Tablespoons	Avanti Golden Spice
1	Tablespoon	Fennel seed
1	Tablespoon	Flax seed
1	Tablespoon	Chia seed
1	Teaspoon	Matcha	Optional
1	Teaspoon	Reishi mushroom powder	Optional
1	Teaspoon	Nopales powder	Optional
1	Teaspoon	Cinnamon	optional

Directions:

Combine all in a blender and blend well. Let the mixture sit for several hours or over night in the blender jar, then blend again to fully pulverize and mix very well. Pour into a 1 ½ to 2 quart clean glass jar. To clean out all the goodness from the blender jar, add:

2	Cups	Filtered water
2/3	Cup	Apple cider vinegar

And blend well. Add that water to the rest of the mix. Waste not, want not! With the flax, kelp, aloe and chia, it's a bit sticky, so you need to add the extra liquid to get it all out of the blender jar.

To serve put about ¼ to ½ cup of the mix into a glass every morning before breakfast. Add the juice from a small lemon, lime or tangerine & top off w/ sparkling mineral water. Some of the spices will cling to the glass. I have a second glass of filtered water or morning ice tea in the same glass to get all the powerhouse nutrients into my body! Typically this shouldn’t be the very first thing you ingest upon waking. A glass of room temperature water starts the day with or without a squeeze of lemon. But do make a habit to try this Avanti Ayurvedic Morning Drink before you have coffee or tea or other stimulants. You’ll soon find that doing this daily mini cleanse makes that jolt of java even more stimulating. There are many versions of these drinks and lighter herbals and green teas online. Here's a pretty one from feastingathome

I add the reishi mushroom powder for its immune boosting qualities and nopales and cinnamon are natural anti diabetes blood sugar regulators. Matcha is all the rage and because it is a powdered form of green tea, it really packs the anti oxidants. Kombu, the Japanese word for edible kelp seaweed, is making itself known here in the US finally. This wonderful sea vegetable is loaded w/ minerals, natural fiber and nutritious components.

And on those festive occasions when we may have imbibed a wee bit too much sugar, salt, fat and booze, it’s a good idea to have a second Avanti Ayurveda Drink before hitting the hay!

If you grow your own aloe so much the better. Get a variety that has a soft skin and no spines, so you can simply wash it and add it to your blender jar.