By Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, and speaker. Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC
This week I was inspired by fresh organic arugula grown at Maya’s Farm, less than a mile from my home. Many people do not care for arugula because it tastes too bitter. With the simple “3 Ingredient Salad Dressing” made with high quality organic extra virgin olive oil, the bitterness of the arugula is totally reduced and the arugula is a refreshing salad.
When we create a salad with light greens, such as arugula, spinach, or spring greens, it is important to lightly toss the leaves in the dressing right before eating them. This is different from raw kale salads where we massage the kale with the dressing to break down the fibers in the kale.
Enjoy the beauty of this simple, refreshing arugula berry pecan salad and have fun creating your own salad. Share your salad creations with us on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating
Gather your mise en place: Arugula salad with berries (blueberries, blackberries), nuts (pecans), and organic heirloom tomato.
Dressing: organic extra virgin olive oil, local Arizona lemon, sea salt, garlic.
Make 3 Ingredient Dressing and gently toss with the organic arugula.
Mindfully plate.
Enjoy your light, fresh berry and pecans arugula salad.
EXCERPT from A New View of Healthy Eating
Basic Salad Dressing: 3 Ingredients. That’s It
Three base ingredients for a salad dressing include a fat, an acid, and salt. Optional add-ins are aromatics (such as garlic and onions), fresh herbs (like basil and oregano), and sweeteners like local raw honey and fresh dates. To make your first dressing for a kale salad, start with fresh lemon, organic extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and garlic. Once you’ve learned how to prepare a dressing with this technique, you can use this method to create your own unique salad dressings for a raw kale salad or other fresh salads.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
- 1 fresh lemon, squeezed, approximately ¼ cup
- Organic extra virgin olive oil, twice as much as the lemon juice, approximately ½ cup
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced (extra)
SIMPLE STEPS
- Squeeze a fresh organic lemon into a pint-size Mason jar.
- Pour in twice as much olive oil as the lemon.
- Sprinkle in sea salt and minced garlic.
- Shake the jar.
- Taste and notice if your dressing seems too oily or acid-tasting, or if it uses too little or too much salt. Taste testing salad dressing is a great way to mindfully use your cooking intuition. Add ingredients until the dressing tastes great.
6 Ways to Create Your Own Salad Dressing
Learn the simple salad dressing technique and then create your own with different fats, different acids, and various add-ins, such as freshly minced herbs or sweeteners. Use sweeteners to balance a dressing that seems too acid-tasting.
- Fats: Olive oil, grapeseed oil, nut oils such as walnut oil
- Acid: Citrus (lemons, limes, oranges); vinegar (balsamic, rice, red or white wine), or stone-ground mustard
- Salt: Your choice of sea salt or Himalayan salt
- Optional Sweeteners: Raw honey or dates
- Optional Aromatics: Garlic, green onions, shallots, red onions
- Optional Freshly Minced Herbs: Basil, cilantro, oregano, parsley
A New View of Healthy Eating Book is available for you, as gifts, or for your organization.
UPCOMING PUBLIC COOKING EVENTS
Intuitive Cooking Experience at The Farm at South Mountain
October 9, 2016, Sunday, 11:00am-1:00pm CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKET PRICE: $45 per person
Want to learn how to cook with different farmer-fresh organic ingredients? Do you receive your produce from your CSA or the farmers’ market and are puzzled on how to cook with them?
During the experience you will learn culinary skills such as making simple lentil veggie soup, unique salad with what’s in season, a perfect herbal salad dressing, and a quick hummus to enjoy with farm fresh organic veggies. Once you intuitively create your dishes, you’ll enjoy mindfully eating your beautiful creations with community in the beauty of The Farm.
A New Look at Shopping & Cooking at the Phoenix Public Market, Fall 2016
October 15, 2016, Saturday, 9:00-11:00am CLICK TO REGISTER PRICE: $10 per person
Enjoy hands-on interactive cooking demonstrations with farmers’ market fresh produce. Learn what to look for while shopping at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market. Learn simple culinary skills, the intuitive cooking method, and enjoy dining on the food you prepared with friends and community.