By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
Let’s take a look at the beautiful intuitive Farm-to-Table Winter Harvest Cooking Class with Farmer Billy Anthony and myself at The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona.
We’ve all heard the terms: farm-to-table, eat local, eat with the season, and plant-based.
This class was truly an authentic farm-to-table plant-based cooking class, right in the Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm.
The week before the cooking class experience, Billy and I walked through the Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm and begin to strategize on food to harvest for the class, including all kinds of roots, greens, herbs, edible flowers, and other surprises.
Taking into account what would be growing the day of the class, we created the draft menu direction for the class. Since there are quite a few different roots growing we decided the participants would create a few appetizers to enjoy with the roots, along with an intuitive green pesto with the greens of the day! Plus, since one of my very favorite desserts is a raw carrot cake, and carrots are “in season” we decided to add it to the menu.
Our Arizona Winter Menu Direction
- Appetizers
- Green Pesto
- Hummus
- Olive Tapenade
- Roots for “Dipping” : Carrots, Beets, Turnips, Radishes
- Dessert: Raw Carrot Cake
The morning of the class, Billy harvested the beautiful fresh produce, including:
Greens
- “Hail storm Arugula”
- Shungiku (Chrysanthemum Greens)
- Pea Tendrils
Roots
- Tropical Black Carrots
- Mixed Beets: Detroit, Cylindra, Golden
- Purple Top Turnips
- Purple Daikon Radishes
- French Breakfast Radishes
- Black Spanish Radishes
Herbs
- Micro-cilantro
- Rosemary
- Mint
Citrus
- Lemons
- Grapefruit
It was a little dreary in Phoenix the morning of the class, so we decided to hold the class right in the Soil & Seed Garden, where we could stay dry under the roof, in the event of rain. Take a look at how we created our “farm-to-table kitchen set” right in the garden!
Billy started the class with a Farm Tour to see where the roots and greens for the culinary creations are growing in the Soil & Seed Garden. And, the “lucky” participants harvested beautiful edible flowers.
The Soil & Seed Garden Tour with Lead Grower Billy Anthony
Melanie’s view during the Farm Tour, with the just-harvested Shungiku and Arugula.
“Lucky” class participants harvesting edible flowers to garnish their culinary creations.
During the hands-on class, Melanie guided our guests to prepare the dishes and to plate them beautifully.
In awe, the Tropical Black Carrot Cake. Appetizers: Green Pesto, Tapenade, Hummus. Veggies.
Still in awe…the beauty of the Tropical Black Carrot Cake.
So much creative joy…
We then enjoyed the beautiful culinary creations in the beauty of The Farm with our foodie community!
Raw Carrot Cake Recipe
Adapted from “A New View of Healthy Eating” by Melanie Albert
Carrot cake has been a favorite of mine for decades. As much as I love the aromatherapy of cooking raisins with cinnamon and nutmeg for a baked carrot cake, I love the simplicity and freshness of a raw version of carrot cake.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup dates, pitted and soaked for 1 hour in water, then rough chopped
- Do not soak if dates are soft and moist
- 2 cups carrots, shredded (Tropical Black / Purple Yellow, Orange)
- 1 ½ cups apple, minced
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews or pecans, ground into a fine meal
- ½ tsp cinnamon, freshly ground
- ½ tsp nutmeg, freshly ground
- ½ tsp cardamom, freshly ground
- Pinch sea salt
- Garnish: Raspberries, blueberries, mint, edible flowers, and dehydrated grapefruit, oranges, and apples.
SIMPLE STEPS
- Gather mise en place.
- Soak dates.
- Place all ingredients into mixing bowl and combine gently with hands until the mixture forms a ball.
- Press dough into springform pan.
- Garnish with berries, mint, dehydrated grapefruit, edible flowers.
- Refrigerate for an hour.
Arizona Winter Farm-to-Table Pesto
Simple pesto with local Arizona greens and herbs, enjoyed with Winter root veggies.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup Shungiku (Chrysanthemum Greens)
- 1 cup “hail storm arugula”
- ½ cup fresh micro-cilantro
- 2 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup Arizona pecans, fresh cracked
- Pinch sea salt
- 2-3 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
SIMPLE STEPS
- Place all ingredients except organic extra virgin olive oil into food processor.
- Pulse to desired level of thickness.
- Stream in olive oil little by little until smooth.
- Taste and add extra garlic, lemon juice, or herbs to create a taste that’s right for you.
- Enjoy with Arizona Roots
Enjoy Arizona Herb Pesto.
Arizona Root Veggies & Edible Flowers
- Purple Daikon Radishes
- French Breakfast Radishes
- Purple Top Turnips
- Beets: Detroit, Cylindra, Golden
- Tropical Black Carrots
2020 Sedona Plant-Based Cooking & Self Care Retreats
- Interested in a weekend of Plant-based Cooking, Self Care, Hiking and Special Sedona Ceremonies?
- 2020 Retreat Dates: February 7-10, 2020;
- Click here: Take a look at our retreat page to see all the activities, our unique eco-retreat house, and Sedona.
- February 7-10, 2020; June 12-15, 2020; September 18-21, 2020
2020 Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Cooking Experiences at The Farm with Lead Grower Billy Anthony and award-winning cookbook author, Melanie Albert.
Classes held at The Farm at South Mountain, 6101 S. 32nd Street, Phoenix, Arizona
To Purchase, click below on the class dates:
Special One-Time Event
Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Full Moon Ceremony at the Farm at South Mountain with Melanie Albert and Patricia Federico