Author: Melanie Albert

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Plant-Based Recipes by Melanie Albert: Summer Salad: Arizona Peach Tomato Arugula Salad

    A New View of Healthy Eating: Plant-Based Recipes by Melanie Albert: Summer Salad: Arizona Peach Tomato Arugula Salad

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

    Summertime!!!! Peaches!!!!

    I’m so happy peaches are in season in Arizona right now. Today, I bought a few perfectly ripe peaches and tomatoes from local farmers. I really didn’t have a plan to prepare them; however, right away when I got home I intuitively created, for the first time, a salad with both tomatoes and peaches. I really got excited and created sweetness with figs to balance the bitterness of the arugula. Plus, I love goji berries for their earthiness and pistachios for a little crunch.

    Have fun creating your own peach salads and desserts this summer!

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    Beautiful Peaches at Agritopia, Gilbert, Arizona

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    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • Arizona peaches, sliced (neighbor friend)
    • Arizona yellow tomato, sliced (Abby Lee Farms)
    • Arizona arugula (Blue Sky Organic Farm)
    • Goji berries, soaked in water for 10 minutes
    • Mission figs, sliced
    • Blood Orange Olive Oil (Queen Creek, Arizona)
    • Pistachios
    • Arizona fresh mint (Maya’s Farm)
    • Sea salt

     

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    SIMPLE STEPS

    • In a small bowl, toss arugula, blood orange olive oil, and a dash of sea salt.
    • Add a few peaches, goji berries, Mission figs, and mint to the arugula.
    • Toss all ingredients.
    • Beautifully plate.
    • Enjoy!

    Making the salad…

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    Plating Mise en Place

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    Plating Video…

     

    The Final Summer Arizona Peach Tomato Arugula Salad

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    Enjoy…

     

     

    A New View of Healthy Eating” by Melanie Albert is available directly from the author, and she’ll gift wrap for you.

     

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Plant-Based Recipes by Melanie Albert: Simple Sweet Potato Tomato Sauté Late Night Snack and Brunch

    A New View of Healthy Eating: Plant-Based Recipes by Melanie Albert: Simple Sweet Potato Tomato Sauté Late Night Snack and Brunch

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

    Late last night I was craving a sweet dish and almost dreaming about all the great produce I bought at our local Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market.  Around  9 or 9:30 pm I made a quick sauté with sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and arugula.

    This morning, I woke up thinking about how much I enjoyed the sweet and slightly bitter flavor combinations in the dish and that when I was a kid, my parents cooked potatoes for breakfast when we were boating on the Chesapeake Bay. So for brunch, I made another, slightly tweaked sweet potato sauté. (And, I actually ate the left-overs for an afternoon snack.)

    Late Snack Mise en Place

     


    Brunch Mise en Place

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    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • Organic extra virgin olive oil
    • Sweet potato, rough chopped (Crooked Sky Farm)
    • Several tomatoes, rough shopped (Abby Lee Farm)
    • Pinch sea salt
    • Fresh arugula (Blue Sky Farm)
    • Green garlic, sliced (Maya’s Farm)
    • Kalamata olives
    • Capers
    • Dehydrated tomatoes (McClendon Select)

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Heat medium sauté pan at medium heat
    • Drizzle olive oil into the pan.
    • Once olive oil is warm, add tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes.
    • Add pinch of sea salt.
    • Add green garlic and cook for about a minute. (Added to brunch sauté.)
    • Add sweet potatoes and sauté for about 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    • Add olives and capers and sauté for a few minutes.
    • Add arugula to pan, and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt.

     

    • Take a look at the saute:
    • Plate with quinoa. (Added quinoa to the morning sauté.)

    Late Night…

     

    Brunch…

     

    Final Brunch Sweet Potato Tomato Saute Plating…

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    Rustic…

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    A final look…food art…

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    If you’re interested in learning more simple culinary skills with real whole foods, Melanie Albert’s cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating” is available.

     

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  • Experience Nutrition: Healthy Plant-Based Recipes by Melanie Albert: Quick Roasted Spring Roots & Veggies

    Experience Nutrition: Healthy Plant-Based Recipes by Melanie Albert: Quick Roasted Spring Roots & Veggies

    by Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition, Intutive Cooking Expert, Cookbook Author, Speaker and Retreat Leader

    Tonight’s quick meal was so beautiful I decided to share it with you right now. While I was working this afternoon, I roasted veggies with a quick roasting method and with the veggies in my refrigerator from our local Arizona farmers. At the same time I cooked a quick batch of Turmeric Quinoa. Have fun roasting all kinds of veggies with this simple culinary technique.

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • Golden and chioggia beets
    • Red and yellow peppers
    • Daikon radish
    • Orange carrots
    • Romanesco
    • Sunchoke roots (Jerusalem artichoke)
    • Leek
    • Green onions
    • Organic extra virgin olive oil
    • Penzeys Spices Fox Point Seasoning, or your favorite dried herbs

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    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Preheat oven at 400 degrees F
    • Rough chop all veggies in various shapes
    • Place veggies in roasting pan

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    • Drizzle with olive oil and Penzeys Spices Fox Point Seasoning

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    • Roast for about an hour, stirring occasionally

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    • Enjoy with quinoa (1 cup quinoa, 2 cups water, about 2 TBSP turmeric powder)

    Take a look at tonight’s step-by-step plating…

    Enjoy the final dish…

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    • Plate and drizzle with blood orange olive oil, for extra flavor

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    The Roasted Veggies…

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    Just for fun, sharing tonight’s Arizona sunset…

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    Interested in learning more simple culinary techniques, with real whole foods. purchase Melanie Albert’s Book “A New View of Healthy Eating” right here.

     

     

     

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Healthy Plant-Based Recipes by Melanie Albert: Spring Hemp Seed Quinoa Tabouli

    A New View of Healthy Eating: Healthy Plant-Based Recipes by Melanie Albert: Spring Hemp Seed Quinoa Tabouli

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

    This week during our Whole Food SOUL (Seasonal Organic Unprocessed Local) cooking class at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, our focus was on whole grains and the students prepared Quinoa Salad and Hempseed Tabouli.

    It had been awhile since I’ve used fresh mint in my dishes, and I loved both the fresh quinoa salad and hemp seed tabouli, that I very intuitively prepared a tabouli with the mint, hemp seeds, and quinoa.

    I guide people to cook intuitively very often. The key is to know a few simple culinary skills, and then cook with what’s available at your farmers market or kitchen. Plus, with intuitive cooking, we listen to our body for foods we might be craving and also notice what foods we’re attracted to, with color, textures, and aromas.

    Today’s tabouli was intuitive in several ways:

    • Listening to my body: My body was looking forward to a grounding grain and I had about a cup of the tri-color quinoa in my pantry.
    • Aromatherapy: The fresh aromatherapy and bright tasting mint.
    • Looking for a variety of color and textures: Red tomatoes, yellow pepper, green onion.
    • Spring garlic: Just love the cross between garlic and onion, when spring garlic is in season.

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    Two Simple Culinary Techniques

    • Cook Whole Grains: Cook quinoa with 1 cup quinoa, 2 cups previously-made veggie stock. Bring to boil on stove, cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Rest the quinoa. Fluff with a fork. Use in recipe.
    • 3-Ingredient Salad Dressing: 1 part lemon, 2 parts organic extra virgin olive oil, pinch salt.

    HEMP SEED QUINOA TABOULI

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 1 cup quinoa
    • 2 cups veggie stock
    • ½ cup hemp seeds
    • Several tomatoes, rough chopped
    • Orange pepper, rough chopped
    • 1 green onion, rough chopped
    • 1 lemon, juice and zest
    • Organic extra virgin olive oil
    • Handful mint, minced
    • Handful parsley, minced
    • Pinch sea salt
    • Handful pea sprouts

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Cook quinoa with veggie stock
    • Rough chop all veggies
    • Gently toss all ingredients
    • Plate with sprouts
    • Enjoy
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    Hemp Seed Quinoa Tabouli: Rough Chop Veggies

     

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    Gently toss all ingredients in large bowl.
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    Enjoy your Spring Hemp Seed Quinoa Tabouli

    I have recently created the Simple Plant-Based Eating Group on Facebook, where I share daily tips around plant-based eating, and the community shares ideas. Please join us: www.facebook.com/groups/DailyPlantBasedEatingTips/

    Interested in addtional simple culinary techniques and recipes with real whole foods, Melanie Albert’s book, “A New View of Healthy Eating” is available.

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  • Experience Nutrition: A New View of Healthy Eating: Cooking Challenge Team Building Programs with Melanie Albert

    Experience Nutrition: A New View of Healthy Eating: Cooking Challenge Team Building Programs with Melanie Albert

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

    I’m excited to announce that we have recently added another fun interactive Cooking Program to Experience Nutrition and A New View of Healthy Eating: Team Building Cooking Challenge.

    Recently, I had the wonderful opportunity to host a memorable Team Building Cooking Challenge with Visit Phoenix. What an honor to lead such a beautiful event at The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona.

    “It was a great event! Thanks for everything. You and the team did an amazing job. Look forward to seeing you again soon! Ronnie Collins, Director of Sales, Visit Phoenix

    The goals of the team building event:

    • Fun, interactive, hands-on Team Building Cooking Challenge
    • Tour of The Farm at South Mountain, urban farm right south of the Phoenix airport
    • Friendly culinary competition around healthy eating and local Phoenix farmers’ food
    • Time for participants to enjoy the beautiful, tasty food created during the Challenge

    “Thank you for all your hard work on this. I had a blast with my teammates!” Polly Phelan-Flachman, Director of Member Relations, Visit Phoenix.

    Our Team Building Cooking Challenge Menu

    • ROUND 1: Massaged Kale Salad with 3-Ingredient Salad Dressing
    • ROUND 2: Raw Deconstructed Lasagna. Veggies: beets, carrots, zucchini, radishes. Three sauces: Red Tomato, White Cashew Cream, Green Pesto
    • DESSERT: Chocolate Dessert with Superfoods
      • NOTE: All recipes: Plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free.

    Photo highlights of the event, thanks to Travel Blogger & Photographer, Cassie Hepler, Explore with Cassie.

     

    The tables are set with local Arizona farmers’ beautiful produce.

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    We are Ready: Melanie Albert, Experience Nutrition. Cassie Hepler, Explore with Cassie.

    Take a Look at the Amazing Kale Salads the Visit Phoenix teams created. Beautiful, creative, tasty, and delicious.

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    And, the proud winners of ROUND 1 of the Challenge.

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    On to ROUND 2: Raw Deconstructed Veggie Lasagna Cooking Challenge. Seriously, take a look at the culinary creations in the Cooking Challenge. Outstanding creativity, lots of passion, and friendly competition.

    Time to enjoy the meals in the beauty of The Farm at South Mountain with Visit Phoenix friends.

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    Finishing the meal with a little chocolate. Of course. Melanie Albert plating the sweet Chocolate Sweet Potato Brownie.

    A little Singing Bowl magic.

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    The Visit Phoenix Team enjoying the Team Building Cooking Challenge and the beauty of the day…

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    “Thank you so much to my friends at Visit Phoenix for the incredible opportunity to share our Team Building Cooking Challenge with your organization. I am so honored and love being part of our beautiful Phoenix community.” Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

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    Ronnie Collins, Director of Sales, Visit Phoenix. Melanie Albert, Experience Nutrition. Lorne Edwards, VP Sales & Services, Visit Phoenix.

    Thanks, dear talented friend, Cassie Hepler for capturing the Visit Phoenix Team Building Cooking Challenge in photos.

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    Cassie Hepler, Explore with Cassie. Melanie Albert, Experience Nutrition. Ronnie Collins, Director of Sales, Visit Phoenix

    If your organization is interested in a fun, unique, friendly competitive team building event in Phoenix, across the USA, or even around the world, please let me know and we can collaborate and create a custom cooking team building activity for you.

    Thanks, VISIT PHOENIX!

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: More Roasted Roots:  Roast Roots & Roots Greens Tops

    A New View of Healthy Eating: Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: More Roasted Roots: Roast Roots & Roots Greens Tops

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

    Within my home-cooking, cooking classes, cookbook, and recipe blogs, one of my key philosophies is learning some simple culinary techniques and then using the techniques to cook all kinds of veggies. For those of you who know me from classes, Facebook, and my blog, you are aware that I love roasting veggies.

    Roasting is simple and the cooking process caramelizes the veggies keeping them crisp on the outside and moist on the inside. The flavor is always delicious and roasting can be used in any season with basically any veggies our farmers grow.

    Today I roasted veggies that I purchased on Saturday at this week’s Gilbert Farmers Market from a few of our amazing local organic farmers: Steadfast Farms, Blue Sky Farms, Abby Lee Farms, and Crooked Sky Farms. Plus, I still had a few turnips from The Farm at South Mountain. I was especially happy to also cook beans from Crooked Sky Farms for the first time.

    And, I had fun experimenting with roasting a few roots – carrots and radishes – with the whole veggie. I roasted the roots and the greens and they were so beautiful. Definitely food art!

    Simple Ingredients

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    • Sweet potatoes (Crooked Sky Farm)
    • Carrots (Blue Sky Organic Farm)
    • Radishes (Steadfast Farm)
    • Tomatoes (Abby Lee Farms)
    • Broccoli (Blue Sky Farm)
    • Turnips & Breakfast Radish (The Farm at South Mountain)
    • Black Beans (Crooked Sky Farm)
    • Quinoa
    • Organic extra virgin olive oil
    • Dry seasoning (Today Penzeys Fox Point (salt, shallots, chives, garlic, onion, green peppercorns)

     

    Simple Steps

    • Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Slice veggies into equal-sized pieces.

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    • Coat veggies with olive oil and seasonings.

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    • Place veggies flat side down on parchment-lined flat sheet pan.

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    • Cook for 15 minutes.
    • Flip.
    • Cook another 12-15 minutes.

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    • Plate with quinoa and black beans.
    • Enjoy!

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    I have just started a new Facebook Group: Simple Plant-Based Daily Eating Tips with Melanie Albert. Please come over and join in the conversation.

    Interested in learning more plant-based culinary skills, Melanie’s book includes 84 simple culinary techniques.

     

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Purple Superfood Smoothie: Acai & Maqui Super Berries

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

    Like many of us around the world, smoothies are one of my go-to simple easy to prepare healthy breakfast options.

    For years, I’ve been making smoothies with a base of home-made nut milk or coconut water with chia seeds. Add-in a banana and frozen fruit, especially raspberries and black cherries. Then I top with goji berries, hemp seeds, and raw cacao, for a quick healthy breakfast.

    This month I’m participating in the Plantlab Culinary Superfoods course, so I decided to create a new-to-me smoothie with a few superfoods – Acai and Maqui – which I’ve honestly not experimented with very much.  Acai and Maqui both grow in South America, which I’m happy about since I was an exchange student in Brazil for a year many decades ago.

    Acai berries are known to be antioxidant-rich and full of omega-3 fatty acids. Maqui berries are deep purple, and is the fruit with the highest level of antioxidants. In addition to the berries, other powerful superfoods in this smoothie: chia seeds and hemp seeds, both rich in protein and good omega-3 fatty acids. Finally, wild Maine blueberries are also full of antioxidants and grow on a low bush and balance sweet and tangy.

    Purple Superfood Super Berrie Smoothie

    Simple Ingredients

    • 1-1.5 cups coconut water
    • 3 TBSP chia seeds
    • ½ cup wild Maine blueberries
    • 1 banana
    • 1 TBSP hemp seeds
    • ¼ tsp dried acai powder
    • ¼ tsp dried maqui
    • Chamomile flowers

    Simple Steps

    • Soak chia seeds in coconut water for about 15-20 minutes.
    • Blend all ingredients, except flowers, until smooth.
    • Garnish with blueberries and chamomile flowers.
    • Enjoy!

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    Excerpt from Melanie’s cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Cooking with Real Whole Foods”

    Smoothies

    Smoothies are a perfect way to eat a variety of organic fruit and veggies and a simple morning meal or afternoon snack. Because we drink all of the nutrients and fiber in smoothies, they’re nutritious and slow the digestive process. Make your own smoothies with your intuition using these steps. Have fun mixing and matching the ingredients in your smoothies based on what’s available in season and your own cravings.

    No-Recipe Smoothies: 5 Simple Steps to Create an Intuitive Smoothie

    1. Pour 1 cup of non-dairy liquid into a high-speed blender.
    • Coconut water
    • Homemade nut milk (coconut water with almonds, soaked cashews)
    • Homemade seed milk (coconut water with hemp seeds or sunflower seeds)
    • 1 date for sweetness
    • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for smoothness
    1. Add a thickening ingredient to liquid and blend.
    • Avocado
    • Bananas, frozen or fresh
    • Chia seeds; use 1 tablespoon of seeds and 3 tablespoons of liquid, pre-soaked for 10 minutes
    1. Add about ¼ cup fruit, fresh or frozen.
    • Apple, sliced
    • Cherries
    • Blueberries
    • Raspberries
    • Strawberries
    1. Add about ¼ cup vegetables.
    • Carrots
    • Celery
    • Cucumber
    • Kale
    • Spinach
    1. Add other extras.
    • Flaxseeds
    • Fresh basil
    • Ginger root
    • Goji berries
    • Raw cacao powder
    • Turmeric root

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    Interested in Melanie’s cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating” you can purchase here or at her local Arizona events.

    So beautiful (and aromatic). Sharing the beautiful wild chamomile that grows at an urban farm less than a mile from my home…

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    A final look at the Superfood Super Berry Chamomile Smoothie

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Top 4 Favorite Plant-based Culinary Techniques & Rustic Veggie Saute

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

    This week while cooking my local Arizona farmers’ produce I realized I was cooking the same foods different ways every day. One of my philosophies of healthy eating is to learn simple culinary skills and then when we shop at our farmers’ markets we can cook intuitively with what’s available seasonally.

    Four of my favorite ways (or culinary methods) to cook veggies intuitively are roasting, sautéing, bamboo steamer, and raw. This week, I roasted twice, sauteed once, ate raw a few times, and, so far I have not used my bamboo steamer.

    Take a look a this week’s roasted Farmers’ Market Veggies. Simple steps to Roast Winter Veggies

    Rustic Winter Arizona Farmers’ Market Veggie Saute

    My veggie saute featured many of the same veggies that I roasted earlier in the week. With the saute, I very intuitively added 2 Arizona navel oranges for sweet flavor and moisture.

    • Romanesco
    • Yellow cauliflower
    • Purple carrots
    • Sweet potatoes
    • White beets
    • Turnip
    • Yellow tomato
    • Greens

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    Mindfully Chop Veggies and Organize your Mise en Place

    Chop veggies in about equal-sized pieces and mindfully organize them for cooking. Also, gather other ingredients for your dish. I added extra virgin olive oil, navel orange, and sea salt.

    Saute Veggies One-by-One

    Start with saute pan on medium heat. Warm the olive oil then add the tomato, root veggies, then cauliflower, and finally the greens.

    Mindfully Plate Veggies with Quinoa

    Again, be very mindful with your plating, placing veggies on the plate one-by-one. Add a few extras for extra flavor and interest, such as olives, capers, and dehydrated tomatoes.

    Enjoy your meal.

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    This week I set up a new Facebook Group, Simple Daily Plant-based Eating Tips with Melanie Albert. The group is dedicated to daily actionable eating and cooking tips for people who wish to eat more plant-based food. Hope you join us and share in the conversation.

    Melanie’s cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Eating with Real Whole Foods” includes 84 simple culinary technique with simple steps and photos of the process.

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Arizona Farmers’ Roasted Organic Veggies

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

    As I’ve been blogging recently, I really love the beautiful food our Arizona farmers are growing this season.  A few of my key philosophies are to shop locally and seasonally with your local farmers, learn a few simple culinary techniques, and then when you shop, use your intuition to choose the veggies you are attracted to. Then, when you cook, cook intuitively with your culinary skills and the local veggies.

    This week at the downtown Phoenix Farmers’ Market I purchased a variety of root veggies, a few staples, and fresh dill. Tonight, I cooked with the simple culinary technique of roasting veggies.

    Local Arizona Winter Veggies

    • White beets
    • Orange carrots
    • Yellow cauliflower, called “cheddar”
    • Yellow tomatoes
    • Sweet potatoes
    • Fresh dill

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    Other Ingredients

    • Extra virgin olive oil
    • Dried Penzeys Fox Point seasoning (salt, shallots, chives, garlic, onion, and green peppercorns).

    Simple Veggie Roasting Steps

    • Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Wash and cut veggies into about equal size pieces.

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    • In a large bowl, coat veggies with organic extra virgin olive oil and dried seasoning (Fox Point today)
    • Place veggies, flat-side down onto parchment-lined sheet pan.

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    • Roast for about 15 minutes.
    • Flip veggies, and roast another 12-15 minutes.

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    • Mindfully plate the veggies, one-by-one, with a whole grain, like today’s brown rice with fresh dill.
    • Enjoy…

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    If you’re interested in Melanie’s cookbook,A New View of Healthy Eating” you can buy it and Melanie will gift-wrap and mail it to you.

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Get Clear on Plant Protein and Simple Steps to Sprout Beans

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

    This year I have the wonderful opportunity to lead the monthly Healthy Cooking Demo at the Humana Community Center in Mesa, Arizona. Each month Humana gives me a new topic to focus on. This week, the February topic was plant sources of protein. We cooked one of my favorite simple soups: Lentil Quinoa, along with Lemon Hummus, and I showed my jar of sprouted mung beans.

    Plus, we had a positive conversation around sources of plant proteins. Take a look at this chart that I originally created a few years ago when I was guiding former NFL players and their families about nutrition and cooking.  One of the first questions the guys always asked me: “Mel, will you make my stop eating meat?” I told them that I would not force them to stop eating meat, but I would teach them good sources of plant protein, and hopefully, they would reduce their consumption of meat.

    Protein in Plants and Animals

    • When we clearly examine protein sources, we see that we can indeed get enough protein in our diets from plant-based foods rather than from the typical SAD – Standard American Diet – of red meat, pork, poultry, and dairy.
    • It’s important to note how the levels of protein in many plant foods are comparable to the protein levels in meat, poultry, cheese, and fish. For instance, in a 3.5-ounce serving, pork and tuna have 30 grams, and chicken and Swiss cheese both contain 27 grams of protein. These levels of protein in animal food are comparable to pumpkin seeds with 30 grams, lentils with 26 grams, and hemp seeds with 23 grams.

    Simple Protein Chart

    Protein Grams per 100 Grams (3.53-ounce) servings

    30.2 Pumpkin seeds

    30.0 Pork

    30.0 Tuna

    29.1 Beef tenderloin steak, lean only

    29.3 Turkey

    28.4 Nori (sea vegetable)

    27.3 Salmon, sockeye

    27.1 Chicken

    26.9 Swiss cheese

    26.7 Halibut

    26.7 Beef chuck eye roast

    25.8 Lentils, raw

    23.6 Kidney beans, raw

    22.5 Hemp seeds

    21.6 Black beans, raw

    21.5 Dulse (sea vegetable)

    21.4 Pinto beans, raw

    21.2 Almonds

    20.3 Pistachio nuts

    19.4 Beef, grass-fed, ground

    19.3 Garbanzo beans, raw

    19.3 Sunflower seeds

    18.3 Flax seeds

    18.2 Cashews

    18.1 Beef tenderloin

    16.6 Soybeans

    16.6 Inca berries*

    16.5 Chia seeds

    15.4 Cacao*

    15.2 Walnuts

    14.3 Goji berries

    14.1 Quinoa, uncooked

    12.4 Cottage cheese, 1% fat

    3.4 Milk, non-fat

    3.3 Soymilk

    Source: USDA National Nutrient Database

    * Not in USDA Database


    Today, I enjoyed the sprouted mung beans in a fresh farmers’ market salad intuitively created with the veggies and spring mix from the Farm Tour with Blue Sky Organic Farm, and purple cauliflower from Maya’s Farm, about ¼ mile from my home. Blue Sky Organic Farm, 30 miles west of my home, grows about 150 varieties of produce on 35 acres. Their beautiful spring mix comes from 18-21 different varieties of baby greens. Blue Sky Organic Farm triple washes and spin dries the mixture at high velocity, so we can easily enjoy it in our salads.

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    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • Bamboo Steamer Veggies
      • Romanesco
      • Purple Cauliflower
      • Fennel
      • Yellow wax beans
      • Spring mix
      • Mung bean sprouts
    • Salad Dressing
      • Fresh lemon
      • Basil olive oil
      • Sea salt
      • Fresh home-grown basil

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    Excerpt from “A New View of Healthy Eating”: Simply Sprout Beans: Try Mung Beans

    In the winter of 2014 I started to sprout beans while learning in the Plant-Based Professional Certification with Rouxbe Cooking School. When I visited my parents in Florida, we decided to experiment with sprouting different kinds of organic legumes (mung, adzuki, and green lentils) and a few seeds (sunflower and broccoli). Within a week, we had 12 quart jars full of sprouted beans and seeds. Luckily for my parents’ Cocoa Beach neighbors, they also enjoyed sprouts in their meals.

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    Soaking and Sprouting

    The soaking and sprouting process releases dormant enzymes that make beans more easily digestible and, in some cases, even more nutritious.

    Mung beans are the most widely eaten sprout on our planet and have been cooked in Chinese dishes for centuries. Mung beans, a great plant protein, are fun and easy to sprout, and can be eaten raw or cooked. Add raw mung beans to the top of a salad, avocado salsa or hummus for a nice crunch. Cook sprouted mung beans for added protein in veggie stir-fries or soup.

     7 Simple Steps to Sprout Mung Beans

    1. Soak ¼ cup dry mung beans in a few cups of water for 8 to 12 hours out of direct sunlight.
    2. Rinse beans and place them in a wide-mouth quart Mason jar with a wire lid.
    3. Rinse beans with cold water 2 to 4 times a day.
    4. After each rinsing, rest the jar on a slant so that any extra water can drain out of the jar.
    5. Harvest beans in 2 to 5 days.
    6. After sprouts have completely dried, store in the refrigerator.
    7. Enjoy raw in a salad or wrap or cooked in a stir-fry.

    Today’s Mung Beans

    You can purchase Melanie’s cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating” and also let us know if you’re interested in a Cooking Workshop, Event, or Retreat. Would love to explore your ideas and create a fun program for your organization.

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Quick Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

    This week I was craving a warm breakfast with our cooler Arizona weather, so I decided to cook steel cut oats with apples, spices, and local Arizona honey. In my cookbook “A New View of Healthy Eating” I share how to cook steel cut oats in a rice cooker. This week, I cooked them stovetop and enjoyed the aromatherapy of nutmeg, cinnamon, and cardamom.

    Stovetop Steel Cut Oats

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 1 cup steel cut oats
    • 2 cups water
    • 2 apples sliced
    • ¼ cup sunflower seeds
    • 2 tbsp goji berries
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • Local honey
    • Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Thoroughly rinse steel cut oats multiple times until water is clear.
    • Put all ingredients, except honey in small pot.

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    • Bring oats to a boil.
    • Lower to simmer, cover pot, and cook for about 15-20 minutes until all liquid is absorbed.

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    • Enjoy with local honey and additional cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom.

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    Excerpt from “A New View of Healthy Eating”

    BREAKFAST Whole Grains: Simple Steel-Cut Oats in Rice Cooker

    Steel-cut oats make a quick, easy, and good-for-you breakfast. This recipe is the perfect foundation for a breakfast made with whole grains. You can use any whole grain and add your favorite nuts, seeds, trail mix, and fruit. The rice cooker method is a simple way to cook steel-cut oats as well as other whole grains.

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 1 cup steel-cut oats
    • ½ cup trail mix or your favorite nuts and seeds
    • 2 ¼ cups water
    • Organic apple, sliced
    • Fresh grated cinnamon and nutmeg
    • Local honey

    SIMPLE STEPS

    1. Thoroughly rinse steel-cut oats by placing them in a strainer and bowl of water. Rinse several times until the water is clear, not cloudy.
    2. Pour steel-cut oats into a rice cooker.
    3. Add trail mix and sliced apple.
    4. Pour water into the rice cooker.
    5. Grate cinnamon and nutmeg into the rice cooker.
    6. Turn on the rice cooker.
    7. Oats will be ready when the cooker turns off, after about 20 minutes.
    8. Enjoy with a drizzle of local honey.

    Steel-Cut Oats: Ireland

    Steel-cut oats are sometimes called Irish or Scottish oats and grow in the cold, wet climates of northern Europe and North America. Oats are unique among popular grains, as the bran and germ are rarely removed in processing.

    Why Oats

    • The fiber, beta-glucan, in oats helps lower cholesterol, which reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke, and enhances the body’s immune system.
    • Avenanthramide, a polyphenol antioxidant in oats, may have anti-inflammatory, heart-healthy, and anti-itch properties.
    • Fiber helps us feel fuller longer, which controls weight.
    • They have the highest protein content of popular cereals.

    Eat Oats

    • Available as steel-cut oats or oat groats (hulled grains).
    • Do not eat instant quick-cooking oats. They are low in fiber because most of the bran is removed. In addition, sugars and preservatives are usually added to the package.
    • The mild, smooth, sweet flavor makes oats a perfect breakfast grain to enjoy with nuts, seeds, and fruit.
    • Oats are naturally gluten-free, but may be contaminated with gluten during growing and processing. Look for oats certified gluten-free if you are sensitive to gluten.

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    Interested in “A New View of Healthy Eating,” I’m happy to gift-wrap and mail to you.

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Quick & Simple Flatbread Local Tomato Sauce

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC, Phoenix, Arizona.

    This morning I was craving my sprouted spelt flatbread, so I started with activating the yeast and letting the dough rise. Honestly, my vision was to roast veggies, make a cashew nut cheese and white sauce. However, I was away from my home most of the day — shopping for superfoods and attending the Slow Food Phoenix Event: Slow Foods. Fast Friends Event. Such an energizing event around local food and sustainability, I’m so excited to get more involved in our local food movement in Phoenix.

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    Remembering the melt in your mouth simple Margarita Pizza that I enjoyed in Milan, Italy, so many decades ago, when I returned home in the evening I decided to make a really quick tomato sauce with garlic and sea salt for the flatbread. And, I loved it!

    Three Tips to Activate Yeast “Perfectly”

    Several weeks ago, when I blogged the steps to activate yeast and rise flatbread dough a few of my friends asked me how the yeast is so fluffy. My tips:

    • Water Temperature. Get the water temperature in the right range, 112 -115 degrees Fahrenheit. To do this, bring water to almost a boil. Then mix that water with cooler water until the temperature is In the 112-115 degree range.
    • Do not use a metal utensil to stir the yeast water. Use a wooden spoon.
    • Add-in ingredients with the yeast and water. I use local Arizona honey, extra virgin olive oil, and a dash of sea salt.

     

     

    Step-by-step: Dough rising.

     

    Roll-out the dough with a rolling pin between parchment paper.

     

    The Simple Tomato Sauce & Toppings

    Ingredients

    • Organic olive oil
    • Tomatoes: Abby Lee Farms
    • Fresh garlic
    • Sea Salt
    • Arugula: Blue Sky Organic Farm
    • Goat cheese
    • Olives

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    Simple Steps

    • Heat saute pan on medium heat.
    • Saute tomatoes and garlic for 3-5 minutes, adding sea salt after the tomatoes begin to soften.

     

    Bake the Flatbread

    • Place pizza stone into oven. Heat oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Place rolled-out dough onto pizza stone.
    • Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.
    • Coat top with olive oil.
    • Bake for 5-7 minutes.
    • Add toppings.
    • Bake for 5 minutes.
    • Enjoy.

     

    Interested in Melanie Albert’s cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating,” order today and I’ll gift-wrap and mail a copy to you. 

     

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Arizona Winter Harvest Farm-to-Table Intuitive Cooking Class

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

    I am so honored to do the work I love with such beautiful food grown by our local Arizona Farmers in natural, beautiful places in the Phoenix area.  Last weekend I had the honor to lead a Winter Harvest Farm-to-Table Intuitive Cooking class at The Farm at South Mountain, in Phoenix, less than a mile from my home.

    For this class, our culinary focus was an Asian Salad, Veggie Stir-fry, and Hummus. I shopped at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market the day before event (while also leading a Taste of the Market Cooking Demo) and the Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm also provided a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share for the class.

    I was so incredibly excited getting set up for the class on our sunny Arizona winter day, immersed in the variety and colors and textures of the food for the class.

    A look at the Farmers’ Market food…

    A look at The Farm at South Mountain CSA, which included all kinds of greens, black radishes, edible flowers, oranges, and pecans.

    I’m also sharing the beautiful “salad in a bowl” from The Farm, fresh and crisp and ready to enjoy with a simple flower.

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    Asian Salad

    We used the Asian Salad Dressing from my book, “A New View of Healthy Eating” as a guide for the dressings. (Scroll down for the recipe guide.) While I often teach how to make a basic salad dressing with an acid (lemon), fat (organic extra virgin olive oil), and sea salt, I have only taught the use of fresh ginger root in a salad a few times. The natural aromatherapy of the ginger really made this dressing fresh and unique.

    A look at two different Asian Salads intuitively created during the class.

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    Winter Harvest Saute

    Our stir-fry (really veggie saute) featured, in order of cooking:

    • Extra virgin olive oil
    • Spring green garlic
    • Green onions
    • Red and orange tomatoes
    • Sea salt
    • Sweet potatoes
    • Orange and purple carrots
    • Broccoli
    • Romanesco
    • Sweet lime and orange juices

    Click to get the recipe blog with simple steps for your veggie saute.

    Our final dishes…Asian Salads…Winter Harvest Saute…Garlic Hummus…

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    Excerpt from “A New View of Healthy Eating”

    Asian Salad with Vibrant Purple Cabbage and Tangy Citrus Ginger Root Dressing

    Make your own gourmet Asian salad with a rainbow of raw organic veggies, your favorite toasted nuts, and intuitively created ginger root dressing.

    Asian Salad: Ginger Salad Dressing: 3 Key Ingredients

    The essential ingredients for a perfect Asian dressing every time are ginger root, a soy flavoring (wheat-free tamari soy sauce or Bragg’s amino acids), and fresh citrus.

    Simple Ingredients

    • 1” fresh ginger root
    • 1 garlic clove, minced
    • ½ cup soy tamari or Bragg’s amino acids
    • ½ orange, juiced
    • ½ fresh-squeezed lemon or lime juice
    • 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
    • 1 tsp local honey
    • ⅓ cup organic extra virgin olive oil

    Simple Steps

    • Finely mince ginger root and garlic.
    • Place in pint-size Mason jar.
    • Add all other ingredients (except olive oil) to jar and shake.
    • Taste and intuitively add ingredients to create your desired flavor.
      • Too much acid: add olive oil
      • Not sweet enough: add honey
      • Too oily: add lemon or lime juice

    The Power of Ginger

    Ginger is a tropical plant whose roots have been used medicinally in Asia for centuries. Ginger root is a natural anti-inflammatory; it reduces nausea, helps digestion, and is good for colds and flu. A simple way to add fresh ginger to your food is to use it in a salad dressing.

    “The key to a delicious ginger root salad dressing, taste the dressing while you are making it for just the right balance of ginger, citrus, and soy flavor.”


     Asian Rainbow Salad

    Along with a tangy ginger root dressing, a colorful rainbow of raw organic veggies creates a beautiful Asian salad.

    Simple Ingredients

    • 1 purple cabbage, shredded
    • 2 cups Napa cabbage, shredded
    • 1 cup carrots, shredded
    • 1 cucumber, julienned (long, thin slices)
    • 1 cup snap peas or snow peas, cut on bias
    • 6 green onions, cut on bias
    • 1 cup red or purple radishes, shredded
    • 1 cup almonds, sliced and dry toasted

    Simple Steps

    • Dry toast (no oil) sliced almonds in small sauté pan on low heat for 5 minutes.
    • Toss all vegetables in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
    • Drizzle the Asian salad dressing on the vegetables and gently toss.
    • Top with dry toasted almonds.
    • Enjoy!

    Finally, we created a very simple basic Hummus, just like the Hummus served at the VIP Tailgate Party at the Superbowl XLIV in Miami. Today’s hummus intuitively featured lots of fresh garlic. Click for Hummus recipe.

    Hope you enjoy your local farmers’ produce with simple culinary skills and intuitive cooking. For additional ideas, Melanie Albert’s cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating” is available.’’

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Intuitive Veggie Bowl

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

    This weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to lead two farm-to-table cooking events. The first a beautiful intuitive Arizona Winter Harvest Veggie Saute at the Downtown Phoenix Market “Taste of the Market” and then a beautiful intuitive cooking class with another beautiful veggie saute, Asian Salads, and a Garlic Hummus at The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix.


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    Downtown Phoenix Market: Taste of the Market: Winter Harvest Saute

     

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    Arizona Winter Harvest Intuitive Cooking at The Farm at South Mountain

     


    Today, with some of the left-over veggies, I created a quick very, very intuitive veggie bowl. The goal was to create a dish with lots of color, different textures, and a variety of flavors.

    The Veggies and More

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    • Purple and orange carrots
    • Yellow string beans
    • Snow peas
    • Parsley
    • Arugula
    • Sweet lemon
    • More
      • Left-over quinoa
      • Left-over garbanzo beans
    • Extras
      • Basil olive oil
      • Cumin seeds
      • Bragg’s amino acids
      • Olives
      • Edible flowers
      • Sea salt

    The Culinary Techniques

    • Bamboo Steamer: Carrots, Yellow String Beans, and Snow Peas finished with Basil olive oil, sweet lemon, dry toasted cumin seeds, and sea salt

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    • Simple Pesto: Rough chopped parsley and raw almonds, sweet lemon, and basil olive oil.
    • Quick Saute: Arugula with Bragg’s amino acids

     

    Plating Mise en Place

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    Rustic Plating

    Bowl Plating

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    Hope you are enjoying my intuitive cooking creations and are having fun intuitively creating beautiful dishes with your local farmers’ produce. Share your creations with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

    My cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Cooking with Real Whole Foods” features 84 simple culinary techniques. Order a copy and I’m happy to gift-wrap and ship to you.

     

     

     

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Don’t be Afraid to Cook Whole Grains on the Stove

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

    During a few of my recent cooking events, we were talking about how easy it is to prepare whole grains. I actually cook whole grains about twice a week and use them in a few meals. Two of my favorite go-to whole grains are brown rice and quinoa. I purchase whole grains in bins at one of our natural grocery stores, store them in glass jars in my panty. And, when I cook whole grains, I add a little flavor by cooking them with previously made frozen veggie stock. This week I made a batch with fresh Hawaiian turmeric root.

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    With the 8 simple steps in my cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating,” you can cook whole grains perfectly every time. Before I share the steps from the book, enjoy a few of my recent veggie dishes with whole grains.

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    ARIZONA WINTER HARVEST BOWL. Click for recipe.  Brown rice with this bowl.

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    ARIZONA ROASTED VEGGIES: Romanesco and Sweet Potato. Click for recipe. Notice the tri-color quinoa.

    Quinoa. Fresh Turmeric. Green Garlic.

     

    Quick roasted farmers market veggies with the Turmeric Quinoa.

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    Excerpt from cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating”

    Simple Steps to Steam Perfect Whole Grains Every Time

    The steaming method is a simple way to cook whole grains. With the steaming method, we use a specific amount of grain and a specific amount of liquid. We then cook for a specific amount of time. We can steam whole grains on the stovetop, in a rice cooker, or in an oven.

    For all of these steaming methods the steps are: Rinse, add liquid, cover, cook, rest, fluff, rest, and serve.

    8 Steps to Steam Grains on the Stovetop

    By following the specific details in this step-by-step cooking process, you will cook perfect, flavorful, tender whole grains very time.

    1. Rinse whole grains to remove residue and extra outer starch.
    2. Add liquid. Pour 1 cup of whole grains with 2 cups of water into a heavy pot. Use a heat diffuser under the pot to prevent the bottom layer of the grains from sticking.
    3. Cover the pot and bring to a boil on medium-high heat.
    4. Lower heat to lowest setting and simmer with the pot tightly covered for 15-20 minutes. Keep pot tightly covered to keep steam inside pot to cook the rice.
    5. Rest the grains. Once cooked, remove the pot from the heat. For even cooking, uniform texture, and fluffier grains, rest the grains with the lid on the pot for 10-30 minutes.
    6. Fluff the grains. Use a fork to lift the grains. Start at the bottom around the edge of the pot and lift the grains toward the center of the pot.
    7. Cover and let the grains rest for another 10 minutes.
    8. Plate and enjoy your perfect whole grains.

     

     

    Steps to Steam Whole Grains in a Rice Cooker and Oven

    • Rice Cooker: Pour rice and liquid into a rice cooker, cover, and turn on rice cooker. Let it cook. Rest. Fluff. Rest. Serve.
    • Oven: After grains and liquid have come to a boil on the stove, cover and place in preheated 350-degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Cook. Rest. Fluff. Rest. Serve.

    ACTION: Make a batch of whole grains this week and enjoy with a veggie dish. Share your experience with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

     

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Raw Turmeric Crackers

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

    Recently, I had the great opportunity to purchase beautiful fresh organic Hawaiian turmeric root from McClendon Select at the Wednesday morning Uptown Farmers’ Market in Phoenix, Arizona. I love the fresh green taste and aroma of the turmeric, plus, its anti-inflammatory health benefits. 

    I had quite a bit of turmeric, so I decided to experiment with the turmeric in a raw dehydrated cracker. And, I’m so glad I did. While dehydrating, the aromatherapy of the crackers was warming and refreshing, perfect for a rainy Arizona evening.  And, oh my, the crackers are so vibrant tasting, easy to prepare, and I’m excited to make raw crackers more often.

    First, I’ll share the step-by-step process to dehydrate raw crackers in my book, “A New View of Healthy Eating” and then the intuitive cracker recipe I created with the fresh turmeric root.

    Excerpt from “A New View of Healthy Eating”: Dehydrated Raw Flaxseed Crackers

    Flax seeds, chia seeds, and buckwheat groats are perfect for a flatbread batter because they form a natural mucilaginous gel when combined with water. Once dried, it’s a great binder for crackers, flatbread, and raw tortillas or wraps.

    5 Ingredients for Dehydrated Flatbread or Crackers

    The basic ingredients to create the base for dehydrated flatbread or crisp crackers are very simple. Have fun using your intuition to create your own versions of crackers with this raw dehydrating process.

    1. Soaked flax seeds, chia seeds, or buckwheat groats
    2. Fresh vegetables (peppers, tomatoes, beets, carrots) or fruit (apples, pears)
    3. Nuts or seeds (almonds, cashews, pecans, sunflower seeds)
    4. Herbs and spices (basil, oregano, ginger, turmeric)
    5. Dehydrator: to dry for 8-12 hours

    Sweet Pepper Almond Flax Crisp

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 1/2 cup golden flax seeds, ground, then soaked in 1 ½ cups water
    • ¾ cup raw almonds, soaked in water for 2-3 hours, drained
    • 1 ¼ cup yellow bell pepper, minced
    • 1 shallot, minced
    • ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked and drained
    • 1 ½ tsp chili powder
    • 1 ½ tsp onion granules
    • 1 tsp sea salt

    SIMPLE STEPS

    1. Gather mise en place.

    2. Blend ingredients.

    • Add soaked flax meal (ground flaxseeds and water) and almonds to food processor and blend until smooth.
    • Remove and place in mixing bowl.
    • Blend yellow pepper, shallot, and sun-dried tomatoes with a touch of water.
    • Add chili powder, onion granules, and sea salt to food processor with the pepper, shallot, and sun-dried tomatoes until smooth.
    • Add vegetable mixture to the bowl with flax meal and almonds and fold together until thoroughly combined.

    3. Dehydrate.

    • Set dehydrator at 115 degrees F.
    • Spoon mixture onto dehydrator tray. Spread mixture evenly to ¼-inch thickness on non-stick dehydrator sheets with an off-set spatula.
    • Dehydrate 1-2 hours. Once partially dried, score batter to desired size and shape.
    • Dehydrate an additional 1-3 hours. Flip the crackers off the non-stick dehydrator sheets and onto the dehydrator screens so that the crackers dry properly.
    • Dehydrate an additional 1-2 hours or until crackers are crisp.
    • Dehydrating time depends on how thick the paste is to begin and how crisp you want the crackers.

    4. Options.

    • Soft taco shells: Once flipped onto the dehydrator screen, dehydrate for 1-2 hours or until batter is not wet and is pliable.
    • If crisps dry too much, sprinkle water to restore pliability.
    • Enjoy as a cracker snack, dip in hummus, or top with a pâté.

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    Intuitive Raw Turmeric Crackers

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 3/4 cup raw almonds, soaked 8-10 hours
    • ½ cup golden and brown flaxseeds, ground
    • 1 orange bell pepper, diced
    • ¼ cup dehydrated tomatoes, soaked 30 minutes
    • 2-3 tbsp soaking water from dehydrated tomatoes
    • 1 shallot, minced
    • Pinch sea salt
    • 1” fresh turmeric root, minced

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    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Soak almonds 8-10 hours in room temperature water.
    • Grind flaxseeds in blender.
    • Soak ground flaxseeds with ½ cup room temperature water for 30 minutes.
    • Process almonds and flaxseed mixture in food processor until combined. Pour mixture into bowl.
    • In food processor, process pepper, shallot, and dehydrated tomatoes, sea salt, and a few tablespoons of the tomato soaking water until smooth.
    • Fold in liquid mixture (pepper, shallot, dehydrated tomatoes) to the almond flaxseed mixture.
    • Fold in turmeric root.
    • Spread batter about ¼” thick with off-set spatula on dehydrator sheet.
    • Dehydrate at 115 degrees Fahrenheit for 1-2 hours.
    • Score to your desired shape.
    • Dehydrate another 1-2 hours. Flip crackers to mesh dehydrator sheet.
    • Dehydrate 2-4 additional hours to your desired crispness.
    • Enjoy!

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    As always, I invite you to share your raw cracker creations with us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating.

    And, if you’re interested in learning additional culinary techniques as a foundation for intuitive cooking, I’m happy to mail a copy of my book, “A New View of Healthy Eating” to you.

     

     

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Really Quick Intuitive Lunch: Dolmas and Farmers’ Market Left-overs

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

    Very often I like to intuitively create a very, very quick lunch using left-overs in my refrigerator. I love Dolmas and used these stuffed grape leaves as the inspiration for the lunch. With a Mediterranean focus, I added farmers’ market organic veggies and rich black Beluga lentils. Plus, I really wanted to enjoy fresh light pea sprouts from Steadfast Farm and bright edible flowers from Maya’s Farm.

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    You’ll notice in the ingredient list I do not include amount of the different ingredients. In making an intuitive dish, use your intuition to choose a few of your favorite veggies and their amount. A dish created this way will be different and delicious every time.

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

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    Ingredients in order of plating…

    • Black Beluga lentils
    • Dolmas, sliced
    • Avocado, sliced
    • Local yellow and red tomatoes
    • Romanesco tips
    • Capers
    • Sea salt
    • Pea shoots
    • Edible flowers

    SIMPLE PLATING

    Get your plating mise en place set…

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    Mindfully plate the ingredients one-by-one and enjoy your lunch…

    ACTION: I invite you to choose a few ingredients in your refrigerator and mindfully and intuitively create a lunch. Share your culinary creations with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

    Buy Melanie’s cookbook, with 54 whole food, plant-based, gluten-free recipes…

    A few views of the Intuitive Lunch plate…

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: How to Braise Leeks for Roasted Carrot Soup

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLCs

    Today, I’m excited that I completed the requirements and received my certification for the Plantlab Culinary Fundamentals of Plant-based Cooking 120-hour course, including knife skills, 61 cooking projects, written exams, and my Final Project.

    I’ll be sharing so much of my learning in future blogs and am also sharing my Final Project with you. My Final Culinary Project embraces our local Arizona farmers’ veggies with a menu featuring some of my favorite dishes and skills learned during the course.

    Let’s take a look at our local Arizona Winter produce in my Final Project.

    Arizona Winter Harvest Menu

    • FIRST. Roasted Carrot Soup.
      • Navel Orange Braised Leeks. Almond Cream. Edible Flowers.
    • SECOND. Sprouted Spelt Flatbread.
      • Arizona Winter Roasted Veggies. Pistachio Pesto. Almond Bechamel Sauce.
    • THIRD. Cacao Crepe.
      • Chickpea Crepe. Apples. Arizona Citrus Marmalade.
    • DRINK. Root Matcha Latte.
      • Chicory Root. Dandelion Root. Matcha Tea. Cashew Milk. Warm Spices.

    NAVEL ORANGE BRAISED LEEKS

    In the past, I’ve only eaten leeks in restaurants and love them, so I decided to include leeks as a green contrast to the sweet roasted carrot soup.

    Today, I’m sharing the recipes and cooking process for Braised Leeks, Almond Nut Cream, and plating of the Roasted Carrot Soup. Hope this inspires you to cook interesting soups.

    Almond Nut Cream

     INGREDIENTS

    • 1 cup almonds, soaked 8-12 hours and rinsed
    • 2 cups filtered water
    • Pinch salt
    • 1/2 tsp sumac powder
    • 1 tsp grapeseed oil

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    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Blend the almonds and water until smooth.
    • Stain in nut bag.
    • Return strained almond cream to blender and blend with salt and sumac.
    • Gradually stream in oil on low to emulsify.

    BRAISED LEEKS: INGREDIENTS

      • 3 leeks, cut into 1-1 ½ inch pieces
      • 2 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
      • 2 tbsp shallots, minced
      • ½ tsp coriander seeds
      • ½ tsp caraway seeds
      • ¼ cup vegetable stock
      • Pinch sea salt
      • 2 tbsp fresh navel orange juice
      • 1 tbsp navel orange zest
      • 1 cup almond cream
      • 1/2 cup almond cream
      • ¼ tsp sumac
      • 1 tbsp orange zest

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    ORANGE BRAISED LEEKS

    SIMPLE STEPS

    Prep

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Clean leeks in cold water in a bowl to removed dirt between the layers.
    • Cut white and green part of  leeks into 1-1 ½ inch rounds.

    Sear Leeks

    • Heat olive oil in medium-high saute pan.
    • Add leeks to pan with round side face down on the pan.  Press leeks down with spatula to evenly  brown, for about 5 minutes. While cooking move leeks around pan to prevent them from sticking to the pan. After the first end has lightly browned flip and brown the other end.
    • Once both sides have browned, remove from pan and set aside.

    Cook Braising Sauce

    • Add shallot, coriander and caraway seeds to pan and sauté until shallot becomes translucent.
    • Add vegetable stock, salt, orange juice, and 1 tbsp  orange zest and bring to a boil.
    • Add almond cream and bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then reduce to a simmer.

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    Braised Leeks

    • Remove pan from stove, add leeks to pan with round side up.
    • Cover the pan with a tight oven-safe lid.
    • Place pan in oven to braise the leeks for 5 to 7 minutes, or until soft and tender when pierced with a fork.
    • Remove leeks from pan and set aside for plating.

    Almond Cream

    • Add ½ cup almond cream, sumac, and 1 tbsp navel orange  zest to pan.
    • Return pan to stove top and simmer, whisking frequently, until cream becomes thick. Once the sauce reaches desired thickness, remove from heat.

    ASSEMBLY

    • Place braised leeks, with round side up on bottom of flat bowl. Gently pour carrot soup into the bowl, with the tops of the leeks exposed.
    • Drizzle almond cream sauce on top of the leeks.
    • Garnish with edible flowers.

    The Roasted Carrot Soup. Orange Braised Leeks. Almond Nut Cream

    Happy to share a video look at the soup…

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    Interested in my book, A New View of Healthy Eating, I’m happy to mail a copy to you.

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Arizona Winter Harvest Bowl The Beauty of Local Farmers’ Food

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLCs

    I am so in awe of our beautiful Arizona farmers’ Winter bounty. Today’s intuitive recipe was inspired by many of the incredible veggies I purchased at the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market this weekend. Thanks so much to so many of my local farmer friends for all the passion, dedication, and hard work to grow the beautiful produce for all of us to enjoy.

    Thanks, Farmers!

    • Blue Sky Organic Farm: beautiful Romanesco
    • Maya’s Farm: unique purple and white cauliflower, edible flowers
    • Steadfast Farm: fresh sunflower sprouts, Iitois onions and amazing rainbow of purple, yellow, and white carrots
    • Rhiba Farms: wild arugula
    • Golo Family Farms: sweet lime

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    In addition to showcasing the beautiful Arizona Winter veggies, I also wanted to share a simple way to cook the veggies in a bamboo steamer to keep them vibrant and colorful. Once we’ve gently steamed the veggies, we can finish them with a simple dressing.

    I invite you to Intuitively create your dish using these recipe steps as a guide. When you choose your vegetables consider their different colors, different textures, and different flavors. Also, use your intuition to determine how much of the veggies you’d like to cook. For me, I like to cook a small batch so I can enjoy a meal one day and then eat the left-overs for lunch the next day.

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    Bamboo Steamer

    • Romanesco
    • Purple cauliflower
    • Yellow and purple carrots
    • Wild arugula
    • Iitoi onions, cut on bias
    • Sunflower sprouts

    Dressing

    • Sweet lime
    • Extra virgin olive oil
    • Coriander seeds
    • Sea salt

    Extras

    • Rose brown rice
    • Edible flowers

    SIMPLE STEPS: Arugula Saute

    • Pre-heat saute pan on low-medium heat.
    • Add olive oil to pan.
    • Sweat onions for a few minutes.
    • Add arugula and cook for a few minutes.
    • Add Sunflower sprout and cook for about a minute.

     

    SIMPLE STEPS: Dry Toast Coriander

    • Pre-heat small sauce pan or pot on low heat.
    • Add coriander to pan and toast for a few minutes.
    • Remove from heat and save for the dressing.

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    SIMPLE STEPS: Bamboo Steamer

    • Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a large stock pot.
    • Cut all vegetables into bite-sizes pieces.
    • Place vegetables on steamer, with space between each, to allow steam to rise and cook the veggies.
    • Sprinkle a few pinches of sea salt on the veggies.
    • Cover the steamer.
    • Steam for 5-7 minutes until the veggies easily fall off the fork.

     

    • Drizzle lemon, olive oil, and sea salt, and coriander seeds on the veggies to create a dressing.
    • Gently hand toss the veggies in the dressing.
    • Adjust flavors. Add more olive oil, lemon, or salt to suit your personal taste.

     

    • Gather your plating mise en place.

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    • Plate the veggies with brown rice.
    • Garnish with edible flowers.

     

    Two Cooking Events this Weekend in Phoenix, February 17 and 18, 2018

    Taste of the Market, Downtown Phoenix Market, Saturday, February 17, 2018, 10am. If you’re in the Phoenix area, I’ll be hosting the Taste of the Market Cooking demo at the Downtown Phoenix Market on Saturday, February 17, 2018 at 10am. I’ll be shopping the market and then will create a bamboo steamer and sautéed greens dish. Stop by to learn these culinary techniques and taste the amazing food from our local farmers.  Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market, Central & McKinley, 14 E Pierce Street, Phoenix, AZ (Central Ave & McKinley)

    Intuitive Cooking Experience: Winter Farm-to-Table Cooking Class at the Farm at South Mountain, Sunday, February 18, 2018, 11am-1pm. Full hands-on intuitive cooking class at The Farm at South Mountain. Cost $45 per person + tax.

    I’ll intuitively shop the Saturday farmers’ markets for local, Phoenix fresh, justharvested produce the day before the class. During the hands-on cooking experience you’ll learn culinary skills and dishes from my book, “A New View of Healthy Eating.” You will create:

    • A beautiful, unique Asian-inspired salad with ginger dressing
    • Seasonal chickpea hummus with fresh herbs
    • Colorful veggie stir-fry with lots of greens

    You’ll learn a few simple key culinary skills:

    • 3-Ingredient salad dressing, as the foundation for the perfect dressing
    • A basic hummus that you can adapt with all kinds of herbs and spices
    • The proper steps and process to make a veggie stir-fry

    PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: The Beauty of Local Farmers’ Food

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLCs

    Today I spent the day living my passions and having fun with my like-minded food friends. Next weekend (Saturday, February 17, 2018, 10am) I’ll be leading a Taste of the Market Cooking Demo at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market, so I visited the market today to see what our local farmers are growing and to get inspired for ideas for the class.

    Our Winter Arizona farmers’ bounty is so incredible, I just wanted to “be” with the food and my farmer friends. I ended up staying at the market for three hours, enjoying the food, taking food, talking cooking, and having my kind of fun. Later in the day, I stopped at The Farm at South Mountain, an urban farm about a half mile from my home.

    Sharing some of the beautiful food and a video of some incredible cauliflower…hope you enjoy..

    In awe of the cauliflower grown by Blue Sky Organic Farm…

    Powerful Purple…

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    Gorgeous Green…

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    Fresh Yellow & Orange…

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    Radish Red…

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    Taste of the Market Cooking Demo…

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    Thanks, Downtown Phoenix Farmers’ Market…

    And all my farmer friends…Maya’s Farm…Steadfast Farm…Abby Lee Farms…Golo Family Farms…McClendon Select…Community Exchange…Blue Sky Organic Farm…

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    Interested in my book, you can buy it and I’ll gift wrap and mail to you.