Experience Nutrition

Author: Melanie Albert

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Another Clean my Refrigerator: Arizona Purple Cabbage

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

    Since I’ll be farmers’ market shopping in the morning, today I decided to do another “Clean my Refrigerator Meal.” I was fortunate to see a beautiful organic purple cabbage from one of my local Arizona farmers. Rather than eat it raw in a salad or as a wrap, I quickly sautéed the purple cabbage and enjoyed it with a few of my other left-overs: Black Beluga Lentils, Rose Brown Rice, and an avocado.

    Let’s look at the natural beauty of the Purple Cabbage.

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    Mindfully pause and enjoy the art in food.

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    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • ½ purple cabbage
    • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    • Pinch sea salt
    • 1 avocado
    • ½ cup black Beluga lentils
    • ¼ cup rose brown rice (all that was left)
    • 1 avocado
    • 1 tsp basil extra virgin olive oil
    • 1/4 tsp black sesame seeds
    • Few basil leaves
    • Few edible flowers

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    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Slice cabbage into strips.
    • Heat olive oil in saute pan on medium.
    • Add cabbage and sea salt.
    • Stir occasionally.
    • Plate with brown rice, lentils, and avocados.
    • Drizzle with basil extra virgin olive oil.
    • Garnish with black sesame seeds, fresh basil leaves and edible flowers.

    The final dish…

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    ACTION: Have fun creating a quick meal with “what’s in your refrigerator” and share with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

    Interested in learning plant-based culinary skills, Melanie’s cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating” is available.

    A final look…Purple Cabbage Saute…

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Clean my Refrigerator Roasted Veggies & Beluga Lentils

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

    Today’s intuitive recipe is inspired by all the left-over veggies in my refrigerator. Fortunately, we are in the amazing Winter growing season and our local Arizona farmers are growing a wide variety of beautiful food.

    We can easily roast all kinds of veggies with the simple veggie roasting method in the Romanesco & Sweet Potato Blog. Today I roasted sunchokes, leeks, green garlic, golden beets, red and white radishes, purple cauliflower, broccoli, red pepper, a tomato and one Brussels sprout.

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    How to Cook Black Beluga Lentils

    While the veggies were roasting I started to think about how the colorful veggies would beautifully contrast nicely with rich Black Beluga Lentils, with their deep color and delicate flavor.

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    How to Cook Black Beluga Lentils

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 1 cup black Beluga Lentils
    • 2 cups veggie stock
    • 3 inches kombu
    • 2 garlic cloves

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Place all ingredients into pot.
    • Bring to a boil.
    • Simmer for 20-25 minutes with lid.
    • Enjoy with roasted veggies.

    Arizona Winter Farmers Roasted Veggies

    Let’s take a look at the beautiful roasted veggies…from refrigerator, to oven, to plate.

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    SIMPLE VEGGIE ROASTING STEPS

    • Place cut veggies in a bowl.
    • Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and a little sea salt to fully coat the veggies with the oil.
    • Place on parchment-lined sheet pan.
    • Roast at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
    • Flip veggies.
    • Roast for another 15 minutes.

    Mindfully plate the roasted veggies and Black Beluga Lentils one-by-one…

    Another view of the beautiful, colorful roasted veggies and black beluga lentils…

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    The final plate…

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    ACTION: Have fun roasted veggies and cook some black Beluga lentils. Share your creations with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

     

     

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: 20 Pounds of Tomatoes Part 3: Tomatoes Arizona Lemon Sauce

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

    As some of you may be aware, a few times a year I have the opportunity to purchase 20 pounds of organic Campari tomatoes from McClendon’s Select for $20 US dollars at one of our local Phoenix farmers markets. This time, I was fortunate to purchase the tomatoes at our Wednesday morning Uptown Market in Phoenix, Arizona.

    When purchasing the flat of tomatoes, they are quite ripe, so I really have to cook them within a day or so, or share with family and friends. With the flat of tomatoes I purchased a few weeks ago, I prepared the tomatoes 4 different ways:

    1. Roasted in oven.
    2. Dehydrated in dehydrator.
    3. Stove-top saute with Arizona lemons.
    4. Stove-top saute with veggies.

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    Tomatoes. Arizona Lemon Saute Sauce

    Today, let’s take a look at the sautéed tomatoes with Arizona lemons.

    This simple tomato sauce was inspired by our local Arizona citrus season, with so many aromatic lemons growing everywhere around the Phoenix area. Love the sharp contrast of the lemon in the sauce. After the sauce cooked and cooked, I froze it in 2-cup servings.  I look forward to enjoying the Tomato Lemon Sauce with whole grains and veggies…Maybe tonight??!!!

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • Tomatoes
    • Lemons
    • Extra virgin olive oil
    • Sea salt

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    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Place tomatoes and lemons in large saute pan.
    • Bring to a simmer.
    • Drizzle in olive oil and a few pinches of salt.
    • Saute for about 45 minutes.

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    Quick video…Getting started…tomatoes and lemons into the saute pan…

    And, the tomatoes and lemons cooking…

    Another simple idea for Tomato Saute in my cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating.”

     

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    You can purchase “A New View of Healthy Eating” right here and I’ll gift wrap and mail a copy to you.

    Also, I invite you to Follow me on Instagram where I post my favorite “food art” photos. @nutritionauthor

     

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Two Veggies and Quinoa Beautiful Lunch

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

    This morning, listening to my body, I noticed that I was quite hungry way before my typical lunch time, was prepping for a meeting, and wanted to make something really quick, healthy and delicious.

    During the Christmas holidays in Cocoa Beach, I showed my 91-year old Dad how to roast sweet potatoes with a really easy method, and I had a beautiful Romanesco broccoli from one of our local Arizona farmers, Steadfast Farm. Since I knew I was hungry, I decided to also cook a batch of quinoa.

    I only have a few photos from today, as I was not intending to blog about this dish. However, the final plating is so beautiful and delicious, I’m sharing today.

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    2 Veggie Lunch: Romanesco & Sweet Potatoes

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 2-3 sweet potatoes
    • 1 small Romanesco
    • Pinch sea salt or a blend of spices. Today, I used Penzeys Spices Fox Point blend: salt, shallots, chives, garlic, onion, and green pepper corns
    • 2-3 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 tsp basil olive oil
    • 1 cup quinoa

    SIMPLE STEPS

    Quinoa

    • Rinse quinoa in a strainer.
    • Pour quinoa into a small pot.
    • Add 2 cups liquid, water or veggie stock.
    • Cover pot, bring to a boil.
    • Simmer for about 15 minutes, with lid tight.
    • Sit for about 10 minutes.
    • With a fork, fluff around the edges of the quinoa.

    Simple Steps to Roast Veggies, Excerpt from “A New View of Healthy Eating”

    Sweet & Rich Roasted Roots

    Roasted roots are beautiful, flavorful, and sweet, as well as a rich, colorful complement to any meal. The roasting culinary technique is a dry heat cooking method that intensifies and concentrates the flavor of vegetables. When roasted properly, the natural sugars in the vegetables brown or caramelize to create a deep, rich flavor. When visiting your farmers’ market, buy a few roots even if you don’t recognize them, and roast them with this simple, quick culinary technique. Enjoy roasted roots as a side dish, to create soup, with hummus, or in a raw kale salad or veggie wrap.

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    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 10-12 of your favorite roots: carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, golden beets, red beets, and radishes
    • Approximately ¼ cup organic extra virgin olive oil
    • 3 tbsp dry herbs (Choose a few: basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, or thyme)
    • ½ tsp sea salt

    SIMPLE STEPS

    1. Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees F.
    2. Scrub roots under running water to clean the outside.
    3. Let sit for about 10 minutes to dry.
    4. Slice roots into even, bite-size pieces.
    5. Mix olive oil, herbs, and sea salt in a bowl to make the dressing.
    6. Add root vegetables to the bowl and toss to evenly coat with the dressing.
    7. Carefully lay the roots on parchment paper in a heavy-duty flat baking sheet pan. Place roots flat side down in a single layer, making sure the vegetables do not touch.
    8. Place baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven.
    9. Roast roots in the oven for about 20 minutes, then turn vegetables.
    10. Cook another 15 minutes, until fork tender.
    11. Plate vegetables. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
    12. Enjoy!

    Have Fun Plating your Veggies and Quinoa

    • Spoon quinoa, then sweet potatoes, then Romanesco on the plate.
    • Add a few of your favorite extras. Today, I added rough chopped pistachio nuts and capers.
    • Drizzle with oil. Today, I drizzled with Hutun Basil Extra Virgin Olive oil.

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    ACTION: Roast a few veggies, cook a whole grain, plate, and enjoy. Share your creations with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating or tag #NewViewHealthyEating

    Melanie’s book, “A New View of Healthy Eating” is available to ship to you, or see you at an upcoming event in the Phoenix area.

     

     

     

     

     

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Super Bowl Recipe: Avocado Tartare

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

    I’m always a little reflective during Super Bowl week, and realized it was 10 years ago that my company was first involved with the Super Bowl. That first year, we created three healthy lifestyle products with the Super Bowl XLII logo: a zen clock, soy candle collection, and matcha tea kit. For the next two Super Bowls, we catered at the Super Bowl VIP Tailgate Party with Tropical Trail Mix in Tampa, and then Hummus and Cold Soup in Miami.

     

     

    Over the years, we learned about the serious health issues of the former NFL players when they retire,  taught former players how to cook healthy meals, created a healthy eating program, and in 2011, my company became the Official Health & Wellness Partner of the NFL Alumni Association.

     

    Avocado Tartare Recipe for Super Bowl

    Anyway, enough reminiscing…

    Today, the eve of the Super Bowl game many people were out shopping for the perfect avocados for guacamole, so I decided to create a little more fancy version of guacamole.

    Avocado Tartare Mis en Place: So simple…avocado, tomatoes, lemon, and sea salt.

     

    Avocado Tartare Plating

     

    Enjoy your Super Bowl Day and your Avocado Guacamole and Avocado Tartare!

    Share your Super Bowl snacks with us over on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Quick Farm-to-Table Veggie Saute

    A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Quick Farm-to-Table Veggie Saute

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

    Today I very intuitively created a very simple farm-to-table veggie saute with beautiful veggies in my refrigerator from local Phoenix farmers and gardeners. When I first pulled out the veggies from my refrigerator my intention was to create a cold avocado tartar with the tomatoes and carrots.  While chopping the veggies I was imagining the beautiful aromatic veggie saute from last night’s  “Living an Edible Landscape Life” and decided to prepare a saute.

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    When cooking a quick stove-top saute, first gather your veggies. Today’s veggies are from many of our local Arizona farmers.

    • Green onions
    • Green Spring garlic, McClendon Select
    • Mini red tomatoes, Phoenix Community Exchange
    • Orange carrots, Steadfast Farms
    • Arizona lemon, Phoenix Community Exchange
    • Kale, The Farm at South Mountain, Seed & Soil Garden
    • Chrysanthemum greens, The Farm at South Mountain, Soil & Seed Garden
    • Fresh dill, Joan Baron Food in the Alley, Scottsdale
    • Avocado
    • Sea salt
    • Extra virgin olive oil

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    As always, mindfully pre-chop your veggies and get your mise en place set for cooking.

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    Once our mise en place is set, we mindfully cook the veggies, one-by-one. With this process, we can really taste the flavor layers. Start with a little olive oil, sweat the onions, add the garlic. Then add the veggies one-by-one. Intuitively, I usually add a little sea salt right after the tomatoes go into the pan, to bring out their sweetness. And, this time of year in Arizona, I love to squeeze in a little citrus to add a bright taste to the saute.

     

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    While this dish was cooking, the natural aromatherapy of the lemons and fresh dill really made the dish a more beautiful mindful experience.

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    Once you’ve sauteed the veggies, mindfully plate and enjoy your farm-to-table veggies. You’ll see that I added a few dehydrated tomatoes for extra beauty and flavor.

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    ACTION: Have fun shopping at your local farmers’ market this weekend, and please share your veggie sautes with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

    For some additional veggie saute ideas, a spread from Melanie’s book, “A New View of Healthy Eating.”

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    If you’re in the Phoenix area, my next hands-on intuitive cooking class, Winter Farm-to-Table Harvest is at The Farm at South Mountain, Sunday, February 18, 2018, 11am-1pm.  Learn more and register here.

    You can order “A New View of Healthy Eating” book and I’m happy to gift wrap for you.

     

     

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Get to Know Farmers’ Markets and CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture)

    A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Get to Know Farmers’ Markets and CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture)

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

    This evening I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the Living an Edible Landscape Life with urban gardener Joan Baron, sponsored by the Scottsdale Green Building Program.

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    Today, Joan Baron shared key tips to start a home garden in Arizona (which I’ll share in another blog). We also cooked a simple salad with Joan’s just-harvested greens, 3-ingredient salad dressing (Meyer lemon, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, plus fresh mint), and a beautiful veggie saute with green onions, spring garlic, tomatoes, golden and striped beets, carrots, and watermelon radish.

     

    During the evening we discussed the value of shopping for local, in-season food at farmers’ markets and CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture). I promised a few of the attendees at the workshop that I’d blog about farmers’ markets and CSA’s…

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    Excerpt from “A New View of Healthy Eating”

    Shop at Farmers’ Markets in Your Area

    As demand for locally grown fruit and vegetables has increased, farmers’ markets have steadily grown in number throughout the last few decades. According to the USDA Farmers Market Directory, in June 2017 there were 8,687 registered farmers’ markets as compared to 1,744 in 1994—an increase of more than 7,000 in 23 years. In addition to the USDA Farmers Market Database, another source to find farmers’ markets in your area is www.localharvest.org.

    Favorite Phoenix Farmers’ Markets

    We are so fortunate in the Phoenix area, as we have farmers’ market across the Valley of the Sun every Saturday, and even have a few mid-week markets. I recommend shopping at a farmers’ market that’s convenient and to getting to know your local farmers.

    I live in the South Phoenix area and my favorite markets are:

    • Downtown Phoenix Openair Market, Central and McKinley, Phoenix, Saturday, 8am-1pm
    • Scottsdale Old Town Farmers’ Market, 1st Street and N. Brown, Saturday, 8am-1pm
    • Uptown Farmers’ Market, Central and Bethany Home, Phoenix, Saturday and Wednesday 9am-1pm, Wednesday, 9am-1pm
    • Ahwatukee Market, 48th Street and Warner, Tempe, Sunday, 9am-1pm

    In addition to farmers’ market it’s great to buy a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). 

    Excerpt from “A New View of Healthy Eating

    Commit to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Share

    Developed in the 1960’s in Japan, CSA programs are designed to build a relationship between the farmer and the community. At the beginning of each season, farmers sell CSA memberships to consumers. Each week, customers receive a sampling of produce that is available from one farmer or a group of local farmers. CSAs cost $25 to $35 per week for six to eight weeks and are perfect for those of us who wish to experiment with unique, interesting, locally grown food. Farmers distribute CSA’s at farms, farmers’ markets, and convenient pick-up locations, such as yoga studios. Some farms even deliver CSA’s right to your home.

    Great CSA’s in Phoenix

    Since I primarily shop with our local Phoenix farmers for both my personal cooking and cooking classes, I’m very familiar with our local organic small farmers. A few of my farmer friends offer CSA’s. If you’re in the Phoenix area, check out the CSA’s from these farmers and know that you do not need to live near their farms, as they have various pick-up locations around the Valley.

    • Maya’s Farm, South Phoenix. My favorites: Fresh herbs, flowers, edible flowers. www.mayasfarm.com
    • Steadfast Farm, Queen Creek. My favorites: Yellow and orange carrots, Romanesco. www.stead-fast-farm.com
    • Blue Sky Organic Farms, Litchfield. My favorites: Dinosaur kale, dandelion greens. blueskyorganicfarms.com

    ACTION: I invite you to shop at your local farmers’ markets and/or support your local farmers’ by participating in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture.)

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Chocolate Avocado Pudding. Arizona Navel Orange.

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

    I’m so honored to be presenting monthly cooking classes at the Humana Community Center in Mesa, Arizona. Today’s theme was superfoods. One of my very favorite superfoods is raw cacao, so we prepared the very simple Avocado Chocolate Pudding. We topped the pudding with hydrated goji berries, raw cacao nibs, and hemp seeds. Everyone in the class loved the simplicity of making the pudding, it’s smooth texture and how healthy it is.

    A few fun photos from today’s class:

    Today I was very fortunate to have a few left-over perfectly ripe avocados. When I returned home from the cooking class, I made a small batch of the Chocolate Avocado Pudding. I had fun mindfully plating it with some of my favorite superfoods and a sweet Arizona navel orange. After the recipe from “A New View of Healthy Eating,” scroll down for today’s dessert creation.

    Simple Recipe from “A New View of Healthy Eating”

    Chocolate Avocado Pudding

    Incredible, rich, and creamy vegan chocolate pudding will delight everyone. Make it for dessert or an after-work or after-school snack. Once you’ve made this avocado pudding, experiment by adding some extras, such as bananas, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, homemade nut milk, and freshly ground spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg.

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 4 ripe avocados
    • 8 Medjool dates, pitted and sliced
    • 2 tsp vanilla extract or 2 vanilla beans, scraped
    • ½ cup raw cacao powder
    • 2 cups water

    SIMPLE STEPS

    1. Place all ingredients in high-speed blender.
    2. Blend on high for about 2 minutes.
    3. Stop and scrape down sides of blender, if needed.
    4. Blend for another 2 minutes or until completely pureed and smooth.
    5. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
    6. Enjoy topped with fresh fruit, nuts, and seeds.

    Avocado Pudding Mise en Place

    Blend All Ingredients in Food Processor

    Prepare your Plating Mise en Place

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    Fun Chocolate Pudding Plating

    Another look at the final Chocolate Pudding Plate…

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    Having fun with the raw cacao…maybe a little too much…but tasty!

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    If you’re interested in learning more simple culinary skills and healthy recipes, Melanie’s book, “A New View of Healthy Eating” is available.

    If you’re interested in a Workshop, Cooking Class, Team Building Event, or Retreat, contact Melanie: Mel@MelanieAlbert.com

     

     

     

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Smoothie Mise en Place

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

    As I sit here late tonight with the beautiful full moon above my home in Phoenix, with a beautiful cloud ring around it, I really want to be outside looking forward to the Super Blue Blood Moon. Thus, tonight’s blog will be very short.

    This morning while making my Superfood Smoothie, I realized that I actually almost always set up my “mise en place” when I cook, prepare, and plate food. Even with today’s smoothie, I mindfully put my ingredients into place before “plating” (if you want to call it plating) my smoothie.

    My Smoothie Mise en Place

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    Today’s Superfood Smoothie

    Excerpt from “A New View of Healthy Eating”

    Mise en Place: Be Organized When You Cook

    Mise en Place (French pronunciation: [mi zɑ̃ ˈplas]) is a French phrase that means “putting in place,” as in “setting up.”

    Mise en Place is used in the kitchen to “set up” all the ingredients needed to prepare a dish before we start cooking. The purpose is to be organized when we cook, with everything ready so that it’s easier to cook. Mise en Place is a useful cooking technique to incorporate when you are cooking in your kitchen for both complex and simple recipes.

    With the Mise en Place concept, before we start cooking we get all the ingredients ready, sliced, diced, measured, and organized. To be super organized, we can even set up our ingredients in order of use in the cooking process, which is especially beneficial when cooking a fast-paced meal like a stir-fry or a recipe with a lot of ingredients.

    4 Reasons to Love Mise en Place 

    1. Be prepared and calm. You will not be scrambling around your kitchen during the middle of the cooking process, looking for that one ingredient you really need. Also, you will be so organized that you won’t need to rush out to purchase a missing ingredient.
    2. Cook when cooking. You will not need to quickly chop food you might have forgotten about right in the middle of the cooking process. You will mindfully enjoy cooking your meal.
    3. Save time. As an example, if you are mincing onions or garlic for several dishes, you can mince them at the same time while setting up your Mise en Place.
    4. Cook mindfully and clutter-free. Cooking is much more enjoyable in a neat, clutter-free environment. Your cooking process will be mindful and beautiful when you cook in an organized fashion.

    ACTION: I invite you to use the Mise en Place process when you cook to bring more mindfulness, organization, and calm to your cooking. Would love to see your Mise en Place photos on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: 4 Great Ways to Cook 20 Pounds of Organic Tomatoes: Part 2: Slow Roast Tomatoes

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

    Continuing the recipe blog with this week’s 20 pounds of organic tomatoes, today’s recipe guide to roast tomatoes is a simple way to very easily cook tomatoes. Chop a few veggies and roast for in the oven with tomatoes for about 1 ½ -2 hours.

    This batch of tomatoes was cooked intuitively with a few ingredients from this week’s farmers’ market. And, while the tomatoes were cooking, I really enjoyed the natural sweet aromatherapy of the sauce that reminded me of an authentic Italian restaurant.

    Simple Ingredients

    • Tomatoes
    • Red peppers
    • Orange carrots
    • Green onions
    • Parsley
    • Extra virgin olive oil
    • Sea salt

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    Simple Steps

    • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Slice peppers, carrots, and green onions.

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    • Place all veggies in a large baking pan.
    • Drizzle with olive oil.
    • Add a few pinches of sea salt.
    • Lightly toss the veggies.

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    • Roast for about 1 ½ – 2 hours, stirring and breaking down tomatoes occasionally.

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    This tomato sauce was so rich I enjoyed it on flatbread, and topped it with arugula, dehydrated tomatoes, and goat cheese. Enjoy your tomato sauce with flatbread, quinoa, or spiralized veggies.

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    The next time you roast tomatoes, please share your creations with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: 4 Great Ways to Cook 20 Pounds of Organic Tomatoes: Part 1: Dehydrate Tomatoes

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

    Several times a year I have the great opportunity to purchase a flat – 20 pounds – of organic Campari tomatoes from McClendon Select Farms in Phoenix. This week I shared a few pounds of the tomatoes in a Wise Choices Meet-up with the Valley of the Sun United Way. After that I started creating a few different batches of tomatoes with the other beautiful produce from this week’s Uptown Farmers Market.

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    4 Different Ways to Cook Tomatoes

    I invite you to use these 4 ways to cook the tomatoes as a guide to cook tomatoes from your local farmers’ markets. During the next few days I’ll be blogging the cooking process with photos and videos for all of these ways to cook tomatoes.

    • Roasted Tomatoes. Orange Carrots. Red Peppers. Green Onions.
    • Stove Top Tomato Sauté. Arizona Lemons.
    • Dehydrated Tomatoes.
    • Roasted Tomatoes. Leeks. Green Garlic.

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    Dehydrated Tomatoes

    Dehydrating tomatoes is a really simple way to prepare tomatoes. When we dehydrate, the flavor of the tomatoes becomes very concentrated and sweet.

    Simple Steps

    • Slice tomatoes in rounds: half or in thirds.
    • Place on dehydrator screens, with skin side down.

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    • Dehydrate at 115 degrees for about 10-12 hours. Enjoy the tomato aromatherapy while dehydrating.

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    • Store in air-tight glass jars.

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    The dehydrated tomatoes were so delicious,  I  sliced a few more pounds, which are in the dehydrator right now.

    5 Great Ways to Enjoy Dehydrated Tomatoes

    1. Enjoy as a snack.
    2. Add to a veggie sauté.
    3. Use as a pizza or flatbread topping.
    4. Process in a raw marinara sauce for a deep flavor.
    5. Add to a nut pate for a fresh taste.

    Stay in touch, as I’ll be sharing the other four ways to cook 20 pound of tomatoes. If you dehydrate tomatoes, please share your experience with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

    For some additional ideas to cook tomatoes, Melanie’s book, “A New View of Healthy Eating” is available.

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Arizona Winter Brown Rice Pilaf

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

    This month has been very full with incredible cooking events with Visit Phoenix, Valley of the Sun United Way, and Gregory’s Fresh Market, so today I decided to enjoy  a “day of rest.” With a quiet day, I wanted to cook something that would be really quick and easy to prepare and oddly, I was inspired by simple organic brown rice.

    Arizona Winter Rice Pilaf

    With our Winter Arizona growing season, a few favorites in my refrigerator from Wednesday’s Uptown Farmers’ Market: green garlic, red peppers, beautiful carrots from Steadfast Farm, and fresh arugula from McClendon Select. Plus, I almost always have previously made frozen veggie stock and was happy to still have Hatun Basil Olive oil in my pantry. With these ingredients I created a very simple rice pilaf. You can use this recipe as a guide to cook your own version of pilaf with your favorite veggies and scroll down for the simple steps from my cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating.”

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 1 cup brown rice
    • 2 cups veggie stock
    • 2 tbsp basil olive oil
    • 1 green garlic
    • 1 red pepper
    • Handful orange carrots
    • Handful arugula
    • Few pecans

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    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Heat saute pan on low.
    • Add olive oil to pan.
    • Gently sweat green garlic for about a minute.
    • Add red pepper and saute for a few minutes.
    • Add carrots and saute for a few minutes.
    • Pour dry brown rice into the pan. Stir to coat with olive oil.
    • Add veggie stock. Stir.

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    • Cover and cook for about 20 minutes. (Quick video peek.)

     

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    • Toss arugula on top of the cooked pilaf. Cover pan. Cook for about a minute.

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    • Pause and enjoy the beauty of the dish.

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    • Plate with pecans.

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    • Mindfully enjoy your meal.

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    EXCERPT from “A New View of Healthy Eating”

    How to Make Rice Pilaf for a Dinner Side Dish

    Pilaf is one of the main methods of cooking rice and is popular in Indian, Mexican, and Middle Eastern cuisines. The pilaf method is similar to steaming; however, in the pilaf method, whole grains are first sautéed, often with aromatics (like onions or shallots) before liquid is added, creating a lot of flavor. Pilafs also include extras such as vegetables and toasted nuts or seeds.

    Simple Steps to Cook Using the Pilaf Method

    1. In a sauté pan over low heat, cook mirepoix (carrots, onions, and celery or just onions) in a fat, such as olive oil. Cook on low heat when you do not want to add color to your dish. For more color, cook at a higher temperature.
    2. Add grains to the pan and stir to lightly coat each grain with the fat. Do not rinse grains before cooking.
    3. Toast grains by cooking a little more.
    4. Add a flavorful liquid, such as vegetable stock.
    5. Stir to make sure grain is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
    6. Similar to the whole grains steaming method, bring to boil, cover tightly, and reduce heat to the lowest setting (or cook in oven).
    7. Cook a little longer than the time indicated for your grain and until all liquid is absorbed into the grains.
    8. Rest grain for 10-20 minutes.
    9. Fluff.
    10. Rest for 10 minutes.
    11. Serve.

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    Enhance Your Pilaf

    To enhance the flavor and texture in your pilaf, add spices, herbs, fresh vegetables, nuts, and seeds.

    • After the grains are coated in fat, add dried spices for extra flavor. Try Middle Eastern spices like star anise, cinnamon, and cumin. For a Mexican pilaf, add chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, and coriander seeds.
    • After the cooked grains have rested, add your favorite cooked veggies, fresh herbs, or toasted nuts and seeds to create a meal.

    Hope you enjoy cooking a simple brown rice pilaf and share your photos with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

    Interested in Melanie’s cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating“? Buy it now!

  • New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: My New Favorite Green: Chrysanthemum Green Saute

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

    This week I’ve been enjoying chrysanthemum greens, a sweet floral green, typically cooked in Asian cuisine.  One of our local farms, The Farm at South Mountain, about a half mile from my home is growing chrysanthemum greens this season. We had the great opportunity to enjoy it massaged in a raw kale salad in our Team Building Cooking Challenge with Visit Phoenix. After enjoying chrysantemum greens in the salads, I decided to experiment with them in a quick saute. Check out the recipe in today’s blog. It’s incredible!

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    PHOTO CREDIT: Cassie Hepler @cassiescouture
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    PHOTO CREDIT: Cassie Hepler @cassiescouture

     

    After enjoying the chrysanthemum greens so much in the kale salads, I very intuitively sauted the greens with campari tomatoes from McClendon Select and beautiful sweet carrots grown by Steadfast Farm in our area. The saute is so sweet with floral aromatic I’m loving it so much I’ve cooked it three times in the last two days.

    Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

     

     

    Chrysanthemum Greens Saute

    Simple Ingredients

    • 2 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
    • Handful tomatoes
    • Handful chrysanthemum greens
    • Handful mini-carrots, sliced
    • Avocado, sliced.
    • Dash sea salt

    Simple Steps

    • Heat saute pan on medium.
    • Add olive oil to pan.
    • Once heated add tomatoes, stir, and saute for a few minutes.
    • Add dash of sea salt.
    • Add carrots, and saute until slightly soft.

     

     

    • Add chrysanthemum greens and saute about a minute.

     

     

    • Add sliced avocado to warm in pan.

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    A-12-crysanthemum-IMG_2758Join us on Facebook with your favorite greens creations. www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

    Interested in additional simple culinary techniques, check out Melanie’s book, “A New View of Healthy Eating”

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