So humbled and honored to be featured in the media over the years. And, really excited to start 2021 with two beautiful, very appreciated highlights in our Arizona publications. And, thrilled to shoot a farm-to-table cooking tv segment with the nationally syndicated tv show The List and with the City of Peoria in 2020.
Natural Awakenings, January 2021: “Create Food Art with Sprouted Spelt Arizona Winter Veggie Flatbread.”
I’ve been writing plant-based farm-to-table recipe articles for the Natural Awakenings Magazine for a few years, and am happy to share with you the January 2021 article: “Create Food Art with Sprouted Spelt Arizona Winter Veggie Flatbread.”
This article highlights the philosophy of the new Plant-Based Farm-to-Table Food Art Movement and features one of my favorite, fun-to-prepare, delicious meals: Farm-to-Table Veggie Flatbread. Thanks so much to editor Tracy Patterson for the opportunities to showcase beautiful food ideas on your publication.
The List TV Show: 3 Ways to Cook with Banana Peels. Yes, Really! January, 21, 2020
So honored to prepare fun “healthy dishes” on the nationally syndicated tv show, The List, with incredible co-host Segun Oduolowu. So much fun to cook together and create fun, beautiful, tasty dishes.
Thanks so much to producer Jacqui Denker for the opportunities to work together. Also, so much fun and I love your creative ideas for the segments.
Enjoy this segment with Banana Peel Beet Burgers and Banana Bread.
Farm-toTable Cooking TV Segment: SustainableU City of Peoria, October 7, 2020.
For several years I’ve been hosting farm-to-table cooking demos and experiences with the Sustainable U Program with the City of Peoria.
With the Covid-19 Pandemic, rather than in-person cooking experiences, I’m honor to share plant-based cooking with our community via the tv cooking segment.
Oh my…I think it was around 112 degrees when I arrived at the Peoria Channel 11 studio.All set for the TV Shoot. Beautiful food, thanks to our local Arizona farmers.The sign of the times…Coronavirus Pandemic 2020.Eat local!
Please fill out the form if you’d like to collaborate on plant-based farm-to-table media opportunities.
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
I am so honored to create recipes for the November 2018 issue of Natural Awakening’s Arizona magazine. It has been a dream of mine to cook “my” recipes in a magazine in a cooking class. I’m excited that we will be creating the Fall Thanksgiving recipes in a fun, interactive hands-on cooking class on November 18, 2018, 11am-1pm, at The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix.
Four Plant-Based Thanksgiving Recipes
The recipes in the article and cooking class are inspired by our local Arizona farmers Fall produce, especially, the Squash Soup, and one of my very favorite desserts, the Sweet Potato Brownie.
Appetizer: Kalamata Olive Tapenade
Side Dish: Winter Squash Ginger Soup
Side Dish: Sweet Potato Brussels Sprouts Fall Veggie Saute
In today’s blog, I’m sharing the step-by-step process to prepare the Tapenade, which has been a favorite at several cooking classes this month. Plus, you’ll see the process to create the soup and a fun plating video. Enjoy!
Kalamata Olive Tapenade
Enjoy refreshing tapenade with local Arizona veggies. This rich appetizer is an update to the olive trays that our family enjoyed with holiday meals when I was a kid. When you make your tapenade, have fun experimenting with a variety of olives and mindfully plate with favorite veggies from your farmers’ market.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, rough chopped
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and rough chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup capers
¼ cup fresh parsley
¼ – 1/3 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
Extras for Plating
1 cucumber, sliced
9-10 dehydrated tomato slices
2-3 red or purple radishes, thinly sliced
2 green onions, sliced on the bias
2 Tbsp goji berries, re-hydrated in water for 10 minutes
SIMPLE STEPS
Gather your mise en place
Mince garlic
Rough chop the sun-dried tomatoes, soak in water to re-hydrate 5-10 minutes
In a food processor, pulse garlic and olives until fine, not paste-like
Remove the olive and garlic mixture from the food processor.
Place sun-dried tomatoes in food processor and process until fine.
Add capers and parsley and pulse a few times.
Place olive/garlic mixture and sun-dried tomatoes/capers/parsley mixture into a bowl and mix with a fork.
Add olive oil until you reach desired consistency.
Enjoy the tapenade on cucumbers with a few extra veggies from your local farmers.
Winter Squash Ginger Soup
Yields: 4 servings
Create your Thanksgiving soup with local Winter Squash such as red kabocha or butternut, delicata, or even pumpkins. I especially love the sweetness of red kabocha, which contrasts to the green kabocha with has a more savory flavor. While cooking your soup enjoy the mindfulness and aromatherapy of grating warming ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Have fun plating the soup with a few sliced fresh veggies to add color and a crisp texture to the soup. Enjoy the soup warm or cold.
The components of the soup include: Veggie Stock, Roasted Squash, The Squash Ginger Soup, and the Plating Toppings.
Winter Squash Ginger Soup
Simple Ingredients
1 Tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup shallots, minced
1 TBSP ginger, grated
½ TBSP coriander seeds
Pinch sea salt
3 cups roasted Winter squash (see recipe below)
4 cups veggie stock (see recipe below)
Plating Toppings (per serving)
2 small tomatoes, sliced
1 radish, sliced
5 raw cashews, soaked in water
5 slices dehydrated tomatoes
1 tsp green onions, cut on diagonal
1 tsp micro-greens
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
Optional: Cashew cream
Cook the Soup
Pour olive oil into the soup pot and warm for 1 minute.
Add shallot and ginger and gently cook for about 5 minutes to release flavors.
Add roasted squash and veggie stock to the pot.
Bring to a boil.
Lower to simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
Pour soup into food processor and pulse a few times for desired smoothness.
Plate the Soup
Pour soup into a serving bowl.
Top with local, seasonal veggies, such as tomatoes, radishes, green onions, and micro-greens.
CLICK LINK TO SEE THE BEAUTIFUL SOUP PLATING VIDEO:
To enhance the flavor of your soup, make this quick and easy veggie stock, with mirepoix base of carrots, onions, and celery. An option is a box of store-bought organic veggie stock.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
Stock Base
1 medium white onion, rough chopped
4 carrots, rough chopped
2 celery stalks, rough chopped
6 cups water
Aromatics
10 parsley stems
3 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp black peppercorns
SIMPLE STEPS
Rough chop the carrots, onions, and celery into 2” pieces.
Place carrots, onions, celery, garlic, black peppercorns, and water into the soup pot.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce to simmer and cook with lid covered for 30 minutes.
Strain the veggies from the liquid.
Use the stock in the Winter squash soup.
Roasted Winter Squash
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
3 cups Winter squash, cubed
3 Tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
3 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tsp ground nutmeg
SIMPLE STEPS
Toss squash in olive oil, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Place squash on a parchment-lined sheet tray, making sure the squash does not touch.
It’s such an honor to create recipes for the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) at The Farm at South Mountain. The Farm is a beautiful organic farm right in my neighborhood in Phoenix, Arizona.
Let’s take a look at the beauty of The Farm and the incredible veggies growing right now in mid-December 2020.
Winter Broccoli at The Farm at South Mountain.The simple beauty of Broccoli.
Enjoy the Kale at The Farm
For the CSA members, Winter Week 5: 12.17.20
The Farm at South Mountain: Winter CSA 12.19.2020
Scarlet Turnips: Root & Greens
Corn-on-the cob
Broccoli
Bok Choy
Meyer lemon
Lemon basil
Romaine lettuce
Meyer lemon
Peppers
Eggs
Winter Scarlet Turnip. Corn. Bok Choy Saute Recipe
This week’s recipe was inspired by the incredible scarlet turnip, corn-on-cob, and the lemon basil!
Hope you enjoy creating a simple veggie sauté to enjoy with chickpea pasta for a great gluten-free veggie dish. Add the Meyer lemon while sautéing to caramelize the veggies.
I was so excited to create this recipe, that I actually prepared it within 2 hours of bringing the veggies into my kitchen.
Steps to Prepare the Dish
Sauté the veggies
Cook pasta.
Mindfully plate your sautéed veggies with pasta, seeds, herbs, and edible flowers.
Enjoy the video for this beautiful, tasty recipe.
VEGGIE SAUTE TIPS
Use the simple veggie sauté culinary method to easily cook all kinds of veggies.
Pre-heat the saute pan before cooking.
Cook the veggies step-by-step to layer the flavors.
Start with onions for the flavor base.
At the end of cooking, add the greens (bok choy) and herbs (lemon basil) to gently cook.
WINTER VEGGIE SAUTE
Recipe Serves 2
Use this simple veggie sauté method to cook the fresh CSA from the Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
Winter Veggie Saute: Beautiful Veggies from The Farm CSA
3-4 green onions (not in the CSA)
2-3 small peppers
1 corn-on-cob
½ broccoli stem
1 cup turnip, sliced
1 cup bok choy
1 stem lemon basil
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ Meyer lemon, juiced
Pinch sea salt
SIMPLE STEPS
Slice all veggies and corn off the cob.
Pre-heat sauté pan on stove top on medium.
Add olive oil to coat bottom of the pan.
Add the onions. Sauté a few minutes.
Add peppers. Sauté a few minutes.
Drizzle pinch of sea salt onto the veggies.
Add corn on cob. Sauté a few minutes.
Add broccoli. Sauté a few minutes.
Squeeze Meyer lemon and stir to de-glaze the pan.
Add turnip. Sauté a few minutes.
Add bok choy and lemon basil. Sauté a minute.
Veggie Saute: Ingredients
FOOD ART: PLATE THE DISH
Enjoy plating the veggies with layers of veggies and pasta.
Garnish with pine nuts (or other nuts), a green onion, sliced raw turnip, and lemon basil leaves, and edible calendula flowers.
Veggie Saute: Plating Mise en Place
ENJOY YOUR WINTER VEGGIE SAUTE DISH
Arizona Winter Veggie Saute
ENJOY OUR PHOTO SHOOT BEHIND-THE-SCENES
Interested in creating a Plant-Based Farm-to-Table Food Art Program (Virtual and in Person when the time is right), fill out our Form. Look forward to talking with you.
This week’s recipe #58 for The Farm at South Mountain CSA was inspired by the incredible turnip and corn on the cob! When I arrived at The Farm, I was excited to see Chef Dustin Christofolo with the huge, beautiful turnip. The root of the turnip turned out to weigh 2 1/2 pounds! I was also really excited to see the corn-on-the cob in the CSA, as I’ve been watching the corn grow for a few months.
Let’s take a look at the incredible turnip with Chef Dustin Christofolo!
Up-close look at the huge turnip! The root weighs 2.5 pounds!
The beautiful corn crop growing at The Farm this Winter.
In awe of the Dinosaur Kale, which is so fresh, green, and grassy tasting.
Hope you enjoy roasting the turnip, along with kale and turnip greens, corn-on-the-cob to create a simple, tasty veggie bowl. Create a simple “acid, fat, salt” salad dressing with the Meyer lemon to add citrus freshness to the dish.
Steps to Prepare the Dish
Make a batch of quinoa.
Roast the veggies.
Make the salad dressing.
Mindfully plate your veggie bowl with quinoa, walnuts, and edible flowers.
Use the video as a step-by-step guide to prepare this beautiful, tasty, farm-to-table bowl.
All Recipes Serve 2
ROASTED VEGGIES
Use this Roasted Veggie method to easily cook all kinds of veggies at the same time!
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
1 cup turnip, sliced
1 corn-on-cob
2 small peppers
3-4 kale leaves
3-4 turnip stems with leaves
2 tbsp rosemary, minced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Pinch sea salt
SIMPLE STEPS
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Cut turnip and pepper into small pieces.
Slice corn off the cob.
Slice the kale and turnips greens into strips.
In a small bowl, toss each type of veggies with olive oil, sea salt, and rosemary.
Place veggies onto parchment-lined sheet pan.
Turnips on one tray, not touching.
Other veggies on another tray, in small piles.
Roast turnips for 12 minutes.
Toss the turnips.
Roast the turnips another 12-15 minutes.
Roast the corn, peppers, and greens 12-15 minutes.
MEYER LEMON SALAD DRESSING
Create a simple “acid, fat, salt” salad dressing with the Meyer lemon.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
1.5 tbsp Meyer lemon juice
½ tsp Meyer lemon zest
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Pinch sea salt
SIMPLE STEPS
Put all ingredients into a small bowl.
Thoroughly emulsify with a whisk.
Use the dressing with the veggie bowl.
PLATE THE VEGGIES
Mindful Plating Mise en Place.
Experiment with plating the veggies two ways.
Place veggies and quinoa in a bowl side-by-side and drizzle with the salad dressing.
Mix the veggies and quinoa all together with the salad dressing.
Garnish with walnuts and edible Calendula flowers.
Interested in plant-based farm-to-table cooking experiences…virtual for now…and later in-person…please fill out the form!
I am so honored to intuitively create recipes for The Farm at South Mountain CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) members. And, I’m happy to share this week’s Winter Arizona recipe with you, which was inspired by the beautiful beets and the incredible herbs: Thai Basil & Kaffir Lime Leaves.
Hope you enjoy roasting the beets and using them in my, now favorite hummus. Make a small batch of the pesto for contrast to the hummus.
The plant-based cooking video shows you step-by-step to prepare this incredible, tasty, healthy dish.
Steps to Prepare the Dish
Soak the garbanzo beans the night before you plan to create the beet hummus.
Cook the garbanzo beans for the hummus.
While the beans are cooking, roast the beets.
Next, toast the pine nuts.
Make the pesto.
Make the hummus.
Mindfully plate the beet hummus and pesto with the CSA Swiss chard and sweet peppers.
All Recipes Serve 2
THAI BASIL & KAFFIR LEAVES PESTO
Create a simple, delicious pesto with this week’s Thai basil and kaffir lime leaves.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
1 cup Thai basil leaves
1 tbsp Kaffir leaves, minced
¼ cup pine nuts, dry toasted
2 tbsp olive oil
Pinch sea salt
SIMPLE STEPS
Toast pine nuts in dry pan on stove for about 2 minutes.
Place all ingredients, except olive oil, into a small blender.
Blend for about a minute.
Add the olive oil to the blender and blend another minute.
ROASTED BEETS
Use this Quick Roasted Veggie method to easily cook roots.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
2 beet roots, sliced
2 tbsp fresh Kaffir lime leaves, minced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Pinch sea salt
SIMPLE STEPS
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Cut beet roots into slices.
Mince Kaffir lime leaves, taking out the stem.
Place beets into roasting pan.
Drizzle with olive oil, Kaffir lime leaves, and sea salt.
Roast for 10 minutes.
Toss the beets.
Roast another 10-12 minutes.
ROASTED BEET HUMMUS
Create this simple, delicious, beautiful hummus with The Farm’s beets.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
2 beets, roasted
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
¼ cup tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp minced garlic
Pinch sea salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
SIMPLE STEPS
Place beets into food processor and process for about a minute.
Add all other ingredients, except olive oil.
Process for 2-3 minutes.
Stream in olive oil and process another 1-2 minutes.
Enjoy with CSA sweet peppers.
Plant-based farm-to-table recipe intuitively created by Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Award-winning cookbook author, Creator of the Plant-Based Food Art Movement.
Happy to share with you this week’s recipe video for the Winter 2020 CSA at The Farm at South Mountain, right in my neighborhood in Phoenix, Arizona.
The recipe was inspired by the beautiful beets, scarlet queen turnips, and rosemary. And, of course, the pecans that grow right at The Farm.
Enjoy this video of the Roasted Beet & Turnip Bowl, and use it as a guide to create your own Roots Bowl with beets, turnips, tossed salad greens, and a few of your favorite salad extras, such as cashew cream, figs, and blackberries for a fresh Winter dish.
Steps to Prepare the Dish
Roast the beets and turnips with the quick roast method.
Prepare the Simple Cashew Cream.
Crack the pecans.
Make the simple acid, fat, salt salad dressing and toss with the greens.
Mindfully plate the roasted roots, salad greens, pecans, Cashew Cream, and your favorite extras.
Enjoy Cooking!!!!
Recipe intuitively created by Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO of Experience Nutrition, Award-winning cookbook author, creator of the Plant-Based Food Art Movement. Leader in wellness, integrative nutrition, and culinary for 15 years.
I am so honored to intuitively create recipes for The Farm at South Mountain CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) members, And, I’m happy to share this week’s Winter Arizona recipe with you.
As many of you are aware, I live in a wonderful area of Phoenix, Arizona with incredible urban farms right in my neighborhood, including The Farm at South Mountain. For four years I’ve been teaching hands-on plant-based farm-to-table cooking experiences at The Farm and have been intuitively creating recipes with the weekly CSA box. This week is actually Recipe #55!
Excited to meet the new farmers at The Farm…Olive, DJ, Nicole, Meredith, with Melanie Albert.
The Farm at South Mountain…Olive, DJ, Melanie, Nicole, Meredith
The Winter CSA for November 21, 2020 includes:
Detroit Red Beets
Purple Daikon Radishes
Rainbow Swiss Chard
Curly Leaf Lettuce
Lemon Basil
Eggs
The Farm at South Mountain CSA: 11.21.20
BEETS & DAIKON RADISH BOWL
This week’s recipe was inspired by the beautiful beets and purple daikon radishes. Create your Veggie Bowl with the beet roots and greens, daikon radishes, Lemon Basil Cashew Cream, quinoa and walnuts for a beautiful Winter dish.
Steps to Prepare the Dish
Roast the beets, daikon radishes, and green onions.
Prepare the Lemon Basil Cashew Cream
Sauté the Beet Greens.
Plate the roasted roots, sautéed greens, Lemon Basil Cashew Cream, and walnuts.
Enjoy the Beets Bowl video for step-by-step visuals of the cooking process. Scroll down for the recipes.
All Recipes Serve 2
ROASTED BEETS, DAIKON RADISHES & GREEN ONIONS
Roasted Beets & Daikon Radishes
Roast the Winter roots for your simple-to-prepare, tasty farm-to-table veggie bowl.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
2 beet roots
2 daikon radishes
3-4 green onions, sliced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp dried herbs, such as Herbs de Provence
Pinch sea salt
SIMPLE STEPS
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Cut beet roots, daikon radishes into unique shapes and sizes.
Place roots (beets and radishes separately) and onions into a small bowl. Coat with olive oil, dried herbs, and sea salt.
Place roots, not touching, on parchment-lined sheet pan.
Layer onions on parchment-lined sheet pan.
Roast for 12 minutes.
Flip the veggies.
Roast another 12-15 minutes.
SIMPLE LEMON BASIL CASHEW CREAM
Create this simple plant-based cream with the lemon basil to enjoy with roasted roots.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
1 cup raw cashews, pre-soaked in water for 2-4 hours
¼ cup lemon basil leaves
2 green onions
2 tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup nutritional yeast
Pinch sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil
SIMPLE STEPS
Place all ingredients into food processor.
Process until chunky.
Stream in olive oil while processing.
Process to desired level of creaminess.
SAUTEED BEET GREENS
Create this quick sauteed beet green side to enjoy with the Roasted Beets and Radishes Bowl.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
Tops of 2 beets, sliced (greens and stems sliced separately)
2 green onions sliced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Pinch sea salt
SIMPLE STEPS
Pre-heat sauté pan on medium.
Pour olive oil into pan.
Add onions.
Sauté for 3 minutes.
Add beets stems.
Sauté for 1 minute.
Add beet greens.
Add pinch sea salt.
Sauté for 3 minutes.
NEW Online Plant-Based Food Art Program
Interested in learning more about plant-based cooking and creating beautiful dishes, I invite you to register for our new 3-Day Food Art course. Learn how to prepare the recipes and create beautiful dishes: Avocado Tartare, Roasted Veggie Bowl, and Raw Carrot Cake. CLICK TO REGISTER.
This week I was excited to purchase a great Chickpea Pasta from Sonoran Pasta at the Downtown Phoenix Market and wanted to enjoy it with a quick tomato sauce.
From start-to-finish with photos and videos this took less than 30 minutes to prepare and the sauce itself cooked in 7 minutes.
Hope you enjoy this delicious simple tomato sauce! Please tag us on Social Media: #plantbasedfoodart
7 Minute Tomato Sauce Recipe
Serves 1
1 heirloom tomato, sliced
1 elephant garlic, minced
¼ cup Kalamata olives
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Pinch sea salt
Garnish: Green onion, sliced
SIMPLE STEPS
Pre-heat sauté pan on medium.
Add olive oil to bottom of pan.
Add tomatoes and sauté for 4-5 minutes.
Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
Add olives and sauté for 4-5 minutes.
The Chickpea Pasta
Use this recipe as a guide to cook refrigerated (not boxed) chickpea pasta. Cook the pasta while the tomato sauce is cooking.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
3 ounces pasta
½ tsp sea salt
SIMPLE STEPS
Pour about 4 cups of water and sea salt into a medium size pot.
Bring water to boil.
Add pasta to the boiling water.
Lower to simmer.
Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
Drain the pasta.
PLATING
Toss some of the pasta with the sauce.
Plate with the tossed pasta, extra sauce, and green onion.
It’s tomato season in Arizona! And I love it. Over the years I’ve noticed that at the beginning of the season, our farmers are growing a few handfuls, then a few pounds, then a few hundred pounds of tomatoes each week. It’s actually quite amazing that our local farmers have each figured out their own process to grow tomatoes in 100+ degree days.
Thanks so much to the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market for your commitment to our local Arizona farmers and bringing beautiful food to our community. This week, thanks to Crooked Sky Farms for the heirloom tomatoes and corn on the cob. And, thanks to Blue Sky Organic Farms for the green onions, parsley. – Melanie Albert
I hope you are inspired by these three very different ways to prepare and enjoy tomatoes.
Raw. Cooked. Dehydrated.
Tomato Salsa. Corn on the Cob. Peppers.
Quick Tomato Sauté. Olives. Capers.
Dehydrated Tomatoes.
Enjoy the video with all these tomato recipes…
Tomato Salsa. Corn on the Cob. Green Peppers.
For a simple, refreshing salsa, choose a few tomatoes and peppers, aromatics such as garlic and onions, along with citrus, a fresh herb and sea salt. If your local farmers are growing corn, add corn to the salsa. Use this recipe as a guide for your own intuitive tomato salsa.
Mix and match with what your local farmers are growing to create your salsa. For sweet salsa, use bell peppers in any color: green, yellow, orange, or red. For a mild pepper taste, try Anaheim, or a more spicy pepper go for the jalapeno. Use lime or lemon as citrus to sharpen the flavor of the salsa. Experiment with different fresh herbs such as dill, basil, cilantro, or even mint.
Enjoy the salsa as a side salad, taco topping or with a baked sweet potato. And, remember the flavors in the salsa marry together the second and third day.
Simple Ingredients
2-3 tomatoes
2 peppers
5-6 green onions
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lime, juiced
3-4 sprigs fresh dill
Pinch sea salt
Optional: 1 corn on the cob
Farm-to-Table Tomato Salsa: Ingredients
Tomato. Corn Salsa: Mise en Place.
Simple Steps
Chop all veggies.
Place all ingredients into a medium-size bowl.
Toss.
Taste.
Add more salt or lime juice to suit your taste preferences.
Plate and enjoy.
Tomato Corn Dill Salsa
Tomato Sauté Recipe
In a few minutes, create this very simple, tasty, aromatic tomato sauce to enjoy with pasta. Choose a few local ripe tomatoes. Quickly sauté the tomatoes with onions and garlic to create a sweet aromatic sauce for your pasta. Add in Kalamata olives and capers for added depth of flavor. For a gluten-free pasta, experiment with chickpea pasta.
Simple Ingredients
2-3 tomatoes, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 green onions, sliced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp Kalamata olives
1 tbsp capers
5-6 sprigs parsley
Pinch sea salt
Tomato Saute: IngredientsTomato Saute: Mise en Place
Simple Steps
Pre-heat sauté pan on medium.
Place green onions in pan, stir, cook for about 3 minutes.
Add garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds.
Add tomatoes and sea salt.
Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover for about 2 minutes.
Add Kalamata olives and capers. Cook 1 minute.
Add parsley. Stir. Cook 1 minute.
Toss with pasta.
Plate and enjoy.
Tomato Saute. Pasta. Plating Mise en Place.Tomato Saute. Chickpea Pasta.
Dehydrate Tomatoes
Dehydrating fruit and vegetables concentrates the flavor. With tomatoes, they become very sweet and beautiful. During tomato season, be sure to dehydrate local tomatoes to enjoy later in the year.
Simple Ingredients and Steps
Choose a few beautiful heirloom tomatoes.
Thinly slice the tomatoes.
Place tomatoes on dehydrator mesh sheet.
Dehydrate at 125 degrees F for about 6-8 hours.
Enjoy as a snack or food art.
Dehydrate Tomatoes: Place sliced tomatoes on dehydrator sheet.Tomato Food Art
Stay in touchwith us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenutritionaz and tag us #experiencenutrition on your plant-based culinary creations.
Sedona Retreats. If you are interested in a self-care get-away in Sedona in September 2020, let me know. At this point we are planning on holding our Fall Plant-Based Cooking and Self Care Retreat with private rooms for all guests. Click to take a look at our Fall 2019 retreat. Or, send me a note (Mel@MelanieAlbert.com) if you’re interested in attending the 2020 retreat or in creating a retreat for a group of your friends.
By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Culinary Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.
Thanks so much to the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market for the opportunity to share a few beautiful summer salads with our local Arizona farmers early summer produce. Having shopped the market for 15 years and leading cooking demos at the market for 4 years, I am honored to be part of our local farmers community.
Thanks to the farmers market and our local farmers for your continued commitment and hard work to provide beautiful, fresh produce and local products to our community during the Coronavirus Pandemic. We all appreciate you and all the farmers and vendors.
Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market: Summer Veggies
Looking forward to the Fall when we can continue our “Shop the Farmers Market” Cooking Demos.
Meanwhile, I’m honored to share two simple, refreshing salads – Tomato Gazpacho and Chopped Salads. Hope you enjoy the recipes and have fun preparing and enjoying them with your family and kids. – Melanie Albert
Enjoy the Summer Salad Cooking Video featuring our local Arizona farmers produce and then create your own Tomato Gazpacho and Chopped Veggie Salad with your family and kids.
Summertime Tomato Gazpacho Recipe
A fresh, cold tomato gazpacho is refreshing, especially on warm days. Make this quick cold tomato salad with our local farmers tomatoes and cucumbers for a tasty summer side dish. Be sure to experiment with all kinds of tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers.
Simple Ingredients
4-5 medium tomatoes, rough chopped
2 green bell peppers, seeded and rough chopped
1 medium Armenian cucumber, rough chopped
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice and lime zest
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
Sea salt, to taste
Tomato Gazpacho: Farmers fresh ingredients
Simple Steps
Place tomatoes in a large bowl.
Massage with hands to break down tomatoes.
Add sea salt, lime juice and zest, and garlic.
Mix well.
Add all other soup ingredients to the bowl.
Mix well.
Taste and season with sea salt.
Top with diced cucumbers, tomatoes, and cilantro.
Enjoy!
Refrigerate leftover gazpacho soup and enjoy the next day for an even more flavorful salad.
Tomato Gazpacho: Mise En PlaceArizona Summer Tomato Gazpacho
Summer Chopped Salad Recipe
Simple Ingredients
Chopped Salad
1 carrot, cubed
2 cups, green beans, sliced
1 green onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 corn on cob
Summer Chopped Salad: Mise En Place
Dill Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
½ fresh lemon juice, approximate ¼ cup
½ cup olive oil, twice as much as the lemon juice
2-3 stems fresh herbs, such as dill
Pinch sea salt
1 tsp honey
1 tsp stone ground mustard
Dill Honey Mustard Salad Dressing: Mise En Place
Salad Dressing Simple Steps
Pour lemon juice in a small jar.
Add olive oil.
Shake. Taste.
Adjust with more oil, of too much acid; adjust with more lemon, if too much oil.
Add sea salt.
Add honey and mustard.
Shake.
Taste and adjust with any ingredients to suit your taste.
Summer Chopped Salad
Place all veggies into a bowl.
Pour dressing over the veggies.
Gently toss.
Enjoy your fresh salad.
Arizona Summer Chopped Salad
Have fun plating your Summer Salads…A few ideas to get you started. And, take a look at the video to “see” the plating.
Summer Salad: Mise En PlaceTomato Gazpacho. Armenian CucumberArizona Summer Chopped SaladChopped Salad: Another ViewChopped Salad. Classic Hummus.
NEW: Corporate Wellness Healthy Eating Programs
In light of the Coronvirus and safety, rather than in-person cooking experiences, we are now creating custom plant-based cooking videos with “cooking kits.” To learn more contact, Melanie Albert at 602.615.2486 or Mel@MelanieAlbert.com
UPDATE: Sedona September Self-Care Plant-Based Cooking Retreat
At this point, we are planning on holding our Fall 2020 culinary and self-care retreat, keeping in mind safety and limiting the number of participants. If you are interested in the September 18-21, 2020 or a custom retreat for your group of friends, let me know, Mel@MelanieAlbert.com Click for a glimpse of our beautiful Fall 2019 Retreat
Getting started with our mindful chopping for our fresh Tomato Gazpacho and Avocado Tartare.
WOW! Yoga at Cathedral Rock. Dreams come true!
Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenutritionaz and tag us #experiencenutrition on your plant-based culinary creations.
By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Culinary Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.
Thanks so much to the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market for requesting a recipe for a “Beet Burger.” I honestly love your market all these years and our beautiful entrepreneurial community at the market. Thank you so much for all the hard work, dedication, and commitment to our community to stay open as an “essential grocery story” during the Coronavirus Pandemic. We all appreciate you and all the farmers and vendors.
Looking forward to the Fall when we can continue our “Shop the Farmers Market” Cooking Demos. Meanwhile, I’m honored to share the Beet Burger recipe and hope you enjoy the recipe and have fun preparing and eating it. – Melanie Albert
Enjoy the Beet Burger Video
A glimpse of the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market during the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Beautiful veggies grown by Blue Sky Organic Farms.
The mindfulness and beauty of mise en place.
Steps to saute the veggies, aromatics, and spices for the beet burgers.
Mindful plating.
Recipe: Arizona Farm-to-Table Beet Burger
The beautiful, nutritious plant-based beet burger features veggies and beans grown by long-time Arizona farmers who support our community at the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market. Thanks so much to my friends at Blue Sky Organic Farms in Litchfield Park, Arizona, for the red beets, carrots, parsley, green onions, and Spring garlic. And, thanks to Crooked Sky for the black beans.
Beet Burger Veggies. Thanks Blue Sky Organic Farms.
Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenutritionaz and tag us #experiencenutrition on your plant-based culinary creations.
Excited to share with you that our next Sedona Retreat is September 18-21, 2020. And, wanted to let you know that we decided to cancel the June 2020 retreat, in light of the Coronavirus. If you’re interested in the retreat, or a custom retreat for a group of your friends or business associates, please let me know, 602.615.2486 Mel@MelanieAlbert.com
It is again such an honor to create recipe articles for the Natural Awakenings Magazine, Phoenix and Northern Arizona during the last few years. And, I am humbled to contribute to the important May 2020 issue during the Coronavirus Pandemic, to bring a little joy to our lives, with beautiful food. – Melanie Albert
Recipes in the Natural Awakenings, May 2020 article include: Three Beautiful, Simple Plant-Based Recipes
Enjoy mindfully and intuitively creating these simple dishes. Take time to appreciate the beauty of the food, the mindfulness of the cooking process, and the final food art of your culinary creations.
Simple Avocado Salsa. Intuitively create with the veggies, aromatics, and herbs in your kitchen. (Today’s recipe.)
Simple Avocado Salsa
I hope you are inspired by this simple to-prepare, tasty avocado salsa, along with “food art.”
Enjoy the video with the steps to prepare and plate your own avocado salsa.
Serves 1
Have fun intuitively creating your own avocado salsa with the veggies grown by our local farmers and available right in your own refrigerator. With the avocado as a base, add in your choice of aromatics (onion, garlic), citrus (lemon or lime), favorite veggies, such as carrots, green or red peppers, radishes, cauliflower, tomatoes), and a fresh herb (basil, cilantro, marjoram).
Thanks to my Arizona farmer friends for the beautiful produce in this Avocado Salsa.
Blue Sky Organic Farms, Litchfield Park: Grafitti (purple) Cauliflower, Green Onions
Pinnacle Farms Phoenix: Mini-Carrots, Spring Garlic
Add all other ingredients to the bowl and gently mix all ingredients.
Simple Avocado Salsa: Mise en Place
Simple Plating
Place ring mold onto plate or bowl.
Scoop avocado salsa into the ring mold.
OPTION: If you do not have a ring mold, place a mound of the avocado salsa onto the plate.
Garnish with basil leaves and mini-tomatoes.
Enjoy!
Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenturitionaz and tag us #experiencenutrition on your plant-based culinary creations.
I’m feeling that very soon we will ease out of our Coronavirus Stay-at-Home, so if you or your organization is looking for a live in-person hands-on interactive plant-based cooking experience, I’m happy to chat with you to explore opportunities. Feel free to call (602.615.2486) or e-mail (Mel@MelanieAlbert.com) – Melanie
By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Culinary Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.
It is my pleasure to share with you another one of my favorite “healthy” desserts: Raw Carrot Cake. Berries. Edible Flowers.
The Raw Carrot Cake recipe is adapted from my cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Cooking with Real Whole Foods.” Carrot cake has been a favorite of mine for decades. As much as I love the aromatherapy of cooking raisins with cinnamon and nutmeg for a baked carrot cake, I love the simplicity and freshness of a raw, plant-based version of carrot cake. – Melanie Albert
Thanks
Natural Awakenings Magazine, Phoenix and Northern Arizona. Thanks so much for the opportunities to create recipe articles for your publication that supports our holistic community. I am especially honored to contribute to the May 2020 issue during the Coronavirus Pandemic to share the beauty of food to our community.
Blue Sky Organic Farmsfor the beautiful, bright orange carrots. I appreciate your hard work continuing to grow beautiful produce for us week-after-week and month-after-month, especially during the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Community Exchange Table at the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market, where small local Arizona farmers and growers sell their extra bounty to our community. Special thanks for the seasonal Pakistani Mulberries, which I love every year.
Northwest Wild Foods for the tasty, tart Gooseberries. So great to initially meet you when we filmed the segment with your Aronia (Choke) Berries for The List TV Show. So glad we’ve connected.
If you love plant-based, gluten-free desserts, enjoy our Banana Bread Recipe.
Enjoy the Raw Carrot Cake Cooking Video
The beautiful ingredients.
Steps to prep the ingredients.
Mindful Plating: Food Art.
Raw Carrot Cake Recipe
I hope you enjoy creating your own beautiful, tasty raw carrot cake, with the aromatherapy of hand-grinding the cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and the mindfulness of plating food art with berries and edible flowers.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
1 cup dates, pitted and soaked for 1 hour in water, then rough chopped
Ingredients: Raw Carrot Cake. Thank you Blue Sky Organic Farms.Pakistani Mulberries. Goldenberries. Thank you Northwest Wild Foods. Community Exchange Table Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market.Edible Flowers. Thank you The Farm at South Mountain. Soil & Seed Garden.
SIMPLE STEPS
Raw Carrot Cake: Mise en Place.
Gather mise en place.
Soak dates, if they are not soft.
Place all ingredients into mixing bowl and with hands, combine gently until the mixture forms a ball.
Press dough into a springform pan.
Refrigerate for an hour.
Raw Carrot Cake: Plating Mise en Place
PLATING
Mindfully garnish with berries and edible flowers.
Enjoy!
Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenturitionaz and tag us #experiencenutrition on your plant-based culinary creations.
Please reach out to us if you’re interested in planning future Plant-Based Farm-to-Table Cooking Experiences, Team Building, Retreats, or Catering. Contact, Melanie Albert at 602.615.2486 or Mel@MelanieAlbert.com
By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Culinary Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.
Again this week, I’d like to honor our local farmers and farmers’ markets in Phoenix, Arizona who are continuing to bring our “essential” beautiful food to us during the Coronavirus Pandemic. We truly appreciate you.
As always, I am so honored to create recipes for the CSA at The Farm at South Mountain, a small urban farm about half a mile from my home in Phoenix, Arizona. In early May our farmers are transitioning from the “cooler” to “warmer” weather crops. So this week, many farmers are harvesting end of the Spring root veggies (carrots, beets), along with the early Summer veggies, like zucchini.
This week I was totally inspired by the beautiful 2 pound 5 ounce (yes, I weighed it) Costada Romanesco Zucchini. I intuitively created a simple Zucchini Salad with Cashew Cream featuring The Farm’s grapefruit and fresh mint and lemon basil. I invite you to use this recipe as a guide to create your own Zucchini Salad with a nut cream prepared with fresh herbs and citrus available at your local farmers’ market, farmers, or grocery stores. – Melanie Albert
Enjoy the video that showcases the steps to prepare the salad including how to:
Prepare a refreshing Raw Cashew Cream.
Spiralize zucchini.
Peel carrots for salads.
Mindfully plate with fresh veggies and edible flowers.
Let’s take a look at The Farm at South Mountain CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)
The May 2, 2020 CSA, with the transition from Spring to Summer:
The Farm at South Mountain. Soil & Seed Garden CSA, May 1, 2020.
RECIPE: Raw Cashew Salad. Cashew Cream.
Ingredients: Zucchini Salad. Cashew Cream.
Serves 2
Cashew Herbal Cream
Inspired by The Farm’s grapefruit and fresh mint and lemon basil.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water, 2-4 hours
2 TBSP grapefruit juice
1 TBSP grapefruit zest
¼ cup olive oil
2-3 stems of mint and lemon basil
2-3 onion green onions, sliced
Pinch sea salt
Mise en Place: Cashew Cream.
SIMPLE STEPS
Pre-soak cashews in water; rinse the cashews prior to using in the recipe.
Place all ingredients into food processor.
Process until smooth.
Spiralized Zucchini
Spiralize the zucchini and peel the carrots for the salad.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
¼ zucchini, spiralized
1 carrot
SIMPLE STEPS
Spiralize the zucchini with a spiralizer.
If you do not have a spiralizer, use a veggie peeler to thinly slice the zucchini.
Slice the carrots with veggie peeler.
Costada Romanesco Zucchini. Spiralized.
Zucchini Salad
SIMPLE STEPS
Toss the zucchini and carrots with the Cashew Cream.
SIMPLE PLATING
Ingredients
Zucchini Salad
1 Swiss chard leaf
3-4 fresh herb leaves: mint, lemon basil
3-4 mini-tomatoes
1-2 green onions
Zucchini Salad: Plating Mise en Place.
Simple Steps
Mindfully plate.
Place Swiss chard onto the plate.
Layer the tossed zucchini onto the Swiss chard.
Add the garnish ingredients.
Enjoy.
Enjoy a few plating views of this simple, delicious, beautiful “summer salad.”
Zucchini Salad. Sunflowers.Zucchini Salad. In the Garden.Zucchini Salad. On the Video Set.
Stay in Touch. Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenturitionaz and tag us #experiencenutrition on your plant-based culinary creations.
By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Culinary Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.
Please reach out if you are interested in future plant-based farm-to-table cooking experiences, or catering. Look forward to collaborating when “the time is right.”
So honored to create plant-based recipe articles during the last several years for the Natural Awakenings Magazine, Phoenix and Northern Arizona. This month, May 2020, I am especially humbled to contribute to the magazine while we are all together during the Coronavirus stay-at-home. And, while so many people are experimenting more in the kitchen with families and kids.
For this article, I decided to bring a touch of positivity to our world with “The Joy of Beautiful Food.” Experiment with the tips to add beauty to meals and have fun creating dishes with beautiful food and edible flowers. – Melanie Albert
Natural Awakenings, May 2020.
Top 4 Ways to Add Beauty to Your Meals:
Buy Beautiful Veggies from Our Local Farmers.
Add Color and Texture to your Dishes.
Add Natural Aromatherapy to Your Culinary Creations.
Plate Mindfully.
I hope you are inspired to add a little beauty and joy to life by creating some beautiful, mindful plant-based dishes. Share your creations with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenutritionaz and tag us #experiencenutrition.
Happy to share a few of my very favorite recipes in the Natural Awakenings article. Importantly, you can easily modify the recipes with local farmers’ seasonal produce, along with the fruit and veggies in your refrigerator. Enjoy!
Three Beautiful, Simple Plant-Based Recipes
Enjoy mindfully and intuitively creating these simple dishes. Take time to appreciate the beauty of the food, the mindfulness of the cooking process, and the final food art of your culinary creations.
Hummus.Three Ways. Classic. Turmeric. Beet.
Avocado Salsa. Intuitively create with the veggies, aromatics, and herbs in your kitchen.
Raw Carrot Cake. Simple, beautiful, tasty, aromatic dessert.
Hummus Video. In the cooking video, come into my kitchen and see the steps to create the Three Hummus Recipes.
RECIPE: Hummus. Three Ways. Classic, Turmeric, Beet.
Use these recipes as a guide to create your own hummus. Once you’ve learned how to prepare the basic classic hummus, have fun experimenting and intuitively creating your own versions of it.
Serves 4
Classic Hummus. Turmeric. Beet.
I’m excited to share with you the same recipe we made for the Super Bowl XLIV VIP Tailgate Party for the Super Bowl in Miami. Now you can make it, too. In addition to the Classic Hummus, traditionally made with tahini (ground sesame seeds), we can create different versions of hummus with turmeric or beet powder. Enjoy!
Simple Ingredients
2 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
⅓ cup chickpea water
3 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
⅛ tsp cumin seeds, hand -round
⅛ tsp coriander seeds, hand-ground (seeds from cilantro)
Pinch sea salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Turmeric Hummus: 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, pinch black pepper
Beet Hummus: 2 tsp beet powder
Simple Steps
Place all ingredients, except olive oil, into a food processor.
Blend a few minutes, until smooth.
Stream in the olive oil and blend until creamy.
After the hummus has been blended, taste and add more of any of the ingredients to suit your taste.
Turmeric or Beet Hummus: After creating the Classic Hummus, add either the turmeric or beet powder to the food processor. Process until well combined.
Simple Plating
Mindfully plate the three versions of hummus with fresh edible flowers, fresh herbs, or chopped veggies.
Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenturitionaz and tag us #experiencenutrition on your plant-based culinary creations.
Will also be sharing the Avocado Salsa and Raw Carrot Cake in videos and blog posts. Stay tuned.
By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Culinary Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.
Honored and happy to create the Recipe #51 for the CSA at The Farm at South Mountain, right here in my neighborhood. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to create new recipes for the CSA members, with ideas on how to prepare the veggies, fruit, and herbs in their weekly CSA.
During our Coronavirus Stay-at-Home, with everyone cooking more at home, I am happy that our farmers are still working so hard to bring great food to our community. I’m also grateful that our Arizona farmers’ markets are still operating as “essential grocery stores.”
Yesterday (Friday) afternoon, when I picked up this week’s CSA at The Farm, it was 99 degrees in Phoenix, and my AC was not working, so I decided to create a Raw Dish with the CSA veggies. Although, not at all planned, I then wanted to experiment with a cooked dish with those veggies as a base.
I hope you enjoy creating a simple Raw or Cooked Zucchini Lasagna, along with a Raw Hempseed Cream.
Enjoy the video for a glimpse of The Farm at South Mountain, where we are transitioning into our Summer growing season, along with the Raw and Baked Lasagna recipes.
Spring CSA Week 7: 4.25.20
For the CSA members, items in the CSA include:
Roots: Beets, Carrots, Purple Daikon Radishes
Greens; Glacier Lettuce, Salad Greens
Veggies: Zucchini
Citrus: Grapefruit
Herbs: Basil & Dill
Aromatics: Green Onions
The Farm Eggs
The Farm at South Mountain. Soil & Seed Garden. CSA 4.25.20
Raw Zucchini Lasagna
This week’s recipe was inspired by our warm Arizona weekend and the Soil & Seed Garden zucchini. The Raw Lasagna recipe features the end-of-season purple daikon radish and carrots. Enjoy with a Grapefruit Hempseed Herbal Cream.
Lasagna & Hempseed Cream Ingredients
Ingredients: Zucchini Lasagna. Hempseed Grapefruit Herb Cream.
Lasagna Veggies
Prep the zucchini, carrot, and daikon radish, and enjoy Raw Lasagna with Grapefruit Hempseed Cream.
Serves 2
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
¼ zucchini
1 carrot
1 daikon radish
2 tbsp olive oil
Pinch sea salt
SIMPLE STEPS
Thinly slice veggies with a mandoline or veggie peeler.
Place veggies, not touching, on parchment paper.
Drizzle veggies with olive oil and sea salt.
Let the veggies sit for 10-15 minutes.
Save the veggies to create the veggie lasagna.
Hempseed Grapefruit Herb Cream
This raw hempseed cream was inspired by The Farm’s grapefruit and fresh dill, lemon basil, and green onions. This Hempseed Cream can be made very quickly since we do not need to pre-soak hempseeds, and you can add flavor with whatever herbs you have in your kitchen or garden right now.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
½ cup hempseeds
¼ cup grapefruit juice
1 TBSP grapefruit zest
¼ cup olive oil
3-4 stems of dill, lemon basil
2-3 onion green onions
Pinch sea salt
Mise en Place: Hempseed Cream
SIMPLE STEPS
Place all ingredients into food processor.
Process until smooth.
Add water, as needed, for creamier sauce.
Raw Hempseed Grapefruit Herb Cream
SIMPLE PLATING
Layer the zucchini, carrot, daikon radish and the cream.
Garnish with Glacier Lettuce and fresh dill and lemon basil.
BONUS RECIPE: Baked Zucchini Lasagna
Since I ended up with extra ingredients from the Raw Lasagna, I decided to cook a really quick and easy baked version of the lasagna. Hope you enjoy this version, as well.
SIMPLE EXTRA INGREDIENTS
All ingredients from the Raw Zucchini Lasagna
1 tomato, sliced
2 small sweet peppers, sliced
SIMPLE STEPS
Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Layer all ingredients into a baking pan.
Cook for 20-30 minutes.
Enjoy!
Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenturitionaz and tag us #experiencenutritionaz on your Raw and Cooked Zucchini Lasagna dishes and other plant-based culinary creations.
By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Cooking Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.
During our coronavirus stay-at-home, a simple to prepare lunch, breakfast or snack, is an “avocado tartare.” You might call it avocado salsa with a few extra veggies. I hope this avocado recipe guide inspires you to create your own beautiful, delicious avocado tartare with whatever vegetables are in your kitchen. – Melanie Albert
To these base ingredients, add in a few veggies – any kind – available at your local farmers’ markets, local farmers, or grocery stores. Some ideas: Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives.
The plant-based cooking video guides you through the simple step-by-step process to prepare the avocado salsa. And, for reference, you can printout the recipe.
Avocado Salsa Recipe Guide
Use this recipe as a guide for Avocado Salsa with whatever veggies are in your refrigerator. This is a great recipe to experiment with intuitive cooking, where we choose a few vegetables, herbs, and aromatics we are attracted to and enjoy our creation.
Serves 1
Simple Ingredients
1 avocado
2 tbsp green onions
2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1 tsp Meyer lemon juice
Pinch sea salt
1 carrot, sliced
3-4 cauliflower florets
Optional garnish: few broccoli stems
Avocado Tartare: Simple Ingredients
Simple Steps
Chop all ingredients
Toss all ingredients into a bowl.
Mix avocado with a fork.
Add Meyer lemon juice and sea salt to the avocado.
Mix all ingredients with a fork.
Mindfully plate.
Enjoy
Aocado Tartare: Plating Mise en Place
Since I love Avocado Tartare’s so much, I’ll continue to share some of my intuitively created dishes with you, to give you more ideas on how you an mix-and-match veggies, herbs, aromatics, and citrus.
Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenturitionaz and tag us #experiencenutrition on your plant-based culinary creations.
By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Cooking Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.
Since so many people are buying many bananas during our Coronavirus stay-at-home, I decided and am excited to share an incredible banana recipe with you.
Enjoy this incredible vegan, gluten-free banana bread with walnuts, dehydrated citrus, and edible flowers. This banana bread is so delicious all I can say is Wow! I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy mindfully preparing this bread and enjoying it as a breakfast break or snack. – Melanie Albert
Enjoy the Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread Video…for the step-by-step cooking process.
