Category: Simple Ways to Cook Amazing Roots

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Bamboo Steamer Veggies

    A New View of Healthy Eating: Bamboo Steamer Veggies

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

    During the last few weeks, we’ve been steaming quite a few veggies with a bamboo steamer at cooking classes and demos in the Phoenix area. Some of the venues include The Farm at South Mountain, the Downtown Phoenix Public Market, the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (tomorrow, April 19), and with my 12-year old niece Meredith, while working on our Kids Cookbook.

    To me, steaming veggies in a bamboo steamer has become part of my everyday life over the last few years, but I’ve learned that so many people have never used a bamboo steamer. Thus, this blog focuses on the process of a cooking with a bamboo steamer and some of the different creations people have had fun making during recent classes.

    Take a look at the bamboo steamer veggies from recent cooking classes and events. We have 2 more hands-on Intuitive Cooking Experience classes at The Farm this season: April 23. 11am-1pm and May 21, 10am-noon. You can call me at 602.615.2486 to register for the May class.

    Spring Farm-to-Table Intuitive Cooking Class at The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, AZ

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    For the upcoming Kids Cookbook: Created by Meredith, my 12-year old niece.Will post a separate blog on her creating and finishing process. By the way, the next Kids Cooking Class at The Farm at South Mountain (the last class of the season) is May 6, 2017, 11:30am-12:30pm. Not yet on the calendar, so you can register by calling me directly: 602.615.2486 

    Excerpt from “A New View of Healthy Eating”

    Bamboo Steamer Carrots with Cumin Seed Lemon Dressing

    Bamboo Steamer Carrots

    A bamboo steamer is key to the new view of the year-round healthy eating kitchen. First, learn to steam carrots with the mindful process of steaming. Once you learn how to steam carrots, use your bamboo steamer to steam all kinds of veggies. Try a rustic medley of roots such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and golden beets. Or quickly cook butternut squash and pumpkin as the base for a warm fall soup. Also, experiment with steaming a mix of spring veggies like asparagus, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, and kale.

    Bamboo Steamer Carrots with Cumin Seed Lemon Dressing

    Finishing carrots with a simple herb and citrus dressing adds richness to the simple carrot. Enjoy creating a cumin seed lemon dressing by toasting cumin seeds for added flavor and aromatherapy, lightly tossing the carrots by hand with the dressing and mindfully plating your carrots. Enjoy!

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 6-8 large carrots, rainbow if available, sliced
    • ½ tsp cumin seeds
    • Pinch sea salt
    • 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley
    • ½ fresh lemon
    • 2-3 tbsp walnut oil (or extra virgin olive oil)

    SIMPLE STEPS

    1. Steam Carrots
    • To set up the bamboo steamer, fill a large (6- to 8-quart) soup pot with 3-4 inches of water, place over high heat, and bring to a boil.
    • Place sliced carrots into the bamboo steamer. Spread out the carrots so that they do not touch each other to allow the steam to rise and cook the carrots. Sprinkle carrots with a pinch of sea salt.
    • Place bamboo steamer on top of the pot with steaming water. Cover with lid and let steam for about 5-7 minutes or until just cooked.
    • Test the carrots for doneness. When carrots easily come off a fork, they’re ready.
    • Once the carrots have finished cooking, pour them into a large bowl.
    1. Cumin Seed Lemon Finishing Dressing
    • While the carrots are steaming, prepare the finishing dressing.
    • To toast the cumin seeds, heat a small sauté pan over low heat. Add the seeds to the pan and cook lightly until fragrant. Once done, remove the seeds from the pan.
    • To make the dressing, gather the lemon and oil, and roughly chop the parsley.
    • Squeeze the lemon juice on the carrots and drizzle with the oil. Gently toss with your hands to coat. Add the toasted cumin seeds and sprinkle with a little salt. Add the parsley and toss again.
    • Mindfully plate and enjoy.

    Learn more about simple intuitive cooking in my new book, “A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Cooking with Real Whole Foods”

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Roast Romanesco Cauliflower Intuitive Cooking Recipe

    A New View of Healthy Eating: Roast Romanesco Cauliflower Intuitive Cooking Recipe

    By Melanie Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

    Right now in Phoenix, there are all kinds of beautiful cauliflower at our local farmers’ markets: white, yellow, purple, and Romanesco, which is a cross between cauliflower and broccoli.

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    Because the Romanesco cauliflower is so incredibly beautiful, I love to cook it whole to enjoy its beauty when served. My latest cookbook,” A New View of Healthy Eating,” includes the culinary technique of roasting veggies. You can use these same simple steps to roast Romanesco cauliflower. When roasted, cauliflower becomes earthy and so delicious.

    Enjoy cooking!

    Simple Ingredients

    • Romanesco cauliflower
    • Organic extra virgin olive oil
    • A few of your favorite dried herbs (such as basil, oregano, marjoram)
    • Sea salt or Himalayan salt

    Simple Steps

    • Hand grind dried herbs and sea salt with mortar and pestle.
    • Add dried herbs to bowl with organic extra virgin olive oil.
    • Toss and coat cauliflower with the olive oil and dried herbs.
    • Roast in oven for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Mindfully enjoy the process of hand-grinding dried herbs with salt.

    Roast the Romanesco cauliflower on unbleached parchment paper, along with rainbow carrots.

    Enjoy Romanesco cauliflower with tri-color organic quinoa and roasted rainbow carrots.

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    Come over to Facebook www.facebook.com/NewViewHealhyEating and share photos of your roasted cauliflower with us.

    For more ways to enjoy cooking whole foods, my new cookbook, “A New View of Heathy Eating” is now available for purchase:

     

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Veggie Stir-fry with Roots & In-season Produce

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

    I decided to blog about a stir-fry as I will be teaching the simple steps to prepare a stir-fry (really a saute). this weekend, Sunday, December 11, 2016, in a Holiday Intuitive Cooking Class at The Farm at South Mountain.

    Stir-fries are so simple and can be cooked year-round with different veggies, creating a variety of seasonal textures, colors, and flavors. This week I created a simple saute of local Arizona tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, and added olives and capers, to create a sauce for my flatbread.

    Excerpt from A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Veggie Stir-Fry with Roots and In-Season Produce

    One of my favorite ways to cook all kinds of vegetables, including roots, is a simple stir-fry (really a simple sauté) with what’s seasonally available from local farmers. The beautiful veggies available during the first week of my winter 2016 CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) from Maya’s Farm at the Farm at South Mountain, only a mile from my Phoenix home, inspired this intuitive stir-fry.

    To create a simple veggie stir-fry, chose a few local in-season veggies, some roots and some greens. This stir-fry was inspired by the baby bok choy and fresh green garlic in my CSA. Added to the stir-fry were other veggies from local farmers, along with sun-dried tomatoes and capers. During the middle of the stir-fry, I decided to de-glaze the pan with fresh lemon and to add local Arizona citrus to the dish.

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • Organic extra virgin olive oil
    • Green garlic
    • Brussels sprouts
    • Carrots
    • Cauliflower
    • Sun-dried tomatoes
    • Capers
    • Asparagus
    • Baby bok choy
    • Sea salt
    • Fresh lemon

    SIMPLE STEPS

    1. Gather your mise en place.
    2. Pre-heat sauté pan on medium-high.
    3. Pour organic extra virgin olive oil into the pan.
    4. Add the aromatics (green garlic) and cook a few minutes.
    5. Toss in veggies you’d like to brown a little (Brussels sprouts).
    6. Add dense vegetables that need to cook a bit longer (carrots, cauliflower).
    7. Toss in extras (sun-dried tomatoes, capers).
    8. Add vegetables that do not need to cook very long (asparagus, bok choy).
    9. Enjoy!

    What’s the Difference: Sauté vs. Stir-fry

    Sautéing and stir-frying are similar dry-heat cooking methods to cook food quickly. Small, bite-size pieces of food are stirred or tossed and quickly cooked over high heat. With sautéing, usually a pan or skillet is used; with a stir-fry, traditionally a wok is used.  With stir-frying, the heat is higher and the action is faster with the food continuously tossed and stirred.

    “Have fun preparing quick, delicious veggie stir-fries with a few simple steps. The key is to be organized. Pre-chop all your ingredients and set up your mise en place (all ingredients in place) for your cooking before you start stir-frying.”

    SPECIAL HOLIDAY GIFT:  Purchase from November 25, 2016 – January 1, 2017

    $75 Healthy Cooking Gift Certificate: Local First Arizona

    A New View of Healthy Eating new cookbook, by Intuitive Cooking Expert, Melanie A. Albert, and one 2-hour Intuitive Cooking Experience Cooking Class.

    • Book gift-wrapped and mailed (free shipping) to your family or friends.
    • Unique hands-on interactive plant-based cooking class features local Arizona farmers’ organic produce. Learn natural culinary skills and enjoy mindfully eating your creations with community.
    • Your choice of 5 monthly cooking classes held in the South Mountain area January through May 2017.
    • Gift Certificate expires May 31, 2017.

    Purchase $75 Holiday Gift Certificate Today!

     Gift Certificate Details

    3 Steps to Redeem Healthy Cooking Gift Certificate

    Step 1: Healthy Cooking Gift Certificate

    • Gift Certificate will be mailed to purchaser address in PayPal receipt.

    Step 2: Fill out the following information for A New View of Healthy Eating book, to be shipped to your family or friend.

    Step 3: Gift Certificate Recipient makes their reservation for the Intuitive Experience Cooking Class.

    • Choose your date for one of the 5 monthly classes (January – May 2017) in the South Mountain, Arizona area.
    • Classes will be held at The Farm at South Mountain, 11am-1pm on January 22, February 19 and March 19. (6106 South 32nd Street, Phoenix; Between Southern and Baseline)
    • Stay up-to-date on class dates and locations for April and May here at www.EXPNutrition.com
    • Confirm your class selection by e-mailing Mel@MelanieAlbert.com. Thanks so much!

    Thank you so much and I look forward to seeing you at the Intuitive Cooking Experience class!  Melanie Albert

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples

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

    In my book, A New View of Healthy Eating, one of the culinary techniques is “roasting roots.” Really, once you have learned the roasted veggie technique, you can roast all kinds of veggies. I love asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussel sprouts. And, we can also roast fruit. Take a look at this simple roasted sweet potatoes and apples, with dried herbs: basil and oregano.

    Simple Steps to Roast Sweet Potatoes & Apples

    Cut the sweet potatoes and apples in about even pieces, then coat with organic extra virgin olive oil, dried basil and oregano, and sea salt. Place flat-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

    Roast in 475 degree oven for about 20 minutes, turn over, and roast for another 15 minutes.

    Enjoy!

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    Culinary Tips for Roasting Roots

    • Cut the veggies and fruit in equal-size pieces, so they cook at the same pace.
    • Hand-grind the herbs to bring out their flavor.
    • Thoroughly coat the produce with the olive oil and herbs.
    • Space the veggies and fruit on the baking sheet, so they do not touch. This allows the produce to roast, rather than steam, from the moisture.
    • Experiment with roasting different veggies and fruit.

    Come on over to our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating and post your unique roasted veggies and fruit.

     

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Bamboo Steamer Organic Carrots

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

    After a beautiful, self-care day with a gentle yoga class and some kitchen tools shopping, I decided to create a very simple meal inspired by my bamboo steamer. This is one of my very favorite organic carrot recipes that brings carrots to life with walnut oil, lemon, cumin, parsley, and sea salt. And, it is so simple to prepare. With the carrots, I also steamed some broccoli and cooked a pot of brown rice to enjoy with the meal.

    I hope you are inspired to cook some carrots and other veggies in a bamboo steamer. It’s such a great, simple culinary technique.

    Excerpt from A New View of Healthy Eating

    Bamboo Steamer Carrots

    A bamboo steamer is key to the new view of the year-round healthy eating kitchen. First, learn to steam carrots with the mindful process of steaming. Once you learn how to steam carrots, use your bamboo steamer to steam all kinds of veggies. Try a rustic medley of roots such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and golden beets. Or quickly cook butternut squash and pumpkin as the base for a warm fall soup. Also, experiment with steaming a mix of spring veggies like asparagus, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, and kale.

     Bamboo Steamer Carrots with Cumin Seed Lemon Dressing

    Finishing carrots with a simple herb and citrus dressing adds richness to the simple carrot. Enjoy creating a cumin seed lemon dressing by toasting cumin seeds for added flavor and aromatherapy, lightly tossing the carrots by hand with the dressing and mindfully plating your carrots. Enjoy!

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 6-8 large carrots, rainbow if available, sliced
    • ½ tsp cumin seeds
    • Pinch sea salt
    • 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley
    • ½ fresh lemon
    • 2-3 tbsp walnut oil (or extra virgin olive oil)

     SIMPLE STEPS

    1. Steam Carrots
    • To set up the bamboo steamer, fill a large (6- to 8-quart) soup pot with 3-4 inches of water, place over high heat, and bring to a boil.
    • Place sliced carrots into the bamboo steamer. Spread out the carrots so that they do not touch each other to allow the steam to rise and cook the carrots. Sprinkle carrots with a pinch of sea salt.
    • Place bamboo steamer on top of the pot with steaming water. Cover with lid and let steam for about 5-7 minutes or until just cooked.
    • Test the carrots for doneness. When carrots easily come off a fork, they’re ready.
    • Once the carrots have finished cooking, pour them into a large bowl.

     

    1. Cumin Seed Lemon Finishing Dressing
    • While the carrots are steaming, prepare the finishing dressing.
    • To toast the cumin seeds, heat a small sauté pan over low heat. Add the seeds to the pan and cook lightly until fragrant. Once done, remove the seeds from the pan.
    • To make the dressing, gather the lemon and oil, and roughly chop the parsley.
    • Squeeze the lemon juice on the carrots and drizzle with the oil. Gently toss with your hands to coat. Add the toasted cumin seeds and sprinkle with a little salt. Add the parsley and toss again.
    • Mindfully plate and enjoy.

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    Pre-order the book today and receive Top 5 Recipes and Culinary Tips.

    STEP 1: Pre-order Book

      STEP  2: Fill out this form and receive the Top 5 Recipes & Culinary Tips.

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Sweet & Rich Roasted Roots

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

    Roasted roots are quick and easy to make and taste delicious and sweet every time.  Today, I made a quick batch of roasted roots with rainbow carrots, radishes, and sweet potatoes. After gently tossing the roots in organic extra virgin olive with freshly ground basil and oregano, I roasted them for about 20 minutes (turning after 10) in a pre-heated 475 degree oven.

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    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.

    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!

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     “In my public and private hands-on cooking classes, I encourage participants to experiment with different herbs and spices for roasted roots. A fun way to intuitively choose herbs is to close your eyes, smell different herbs, and intuitively decide which to use when flavoring the root vegetables. Have fun and be creative.”

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    I am so humbled, in 3 days, I sold the first print-run of A New View of Healthy Eating. Right now, we are proofing the book and then will order the next printing. If you’d like a copy to begin to add some new culinary skills and intuitive cooking to your life, I invite you to order your copy today!

    Pre-order the book today and receive Top 5 Recipes and Culinary Tips.

    STEP 1: Pre-order Book

      STEP  2: Fill out this form and receive the Top 5 Recipes & Culinary Tips.

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