Experience Nutrition

Tag: Arugula

Experience Nutrition: Phoenix Summer Farm-to-Table Arugula. Corn. Tomato Salad
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
After two full weeks of traveling to Boston for my niece Mallory’s beautiful, loving wedding; to my parents’ home of 30 years in Cocoa Beach; to a stop in Barbados (while on the East Coast, of course, it makes sense to visit Barbados to explore the island and scout villas for plant-based culinary retreats.

For my close friends, an Albert family photo at Mallory’s wedding. xoxo

The Albert Family. Mallory and Phil’s Wedding. June 2, 2019.

Self-care in Cocoa Beach…breathing in the beauty of the Atlantic Ocean.

Self-Care in Cocoa Beach.

Barbados. So beautiful, I have to share right away, one of my favorite spots in the paradise of Barbados. The iconic Sandy Lane Beach.

Enjoying the serenity of Sandy Lane Beach in Barbados with my Tree Pose.

Back Home in Arizona

As soon as I was back in Phoenix, I shopped at our downtown Phoenix Public Market to purchase kale for a cooking event with the Maricopa County Summer Reading Program and bought a few seasonal goodies from our local farmers.

Saturday Stop: Phoenix Public Market

Honestly, I was not planning on cooking that morning before the Kale Salad event, but I could not resist, so I’m happy to share with you my first Arizona Summer Farm-to-Table Salad after returning to our desert.

Arizona Corn. Tomato. Arugula Summer Salad.

This salad was inspired by three of my summer favorites. Fresh corn-on-the-cob grown by long-time Farmer Frank of Crooked Sky Farms in Phoenix; Matt’s tomatoes from the Community Exchange; and baby arugula grown by Blue Sky Organic Farms in Litchfield Park. Plus, I picked up flavorful Hatun Oregano Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Fun shopping for Hatun Olive Oil at the Phoenix Public Market

Simple Ingredients
- ½ ear corn-on-the cob, kernels cut off the cob
- 1 cup tomatoes
- 1 cup arugula
- 1 lemon cucumber, sliced
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Pinch sea salt
- ¼ cup walnuts
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives, sliced
- 1 tbsp capers
Arizona Summer Goodies. Thanks farmers!

Simple Steps
- Pre-heat oven to broil.
- Slice corn off the cob.
Slice the corn off the cob.
- Place corn and tomatoes on a flat sheet pan.
- Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt.
Drizzle olive oil onto corn and tomatoes.
- Broil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Gather Mise en Place (all ingredients in place) to prepare the salad.
Be mindful. Mise en place to create the Arizona Summer Salad.
- Place all ingredients into a small bowl.
Place all ingredients into bowl. Then gently toss.
- Gently toss with hands.
- Plate mindfully.
- Enjoy.
Pause and enjoy your mindful plating.

Pause. Enjoy your mindful plating.

We eat with our eyes first. Enjoy your Summer Salad.

We eat with our eyes first. Enjoy your summer salad.

Plant-Based Culinary & Self-Care in the Magic of Sedona, September 13-16, 2019.

Click to learn more about the retreat on the Experience Nutrition website.

I’m excited to participate in the Local First Arizona Independents Week, June 29 – July 7, 2019. During that time, save 20% (up to $500) on the retreat. Contact Melanie Albert if you are interested: Mel@MelanieAlbert.com or 602.615.2486.

To stay in touch, visit us on Facebook and Instagram: @nutritionauthor
June 18, 2019
Experience Nutrition: Beautiful Farm-to-Table Wilted Arugula Salad. Chive Cashew Cream Recipe by Melanie Albert
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
This week’s intuitive salad from the Soil & Seed Garden CSA at The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona, is inspired by the beautiful, fresh greens (arugula and red pac choy) and chives — grown by urban farmer Billy Anthony.

I intuitively created a warm salad reminding me of the wilted spinach salad my Grandmom made when I was a kid. Today’s salad is a little different, all plant-based. While arugula is naturally a little spicy, when we gently saute and add cashew cream it becomes milder and very tasty.

The simple beauty of fresh farm arugula and red pac choy.

CHIVE CASHEW CREAM RECIPE

Make this simple raw cream, with fresh chives (or green onions) as a simple dressing for the wilted arugula. Nutritional yeast add a cheesy flavor to this plant-based cream.

Simple Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked 2-4 hours
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Pinch sea salt
- Handful chives, sliced
- ¼ cup water, adjust for desired creaminess
Simple Steps
- Blend cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, and water in a small blender, such as a Nutribullet.
- Fold in chives.
- Save for salad.
WILTED ARUGULA SALAD

Simple Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh arugula
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- Pinch sea salt
- 2-3 heads, bok choy
- 1 cup Chive Cashew Cheese
- 3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (dry toast in sauté pan on low heat)
- 3 tbsp clives, sliced
- ¼ cup dehydrated tomatoes
Simple Steps
- Pre-heat sauté pan on medium low heat.
- Pour olive oil into pan and heat for a minute.
- Add fresh arugula and pinch of sea salt to pan.
- Toss arugula and cook for 30 seconds.
- Place arugula and cashew cream into a bowl.
- Toss arugula with cashew cream.
- Plate with bok choy, fresh chives, toasted sesame seeds, and dehydrated tomatoes.
- Enjoy!
The Farm-to-Table Wilted Arugula Salad

Pause and enjoy the beauty of the bok choy…

Red Pac Choy. Grown at the Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain

Red pac choy as a wrap…with left-over veggies, tapenade, and cashew cream.

Red Pac Choy with Roasted Veggies, Tapenade, and Cashew Cream.

Thanks to Natural Awakenings AZ magazine for featuring my Plant-Based Thanksgiving recipes in the November 2018 issue.

Join our Simple Daily Plant-Based Eating Tips Facebook Page

Purchase Melanie Albert’s award-winning cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Cooking with Real Whole Foods”

Purchase Tickets for Holiday Plant-Based Desserts Cooking Class at The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, December 9, 2018, 11am-1pm

Farm-to-Table Cooking Classes and Events at The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona
November 25, 2018
A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Arizona Winter Salad: Arugula and Avocado

by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC
It’s fun to intuitively create a quick salad with an avocado base and a few farmers’ market goodies. Today’s Arizona Winter Salad features a few of my very favorite goodies from our local Arizona farmers, including incredible carrots and arugula. Plus, an avocado, which adds to the richness of the salad with its good healthy fats. And, I included a whole grain, with left-over brown rice in the refrigerator.

Thanks to Turkish Fair Trade Imports, LLC for the great Turkish Basil Extra Virgin Olive oil and to the Uptown Farmers’ Market and Arizona farmers – Steadfast Farms for the incredible carrots, and McClendon Select for the fresh arugula.

Steps to Create a Quick Winter Salad

Step 1: Choose a few organic produce. Plus, an olive oil, whole grain, and fresh herb.

Step 2: Get your mise en place – everything into place – with veggies chopped and mindfully organized.

Step 3: Decide which ingredients to pair together for the salad. Today’s pairings: Arugula, tomatoes, sea salt, brown rice, and basil olive oil. Avocado pairing: the avocado, carrots, tomatoes, and fresh Arizona lemon. When you are pairing your ingredients, have fun and use your intutition. There are no right or wrong pairs.

Step 4: Toss the arugula ingredients to coat the leaves with olive oil, lemon, and sea salt.

Step 5: Gently mix the avocado ingredients and press into a ring mold.

Step 6: Plate and enjoy! I had fun playing a little with the sweet carrots!

If you are looking for more simple culinary skills, recipes, and ideas to cook intuitively, check out my book, “A New View of Healthy Eating.”

January 6, 2018