In awe of another week of beautiful, vibrant veggies in the Winter POM Rhibafarms Box with Pomegranate Café in Ahwatukee, Arizona and grown by Rhibafarms in San Tan Valley, Arizona. I am so honored to create beautiful, tasty dishes with the food from the CSA each week. It’s fun to receive seasonal food grown by our local farmers, and to intuitively create dishes with food we have not previously cooked, while also experimenting with various culinary techniques.
For those of you who are supporting your local farms CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture), I invite you to have fun experimenting with the different foods your farmers are growing. Try the new veggies and new culinary methods.
In this week’s Broccoli Cauliflower Fig Salad we focus on the simple culinary technique of steaming veggies in a bamboo steamer and making a simple 3-ingredient salad dressing.
Love and heart…at the Pomegrante Cafe, this Valentine’s Week…so much love and heart at this amazing vegetarian/vegan healthy restaurant.
Rhibafarms Broccoli Cauliflower Fig Salad Recipe
The beauty of Rhibafarms broccoli and cauliflower inspired this very simple refreshing, beautiful salad. Steamed broccoli and cauliflower, dressed with a simple lemon dressing with parsley, almonds, and dried figs.
INGREDIENTS from the POM BOX
- Broccoli
- Purple Cauliflower
- Purple Cabbage Leaf
STEAM BROCCOLI & CAULIFLOWER
Simple Ingredients
- 2 cups broccoli florets, sliced
- 2 cups cauliflower florets, sliced
Simple Steps
- Slice broccoli and cauliflower.
- Place broccoli and cauliflower in bamboo steamer.
- Bring several inches of water to boil in large soup pot.
- Once the water is boiling, place bamboo steamer on top of the pot.
- Steam for about 8-10 minutes.
- Check broccoli and cauliflower with fork to desired tenderness.
Lemon Finishing Dressing
Simple Ingredients
- 1 lemon, juiced (approximately 1/4 cup)
- Twice as much olive oil as lemon, approximately ½ cup
- Pinch sea salt
Simple Steps
- Squeeze lemon juice into small Mason jar.
- Pour in twice as much olive oil.
- Shake.
- Taste to test for desired oil / lemon ratio.
- Add additional oil or lemon, as needed.
- Add pinch of salt to jar.
- Shake.
Broccoli Cauliflower Fig Salad
Simple Ingredients
- 2 cups steamed broccoli florets
- 2 cups steamed cauliflower florets
- ½ cup Lemon Finishing Dressing
- 1 cup fresh parsley, rough chopped
- ¼ cup raw almonds, rough chopped
- 5 dried Mission figs, sliced
- 1 purple cabbage leaf
- 3-5 edible flowers
Simple Steps
- Place broccoli into a small bowl, drizzle dressing onto broccoli, and lightly toss.
- Place cauliflower into a small bowl, drizzle dressing onto cauliflower, and lightly toss.
- Place parsley, figs, and almonds into a bowl. Drizzle dressing onto the ingredients. Lightly toss.
- Place all ingredients into a bowl and lightly toss.
- Plate all ingredients on purple cabbage leaf.
- Garnish with edible flowers.
- Enjoy.
Love to cook? Check out other POM Farm Box recipes created with the beautiful Rhibafarms produce and Pomegranate Cafe goodies.
Purchase Melanie Albert’s award-winning cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Cooking with Real Whole Foods”
Interested in the POM Rhibafarms BOX. You can purchase it right here.
COOKING CLASSES AT THE FARM AT SOUTH MOUNTAIN IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA
Thanks to Natural Awakenings AZ magazine for featuring my Plant-Based Chocolate Pie on the cover and Plant-Based Dessert recipes in the January 2019 issue.
Join our Simple Daily Plant-Based Eating Tips Facebook Page
PUBLIC COOKING CLASSES AT THE MARICOPA COUNTY LIBRARIES
I’m honored have been leading hands-on cooking and yoga classes with the Maricopa County Library District since 2016. For the Winter Reading Program, the class focuses on Mediterranean Plant-Based Culinary. We’ll be preparing Hempseed Tabouli, Olive Tapenade, and Herbal Hummus. Classes are Free to the Public. Call the libraries directly to make your reservation.
- Tuesday, March 19, 2019, 5:00-6:30pm: Litchfield Park Branch Library
- More to come in the Summer Reading Program: June & July 2019.
WINTER COOKING CLASSES & EVENTS IN THE PHOENIX ARIZONA AREA
- February 18, 2019, 4:30-5:30pm: Grandfamilies Place, Gregory’s Fresh Market. Kids learn to mandoline & marinate veggies and build their own salads.
- February 27, 2019, 12:30-1:30: Monthly Healthy Cooking Demo, Humana Mesa. Melanie’s favorite “Healthy Plate”
- March 2, 2019, 10-11am: National Nutrition Month at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market
- March 19, 2019, 5:00-6:30pm: Litchfield Public Library, Mediterranean Plant-Based Appetizers
- March 27, 2019, 12:30-1:30pm: Humana Monthly Healthy Cooking Demo
HOLD THE DATE: September 13-16, 2019: Plant-based Cooking Retreat in Sedona!
During the retreat in beautiful Sedona, Arizona, you’ll be learning and practicing simple plant-based culinary skills for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. We’ll also enjoy Sedona hiking, yoga, massage, and special Sedona experiences. Please send me a note, Mel@MelanieAlbert.com, and I’ll keep you posted on the details.
