Tag: culinary skills

  • Experience Nutrition Farm-to-Table Recipes: Roasted Purple Cauliflower, Romanesco, and Carrots. Hemp Seed Tabouli

    Experience Nutrition Farm-to-Table Recipes: Roasted Purple Cauliflower, Romanesco, and Carrots. Hemp Seed Tabouli

    By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author

    It’s been such a beautiful Spring in Arizona, that this weekend I took time to enjoy self care, soaking in the beauty of our Arizona sky and visiting the Gilbert Farmers’ Market in Gilbert, Arizona, about 15 miles from my home.

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    In the Phoenix area we have many different farmers markets throughout the Valley of the Sun and it’s fun to explore the different markets. At the Gilbert market I saw a few friends and “walked my talk” by shopping for my produce with intuition. With this way of shopping, we purchase veggies that we get excited about or are attracted to…the colors, the textures, or the beauty.

    Enjoy the Community at Farmers Markets.

    It was so much fun to chat with some of my friends at the market…

    Crooked Sky Farms. Fun to catch up with Farmer Frank, who I first met when I auditioned for Master Chef about 6 years ago. Farmer Frank, long-time farmer with Crooked Sky Farms, has been farming since 1999. Frank has farms in Phoenix and Duncan, Arizona, with different climates and different growing seasons.

    Blue Sky Organic Farms. So happy to have the opportunity to meet in person for the first time, one of my plant-based culinary teachers, Don Maloney who is now having fun working with Blue Sky Organic Farms, in Litchfield Park, Arizona. Blue Sky has been farming in Arizona since 1995, and is well-known for their salad mix. Don is now “growing  his own.”

    Steadfast Organic Farm. I absolutely love the carrots grown by farmer, Erich Schultz of Blue Sky Organic Farms, a two acre bio-intensive farm in Mesa, Arizona. I love Erich’s dedication to always continuing to learn and to share his farming knowledge with other urban farmers.

    Genuine Fresche. So happy to see my long-time entrepreneur friend, Marcy Olsen and her Genuine Fresche Food Truck. Fresche offers delicious, healthy Acai Bowls (which I enjoyed for breakfast at the market) and freshly blended smoothies. I love Marcy’s passion for healthy eating!

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    Farm-to-Table Recipe:  Roasted Cauliflower, Romanesco, and Carrots

    Simple roasted veggies culinary method to prepare and enjoy fresh local cauliflower and carrots. Roast the veggies with onions, sweet peppers, and garlic for a flavorful side dish.

    Simple Ingredients

    • 6-8 Romanesco florets (Blue Sky Organic Farms)
    • 6-8 Purple Cauliflower florets (Blue Sky Organic Farms)
    • 2 Green Onions (Blue Sky Organic Farms)
    • 8-10 Carrots, sliced (Steadfast Farms)
    • 1 Purple sweet potato, sliced
    • 3 Lunchbox yellow, orange, or red sweet peppers
    • 2 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
    • Pinch sea salt

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    Simple Steps

    • Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
    • Slice veggies.

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    • Place veggies in baking pan (enamel or stainless steel).

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    • Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt.
    • Toss veggies to coat with the oil and salt.
    • Roast for 10 minutes.
    • Toss veggies.
    • Roast for 10 minutes.

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    • Enjoy with Hemp Seed Tabouli and Edible Flowers.

    Recipe: Hemp Seed Tabouli

    Inspired by the fresh parsley, this easy-to-prepare gluten-free tabouli pairs nicely with the richness of roasted veggies.

    Simple Ingredients

    • ½ cup fresh parsley, rough chopped (Blue Sky Organic Farm)
    • 1 tomato, rough chopped
    • ¼ cup hemp seeds
    • 1 lime, juiced
    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • 2-3 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
    • Pinch sea salt

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    Simple Steps

    • Chop parsley, tomato, onion, and garlic.

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    • With a fork, mix veggies, hemp seeds, lime juice, olive oil, and sea salt.

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    • Add lime juice, olive oil, or sea salt to suit your taste.

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    Plate and Enjoy

    • Plate the Roasted Veggies with the Parsley Tabouli and Edible Flowers and enjoy.

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    A few fun plates, starting with dramatic.

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    Enjoy roasted veggies in the pansy garden.

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    Fun Roasted Veggie Bowl…

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    Interested in learning simple, easy plant-based cooking techniques and enjoy self-care in Fall 2019 in the beauty of Sedona? Click to learn more.

    To learn more, feel free to call 602.615.2486 or e-mail Mel@MelanieAlbert.com 

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  • Experience Nutrition: Healthy Plant-Based Recipes by Melanie Albert: Quick Roasted Spring Roots & Veggies

    Experience Nutrition: Healthy Plant-Based Recipes by Melanie Albert: Quick Roasted Spring Roots & Veggies

    by Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition, Intutive Cooking Expert, Cookbook Author, Speaker and Retreat Leader

    Tonight’s quick meal was so beautiful I decided to share it with you right now. While I was working this afternoon, I roasted veggies with a quick roasting method and with the veggies in my refrigerator from our local Arizona farmers. At the same time I cooked a quick batch of Turmeric Quinoa. Have fun roasting all kinds of veggies with this simple culinary technique.

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • Golden and chioggia beets
    • Red and yellow peppers
    • Daikon radish
    • Orange carrots
    • Romanesco
    • Sunchoke roots (Jerusalem artichoke)
    • Leek
    • Green onions
    • Organic extra virgin olive oil
    • Penzeys Spices Fox Point Seasoning, or your favorite dried herbs

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    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Preheat oven at 400 degrees F
    • Rough chop all veggies in various shapes
    • Place veggies in roasting pan

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    • Drizzle with olive oil and Penzeys Spices Fox Point Seasoning

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    • Roast for about an hour, stirring occasionally

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    • Enjoy with quinoa (1 cup quinoa, 2 cups water, about 2 TBSP turmeric powder)

    Take a look at tonight’s step-by-step plating…

    Enjoy the final dish…

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    • Plate and drizzle with blood orange olive oil, for extra flavor

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    The Roasted Veggies…

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    Just for fun, sharing tonight’s Arizona sunset…

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    Interested in learning more simple culinary techniques, with real whole foods. purchase Melanie Albert’s Book “A New View of Healthy Eating” right here.

     

     

     

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Intuitive Veggie Bowl

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

    This weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to lead two farm-to-table cooking events. The first a beautiful intuitive Arizona Winter Harvest Veggie Saute at the Downtown Phoenix Market “Taste of the Market” and then a beautiful intuitive cooking class with another beautiful veggie saute, Asian Salads, and a Garlic Hummus at The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix.


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    Downtown Phoenix Market: Taste of the Market: Winter Harvest Saute

     

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    Arizona Winter Harvest Intuitive Cooking at The Farm at South Mountain

     


    Today, with some of the left-over veggies, I created a quick very, very intuitive veggie bowl. The goal was to create a dish with lots of color, different textures, and a variety of flavors.

    The Veggies and More

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    • Purple and orange carrots
    • Yellow string beans
    • Snow peas
    • Parsley
    • Arugula
    • Sweet lemon
    • More
      • Left-over quinoa
      • Left-over garbanzo beans
    • Extras
      • Basil olive oil
      • Cumin seeds
      • Bragg’s amino acids
      • Olives
      • Edible flowers
      • Sea salt

    The Culinary Techniques

    • Bamboo Steamer: Carrots, Yellow String Beans, and Snow Peas finished with Basil olive oil, sweet lemon, dry toasted cumin seeds, and sea salt

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    • Simple Pesto: Rough chopped parsley and raw almonds, sweet lemon, and basil olive oil.
    • Quick Saute: Arugula with Bragg’s amino acids

     

    Plating Mise en Place

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    Rustic Plating

    Bowl Plating

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    Hope you are enjoying my intuitive cooking creations and are having fun intuitively creating beautiful dishes with your local farmers’ produce. Share your creations with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

    My cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Cooking with Real Whole Foods” features 84 simple culinary techniques. Order a copy and I’m happy to gift-wrap and ship to you.

     

     

     

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Don’t be Afraid to Cook Whole Grains on the Stove

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

    During a few of my recent cooking events, we were talking about how easy it is to prepare whole grains. I actually cook whole grains about twice a week and use them in a few meals. Two of my favorite go-to whole grains are brown rice and quinoa. I purchase whole grains in bins at one of our natural grocery stores, store them in glass jars in my panty. And, when I cook whole grains, I add a little flavor by cooking them with previously made frozen veggie stock. This week I made a batch with fresh Hawaiian turmeric root.

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    With the 8 simple steps in my cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating,” you can cook whole grains perfectly every time. Before I share the steps from the book, enjoy a few of my recent veggie dishes with whole grains.

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    ARIZONA WINTER HARVEST BOWL. Click for recipe.  Brown rice with this bowl.

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    ARIZONA ROASTED VEGGIES: Romanesco and Sweet Potato. Click for recipe. Notice the tri-color quinoa.

    Quinoa. Fresh Turmeric. Green Garlic.

     

    Quick roasted farmers market veggies with the Turmeric Quinoa.

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    Excerpt from cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating”

    Simple Steps to Steam Perfect Whole Grains Every Time

    The steaming method is a simple way to cook whole grains. With the steaming method, we use a specific amount of grain and a specific amount of liquid. We then cook for a specific amount of time. We can steam whole grains on the stovetop, in a rice cooker, or in an oven.

    For all of these steaming methods the steps are: Rinse, add liquid, cover, cook, rest, fluff, rest, and serve.

    8 Steps to Steam Grains on the Stovetop

    By following the specific details in this step-by-step cooking process, you will cook perfect, flavorful, tender whole grains very time.

    1. Rinse whole grains to remove residue and extra outer starch.
    2. Add liquid. Pour 1 cup of whole grains with 2 cups of water into a heavy pot. Use a heat diffuser under the pot to prevent the bottom layer of the grains from sticking.
    3. Cover the pot and bring to a boil on medium-high heat.
    4. Lower heat to lowest setting and simmer with the pot tightly covered for 15-20 minutes. Keep pot tightly covered to keep steam inside pot to cook the rice.
    5. Rest the grains. Once cooked, remove the pot from the heat. For even cooking, uniform texture, and fluffier grains, rest the grains with the lid on the pot for 10-30 minutes.
    6. Fluff the grains. Use a fork to lift the grains. Start at the bottom around the edge of the pot and lift the grains toward the center of the pot.
    7. Cover and let the grains rest for another 10 minutes.
    8. Plate and enjoy your perfect whole grains.

     

     

    Steps to Steam Whole Grains in a Rice Cooker and Oven

    • Rice Cooker: Pour rice and liquid into a rice cooker, cover, and turn on rice cooker. Let it cook. Rest. Fluff. Rest. Serve.
    • Oven: After grains and liquid have come to a boil on the stove, cover and place in preheated 350-degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Cook. Rest. Fluff. Rest. Serve.

    ACTION: Make a batch of whole grains this week and enjoy with a veggie dish. Share your experience with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating