Experience Nutrition

Tag: Farmers’ market

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Get to Know Farmers’ Markets and CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture)

    A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Get to Know Farmers’ Markets and CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture)

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

    This evening I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the Living an Edible Landscape Life with urban gardener Joan Baron, sponsored by the Scottsdale Green Building Program.

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    Today, Joan Baron shared key tips to start a home garden in Arizona (which I’ll share in another blog). We also cooked a simple salad with Joan’s just-harvested greens, 3-ingredient salad dressing (Meyer lemon, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, plus fresh mint), and a beautiful veggie saute with green onions, spring garlic, tomatoes, golden and striped beets, carrots, and watermelon radish.

     

    During the evening we discussed the value of shopping for local, in-season food at farmers’ markets and CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture). I promised a few of the attendees at the workshop that I’d blog about farmers’ markets and CSA’s…

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    Excerpt from “A New View of Healthy Eating”

    Shop at Farmers’ Markets in Your Area

    As demand for locally grown fruit and vegetables has increased, farmers’ markets have steadily grown in number throughout the last few decades. According to the USDA Farmers Market Directory, in June 2017 there were 8,687 registered farmers’ markets as compared to 1,744 in 1994—an increase of more than 7,000 in 23 years. In addition to the USDA Farmers Market Database, another source to find farmers’ markets in your area is www.localharvest.org.

    Favorite Phoenix Farmers’ Markets

    We are so fortunate in the Phoenix area, as we have farmers’ market across the Valley of the Sun every Saturday, and even have a few mid-week markets. I recommend shopping at a farmers’ market that’s convenient and to getting to know your local farmers.

    I live in the South Phoenix area and my favorite markets are:

    • Downtown Phoenix Openair Market, Central and McKinley, Phoenix, Saturday, 8am-1pm
    • Scottsdale Old Town Farmers’ Market, 1st Street and N. Brown, Saturday, 8am-1pm
    • Uptown Farmers’ Market, Central and Bethany Home, Phoenix, Saturday and Wednesday 9am-1pm, Wednesday, 9am-1pm
    • Ahwatukee Market, 48th Street and Warner, Tempe, Sunday, 9am-1pm

    In addition to farmers’ market it’s great to buy a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). 

    Excerpt from “A New View of Healthy Eating

    Commit to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Share

    Developed in the 1960’s in Japan, CSA programs are designed to build a relationship between the farmer and the community. At the beginning of each season, farmers sell CSA memberships to consumers. Each week, customers receive a sampling of produce that is available from one farmer or a group of local farmers. CSAs cost $25 to $35 per week for six to eight weeks and are perfect for those of us who wish to experiment with unique, interesting, locally grown food. Farmers distribute CSA’s at farms, farmers’ markets, and convenient pick-up locations, such as yoga studios. Some farms even deliver CSA’s right to your home.

    Great CSA’s in Phoenix

    Since I primarily shop with our local Phoenix farmers for both my personal cooking and cooking classes, I’m very familiar with our local organic small farmers. A few of my farmer friends offer CSA’s. If you’re in the Phoenix area, check out the CSA’s from these farmers and know that you do not need to live near their farms, as they have various pick-up locations around the Valley.

    • Maya’s Farm, South Phoenix. My favorites: Fresh herbs, flowers, edible flowers. www.mayasfarm.com
    • Steadfast Farm, Queen Creek. My favorites: Yellow and orange carrots, Romanesco. www.stead-fast-farm.com
    • Blue Sky Organic Farms, Litchfield. My favorites: Dinosaur kale, dandelion greens. blueskyorganicfarms.com

    ACTION: I invite you to shop at your local farmers’ markets and/or support your local farmers’ by participating in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture.)

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: 4 Great Ways to Cook 20 Pounds of Organic Tomatoes: Part 2: Slow Roast Tomatoes

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

    Continuing the recipe blog with this week’s 20 pounds of organic tomatoes, today’s recipe guide to roast tomatoes is a simple way to very easily cook tomatoes. Chop a few veggies and roast for in the oven with tomatoes for about 1 ½ -2 hours.

    This batch of tomatoes was cooked intuitively with a few ingredients from this week’s farmers’ market. And, while the tomatoes were cooking, I really enjoyed the natural sweet aromatherapy of the sauce that reminded me of an authentic Italian restaurant.

    Simple Ingredients

    • Tomatoes
    • Red peppers
    • Orange carrots
    • Green onions
    • Parsley
    • Extra virgin olive oil
    • Sea salt

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    Simple Steps

    • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Slice peppers, carrots, and green onions.

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    • Place all veggies in a large baking pan.
    • Drizzle with olive oil.
    • Add a few pinches of sea salt.
    • Lightly toss the veggies.

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    • Roast for about 1 ½ – 2 hours, stirring and breaking down tomatoes occasionally.

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    This tomato sauce was so rich I enjoyed it on flatbread, and topped it with arugula, dehydrated tomatoes, and goat cheese. Enjoy your tomato sauce with flatbread, quinoa, or spiralized veggies.

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    The next time you roast tomatoes, please share your creations with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: 4 Great Ways to Cook 20 Pounds of Organic Tomatoes: Part 1: Dehydrate Tomatoes

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

    Several times a year I have the great opportunity to purchase a flat – 20 pounds – of organic Campari tomatoes from McClendon Select Farms in Phoenix. This week I shared a few pounds of the tomatoes in a Wise Choices Meet-up with the Valley of the Sun United Way. After that I started creating a few different batches of tomatoes with the other beautiful produce from this week’s Uptown Farmers Market.

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    4 Different Ways to Cook Tomatoes

    I invite you to use these 4 ways to cook the tomatoes as a guide to cook tomatoes from your local farmers’ markets. During the next few days I’ll be blogging the cooking process with photos and videos for all of these ways to cook tomatoes.

    • Roasted Tomatoes. Orange Carrots. Red Peppers. Green Onions.
    • Stove Top Tomato Sauté. Arizona Lemons.
    • Dehydrated Tomatoes.
    • Roasted Tomatoes. Leeks. Green Garlic.

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    Dehydrated Tomatoes

    Dehydrating tomatoes is a really simple way to prepare tomatoes. When we dehydrate, the flavor of the tomatoes becomes very concentrated and sweet.

    Simple Steps

    • Slice tomatoes in rounds: half or in thirds.
    • Place on dehydrator screens, with skin side down.

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    • Dehydrate at 115 degrees for about 10-12 hours. Enjoy the tomato aromatherapy while dehydrating.

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    • Store in air-tight glass jars.

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    The dehydrated tomatoes were so delicious,  I  sliced a few more pounds, which are in the dehydrator right now.

    5 Great Ways to Enjoy Dehydrated Tomatoes

    1. Enjoy as a snack.
    2. Add to a veggie sauté.
    3. Use as a pizza or flatbread topping.
    4. Process in a raw marinara sauce for a deep flavor.
    5. Add to a nut pate for a fresh taste.

    Stay in touch, as I’ll be sharing the other four ways to cook 20 pound of tomatoes. If you dehydrate tomatoes, please share your experience with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

    For some additional ideas to cook tomatoes, Melanie’s book, “A New View of Healthy Eating” is available.

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Arizona Winter Brown Rice Pilaf

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

    This month has been very full with incredible cooking events with Visit Phoenix, Valley of the Sun United Way, and Gregory’s Fresh Market, so today I decided to enjoy  a “day of rest.” With a quiet day, I wanted to cook something that would be really quick and easy to prepare and oddly, I was inspired by simple organic brown rice.

    Arizona Winter Rice Pilaf

    With our Winter Arizona growing season, a few favorites in my refrigerator from Wednesday’s Uptown Farmers’ Market: green garlic, red peppers, beautiful carrots from Steadfast Farm, and fresh arugula from McClendon Select. Plus, I almost always have previously made frozen veggie stock and was happy to still have Hatun Basil Olive oil in my pantry. With these ingredients I created a very simple rice pilaf. You can use this recipe as a guide to cook your own version of pilaf with your favorite veggies and scroll down for the simple steps from my cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating.”

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 1 cup brown rice
    • 2 cups veggie stock
    • 2 tbsp basil olive oil
    • 1 green garlic
    • 1 red pepper
    • Handful orange carrots
    • Handful arugula
    • Few pecans

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    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Heat saute pan on low.
    • Add olive oil to pan.
    • Gently sweat green garlic for about a minute.
    • Add red pepper and saute for a few minutes.
    • Add carrots and saute for a few minutes.
    • Pour dry brown rice into the pan. Stir to coat with olive oil.
    • Add veggie stock. Stir.

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    • Cover and cook for about 20 minutes. (Quick video peek.)

     

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    • Toss arugula on top of the cooked pilaf. Cover pan. Cook for about a minute.

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    • Pause and enjoy the beauty of the dish.

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    • Plate with pecans.

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    • Mindfully enjoy your meal.

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    EXCERPT from “A New View of Healthy Eating”

    How to Make Rice Pilaf for a Dinner Side Dish

    Pilaf is one of the main methods of cooking rice and is popular in Indian, Mexican, and Middle Eastern cuisines. The pilaf method is similar to steaming; however, in the pilaf method, whole grains are first sautéed, often with aromatics (like onions or shallots) before liquid is added, creating a lot of flavor. Pilafs also include extras such as vegetables and toasted nuts or seeds.

    Simple Steps to Cook Using the Pilaf Method

    1. In a sauté pan over low heat, cook mirepoix (carrots, onions, and celery or just onions) in a fat, such as olive oil. Cook on low heat when you do not want to add color to your dish. For more color, cook at a higher temperature.
    2. Add grains to the pan and stir to lightly coat each grain with the fat. Do not rinse grains before cooking.
    3. Toast grains by cooking a little more.
    4. Add a flavorful liquid, such as vegetable stock.
    5. Stir to make sure grain is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
    6. Similar to the whole grains steaming method, bring to boil, cover tightly, and reduce heat to the lowest setting (or cook in oven).
    7. Cook a little longer than the time indicated for your grain and until all liquid is absorbed into the grains.
    8. Rest grain for 10-20 minutes.
    9. Fluff.
    10. Rest for 10 minutes.
    11. Serve.

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    Enhance Your Pilaf

    To enhance the flavor and texture in your pilaf, add spices, herbs, fresh vegetables, nuts, and seeds.

    • After the grains are coated in fat, add dried spices for extra flavor. Try Middle Eastern spices like star anise, cinnamon, and cumin. For a Mexican pilaf, add chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, and coriander seeds.
    • After the cooked grains have rested, add your favorite cooked veggies, fresh herbs, or toasted nuts and seeds to create a meal.

    Hope you enjoy cooking a simple brown rice pilaf and share your photos with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

    Interested in Melanie’s cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating“? Buy it now!

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Roasted Carrot Soup

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

    I love beautiful food, simple plant-based cooking, and continually learning plant-based culinary. Since my birthday in November 2017, I’ve been enrolled in the Plantlab Culinary Cooking Fundamentals Course. Although I’ve been teaching Whole Foods Cooking at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts since March 2015, have led hundreds of cooking workshops and classes, and completed the Rouxbe Professional Plant-based Course in January 2015, I always love to learn more culinary.

    For the Final Project in the Plantlab Culinary Course, my First course is Roasted Carrot Soup. Orange Braised Leeks.  This course was inspired by local Arizona farmers’ carrots and our Winter Arizona citrus season. Today, I’m happy to share with you the recipe some photos of the Roasted Carrot Soup.

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    Roasted Carrot Soup. Orange Braised Leeks.

    A light, fresh soup showcasing local  Arizona farmers’ carrots and leeks. Thanks so much to Steadfast Farm for the beautiful carrots. Love their delicate beauty and how their flavor tastes like  the real carrots  I enjoyed as a kid. And, thanks to McClendon Select for the leeks. In the past I would order a dish with leeks at restaurants, now I’m enjoying braised leeks with carrot soup and roasted leeks on flatbread.

    INGREDIENTS

     

    • 2 pounds local Arizona farmers yellow and orange carrots
    • 2-3 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
    • Dash sea salt
    • 1 shallot, sliced
    • 1 tsp organic extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 tsp coriander seeds
    • 1 tsp caraway seeds
    • ¼ tsp sumac (love this lemon flavor)
    • 2 quarts veggie stock
    • ½ tbsp sea salt
    • 1 Bouquet
      • 2 bay leaves
      • 1 bunch lemon verbena
      • ¼ bunch parsley
      • ½ Arizona navel orange, sliced
    • 2 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
    • 1 orange, zested

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    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Roast carrots (blend) and leeks (keep chunky)
      • Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
      • Peel and cut carrots into 2” pieces.
      • Toss carrots in organic extra virgin olive oil and sea salt.
      • Place carrots on parchment-lined sheet plan
      • Roast for 15 minutes.
      • Flip carrots
      • Roast another 12-15 minutes

     

    • Cook Soup
      • Peel and slice shallot.
      • In large soup pot, sweat shallot with olive oil, coriander and caraway seeds for 5 minutes.
      • Add stock, salt, and carrots to the pot.
      • Bring to a boil.
      • Add the bouquet and lower to simmer.
      • Simmer for 30 minutes.
      • Season with orange juice and zest.
      • Blend until smooth.

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    The beautiful,  sweet roasted carrot soup. I’ll also blog the Braised Leeks recipe.

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    A-soup-close-up-side-IMG_1736If you enjoy Melanie Albert’s recipes and perspectives, purchase her book, “A New View of Healthy Eating“

    Please share your veggie soup creations with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

     

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Arizona Farmers’ Market Avocado Salad with Mindful Plating

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

    On our chilly Arizona winter morning —imagine 60 degrees, grey skies, and a little drizzle — I shopped at the Old Town Scottsdale Farmers’ Market. The difference between our grey day and the vibrancy of our local Arizona winter produce inspired today’s Avocado Salad. Thanks Alexa for asking me to blog about this fresh salad.

    Arizona Winter Morning at the Old Town Scottsdale Farmers Market

     

    The Contrast: Vibrant Produce at the Old Town Scottsdale Farmers’ Market

     

    Avocado Farmers’ Market Salad Recipe and Plating Presentation

    The Avocado Farmers’ Market Salad was created very intuitively and inspired by a few of my favorites. The first inspiration was golden and chioggia beets harvested early yesterday morning at The Farm at South Mountain for our Visit Phoenix Team Building Cooking Challenge Event. Craving tomatoes today, so I purchased a few beautiful yellow and red from Abby Lee Farms, about 4 miles from my home. I’m loving microgreens this season; this salad features a beautiful Wellness Mix from Arizona Microgreens. I also intuitively reached for the Hatun Basil Olive Oil from my friend, Onur Mendeli. Finally, I added a few capers to add to the beauty of the dish.

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    Mise en Place: Get your ingredients all set for plating.

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    A glance at the plating process. When we plate, we mindful place our food onto the plate one-by-one and very mindful. It’s a lovely meditative process to create food art.

     

    Arizona Avocado Farmers’ Market Salad: Beautiful, healthy, and delicious!!!

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    Action: Have fun intuitively choosing a few beautiful veggies, micro-greens, and olive and mindfully plate your own avocado salad. Post your beautiful creations on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

    Melanie’s book, “A New View of Healthy Eating” features 54 simple plant-based, whole foods recipes and 84 simple culinary techniques.

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    Another look at the Arizona Avocado Farmers’ Market Salad

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Arizona Winter Harvest Flatbread

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

    It’s been a full few days, having fun preparing my Final Project – Arizona Winter Harvest Menu  –  the Plantlab Culinary Cooking Course.  Today I’ll share step-by-step photos of layering ingredients onto the final flatbread and some plating options. One plating presentation features many edible flowers from a local Arizona farm about half mile from my home. Hope this flatbread inspires you to make your own beautiful flatbread with your local farmers beautiful veggies.

    Prep the Pizza Stone

    Once the dough is prepared and rolled out for the flatbread, it’s time to put it into the oven. Click here for the Blog to prepare the Sprouted Spelt Flatbread Dough.

    • Place pizza stone in oven.
    • Pre-head oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Warm pizza brick in the oven for about 15 minutes.
    • Carefully remove pizza stone from the oven.
    • After 15 minutes remove the pizza stone from the oven and increase temperature to 400 degrees.

    Cook the Flatbread and Add ingredients

    • Move the flatbread to the pre-heated pizza stone.
    • Lightly top the flatbread with organic extra virgin olive. The oil will make the bread a little crisp and the topping ingredients will not soak into the bread.

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    • Bake the flatbread for about 5 to 7 minutes.
    • Remove from oven.

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    • Add your sauce to the flatbread. For this flatbread, I made a beautiful white almond bechamel sauce.

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    • Mindfully, add your favorite toppings. Today, I added roasted veggies: tomatoes, then red peppers, then Brussels sprouts, and finally golden beets and watermelon radishes.

     

    • Cook flatbread for another 5 minutes.
    • Remove from oven.
    • Add any extras. For this flatbread I topped with Pistachio Pesto.

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    • Enjoy!

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    In a future blog, I’ll share how I prepped the root veggies (beets, watermelon radishes) Brussels sprouts, and tomatoes.

    Another plating option with lots of editable flowers.

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    ACTION: Have fun making your own flatbread, with local farmers veggies, and share your creations with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

    “A New View of Healthy Eating” book is available. Melanie is happy to gift-wrap for you and your friends.

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Fresh Green Pistachio Pesto

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

    As some of you are aware I’ve been studying in a Cooking Course with Plantlab Culinary and am currently recipe testing for the Final Project. The Second Course for my Project is Sprouted Spelt Flatbread. One of the components of the flatbread is a fresh green pesto to add color, texture, and a sharp flavor to the flatbread.

    I invite you to use the Pistachio Pesto recipe as guide to intutively create your own pesto, with different nuts, such as walnuts or pecans, and different fresh herbs. Enjoy the pesto with flatbread, on a sweet potato, or even with a salad.

    Green Pistachio Pesto

    Ingredients

    • 2/3 cup pistachios, rough chopped
    • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, rough chopped
    • 1/2 cup spinach, roughly chopped
    • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 1/6 cup lemon juice
    • 1 garlic clove, minced
    • 1 tsp lemon zest

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    Simple Steps

    Step 1: Gather your mise en place.

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    Step 2: Spin parsley and spinach in salad spinner to dry the leaves.

    Step 3: Make your dressing with the olive oil, lemon, sea salt, and garlic. Start with 1 part acid (lemon), with 2 parts (olive oil), taste and balance with more oil or lemon. Add sea salt and minced garlic.

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    Step 4: Add the pistachios, parsley, spinach, and lemon zest to the dressing and toss.

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    Step 5: If you’d like the pesto more fine, pulse in a food processor for a minute or two.

    Tonight I enjoyed the pesto with an Arugula Tomato Avocado Salad, with local Arizona farmer’s organic arugula, pea shoots, and mini-tomatoes. Added a few of my favorites olives, capers, and goat cheese.

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    Would love to see your pesto creations on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

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  • 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.

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

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    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.

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    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!

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    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.”

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Salad Inspired by Arizona Farmer’s 3 Pound Lettuce

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

    I was so excited at the Uptown Farmers’ Market in Phoenix this week to see huge lettuce grown by Tom at Latchkey Gardens. The lettuce was so heavy, I asked Tom to weight it…it was an amazing 3 ¼ pounds.

    Today’s intuitive salad features this lettuce, local Arizona farmer’s produce, and offers you some culinary ideas to create your own unique salad. Take a look at the techniques used to create this fresh farmers’ market salad and choose one or two add to your own salad creations.

    • Step 1: Get organized with a few of your favorite fresh veggies. Today I’m excited to make this salad with local Arizona farmers’ produce including a tangerine (thanks Community Exchange), carrots (thanks Steadfast Farms), tomatoes (thanks Tiger Mountain Foundation), along with asparagus, avocado, walnuts, and my favorite olives and capers.

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    • Step 2: Make the 3-Ingredient Salad Dressing. Start with an acid, add twice as much fat, and a little sea salt to create the base for your dressing. Today’s acid is a tangerine and the fat is organic extra virgin olive oil. I added fresh thyme for extra flavor. Experiment with other fresh herbs and/or minced garlic.
    • Step 3: Peel a few carrots. Place carrots in a bowl with ice and water to curl.
    • Step 4: Add a quick steam / sautéed veggie. Try a quick steam and saute a veggie, such as asparagus. Place the veggie in a small pan with a little water on medium heat. Onc water has cooked the veggie, add about a tablespoon of olive oil to saute.

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    • Step 5: Add broiled avocado. Quick broil avocado with a little olive oil and sea salt.

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    • Step 6: Tear the lettuce into bitesize pieces and place in a large bowl. Gently toss and coat the lettuce with the salad dressing.
    • Step 7: Add other ingredients to the lettuce to create your salad. Be creative using your local farmers produce. Today’s salad features carrots, tomatoes, asparagus, avocado, walnuts, olives, and capers.

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    • Step 8: Mindfully plate your salad and enjoy.

    Action: Have fun creating your own lettuce salad using a new culinary technique. Share photos of your salads with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

    Melanie’s book, “A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Cooking with Real Whole Foods” features 54 simple plant-based recipes, 3 wild salmon recipes, and 84 simple culinary techniques.

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Intuitive Cooking with Winter Arizona Farmers’ Market Goodies: Part 2 Roasted Veggies

    A New View of Healthy Eating: Intuitive Cooking with Winter Arizona Farmers’ Market Goodies: Part 2 Roasted Veggies

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

    Part 2 of Intuitive Cooking with Winter Arizona Farmers’ Market Goodies is one of my favorite very quick ways to prepare veggies, a simple roasted method.

    The quick roasted veggie dish was inspired by our Arizona farmers’ Brussel sprouts, yellow tomatoes, and peppers, along with dried basil, marjoram, and cilantro seeds.

    The simple steps:

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      Choose a few veggies.

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      Rough chop the veggies.

     

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    Mortar and pestle a few dried herbs.
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    Place veggies in oven pan.

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      Toss veggies with olive oil, dried herbs, and sea salt.

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      Bake for 30-35 minutes at 325 degrees, gently tossing after 20 minutes.

    Enjoyed the veggies picnic-style in a Salmon Taco. Thanks to my brother Jack for catching and cooking the wild Canadian salmon, and creating the fresh veggie salmon taco. WOW! So many layers of flavors.

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    Perfect Left-over Veggies & Salmon. Enjoyed the roasted veggies as quick lunch with Canadian salmon with two of my favorites: goat cheese and cilantro micro-greens.

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    Have fun shopping at your local farmers’ markets and intuitive create a few dishes! Share your culinary creations with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

    My book, “A New View of Healthy Eating” is a great resource to learn simple culinary skills and cooking intuitively. Purchase here and I’ll gift wrap and mail it to you.

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Intuitive Cooking with Winter Arizona Farmers’ Market Goodies. Part 1: Organic Arugula

    A New View of Healthy Eating: Intuitive Cooking with Winter Arizona Farmers’ Market Goodies. Part 1: Organic Arugula

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

    I love our Winter Farmers season out here in Arizona. Yes, it’s November and I’m so excited about the incredible, beautiful food our local Arizona farmers are growing. Also, as many of you are aware I embrace the concept of intuitive cooking.

    This week I’m sharing with you the intuitive dishes I create this week inspired by my farmers’ market goodies.

    On Saturday I shopped at the Old Town Scottsdale Farmers’ Market. First, I walk the market and notice what the different farmers are growing locally and in our season. Then, I love to notice what I get excited about and start shopping. Since I teach so many cooking classes and since we have so many incredible farmers in the Phoenix area, I purchase a few different veggies and fruit from different farmers.

    Take a look at all the goodies from the Old Town Scottsdale Farmers’ Market.

    Dish 1: Mediterranean Arugula Salad. Dolmas. Garlic Hummus.

    I love the spiciness of arugula and was craving dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), so when I arrived home from the market, I prepared a very quick salad. Salad highlight: Saltiness of dolmas, olives, and  capers combined with freshness of cilantro micro-greens (new favorite micro-green).

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    Dish 2: Arugula Salad Number 2

    This salad was created while watching the Arizona Cardinals football game, so it needed to be a quick process. Quick gentle toss of the spicy arugula with Meyer lemon, olive oil and sea salt. Salad highlight: Contrast of the garlicy green onion with spicy arugula.

    “Intuitive shopping is fun. Listen to your cravings and shop with all your senses.”  Melanie Albert

    Have fun shopping and intuitively creating your own dishes. Share your creations with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Quick Organic Tomato-Lemon Sauce Step-by-Step Videos

    A New View of Healthy Eating: Quick Organic Tomato-Lemon Sauce Step-by-Step Videos

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

    This week I purchased 20 pounds of organic tomatoes for only $20 from McClendon’s Select at the Uptown Farmer’s Market in Phoenix. Every time I have the opportunity to purchase these goodies I get so excited and then I immediately realize that I’ve just given myself a cooking project to squeeze into the week.

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    Last night I made four different batches of tomato sauce, 3 on the stove-top and one roasted in the oven. The lemon tomato sauce was so incredible that I decided to cook another batch today and took some videos to show you the process. The sauce is still on my stove and my home is full of the lemon aromatherapy.

    A quick look at the fresh ingredients in the 4 different tomato sauces.

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    The cooked tomato sauces.

    The first batch of tomato lemon sauce with capers, marjoram, and brown rice. This delicious and fresh dish inspired the big batch of tomato sauce that you’ll see in the step-by-step videos in today’s blog.

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    With these videos, learn the simple steps to make your own tomato sauce. Go out to a farmers’ market in your area, buy some fresh organic tomatoes and have fun creating your own tomato sauces.

    Step 1: Mise en place. All set with the ingredients for the tomato lemon sauce.

    Step 2: Getting started with the tomatoes, lemons, organic extra virgin olive oil, and Himalayan sea salt into the saute pan.

    Step 3: Tomatoes are beginning to break-down in the saute pan and the lemon aromatherapy is already infusing my kitchen.

    Step 4: Breakdown tomatoes with your bamboo spoon.

    Step 5: Simmer the sauce for about 20-25 minutes.

    Step 6: Tomatoes and lemons are simmering. So simple.

    Step 7: The simple beauty of food. Today’s organic tomato lemon sauce.

    Have fun shopping at your local farmers’ markets. Buy some organic tomatoes. Create your own sauces. And, share your culinary dishes with us on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

    Interested in additional simple culinary skills and recipes? “A New View of Healthy Eating” book is available right here.

    The beauty of simple food.

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: 2016 Year End Reflection: Farmers’ Market & Intuitive Cooking Experience

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

    As I sit here in chilly Phoenix writing my last blog of 2016, I am reflecting that today was the epitome of my year and living my passions. This morning I was very excited to visit the Downtown Phoenix Public Market since I’ve been in Cocoa Beach the last few weeks with my parents. While in Florida really missed “my” local farmers’ markets and farmers, and our amazing local Arizona in season produce.

    Thanks Local Arizona Farmers

    Today I leisurely shopped with some of my favorite local Arizona farmers who are all within a few miles of my home. I’d like to thank my farmer friends and their dedication and hard work to bring organic food to our community and to so many of the cooking classes and events that I teach.

    Thank you Maya Dailey and Maya’s Farm, located just a half mile from my home. I love the care and passion that goes into all of your beautiful food. And, I appreciate the video shoots at your Farm. Your food is beautiful art growing at the farm and displayed with such care at the market.

     

    Thank you Abby Lee Farms, for all the beautiful tomatoes I purchase from you all the time. I especially love using the colorful tomatoes in my version of a cold tomato gazpacho soup.

    Thank you Community Exchange, for your “free hugs” and for all the unique foods your network grows, from dates, to citrus, to greens, to radishes.

    Thank you Golo Family Organic Farm for the variety of all kinds of fruit and veggies every week. This year I especially loved the sweet lemons and the incredible pomegranates.

    Intuitive Cooking Experience

    When I returned home from the farmers’ market, I began my intuitive cooking process. First, I simply took some time appreciating the beauty of all the variety of just-harvested organic veggies and fruit. I mindfully enjoyed the incredible rainbow of colors and the varying textures. I am so happy that we have such incredible local, seasonal food available to us right in the middle of winter.

    After visually enjoying the beauty of the food, I took a few minutes to decide what to cook with my bounty of organic goodies. I decided to prepare a quick veggie saute, sautéed bok choy, spaghetti squash, and brown rice.

    Enjoy the photos of my step-by-step cooking process.

    Spaghetti Squash with Marjoram & Tarragon

    Brown Rice with Fresh Dill & Garlic

    Quick Sauteed Veggies with Farmers’ Market Winter Veggies

    Today’s veggies:

    • Green onions, tomatoes, purple peppers
    • Rainbow carrots
    • Fresh squeezed orange juice & zest
    • Broccoli
    • Olives & capers

    Sauteed Bok Choy with Olive Oil & Fresh Squeezed Lemon

    Plating the layers of colors and flavors.

    Happy New Years Eve 2016…

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    It has been such a  joy for me to share my passion for healthy food, farmers market shopping, simple culinary skills, and intuitive cooking with you this year, 2016.

    Lots of positive, happiness, and health to all in 2017.

    Melanie

    Finally, I am so honored with the incredible response to my book, A New View of Healthy Eating. It is available for purchase and I’m happy to personalize a copy and ship to you.

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    BOOK SALES

     

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: 5 Phoenix Farmers’ Markets & 5 Ways to Shop for Real Whole Foods

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

    The Fall is such an incredible time in Arizona as our local farmers’ bounty is growing and it’s so beautiful to enjoy local in-season produce at our farmers’ markets around town. At this time of year, we have many different farmers’ markets. In addition to purchasing real whole foods at farmers’ markets you can commit to a CSA, join a community garden, plant your own, and visit local farms. Enjoy shopping and enjoy your food!

    5 Favorite Farmers’ Markets

    • Downtown Phoenix Openair Market, Saturday, 8am-1pm, Central and Pierce Street
    • Uptown Market, Saturday & Wednesday, 9am-apm, Central and Bethany Home
    • Ahwatukee Market, Sunday, 9am-1pm, Warner & 48th Street
    • Mesa Community Market, Friday, 9am-1pm, 20 E. Main Street
    • Old Towne Scottsdale Market, Saturday, 8am-1pm, 3806 N. Brown Avenue

    EXCERPT from A New View of Healthy Eating

    5 Best Ways to Shop for Real Whole Foods

    1. Shop at Farmers’ Markets in Your Area

    As demand for locally grown fruit and vegetables has increased, farmers’ markets have steadily grown in number throughout the last few decades. According to the USDA Farmers Market Directory, in June 2015 there were 8,260 registered farmers’ markets as compared to 1,744 in 1994—an increase of more than 6,000 in 21 years. In addition to the USDA Farmers Market Database, another source to find farmers’ markets in your area is www.localharvest.org.

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     2. Commit to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Share

    Developed in the 1960’s in Japan, CSA programs are designed to build a relationship between the farmer and the community. At the beginning of each season, farmers sell CSA memberships to consumers. Each week, customers receive a sampling of produce that is available from one farmer or a group of local farmers. CSAs cost $25 to $35 per week for six to eight weeks and are perfect for those of us who wish to experiment with unique, interesting, locally grown food. Farmers distribute CSA’s at farms, farmers’ markets, and convenient pick-up locations, such as yoga studios. Some farms even deliver CSA’s right to your home.

    For the winter 2016 season in Arizona, I committed to a 12-week CSA share from Maya’s Farm, just a mile from my home in Phoenix. I love knowing that the produce is fresh since it is harvested the day before I pick it up at The Farm at South Mountain. Each week the interesting variety of goodies in my CSA encourages me to create new, intuitive dishes with different combinations of food. While writing this week, I’m creating a stir-fry with cauliflower, fresh peas, white icicle radish, green garlic, onions, and dill. Fresh flowers are a nice bonus I receive in my CSA. I’m enjoying the incredible natural aromatherapy of chamomile in my home. I’m steeping sun-dried tea, and I will dehydrate some of the chamomile flowers for tea.

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    3. Join a Community Garden

    The National Garden Association estimates that there are three million community gardens in the United States. Community gardens are fun, as you can learn from other do-it-yourself gardeners, enjoy friendships, and experience the mindful meditation of gardening in a beautiful, close-to-the-earth setting.

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     4. Grow Your Own

    Gardening is a big trend. As more and more people eat real whole foods, they are taking their food literally into their hands. The National Garden Association estimates that 42 million households in the United States garden, an increase of 17 percent over 2008 numbers, and 37 million households are home gardening. Gardening takes us back to the basics of eating fresh whole foods.

    5. Visit Local Farms

    It’s a lot of fun to visit farms in your area to get to know the farmers and to see where your local produce grows. I am so fortunate that there are many outstanding farms in the Phoenix area, where I live. Farms today are reaching consumers in exciting ways: stores at farms, farmers’ markets at farms, pick-your-own produce, and even “honor system” farm stands.

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    Many of the recipes and culinary creations in my book, A New View of Heathy Eating are inspired by and created with local, in-season Arizona veggies. The book is now available to ship to you!

     

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Steps to Make an Incredible Rice Pilaf

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

    Today, I was honored to lead a fun SHOP+CHOP+COOK Cooking Class at the Phoenix Public Market, with a group of Girl Scouts who created their own salad dressing, raw kale salad, and we also enjoyed preparing the delicious tomato gazpacho with the local, in season, farmers’ market veggies. I was fortunate to have some beautiful leftovers, which inspired me to create a rice pilaf.  Take a look at today’s rice pilaf with the farmers’ market tomatoes and peppers and the specific culinary technique to make a perfect pilaf.

    •  Look at the incredible rice pilaf ingredients: Brown rice, tomatoes, peppers, arugula, shallot, and veggie stock.
    • Start with sweating the shallots in olive oil for about 10 minutes, and then add the brown rice and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
    • Add the tomatoes, peppers, and stock to the saute pan. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 20-25 minutes.
    • Add the arugula and simmer a few more minutes.
    • Fluff the edges of the rice and rest for 10 minutes.

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    • Enjoy!

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    Excerpt from A New View of Healthy Eating: How to Make Rice Pilaf for a Dinner Side Dish

    Pilaf is one of the main methods of cooking rice and is popular in Indian, Mexican, and Middle Eastern cuisines. The pilaf method is similar to steaming; however, in the pilaf method, whole grains are first sautéed, often with aromatics (like onions or shallots) before liquid is added, creating a lot of flavor. Pilafs also include extras such as vegetables and toasted nuts or seeds.

    Simple Steps to Cook Using the Pilaf Method

    1. In a sauté pan over low heat, cook mirepoix (carrots, onions, and celery or just onions) in a fat, such as olive oil. Cook on low heat when you do not want to add color to your dish. For more color, cook at a higher temperature.
    2. Add grains to the pan and stir to lightly coat each grain with the fat. Do not rinse grains before cooking.
    3. Toast grains by cooking a little more.
    4. Add a flavorful liquid, such as vegetable stock.
    5. Stir to make sure grain is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
    6. Similar to the whole grains steaming method (PAGE…), bring to boil, cover tightly, and reduce heat to the lowest setting (or cook in oven).
    7. Cook a little longer than the time indicated for your grain and until all liquid is absorbed into the grains.
    8. Rest grain for 10-20 minutes.
    10. Rest for 10 minutes.

     Enhance Your Pilaf

    To enhance the flavor and texture in your pilaf, add spices, herbs, fresh vegetables, nuts, and seeds.

    • After the grains are coated in fat, add dried spices for extra flavor. Try Middle Eastern spices like star anise, cinnamon, and cumin. For a Mexican pilaf, add chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, and coriander seeds.
    • After the cooked grains have rested, add your favorite cooked veggies, fresh herbs, or toasted nuts and seeds to create a meal.

    Quick Brown Rice Turmeric Pilaf

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 1 cup brown rice
    • ¾ cup shallots or onions, finely diced
    • 2-3 tbsp olive oil
    • ½ tsp turmeric
    • 2 cups vegetable stock

    SIMPLE STEPS

    1. Gather mise en place.
    2. Sweat onions or shallots in olive oil.
    3. Add rice and sauté until translucent.
    4. Add turmeric for color.
    5. Add vegetable stock.
    6. Bring to boil.
    7. Cook for 20 minutes.
    8. Rest for 10 minutes.

    If you would like this culinary technique, recipe and more simple ways to cook real whole foods, A New View of Healthy Eating book is now available:

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Fall 2016 Intuitive Cooking Classes & Book Signings

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

    Fall is such a beautiful time in Arizona, with our “cooler” weather (less than 100 degrees!), beautiful fresh air, and Fall farmers’ markets opening for the season.

    To keep you up-to-date, I’ll be teaching a few intuitive cooking classes (at The Farm at South Mountain and the Downtown Phoenix Public Market), and will be at Food Day Phoenix and several yoga (Yoga Rocks the Park) and holistic (Southwest Institute of Healing Arts) events, featuring culinary demos and book signings of A New View of Healthy Eating. Look forward to seeing you soon!

    Fall 2016 Events (Scroll down for more details and to register)

    Intuitive Cooking Experience Classes

    • Sunday, October 9, 2016, 11am-1pm, Intuitive Cooking Experience at The Farm at South Mountain
    • Saturday, October 15, 2016, 9-11am, A New Look at Shopping & Cooking at the Phoenix Public Market, Fall 2016

    Farmers’ Market Fresh Culinary Demos & Book Signings

    • Sunday, October 16 & 30, 2106, 9am-noon, Yoga Rocks the Park, Indiana School Park, Phoenix 2016
    • Sunday, October 23, 2016, noon-6pm, Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, 20th Annual Holistic Health Gathering: A Celebration of Mind, Body & Spirit
    • Saturday, October 29, 2016, 9am-2pm,  5th Annual Food Day Phoenix 2016
    • Sunday, November 6, 2016, Yoga Rocks the Park, A New View of Healthy Eating Book Signing, Spirit of Yoga

    Sunday, October 9, 2016, 11am-1pm, Intuitive Cooking Experience at The Farm at South Mountain

    Want to learn how to cook with different farmer-fresh organic ingredients? Do you receive your produce from your CSA or the farmers’ market and are puzzled on how to cook with them?

    Learn how to cook with any kind of local, seasonal veggies with the skill of intuitive cooking. During the experience you will learn culinary skills such as making simple lentil veggie soup, unique salad with what’s in season, a perfect herbal salad dressing, and a quick hummus to enjoy with farm fresh organic veggies. Once you intuitively create your dishes, you’ll enjoy mindfully eating your beautiful creations with community in the beauty of The Farm.

    After your intuitive cooking experience, head to Maya’s Farm Stand to buy your own organic produce to create your own meals.

    6106 S. 32nd Street, Phoenix, AZ

    Click Here to Purchas your Ticket Price $45 per person

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    Saturday, October 15, 2016, 9-11am, A New Look at Shopping & Cooking at the Phoenix Public Market, Fall 2016

    Enjoy hands-on interactive cooking demonstrations with farmers’ market fresh produce. Learn what to look for while shopping at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market. Learn simple culinary skills, the intuitive cooking method, and enjoy dining on the food you prepared with friends and community.

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    721 N. Central Ave, Phoenix (Central and McKinley)

    $10 fee to cover the cost of materials for each class.  CLICK TO REGISTER

    Sunday, October 16 & 30, 2106, 9am-noon, Yoga Rocks the Park, Indiana School Park, Phoenix

    A New View of Healthy Eating book signing and farmers’ market cooking demo with culinary tips.

    • 300 E Indian School Road, Donation-based event.
    • 9:00am Registration and Vendor Village Opens
    • 9:20am: AcroBody Demo
    • 10:00am Yoga Practice

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    Sunday, October 23, 2016, noon-6pm, Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, 20th Annual Holistic Health Gathering: A Celebration of Mind, Body & Spirit

    1100 East Apache Blvd, Tempe, AZ, Free event!

    Culinary Demos with farmer’s market fresh produce. Book signing with my new book, “A New View of Healthy Eating.”

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    Saturday, October 29, 2016, 9am-2pm,  5th Annual Food Day Phoenix 2016

    Eastlake Park and Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, 15th Street and Jefferson Street

    Free event!

    Honored to be participating in the 5th Annual Food Day Phoenix celebrating healthy, natural and sustainable food. Enjoy food, fun and live music in a family-oriented atmosphere. I’ll be showcasing local, organic food with simple culinary techniques. Plus, book signing.

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    Sunday, November 6, 2016, Yoga Rocks the Park, A New View of Healthy Eating Book Signing

    Spirit of Yoga, Tempe City Center, 1420 E. Southern Ave, Tempe, AZ

    Donation-based event.

    • 9:00am Registration and Vendor Village Opens
    • 9:20am: AcroBody Demo
    • 10:00am Yoga Practicea-yogarockspark-soy-en-img_2184

    If you’d like to pre-order A New View of Healthy Eating prior to attending the events, you can purchase right here.

    Please join our e-mail list to stay up-to-date with culinary tips, recipes, cooking classes and events.

     

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Fresh Organic Arugula Salad with 3 Ingredient Salad Dressing

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

    This week I was inspired by fresh organic arugula grown at Maya’s Farm, less than a mile from my home. Many people do not care for arugula because it tastes too bitter. With the simple “3 Ingredient Salad Dressing” made with high quality organic extra virgin olive oil, the bitterness of the arugula is totally reduced and the arugula is a refreshing salad.

    When we create a salad with light greens, such as arugula, spinach, or spring greens, it is important to lightly toss the leaves in the dressing right before eating them. This is different from raw kale salads where we massage the kale with the dressing to break down the fibers in the kale.

    Enjoy the beauty of this simple, refreshing arugula berry pecan salad and have fun creating your own salad. Share your salad creations with us on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

    Gather your mise en place: Arugula salad with berries (blueberries, blackberries), nuts (pecans), and organic heirloom tomato.

    Dressing: organic extra virgin olive oil, local Arizona lemon, sea salt, garlic.

    Make 3 Ingredient Dressing and gently toss with the organic arugula.

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    Mindfully plate.

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    Enjoy your light, fresh berry and pecans arugula salad.

    EXCERPT from A New View of Healthy Eating

    Basic Salad Dressing: 3 Ingredients. That’s It

    Three base ingredients for a salad dressing include a fat, an acid, and salt. Optional add-ins are aromatics (such as garlic and onions), fresh herbs (like basil and oregano), and sweeteners like local raw honey and fresh dates. To make your first dressing for a kale salad, start with fresh lemon, organic extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and garlic. Once you’ve learned how to prepare a dressing with this technique, you can use this method to create your own unique salad dressings for a raw kale salad or other fresh salads.

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 1 fresh lemon, squeezed, approximately ¼ cup
    • Organic extra virgin olive oil, twice as much as the lemon juice, approximately ½ cup
    • ¼ tsp sea salt
    • 2-3 garlic cloves, minced (extra)

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Squeeze a fresh organic lemon into a pint-size Mason jar.
    • Pour in twice as much olive oil as the lemon.
    • Sprinkle in sea salt and minced garlic.
    • Shake the jar.
    • Taste and notice if your dressing seems too oily or acid-tasting, or if it uses too little or too much salt. Taste testing salad dressing is a great way to mindfully use your cooking intuition. Add ingredients until the dressing tastes great.

    6 Ways to Create Your Own Salad Dressing

    Learn the simple salad dressing technique and then create your own with different fats, different acids, and various add-ins, such as freshly minced herbs or sweeteners. Use sweeteners to balance a dressing that seems too acid-tasting.

    • Fats: Olive oil, grapeseed oil, nut oils such as walnut oil
    • Acid: Citrus (lemons, limes, oranges); vinegar (balsamic, rice, red or white wine), or stone-ground mustard
    • Salt: Your choice of sea salt or Himalayan salt
    • Optional Sweeteners: Raw honey or dates
    • Optional Aromatics: Garlic, green onions, shallots, red onions
    • Optional Freshly Minced Herbs: Basil, cilantro, oregano, parsley

     A New View of Healthy Eating Book is available for you, as gifts, or for your organization.

    UPCOMING PUBLIC COOKING EVENTS

    Intuitive Cooking Experience at The Farm at South Mountain

    October 9,  2016, Sunday, 11:00am-1:00pm  CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKET   PRICE: $45 per person

    Want to learn how to cook with different farmer-fresh organic ingredients? Do you receive your produce from your CSA or the farmers’ market and are puzzled on how to cook with them?

    During the experience you will learn culinary skills such as making simple lentil veggie soup, unique salad with what’s in season, a perfect herbal salad dressing, and a quick hummus to enjoy with farm fresh organic veggies. Once you intuitively create your dishes, you’ll enjoy mindfully eating your beautiful creations with community in the beauty of The Farm.

    A New Look at Shopping & Cooking at the Phoenix Public Market, Fall 2016

    October 15, 2016, Saturday, 9:00-11:00am  CLICK TO REGISTER PRICE: $10 per person

    Enjoy hands-on interactive cooking demonstrations  with farmers’ market fresh produce. Learn what to look for while shopping at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market. Learn simple culinary skills, the intuitive cooking method, and enjoy dining on the food you prepared with friends and community.

  • A New View of Healthy Eating 12-Week Arizona Winter CSA: Part 3: Week 2: Edible Flowers

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

    During Week 2 of 12 weeks with my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) from Maya’s Farm at The Farm at South Mountain, I was so excited about the beautiful, colorful edible flowers in the salad. All my life I wanted to enjoy edible flowers in my home, and this was the week! Just like fresh farmers’ market produce the edible flowers create a rainbow of beauty and color in our salads.

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    When I stopped by The Farm at South Mountain on my way to teach a cooking class at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, Maya Daily, the farmer, who has been urban farming for 10 years was getting her market ready for the morning customers.

    Week 2 CSA. Full of greens, roots and citrus: green curly kale, red Swiss chard, baby bok choy, salad mix with edible flowers, mini golden beets, red radishes, Arizona oranges, green garlic, and a fresh flowers.

    Veggie Stir-fry. This week I prepared another veggie stir-fry, which is a simple way to cook all kinds of roots and greens. This time it was inspired by the mini golden beets (about the size of my thumb) and mini bok choy, with fresh garlic and Arizona oranges. Click on CSA Week 1 to learn the steps to create your own intuitive stir-fry.

     

     

    Hand-toss Salad Greens. I was so excited about the salad greens with edible flowers and created a very quick and simple salad dressing with freshly squeezed orange, organic extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic and sea salt. Unlike kale salads, where we massage the kale to marinate and soften its fiber, the key to dressing light salad greens is to gently hand-toss the greens, coating every leaf, right before serving. I enjoyed this very simple salad with farmers’ market tomatoes and cucumber.

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    Salad mix with edible flowers and orange garlic dressing.

    Hummus with Edible Flowers. This week in a whole food cooking class that I teach at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts in Tempe, Arizona, we held a hummus cooking off, which motivated me to make a hummus. Of course, the hummus I created featured the edible flowers and simple green salad. This hummus was so beautiful. It was actually a little hard to stop looking at its beauty and eat it. I totally enjoyed it, along with a second serving and left-overs.

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    Click for simple hummus recipe, which is the same recipe we used for catering at the VIP Tailgate Party at Super Bowl XLIV in Miami.

    ORDER NOW! Our “A New View of Healthy Eating, A 55-Card Deck” with motivational food, eating, culinary, and self care tips is available.

    Come on over to Facebook www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating and share your food creations with local farmers produce.

    To read all of the blogs for my 12 Week Commitment to the Arizona Winter CSA.

    Week 1:Part 1: Learn about CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture

    Week 1: Part 2: Veggie Stir-fry

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: 12-Week Arizona CSA, Week 1: Veggie Stir-fry

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

    During Week 1 of 12 weeks with my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) from Maya’s Farm at the Farm at South Mountain, only a mile from my Phoenix home, I created one of my favorite simple intuitive creations from the CSA: simple veggie stir-fry.

    Simple Veggie Stir-fry
    Have fun preparing a quick delicious stir-fry 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 your stir-fry.

    To create a simple veggie stir-fry chose a few of your local in-season veggies, some roots and some greens. This stir-fry was inspired by the baby bok choy and fresh green garlic in this week’s CSA. Added to the stir-fry were some other veggies from local farmers, along with sun-dried tomatoes and capers. During the middle of the stir-fry I decided to add a little fresh lemon to de-glaze the pan 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 (extra!)

    Simple Steps
    • Gather your mise en place.
    • Pre-heat saute pan on medium-high.
    • Pour organic extra virgin olive oil into the pan.
    • Add the aromatics (green garlic) and cook a few minutes.
    • Add veggies you’d like to brown a little (Brussels sprouts).
    • Add dense veggies that need to cook a little longer (carrots, cauliflower).
    • Add extras (sun-dried tomatoes, capers).
    • Add vegetables that do not need to cook very long (asparagus, bok choy).
    • Enjoy!

    This stir-fry (really quick saute) method and recipes are in my new book “A New View of Healthy Eating” to launch in April 2016.

    Week-01-Stir-13-IMG_3954
    Week 1: Arizona CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Simple Stir-fry

    Hope you enjoy your own stir-fry this week! Come on over to Facebook and share your creations: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

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