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.
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!
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.
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
I’m very excited to share that this first weekend of Spring 2019, I planted my first “real” edible backyard garden in Phoenix, Arizona. And, I’m happy to share my learning with you.
Honestly, while I feel really confident with guiding people to cook beautiful, tasty farm-to-table plant-based food, I am going out on a limb with sharing my new gardening adventure with you.
When I was a kid, my parents always had a garden and fruit growing in our yard in Dallas, Pennsylvania. I especially remember the asparagus, carrots, cucumbers, and sweet peppers. Plus, we enjoyed all kinds of berries, my favorites being raspberries and strawberries. Today, my 92-year old Dad still gardens in Cocoa Beach, Florida, primarily with his banana and onion crops.
I’ve never grown a ‘real garden’ in Phoenix. Until now.
Melanie’s Personal Goals with the New Edible Garden
Sharing my personals goals with you, which might motivate you to plant your own garden!
Get out of my comfort zone. Do something new, while learning.
Enjoy edible gardening as self care. Time away from the computer. Time out with nature.
Garden-to-Table. Ultimately, enjoy my garden bounty with my culinary creations.
Three Steps to Get Started with an Edible Garden
Since gardening in Arizona is different than the East Coast of the US, I reached out to an expert in the farming and gardening in Phoenix, my friend, Billy Anthony, who is the Garden Operations Manager at The Farm at South Mountain. Billy has been growing at the beautiful The Farm, which is about half-mile from my home for a few years. I admire his passion, knowledge, and hard work ethic and knew that he’d be a talented guide for my small edible garden project.
Step 1: The Elevated Garden.
A few months ago I started researching elevated gardens online and purchased a simple rectangle 22”x 66” wooden garden that is right outside my back patio, on the West side of my home facing the golf course. The first step, was, of course, building the elevated garden. Thanks to Phoenix urban farmer Billy Anthony for assembling it for me and in choosing the right location for the garden, where it will get full sunlight during most of the day.
Step 2: The Right Soil.
Billy guided me to purchase the “right” soil for our Arizona climate. I used two 2cu feet of Kellogg Garden Organics – Organic Plus for the bottom layer of the garden. For the top layer, at Plant Stand, a garden supply store in my neighborhood, purchased two 1.5 cu feet of Fox Farm Ocean Forest Potting Soil, made from earthworm castings and bat guano.
Step 3: What to Plant in the Spring (in Phoenix, Arizona)
In the Arizona desert, right now our local urban farmers are doing their Spring planting, so I took their lead and visited Billy at The Farm at South Mountain to be sure to plant the “correct” veggies, herbs, and edible flowers for this time of year.
Picked up a few Spring goodies from my urban farmer friend Billy Anthony who has been such an inspiration around growing beautiful food.
Herbs: Oregano, Genovese Basil and Amethyst Basil, French Lavender, Flatleaf Italian Parsley
Edible flowers: Viola, Calendula, Snapdragon
Greens: Dandelion
Melon: Sugar Baby Watermelon
Cucumbers: Gherkins
Tomatoes: Blush Tomato
Berry: Pinchuberry
5 Tips on Planting Layout from Phoenix Urban Farmer, Billy Anthony
Since I wanted to get it “right,” Billy gave me a few tips on where to plant the different plants in the garden. A few tips:
Watermelon near the edge of the garden, so it could grow down the side towards the Earth.
Basil plants at the end of the planter, as they will become quite large.
Lavender in the middle surrounded by the edible flowers.
Dandelion greens next to the violas (hope I got that right) to give them a little shade.
Plant larger plants (pichuberry, tomato) in pots to give them room to grow.
Let’s take a closer look at a few of the Plants…
Spring Arizona Garden Day 1: The plants planted into the Elevated Garden, according to the Plan.
And, pausing to enjoy our Arizona sunset with the new Spring Garden. Self care!
Top 5 Basic Edible Gardening Tips from Phoenix urban farmer, Billy Anthony
As a final thought in today’s new Phoenix Backyard Gardening Blog, simple advise from Billy to me, to you…
The right soil.
The right plants at the right time.
Sunshine.
Water.
And, I’ll add, have fun!
My final reflection on Day 1 of my Spring 2019 garden.
Enjoyed the process of learning the steps and planning to plant my little garden.
Loved being outside in my backyard, with a purpose, and enjoying the self care sunset with my new garden.
Felt a sense of new accomplishment.
I’ll keep you posted as my gardening adventure evolves.
I’ll be using the #ediblegardentotable so we can easily find the edible garden progress.
If you are in the Phoenix area and would like to meet Billy Anthony, we are co-hosting a Spring Farm-to-Table Cooking Class at The Farm at South Mountain, April 7, 2019, 11am-1pm.
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
Each week I have the incredible opportunity to intuitively create recipes with the beautiful food so passionately grown by urban farmer Billy Anthony in the Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona.
This week I decided to experiment with hummus and the Soil & Seed Garden’s Chrysanthemum Greens and Onion Dill, enjoyed with Roasted Diplomat Broccoli and Radishes.
Let’s take a look at the Winter CSA in March 2019
The Farm at South Mountain Soil & Seed Garden CSA, March 2019
Especially inspired by the Chrysanthemum Greens and Onion Chives
Green & Red inspiration for this week’s intuitive dish.
Winter Farm-to-Table Hummus and Roasted Veggies Recipe
GREEN HUMMUS RECIPE
Simple Ingredients
2 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
⅓ cup chickpea water
3 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste or sesame seeds)
2 tbsp fresh grapefruit juice (or lemon juice)
3-4 stems Shungiki (Chrysanthemum Greens)
8-10 Onion Chives
Pinch sea salt
2 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
Green Hummus Mise en Place
Simple Steps
Place all ingredients (except olive oil, greens, and chives) into high-speed blender (such as Vitamix) or food processor.
Blend until smooth.
Add in the greens and chives, and blend.
Adding the Chrysanthemum Greens and Onion Dill to the base hummus.
With food processor running, stream in olive oil.
After the hummus has been blended, taste and add more of any of the ingredients to suit your taste.
ROASTED DIPLOMAT BROCCOLI & RADISHES RECIPE
Simple Ingredients from the Soil & Seed Garden
10-12 radishes, sliced
3-4 Diplomat Broccoli stalks, sliced
The Farm at South Mountain Soil & Seed Garden: Diplomat Broccoli. Radishes.
Other Simple Ingredients
2 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
Simple Steps
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Slice veggies into bite-sized pieces.
In a bowl, gently coat veggies with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.
Lightly toss veggies in olive oil with a pinch of sea salt.
Place veggies on parchment-lined flat sheet pan, flat side down with veggies not touching.
Mindfully place radishes and broccoli on parchment-lined flat sheet pan.
Roast for 12 minutes.
Flip veggies.
Roast for another 12 minutes.
Plate veggies with the hummus.
Mise en place for the Hummus. Broccoli. Radishes.
Mise en place (all ingredients in place) for the Green Hummus. Broccoli. Radishes.
The plating of the hummus…
Enjoy Green Hummus with Roasted Broccoli and Radishes for Snacktime.
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
I was so excited to intuitively create this farm-to-table recipe with the POM BOX with the Pomegranate Café in Ahwatukee and Rhibafarms in San Tan Valley, Arizona.
This recipe is inspired by the range of roots and the fennel in the POM Rhibafarms Box. Veggie Bowls are popular and we can prepare a really quick veggie bowl with a simple roasting technique where we cook all veggies in a pan or two. Cook a whole grain and make your own tasty Veggie Bowl.
Let’s take a look at the POM Rhibafarms Box…
The beauty of the POM Rhibafarms Box
Closer look at the POM Rhibafarms Box
POM Rhibafarms Quick Roasted Veggie Bowl
INGREDIENTS from the POM RHIBAFARMS BOX
Rhibafarms: Carrots, rainbow radishes, broccoli, fennel, green onions, red beets
Pomegranate Café: Flaxseed Crackers
QUICK ROASTED VEGGIES
Simple Ingredients
2 red beets
1 fennel bulb
5-7 yellow carrots
3-5 green onions
5-7 broccoli florets
5-7 mini-peppers
1 purple sweet potato
1 tsp sea salt
3 tbsp dried spices: Your choice: Mediterranean Blend, Southwest Blend
Simple Steps
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Slice all veggies into bite-sized pieces.
Place veggies into baking pan.
Place purple veggies (sweet potato, beet) into baking pan.
Place all other veggies into separate pan.
Drizzle both pans of veggies with olive oil, spices, and sea salt.
Roast for 15 minutes.
Mix veggies.
Roast for another 12 minutes.
Use veggies in veggie bowl.
Fennel Almond Brown Rice
Simple Ingredients
1 cup brown rice
2-3 fennel bulb slices
1/3 cup almonds, sliced
2 cups water
Fennel Almond Brown Rice
Simple Steps
Pour all ingredients into medium pot.
Bring to a boil.
Lower to simmer.
Cook covered for 15-20 minutes, until all liquid has been absorbed.
Fennel Almond Brown Rice ready for the Veggie Bowl.
Plating: Create your Veggie Bowl
One-by-one place brown rice and veggies into bowl.
Garnish with the Pomegranate Café Flaxseed Crackers.
POM Rhibafarms Veggie Bowl
A fun video of the creation of the POM Rhibafarms Box Veggie Bowl.
A few more recipes created with the POM Rhibafarms BOX:
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.
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019. Start the New Year Off Right
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.
SPRING COOKING CLASSES & EVENTS IN THE PHOENIX ARIZONA AREA
HUMANA:March 27, 2019, April 24, 2019, May 29, 2019, 12:30-1:30pm: Humana Monthly Healthy Cooking Demo, Humana Mesa. March topic: Plant-Protein.
PHOENIX MARKET:April 13, May 11, 2019, 10:00-11:00am: Kids Cook at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market. Melanie shops the market and then shares beautiful ways to enjoy food with the kids.
GRANDFAMILIES PLACE: March 18, April 29, May 30, 2019, 4:30-5:30pm, Grandfamilies Place, Gregory’s Fresh Market. Kids learn how to prepare simple healthy dishes, then plate and serve to their grandparents.
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
Each week I have the incredible opportunity to intuitively create recipes with the beautiful food so passionately grown by urban farmer Billy Anthony in the Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona.
Spring Farm-to-Table Flatbread
The beauty of the Soil & Seed Garden greens and “purple greens” were the inspiration for my weekly flatbread.
Let’s take a look at the Spring CSA
The Farm at South Mountain: CSA March 2019
SPRING FLATBREAD RECIPE STEPS
To prepare your Spring Farm-to-Table Flatbread, follow the following recipes to create a flatbread with your local seasonal ingredients. Please share your flatbread creations with us on www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating or tag @nutritionauthor on Instagram.
Roasted Veggies: Choose a few seasonal veggies, such as cauliflower, radishes, and tomatoes.
Sauteed Greens & Purples: Choose a few of your favorites, such as arugula, spinach, or shungiku (chrysanthemum).
Cashew Cream: Quick Plant-based sauce created with raw cashews.
Quick Yeast-Free Flatbread: Quick flatbread that takes less time that yeast flatbread.
Creation Video: Layering of veggies onto the flatbread.
Final Flatbread: A look at the cooked flatbread with sauteed greens.
ROASTED VEGGIES RECIPE
Simple Ingredients from the Soil & Seed Garden
10-12 radishes, sliced
1 small head, cauliflower, sliced
Other Simple Ingredients
2-3 small tomatoes, sliced
3-4 mini sweet peppers
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
Ingredients Set for the Spring Flatbread and Sauteed Greens & Purples
Simple Steps
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Slice veggies into bite-sized pieces.
Mise en Place: Roasted Veggies
In a bowl, gently coat veggies with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.
Add olive oil and a pinch of salt to veggies prior to roasting.
Place veggies on parchment-lined flat sheet pan, flat side down with veggies not touching.
Place veggies on parchment-lined flat sheet, with veggies not touching.
Roast for 12 minutes.
Flip veggies.
Roast for another 12 minutes.
Use veggies as flatbread toppings.
Roasted veggies are ready for the Spring flatbread.
SAUTEED GREENS AND PURPLES
Simple Ingredients from Soil & Seed Garden
2 cups of 3-4 greens from Soil & Seed Garden, such as Shungiku, Minutina, Purple Orach, Red Spinach
3-4 leaves, lemon verbena
1 tsp organic extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tbsp fresh grapefruit juice
Pinch sea salt
Mise en place for sauteed greens: Red Spinach, Purple Orach, Shungiku (Chrysanthemum), Minutina.
Simple Steps
Pre-heat medium sauté pan on medium.
Add olive oil to pan.
Add to pan, green colored greens, lemon verbena, pinch sea salt, and 1 tbsp grapefruit juice.
Lightly toss the greens to cook for 2 minutes.
Remove greens from pan.
Follow same cooking steps for the purple greens.
Saute greens lightly and quickly with squeeze of fresh grapefruit juice and a pinch of sea salt.
Greens & Purples Sauteed for the Flatbread
The beauty of the greens and purples.
CASHEW CREAM
Simple Ingredients
1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 2-4 hours
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Pinch sea salt
¼ cup water, adjust for desired creaminess.
Simple Steps
Pour all ingredients into a blender.
Blend to desired smoothness.
EXPERIENCE NUTRITIONTM Yeast-Free Quick Flatbread
Simple Ingredients
1 ¼ cups sprouted spelt flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp sea salt
1 ½ tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil (dough)
½ cup water
1 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil (spread on dough prior to baking)
Mise en place set for the Yeast-free Quick Flatbread.
Simple Steps
Place pizza stone into oven. Pre-heat oven to 390 degrees F. Pre-bake the stone for about 5 minutes.
In large glass bowl, with a fork mix dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt.
Mix the sprouted spelt flour, baking power, and salt. Then add olive oil and water.
Add 3/8 cup water and oil until dough forms a ball. Add additional water, as needed.
Knead on a lightly floured surface for 3-4 minutes.
Kneed the dough for 3-4 minutes.
Flatten out the dough on floured parchment-paper.
With parchment paper on top of the dough, roll thinly with a rolling pin.
Roll out the flatbread with a rolling pin.
Carefully move flatbread to pre-heated pizza stone.
Spread 1 tbsp of olive oil onto the flatbread.
Bake flatbread for 5 minutes.
Remove stone from oven.
Spread cashew cream on the top of the flatbread.
Add veggies to the top of the flatbread.
Cook for about 8 minutes.
Garnish with edible flowers.
Enjoy!
Mise en Place Spring Farm-to-Table Flatbread
Mise en place to prepare the Spring Flatbread.
Enjoy the Step-by-Step Video of Layering the ingredients on the flatbread.
Let’s take a look a the beautiful, tasty, local Arizona flatbread.
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.
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
As an entrepreneur, I am totally living my passion. Connecting with our local Arizona farmers and chef friends, and having so much fun every day enjoying real whole foods.
I am so humbled to be invited to appear on tv segments with The List TV Show, produced by Scripps, right here in Phoenix, Arizona, and aired in 41 markets across the USA.
In the recent February 2019 segment our focus was the HMR Diet, rated as the #1 weight loss diet by US News & World Report. Our angle was to create 3 different meals taking into account the 3 2 5 philosophy of HMR. That is, eat 3 Shakes a Day, 2 Entrees a Day, and 5 Servings of Veggies and Fruit a Day.
Pre-Production with the Producer
The producer, Olivia Schneider and I wanted all of the meals to be simple to prepare and in keeping with my plant-based focus. For the shake, we decided to make home-made cashew milk as the base for a raspberry smoothie. For the Entree we chose a Farm-to-Table Veggie Bowl with Brown Rice, and for the Veggies, it’s a colorful Farm-to-Table Roots and Greens Salad with a vibrant rainbow of veggies.
Farm-to-Table Just Harvested Produce for the Shoot
A few days prior the tv shoot — as soon as the recipes were approved –I reached out to my passionate urban farmer friend, Billy Anthony at The Farm at South Mountain. Billy supplied us with literally “just-harvested” produce for the shoot including all kinds of beautiful roots, greens, veggies, edible flowers, and even a floral arrangement.
A Quick Look at The Farm at South Mountain Soil & Seed Garden
Billy was kind enough to organize and label the produce, so the different types of unique veggies and greens would be perfectly clear. Even the edible flowers were labeled.
Thanks to Billy for the beautiful farm-to-table floral arrangement for our kitchen set.
Day Before the Shoot: Finalize the Recipes
A little more than 24 hours before the shoot, I started to intuitively decide which veggies would make sense with the two different veggie dishes: Roasted Farm-to-Table Veggie Bowl and Rainbow Salad. And, we finalized the recipes that we’d be filming.
Food for the Shoot
Incredibly beautiful just-harvested produce from the Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain.
Day of Shoot Food Pre-Production
The morning of the shoot started quite early, around 6am as I began to cook and prep food for the shoot, so we’d be ready with the final components of each of the dishes for on-camera. Just for fun, my pre-shoot cooking check-list.
Behind the scene out-takes from Pre-Prep
A video look at the pre-production prep for The List TV Shoot…all set for the Crew.
The Kitchen Set
Right at 1pm, when I had just finished cooking and organizing the pre-prep food, the crew arrived and set up my kitchen for the shoot.
We all loved the edible flowers. Thanks so much to urban farmer, Billy Anthony at The Farm at South Mountain.
On Set: The Make your Own Shake: Raspberry Goji Berry Cashew Milk Smoothie
On Set: The Farm-to-Table Roasted Veggie Bowl
On Set: The Beautiful Farm-to-Table Roots & Greens Salad
The beautiful dishes we created, with plating by The List TV Show Co-Host Segun Oduolowu.
Now, lets’ take a look at the beautiful dishes we creating during the shoot. During the segment, I guided The List co-host Segun Oduolowu to plate the dishes. Thanks again to urban farmer, Billy Anthony for the beautiful food grown at the Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain. Thanks so much to The List for the opportunity to work together to bring these “create your own dishes” to your viewers.
Please join the Experience Nutrition Blog and come back for the step-by-step photos of the creating of the recipes created in for this tv segment with The List.
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.
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
Each week I have the incredible opportunity to intuitively create recipes with the beautiful food so passionately grown by urban farmer Billy Anthony in the Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona.
During the last few weeks, Billy has been growing and we’ve been enjoying so many different greens. What I love about the greens is that they are so beautiful with so many various shapes, sizes, textures, and colors. And, they offer different flavors. Some more mild. Some very spicy. Plus, we can enjoy greens raw in salads and beverages, lightly sautéed in a side dish, and even as dehydrated chips. Think kale chips.
Oh my…the wide variety of greens grown at The Farm’s Soil & Seed Garden this 2019 Fall / Winter Season.
Borage greens
Broccoli greens
Cauliflower greens
Collard greens
Hon tsai tai
Kale
Minutina
Mizuna
Mustard Greens
Rainbow Chard
Red Pac Choy
Roquette Arugula
Shungiku (chrysanthemum)
Spigarello
Tatsoi
Let’s take a look at Soil & Seed Garden. Always beautiful. And, one of my favorite places to pause and enjoy nature…right in my neighborhood.
And, the beauty of edible flowers…
Broccoli Kale Orange Green Drink Recipe
This week I decided to try something different with the greens. A Green Drink, featuring the kale, sprouting broccoli, and fresh mint grown at the Soil & Seed Garden by urban gardener Billy Anthony.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
From the Soil & Seed Garden
1 cup kale leaves
1 cup sprouting broccoli
2 small oranges, peeled
3 sprigs fresh mint
Other Ingredients
2 cups coconut water
1 banana, cut and frozen
SIMPLE STEPS
Place kale, broccoli, and coconut water into high speed blender and blend for about a minute.
Add oranges and mint. Blend for a minute.
Add bananas and blend another minute.
Enjoy as a refreshing breakfast or snack.
Garnish with a few sprigs of broccoli, mint, and edible flowers…Enjoy!
Purchase Melanie Albert’s award-winning cookbook,“A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Cooking with Real Whole Foods”
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.
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
POM Rhibafarms Make Your Own Veggie Tacos
I was so excited to intuitively create this week’s recipe with the POM BOX with the Pomegranate Café in Ahwatukee and Rhibafarms in San Tan Valley, Arizona.
Let’s take a look at the POM Rhibafarms Box…
This week’s recipe is inspired by the Pomegrante Café’s Guacamole, Enchilada Sauce, and Corn Tortilla. Of course, tacos, with the beautiful Rhibafarms grown broccoli, red cabbage, carrots, and radishes. Mix and match tacos with flavorful roasted and crunchy raw veggies.
INGREDIENTS from the POM RHIBAFARMS BOX
Pomegranate Café: Guacamole, Enchilada Red Sauce, Corn Tortillas
Rhibafarms: Broccoli, Red Cabbage, Mookum Carrots, Icicle Radishes.
ROASTED VEGGIES with Chili Spices
Simple Ingredients
3-4 broccoli stems, sliced
5 carrots, sliced
5 radishes, sliced
¼ red cabbage, 1” slices
7 mini-sweet peppers, sliced
2-3 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
3 tbsp chili spices: Your choice: Ancho chili, Smoked paprika, ground cumin, oregano, ground Rhibafarms’chilis, oregano
Simple Steps
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Slice broccoli, carrots, and radishes into bite-sized pieces.
Grind and mix your choice of chili spices in a small bowl.
In a bowl, gently coat each veggie with olive oil, mixed spices, & a pinch of sea salt.
Place veggies on parchment-lined flat sheet pan, flat side down with veggies not touching.
Roast for 8 minutes.
Flip veggies.
Roast for another 8 minutes.
Use veggies as taco toppings.
PUMPKIN SEED CREAM
Simple Ingredients
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds soaked in water overnight
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Pinch sea salt
¼ cup water, adjust for desired creaminess.
Simple Steps
Pour all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth.
One by one, heat corn tortilla in pan, turning to cook and crisp on both sides.
Plating: Create your Tacos
Plate with corn tortilla on flat surface.
Spoon sauce and pumpkin seed cream onto the top of the taco.
Add roasted veggies, guacamole, and pumpkin seed cream.
Garnish with the raw veggies.
Building the Tacos…
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The Amazing Tacos!
Seriously, I think these are my favorite tacos ever. Made with so much love and passion. Passionate Farmer Mark Rhine, Healthy Restaurant Pioneer Cassie Tolman, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author Melanie Albert. What a fun collaboration!
A few more recipes created with the POM Rhibafarms BOX:
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.
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019. Start the New Year Off Right
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
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
So honored and excited to create quick, simple, delicious, farm-to-table dishes from the weekly Winter POM Rhibafarms Box with the healthy-eating, vegetarian, vegan Pomegranate Café in Ahwatukee, Arizona and the incredible Rhibafarms and Mark Rhine in San Tan Valley, Arizona.
Let’s take a look at my favorite beauties in the POM Box…
POM Rhibafarms Box. Arizona Winter 2019
Mark Rhine, owner of Rhibafarms dried last Fall’s beautiful chili peppers for us over the last year. What a variety. Big Jim’s, Jalapeno, Habanero, Cayenne, Sweet Bell.
This week’s recipe is based on intuitively cooking almost all of my favorites in the POM Rhibafarms BOX. It started with being excited with my first fresh thyme of the year, plus the beauty of the dried peppers. You’ll see that I first created a pilaf and extended the meal to a fresh simple salad.
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.
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019. Start the New Year Off Right
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.
View food differently with mindful cooking and eating.
Enjoy urban farm-to-table cooking experience.
Experience self-care with hiking and yoga.
Take home retreat experiences to be healthier & make positive long-term lifestyle changes.
During our Sedona Plant-Based Cooking Fall 2019 Retreat, you’ll experience several days of hands-on, simple plant-based cooking with organic food, mindfulness in the kitchen and eating. We’ll enjoy a farm-to-table cooking experience at a local urban farm. You’ll experience self-care with hiking and yoga in the beauty of Sedona.
In the memorable life-changing retreat, our intention is for you to enjoy the cooking and self-care experiences during the retreat and then most importantly take home the experiences and plant-based cooking learning from the retreat to make positive lifestyle changes in your lives.
Learn Simple Ways to Cook Healthy Plant-Based Organic Food
During the Sedona retreat, our key focus is simple, beautiful, healthy plant-based cooking. We’ll enjoy cooking and eating beautiful, fresh, delicious farm-to-table plant-based meals. Alongside award-winning cookbook author, Melanie Albert from Phoenix, Arizona, you’ll learn simple culinary skills for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
With interactive, hands-on cooking with local Arizona farmers organic produce, you’ll learn simple plant-based culinary techniques. We’ll focus on learning the cooking methods and guiding you to be intuitive with your cooking so you will be able to cook intuitively at home with seasonal produce grown by your local farmers.
All of the cooking is based on the anti-inflammatory way of eating, Mediterranean way of eating, and inspired by the Blue Zones, where people live the longest and healthiest lives. Learn during the retreat and feel confident to prepare the foods when you return home.
Award-Winning Cookbook Author, Melanie Albert at the Sedona Retreat House
Key Plant-Based Foods
During the retreat, you’ll learn simple plant-based culinary methods to cook key healthy plant-based foods. Our organic retreat meals feature as much local Arizona farmers food, as possible.
Roots & Greens
Whole Grains
Beans
Nuts & Seeds
Superfoods
Plant-Based Culinary Techniques
During all of the meals, you’ll learn a variety of cooking techniques to use when you return home. The culinary techniques during the retreat:
Proper steps to sauté veggies with flavor layering.
Steps to roast veggies for crispiness on the outside and a soft inside.
The process to cook flavorful veggie soups.
Simple steps to prepare whole grains perfectly every time.
Steps to create a 3-ingredient salad dressing.
Ways to create beautiful raw salads with what your local farmers are growing in season.
Steps to make raw dehydrated crackers.
Techniques to create simple raw sauces.
Plant-based dessert techniques with nuts, fruit, raw cacao, and superfoods.
Organic, Local Arizona Farmers Produce
RETREAT HIGHLIGHTS: Sedona Plant-Based Cooking Retreat with Award-Winning Cookbook Author, Melanie Albert
Sedona Eco-Retreat House: 3-Days and 3-nights at eco-retreat house in the beauty of Sedona, Arizona.
Noon-3:00pm Drive from Sedona to Phoenix for flights
ADD-ON TO RETREAT: ANTELOPE CANYON EXCURSION
Monday, September 16, 2019
6:00-7:00am Early Breakfast at Retreat House
7:00-8:00am Drive to Flagstaff
8:30-5:00pm Drive and Tour Antelope Canyon
5:30-7:30pm Dinner in Flagstaff
7:30pm+ Hotel in Flagstaff
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
8:00am-1:00pm Drive to Phoenix
To learn more about the retreat and to chat with retreat host, Melanie Albert, please fill out the form, or give me a call at 602.615.2486 or e-mail: Mel@MelanieAlbert.com
I look forward to connecting for both of us to get to know each other and to answer any questions about the retreat. — Melanie
ABOUT OUR LIGHT HOUSE Retreat House
Eco-Home. We are thrilled to hold our retreat at the Light House in Sedona, a truly eco-home with a collection of indoor and outdoor spaces created with a complimentary merging of Indonesian, Japanese, Moroccan and East Indian cultures. The Light House offers a full natural sensory environment with comforting courtyards, peaceful meditation gardens, hanging lounges, tranquil pools, and restful waterfalls.
Sedona Eco-Home Retreat House
Feng Shui.The Light House incorporates the principles of Feng Shui to create an environment that is energetically aligned promoting harmony, serenity, creativity, and vitality. An impressive cleansing crystal is strategically placed in the center of the house to ensure a healthy environment and numerous Feng Shui essentials are found throughout this landmark home. The Light House is the perfect environment to relax, reduce stress, and rejuvenate.
Welcome to our Retreat House
Salt-water Pool. Light House features a beautiful salt-water pool and Jacuzzi to unwind.
Retreat House Beautiful Salt Water Pool
Sedona Beauty. The natural outdoor beauty of Sedona is just out the back door with the beautiful Oak Creek and a glimpse of Cathedral Rock.
Our Retreat Home View of Cathedral Rock
Our Retreat Bedrooms
The Light House Retreat features 6 unique bedrooms, with a variety of beds and accommodates couples or singles. We welcome a group of friends or couples to attend the retreat
ONE: Downstairs Master with King and sitting room. Unique custom ‘pebble’ master bathtub and large glass steam shower.
TWO: Downstairs Off-Master with Queen. Private bedroom off Master. Shares master bathroom with ‘pebble’ bathtub and large glass steam shower.
Downstairs Master. King.
Master Bathroom
Downstairs Queen, off Master.
THREE: Downstairs Asia Room with King.Outdoor hallway to room with lounging sofa, desk and glass window views.
FOUR: Downstairs Bali Room with 2 Queens.Screen door access to outside lounging and garden areas.
FIVE: Upstairs Private King. Private outdoor patio with view of pool and Cathedral Rock. Shares bathroom with Sunrise Room.
SIX: Sunrise Room Upstairs Loft with Queen and Double. Fun loft. Shares bathroom with Private King.
ABOUT SEDONA
Beautiful, magical Sedona is a true oasis, a paradise in the middle of the northern Arizona desert. In Sedona, enjoy canyons, green forest, azure skies, and the dramatic red rock formations that glow in brilliant orange and red when illuminated by the rising or setting sun. Sedona offers adventures including red rock jeep tours, hiking, Slide Rock, and Oak Creek Canyon, as well spiritual healing, psychic readings, and energy vortexes. Sedona will have your senses buzzing for days! Sedona offers a unique, one-of-a- kind culture and is an experience of a lifetime.
To learn more about the retreat and to chat with retreat host, Melanie Albert, please fill out the form, or give me a call at 602.615.2486 or e-mail: Mel@MelanieAlbert.com
I look forward to connecting for both of us to get to know each other and to answer any questions about the retreat. — Melanie
Top 11 Reasons to Go on a Plant-Based Cooking Retreat
During our Sedona Plant-Based Cooking Fall 2019 Retreat, you’ll experience several days of hands-on, simple plant-based cooking, mindfulness in the kitchen and eating. We’ll enjoy a farm-to-table cooking experience at a local urban farm. You’ll experience self-care with hiking and yoga in the beauty of Sedona.
In the memorable life-changing retreat, our intention is for you to enjoy the cooking and self-care experiences during the retreat and then most importantly take home the experiences and plant-based cooking learning from the retreat to make positive lifestyle changes in your lives.
LEARN TO COOK SIMPLE, BEAUTIFUL PLANT-BASED MEALS
Have fun with hands-on interactive cooking with Plant-Based Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. With hands-on interactive cooking you’ll learn culinary techniques to prepare a variety of plant-based breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.
ONE: Learn How to Prepare Simple Delicious Healthy Breakfasts
Learn the basic culinary techniques to prepare plant-based breakfast options and when you return home intuitively create your own breakfasts with your favorite whole grains, nuts, seeds, and fruit.
Whole Grains (gluten-free)
Quick, easy, and tasty nut and seed milk
Superfood Smoothies
Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding
TWO: Learn to Cook a Variety of Plant-Based Lunches
For lunch, our focus is preparing beautiful, tasty raw salads, raw taco, and cold soup.
Raw Massaged Kale Salad with fruit, berries, nuts, and seeds. 3-ingredient salad dressing.
Avocado Tartare with fresh veggies
Raw Almond Walnut Taco with Quick Pickled Veggies
Cold Veggie Soup
Raw Dehydrated Crackers
THREE: Learn how to prepare tasty, healthy plant-based Appetizers, Meals, and Dessert for Plant-Based Dinners
For dinner, we’ll cook complete plant-based meals with delicious Mediterranean appetizers, Veggie Main Dishes, and beautiful, tasty desserts.
Mediterranean Appetizers
Hummus, Hempseed Tabouli, Olive Tapenade
Meals
Veggie Sautés (Roots & Greens)
Roasted Veggie Flatbread
Turmeric Lentil Soup
Veggie Brown Rice Pilaf
Raw Deconstructed Lasagna
Deconstructed Lasagna
Desserts
Raw Superfood Pie
Raw Cacao Berry Pie
Aromatic Apple Crisp
Raw Cacao Berry Pie
FOUR: Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Cooking Class at an Arizona Organic Farm
Enjoy a true farm-to-table experience. Tour a local organic farm with an Arizona urban farmer. Have fun cooking your dinner right at the farm with just-harvested produce from the farm and local farmers markets. Enjoy your culinary creations in the beauty of the farm.
Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition. Getting set for a farm-to-table cooking experience.
FIVE: Enjoy an afternoon Snack at a Local Sedona Plant-Based Restaurant
After hiking in Sedona, we’ll stop by a popular organic vegetarian Sedona restaurant to enjoy their delicious plant-based creations and chocolate treats.
MINDFUL COOKING & EATING
SIX: Practice Mindfulness while Cooking, Plating, and Eating
During the retreat, we’ll focus on mindfulness and being present throughout the cooking process. We’ll practice mindfulness while cooking our meals, beautifully plating our food, and enjoying our meals together.
Mindful Cooking. During the retreat, we will focus on mindfulness and being present while cooking, as part of the cooking process and a form of self-care. We will:
Mindfully choose the ingredients (beautiful veggies) and herbs and spices for our dishes.
Mindfully chop our food. (Learn basic knife skills).
Enjoy the beauty, the colors, the textures, the shapes, and the aromatherapy of our food.
Mindfully set up our mise en place. That is, get all of our ingredients in place before we start cooking for mindfulness and organization.
Learn to plate your foods beautifully. Since we eat with our eyes first, you will learn skills to plate foods beautifully. You’ll learn fundamental principles in the art of plating. You’ll have the opportunity to practice plating skills every time we cook and begin to develop your own plating style. We’ll use edible garnishes, herbs, and flowers in our plating to elevate the eye-appeal of our meals.
Mindful Eating. We’ll mindfully enjoy our meals in the beautiful Sedona environment with our retreat community. We’ll enjoy meals in the beauty of the retreat house and in the beauty of the Sedona Red Rocks. We’ll pause, slow down, and really enjoy the beauty and flavors of the food we prepare.
SELF CARE IN THE MAGIC OF SEDONA
SEVEN: Take time for your own self-care, relaxing in the beauty of the retreat house. Get away from day-to-day life. Retreats are the perfect place to really take time for you. Away from work, responsibilities, and technology. During your Sedona retreat, unplug and allow yourself to settle into quiet, to relax, recharge and reflect.
Relax at our Retreat House
EIGHT: Enjoy hiking and nature in beautiful, magical Sedona, Arizona. In Sedona, we can immerse ourselves in nature by hiking with the grounding red rock and expansive big sky environment which provides the perfect place to exercise and unwind. In Sedona, we’ll hike in the Vortex energy, breath in the fresh air, and enjoy the magnificent sunsets.
Cathedral Rock: Melanie Albert’s very favorite spot in Sedona.Hike at the Sedona Airport Vortex
NINE: Practice yoga on the Sedona Rocks and our private yoga studio at the retreat house. Participate in a yoga class or practice on your own for self-care, quiet, and meditation during the retreat.
Retreat House Private Yoga Studio
Enjoy One-of-A Kind Sedona Experiences
TEN: Enjoy Memorable One-of-A-Kind Sedona Experiences. Only in Sedona experiences. During the retreat, you’ll experience the Sedona magic with Spiritual Reading, and a private Kiva Ceremony.
ELEVEN: Visit Magnificent Antelope Canyon.As a special add-on to the retreat, visit one of the most magnificent spots in Arizona on our adventure day to the Antelope Canyon, one of the most beautiful, mesmerizing, photographic locations in the world. A photographer’s dream, the canyon is known for its wave-like structure and the light beams that shine directly down into the openings of the canyon, creating a supernatural appearance.
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
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
Mise en Place: Broccoli Cauliflower Fig Salad
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.
Lightly coat broccoli with Lemon Finishing Dressing
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.
Broccoli Cauliflower Fig Salad
Love to cook? Check out other POM Farm Box recipes created with the beautiful Rhibafarms produce and Pomegranate Cafe goodies.
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.
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019. Start the New Year Off Right
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.
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
Each week I have the incredible opportunity to enjoy the beautiful food grown by urban farmer Billy Anthony at The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona, and to create delicious dishes with Soil & Seed Garden CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).
Twelve years ago when I was studying at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York, I can honestly say that I did not cook, or even eat greens, like kale, arugula, or collards. Today, I eat them a few times a week and prepare them different ways. Sometimes raw and sometimes cooked. Hope you enjoy this new greens creation, inspired by the Shungiku (chrysanthemum greens) and fresh cilantro.
Let’s take a look at the beauty of The Farm at South Mountain this Winter week in Phoenix, Arizona.
Poppies at The Farm at South Mountain…breathe in the beauty.
Now, let’s take a look at The Farm’s Winter CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).
Winter CSA Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona. So many amazing greens.
Fragrant Winter Greens Gremolata Recipe
In awe of the beauty and aromatherapy of the greens and cilantro grown by urban farmer Billy Anthony at the Soil & Seed Garden. With a fresh ruby grapefruit dressing, unique gremolata is a perfect accent to roasted veggies.
Greens all set for the Fragrant Gremolata: Chrysanthemum, Minutina, Spigarella, Arugula, Cilantro.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
From the Soil & Seed Garden
3-4 stems Shungiku (chrysanthemum greens)
3-4 stems Minutina
3-4 stems Spigarello Greens
3-4 stems Roquette Arugula
Small bunch fresh cilantro
½ Ruby Grapefruit, juiced (about 1/8 cup) and zested
Other Ingredients
½ Lemon, juiced (about 1/8 cup) and zested
½ cup organic extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup pecans
2-3 garlic cloves
Pinch sea salt
SIMPLE STEPS
Rough chop all of the greens into bite-sized pieces.
Ruby Grapefruit Dressing
Zest ruby grapefruit & lemon.
Squeeze grapefruit and lemon juice into 8 oz Mason jar. Approximately ¼ cup of juice.
Add twice as much olive oil as the citrus juice. Approximately ½ cup.
Shake jar.
Taste and adjust. Add more olive oil, grapefruit or lemon juice for your taste preference.
Add pinch of sea salt. Shake.
Gremolata
Place all ingredients into a medium bowl.
Add dressing.
Gently toss.
Gremolata Mise en Place.Gremolata ready to toss.
Serve with roasted local veggies, such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, beets, and sweet potatoes.
Local Arizona roasted veggies to enjoy with the Fragrant Gremolata.
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.
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019. Start the New Year Off Right
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
I absolutely love beautiful local Arizona farmers’ food and feel so humbled and honored to cook with it. I am so honored to intuitively prepare one of my favorite meals – flatbread – inspired by the POM Rhibafarms Box, with produce grown by farmer Mark Rhine at Rhibafarms in San Tan Valley, Arizona and in collaboration with the Pomegranate Café, in Ahwatukee, Arizona owned by Cassie and Marlene Tolman.
This week (2.8.19) with the POM Rhibafarms Box I am especially in awe of the fresh broccoli and cauliflower. Since the beginning of January 2019, I’ve been creating a new seasonal flatbread each week. Naturally, the plant-based flatbread features these beautiful veggies.
Made a quick stop at Pomegranate Cafe to pick up this week’s POM Rhibafarms Box…
The healthy, welcoming Pomegranate Cafe, Ahwatukee, Arizona.The POM Rhibafarm Box 2.8.19…”Especially grown for Pome/Rhiba Family”…I feel special. Thanks so much to Mark Rhine.The POM Box 2.8.19 Winter Arizona goodness.
The beautiful ingredients in this week’s POMBox.
Mark, thanks so much for your dedication in growing the beautiful food for our community. And, Cassie, thanks so much for sharing your yummy walnut taco and pico with us this week. My mouth is watering.
The beauty of Rhibafarms broccoli and cauliflower were the inspiration for my weekly flatbread. Since these veggies were so fresh, I roasted them lightly and simply with olive oil and sea salt.
INGREDIENTS from the POM BOX
1 head broccoli
1 head cauliflower
Rhibafarms Cauliflower. Simple Beauty.Rhibafarms Broccoli. So fresh.Rhibafarms Cauliflower & Broccoli
ROASTED BROCCOLI & CAULIFLOWER
Simple Ingredients
1 head broccoli, sliced and leaves
1 head cauliflower, sliced and leaves
2-3 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower Mise en Place. All set.
Simple Steps
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Slice broccoli and cauliflower into bite-sized pieces.
In a bowl, gently coat broccoli and cauliflower with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.
Gently toss cauliflower and broccoli with olive oil and sea salt.
Place broccoli and cauliflower on parchment-lined flat sheet pan, flat side down with veggies not touching.
Cauliflower and broccoli on parchment-lined sheet pan.
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.
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019. Start the New Year Off Right
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.
FREE PUBLIC KIDS COOK CLASS AT THE DOWNTOWN PHOENIX PUBLIC MARKET
Saturday, February 9, 2019, 10-11am: Kids Cook at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market (14 E Pierce Street, Phoenix)
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
For the last 13 weeks I’ve had the honor and opportunity to create recipes with the beautiful food grown by urban farmer Billy Anthony at the Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain, located about a half mile from my home in Phoenix, Arizona. I’ve been visiting The Farm since 2005 and always love the beauty of the seasonal produce, flowers, and herbs growing.
This Winter I’m loving the variety of greens growing at The Farm; some mild, some grassy, and some spicy. It’s fun to mix and match with the greens to create a simple side dish.
Let’s take a look at the beauty of The Farm this Winter.
The Farm at South Mountain. Soil & Seed Garden. January 2019 Morning.The Farm at South Mountain. Soil & Seed Garden. Beautiful edible flowers.
Now, let’s take a look at The Farm’s Winter CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)
The Farm at South Mountain Winter CSA
Specialty Greens Di Cicco Broccoli Orange Sauté RECIPE
In awe of the beauty of the greens and di cicco broccoli grown by urban farmer Billy Anthony at the Soil & Seed Garden. With fresh sage and navel orange, this dish is simple, warming, sweet, savory, and delicious.
Mise en Place…
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
1 bunch di cicco broccoli
3-4 stems Hon Tsai Tai
3-4 stems Purple Orach
5-7 fresh sage leaves
1 navel orange, juiced and zested
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Pinch sea salt
Mise en Place: Greens & Di Cicco Broccoli Navel Saute
SIMPLE STEPS
Pre-heat sauté pan on medium.
Add oil to coat bottom of the pan.
Add sage leaves to the pan and cook for about 1 minute.
Fresh Sage in the Saute Pan
Add broccoli leaves, florets, and stalk to pan and sauté for a minute.
Add Hon Tsai Tai to pan and sauté for a minute.
Add greens one by one, and gently saute for about a minute.
Add Purple Orach to pan and sauté for another minute.
Squeeze orange juice and a pinch of sea salt onto the greens.
Sauté all greens for another minute.
Plate with orange zest and raw greens.
Enjoy!
Greens & Di Cicco Broccoli Orange Saute
GET TO KNOW: Di Cicco Broccoli, Hon Tsai Tai, and Purple Orach
Di Cicco Broccoli. Beautiful Italian heirloom small (3-4”) bluish-green broccoli. Great raw or lightly sauted.
Di Cicco Broccoli, Soil & Seed Garden, The Farm at South Mountain
Hon Tsai Tai.Chinese specialty with purple stems and budded yellow flowers. Mild mustard taste which works well raw in salads or gently cooked in sautés or soups.
Hon Tsai Tai, Soil & Seed Garden, The Farm at South Mountain
Purple Orach.Beautiful deep purple mountain spinach, with large, spade-shaped leaves. Adds color and beauty to salads and sautés.
Purple Orach, Soil & Seed Garden, The Farm at South Mountain
TOP 5 TIPS TO SAUTE GREENS PERFECTLY EVERY TIME
Choose a variety of greens. Different shapes and colors. Some mild, some bitter.
Pre-heat the saute pan prior to adding the oil.
Add a pinch of salt when sauteing to bring out the flavor in the greens.
Add citrus – orange, lemon, or grapefruit – to add contrasting acid to the dish.
Only cook greens for a few minutes. Enjoy them with a little crunch.
Purchase Melanie Albert’s award-winning cookbook,“A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Cooking with Real Whole Foods”
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.
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019. Start the New Year Off Right
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
I’m excited to share recipes each week for the POM Farm Box. The weekly box features just harvested produce from Rhibafarms and farmer Mark Rhine in the San Tan Valley along with tasty specialty items from healthy-eating cafe Pomegranate Café in Ahwatukee, Arizona, founded in 2010 by Cassie and Marlene Tolman.
Let’s take a look at some of my favorites from this week’s Winter 2019 POM Farm Box. Thanks so much Mark for growing your beautiful food for our community.
POM Rhibafarms Box 2.01.19 My favorites: Green Cabbage. Galaxy Cauliflower. Broccoli. Dino Kale. Swiss Chard
Made a quick stop at Pomegranate Cafe to pick up this week’s POM Rhibafarms Box…
Winter Arizona POM Rhibafarms Box, February 1, 2019
This week, I am absolutely in awe of the fresh, just-harvested beautiful green cabbage. When I first saw the cabbage, I knew I wanted to make quick pickled cabbage. Afterwards, since that dish was so quick to prepare, I also made another quick dish with a simple cabbage saute.
POM Rhibafarms Green Cabbage
Rhibafarms Green Cabbage: Two Ways
Two simple ways to quickly prepare and enjoy cabbage. One raw. One cooked.
Raw Quick Pickled Cabbage
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
From the POM BOX
1 large green cabbage (1/2 for each recipe)
Other Ingredients
1 tsp sea salt
½ cup water
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp agave
2 bay leaves
2-3 garlic cloves, smashed with side of knife.
2 tsp caraway seeds
Optional: 2-3 radishes, sliced
1 12-ounce wide-mouth glass Mason Jar
SIMPLE STEPS
Cabbage
Slice cabbage in half.
Cut out the core.
Slice one-half of the cabbage into ¼” strips.
Place cabbage in a large glass bowl.
Sprinkle sea salt onto the cabbage.
Gently massage the cabbage for 2-3 minutes.
Add caraway seeds, garlic, and bay leaves, and radishes to the cabbage and toss.
Liquid
Pour water, vinegar, and agave into a small bowl and whisk to dissolve the agave.
Jar
Place the cabbage mixture into a Mason jar.
Press down to fill the jar.
Pour the liquid into the jar to fully cover the cabbage.
Cover the jar with a lid.
Allow the jar to sit on the counter 3-4 hours.
Place jar into refrigerator for 3-4 hours or overnight.
Enjoy for 3-4 days as a condiment.
Quick Sautéed Cabbage
Tasty cabbage side dish in 5 minutes! Chop your cabbage. Quick saute. And, that’s it.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
1/2 cabbage
2 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
Pinch sea salt
SIMPLE STEPS
Slice cabbage in half.
Cut out the core.
Slice one-half of the cabbage into ¼” strips.
Pre-heat sauté pan on medium for 3-4 minutes.
Add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
Once the olive oil is warm, about 1 minute, add the cabbage and a pinch of salt to the pan.
Increase the heat to medium high.
Gently toss with tongs for about 3 minutes.
Plate with a few fresh greens and enjoy as a side dish.
Love to cook? Check out other POM Farm Box recipes created with the beautiful Rhibafarms produce and Pomegranate Cafe goodies.
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.
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019. Start the New Year Off Right
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.
Thursday, February 7, 2019, 10:00-11:30am: El Mirage Branch Library
Tuesday, March 19, 2019, 5:00-6:30pm: Litchfield Park Branch Library
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
More than kale chips. We can dehydrate all kinds of leafy greens to make chips.
This week I experimented with 5 different beautiful greens from this week’s CSA at The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix, grown by urban farm Billy Anthony at the Soil & Seed Garden.
When leafy greens are in season, I invite you to experiment with dehyrating them and notice which you prefer. I absolutely love shungiku (chrysanthemum) and loved this floral green dehydrated.
Simple Recipe: Leafy Green Chips: More Than Kale Chips
1 cup raw cashews, pre-soaked in water for 2-4 hours
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp roasted garlic powder
½ tsp dry basil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Pinch sea salt
2-4 tbsp water, for desired creaminess
Cashew Cream: Mise en Place
SIMPLE STEPS
Cashew Cream
Blend all ingredients in blender or processor.
Add water, as needed for desired creaminess.
Dehydrated Leafy Greens
Tear out any large stems in the leafy greens.
One variety of greens at a time, place leaves into a large bowl.
Add a few tablespoons of cashew cream to the greens.
Place greens and cashew cream into a small bowl.
Gently massage cashew cream into the leafy greens.
Lightly massage the cashew cream into the greens.
Spread greens onto dehydrator screen.
Mindfully spread greens onto dehydrator screens.
Dehydrate at 125 degrees F for about 3 hours.
Dehydrate greens at 125 degrees F for about 3 hours.
Test for desired crunchiness.
Dehydrate longer to suit your taste.
Enjoy as a snack.
More than Kale Chips. Enjoy all kinds of leafy green chips.
The Five Winter Greens
Shungiku, often known as edible chrysanthemum, is one of my favorite flavorful greens. These greens, popular in Japan, are aromatic and floral tasting. Shungiku are generally eaten raw or gently cooked to enjoy their crunchy texture and flavor.
Shungiku: The Soil & Seed Garden, The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona.
Mizuna, another Japanese green is a member of the mustard family, a little peppery, yet milder than arugula. These are growing in the Learning Garden at The Farm.
Mizuna: The Soil & Seed Garden, The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona.
Roquette Arugula, one of my favorite greens, a little spicy, nutty, and sweet, adds exciting flavor to all dishes. Arugula is enjoyed both as salad greens, as an herb, and now as a dehydrated chip.
Spigarello, technically in the broccoli family, looks like a spiral kale. Enjoy spigarello gently sauted or massaged with a simple acid-fat-salt dressing in a salad.
Cauliflower greens. Yes, there are the edible greens that grow on cauliflower. Enjoy!
Cauliflower Greens: The Soil & Seed Garden, The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona.
Purchase Melanie Albert’s award-winning cookbook,“A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Cooking with Real Whole Foods”
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.
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019. Start the New Year Off Right
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
I’m so excited and honored to prepare simple to cook recipes for the new POM Farm Box CSA Program. The beautiful weekly box features just harvested produce and mushrooms from Rhibafarms and farmer Mark Rhine in the San Tan Valley along with tasty specialty items from healthy-eating cafe Pomegranate Café in Ahwatukee, Arizona, owned by Cassie and Marlene Tolman since 2010.
Behind the scenes. To get ready to create the recipe, farmer Josh Sundberg personally delivered my POM BOX and I made a quick stop at Pomegranate Café in Ahwatukee to pick up goodies from Cassie Tolman.
Let’s take a look at the POM Box produce. So beautiful! Thanks Rhibafarms.
POM Rhibafarms BOX: 1.25.19
Let’s see…what is all that beautiful local Arizona produce…
One simple way to enjoy the bounty of greens is a very quick sauté. Choose a few of your favorite greens, broccoli stalks, and delicate Japanese Hakurei turnips from your POM Box and create this quick and easy spicy sauté.
Veggie Saute: Getting set with the food.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
From the POM BOX
3-4 leaves of 3 different greens, sliced
Red Cabbage, Red Mizuna, Collards
3-4 broccoli stalks
1 large Hakurei turnip, sliced
3 I’itoi onions, sliced
3-4 sprigs fresh cilantro
¼ cup POM Sweet Chile Tamari Sauce
Other Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp white sesame seeds
SIMPLE STEPS
Slice all produce.
Mindfully chop all the veggies.
Pre-heat sauté pan to medium.
Add 2 tbsp olive oil to coat bottom of pan.
Place onions in pan and gently sauté for 3 minutes.
Add garlic to pan. Gently sauté for 30 seconds.
Add turnips to pan, drizzle with about 3 tbsp tamari sauce and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add broccoli stalks to pan, drizzle with 1 tbsp tamari sauce. Sauté for 4 minutes.
Add greens to pan, drizzle with sauce, and sauté for 3 minutes.
Take a quick look at the sauté sizzle video…one of my favorite cooking sounds…
Plate with greens, fresh cilantro, white sesame seeds, and enjoy with Turmeric Quinoa.
Winter Greens Saute. Take time to mindfully plate.
Quick Turmeric Quinoa
Make a batch of quinoa as a side for your sautéed greens. Be sure to add black pepper with the turmeric to enhance the bio-availability of the nutrients in the turmeric.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 tbsp turmeric powder
¼ tsp black pepper
2 cups water
Quinoa. Turmeric Powder. Black pepper. Plus, water.
SIMPLE STEPS
Place all ingredients into a small pot
Bring to a boil.
Lower to simmer.
Simmer for about 12-15 minutes, until all liquid is absorbed.
Rest the quinoa for 10 minutes.
Fluff the edges of the quinoa. Rest for another 10 minutes.
Enjoy the quinoa with sautéed greens.
Purchase Melanie Albert’s award-winning cookbook,“A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Cooking with Real Whole Foods”
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.
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019. Start the New Year Off Right
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.
Thursday, February 7, 2019, 10:00-11:30am: El Mirage Branch Library
Tuesday, March 19, 2019, 5:00-6:30pm: Litchfield Park Brand Library
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
This week’s intuitive culinary creation was inspired by the fresh, vibrant Winter Greens & Citrus from The Farm at South Mountain Soil & Seed Garden CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), grown passionately by urban farmer, Billy Anthony.
So often we sauté greens with a little olive oil, garlic, and sea salt for a nice side dish. Since The Soil & Seed Garden greens were so fresh and vibrant I decided to experiment with eating several different greens in a simple raw salad. And, I’m so glad I did. This salad is one of my very favorites. The textures and combination of citrus and mint are outstanding. Hope you try it.
The salad features Shungiku, Minutina, and Mizuna greens, Arizona navel orange, ruby grapefruit, and an Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil, imported to Arizona by Chef Chris Bianco.
The Three Winter Greens
Shungiku, often known as edible chrysanthemum, is one of my favorite flavorful greens. These greens, popular in Japan, are aromatic and floral tasting. Shungiku are generally eaten raw or gently cooked to enjoy their crunchy texture and flavor.
Mizuna, another Japanese green is a member of the mustard family, a little peppery, yet milder than arugula. These are growing in the Learning Garden at The Farm.
Minutina are long, slender, spiked leaves with forking antler-like horns. When harvested young, the crunchy leaves of minutina taste a little like a mix of parsley and spinach.
The Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
In addition to the greens, I’ve been experimenting with an organic extra virgin cold pressed olive oil that local Phoenix Chef Chris Bianco has recently imported from Italy. The oil, from the Pugila region, is a single variety pressed from Peranzana olives. Chef Bianco has mentioned that some of the olive trees are 400 years or more years old.
Arizona Winter Greens & Citrus Salad
This salad is perfect for the fresh Soil & Seed Garden vibrant mild tasting greens and citrus.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
1 large handful shungiku (chrysanthemum)
1 large handful minutina
1 large handful mizuna
1 navel orange, sliced, juiced, and zested
1 ruby grapefruit, sliced, juiced and zested
1/4 cup snap peas, sliced on diagonal
3-4 sprigs fresh mint
2 tbsp kalamata olives
1 tbsp capers
1/4 cup pecans
¼ cup organic extra virgin olive oil
SIMPLE STEPS
SALAD DRESSING
Squeeze ½ of juiced orange and ½ of juiced grapefruit into mason jar. Approximately ¼ cup juice total.
Pour in twice as much organic extra virgin olive oil as juice.
Shake the jar.
Notice if the dressing needs more acid (grapefruit / orange) or fat (olive oil) to suit your taste.
Add pinch of sea salt.
Add few mint leaves.
Shake jar.
PLATE THE SALAD
Place greens, snap peas, olives, capers, pecans, and mint leaves in a large bowl.
Gently pour the dressing onto the greens.
Hand toss to coat the greens with the dressing.
Plate the salad with slices of orange and grapefruit.
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Let’s take a look at the final salad..
Purchase Melanie Albert’s award-winning cookbook,“A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Cooking with Real Whole Foods”
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.
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019. Start the New Year Off Right
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
This week’s intuitive culinary creation was inspired by beautiful Winter Veggies from The Farm at South Mountain Soil & Seed Garden CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). The Farm, a local urban farm in Phoenix, Arizona, is a few minutes walk from my home and I enjoy the simple beauty of The Farm, along with the beautiful produce grown on the property.
As much as I love roasted root veggies, we can enjoy raw roots (like radishes, beets, and kohlrabi) and a quick arugula salad to elevate simple olive tapenade appetizer.
Let’s take a look at the Winter beauty of The Soil & Seed Garden, passionately farmed by urban farmer Billy Anthony.
The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Winter 2019
The Greens, Purples and Citrus in this week’s Winter CSA from the Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain.
The Farm at South Mountain Soil & Seed Garden Winter CSA: Greens, Purples, and Citrus.
And, the beauty of the purple kohlrabi growing at the Soil & Seed Garden.
The Farm at South Mountain Purple Kohlrabi.
Olives and Tomato Tapenade Recipe
Sun-dried or dehydrated tomato and olive spread is a tasty topping for farmers’ market fresh raw veggies.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups Kalamata olives, pitted
½ cup sun-dried or dehydrated tomatoes, soaked in water (Used previously dehydrated Campari tomatoes from McClendon Select Farm in Arizona)
2-3 green onions, sliced (I’itoi’s onions)
2 tbsp capers
2 tbsp fresh parsley (Blue Sky Organic Farms)
2-3 tbsp olive oil, as needed (Chris Bianco, Pane Bianco Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
Mise en Place: Olive Tomato Tapenade
SIMPLE STEPS
Gather your mise en place.
Roughly chop the sun-dried or dehydrated tomatoes; drain oil, if needed.
Mince garlic.
Add garlic and olives to food processor and pulse until fine, not paste-like.
Remove olive and garlic mixture from the food processor.
Place sun-dried or dehydrated tomatoes in food processor and process until fine.
Add capers and parsley and pulse a few times.
Mix olive/garlic mixture with sun-dried tomatoes/capers/parsley mixture with a fork.
Add olive oil until you reach desired consistency.
Fold in green onions.
Enjoy the tapenade on veggies or raw crackers.
Olive Tomato Tapenade
Quick Marinated Root Veggies Recipe
With fresh veggies, a little olive oil, salt, and fresh herbs, create a beautiful olive tapenade appetizer.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
3-5 red or purple radishes
1 purple kohlrabi
1 purple daikon radish
2 cups arugula
1-2 tbsp olive oil (Chris Bianco / Pane Bianco Italian Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
1-2 green onions (I’Itoi Onions)…sharp peppery flavor
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.
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019. Start the New Year Off Right
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
With a plant-based way of eating we do eat a lot of vegetables. With this in mind, it’s important to know several different simple culinary skills to prepare vegetables, such as roasting, steaming, sautéing, and raw.
In the cooler Fall and Winter seasons one of my favorite ways to cook veggies is roasting. With roasting we cook the veggies in the oven to brown the outside of the veggies, while keeping the center of the veggies a little soft. We can roast all kinds of veggies which gives us a nice variety of tastes, textures, and colors.
Today’s roasted veggies were created by intuitively choosing veggies that I was visually attracted to and feature local Arizona farmers organic veggies purchased at one of our Phoenix area farmers’ markets, Uptown Market.
At the market I was very excited to buy the first Jerusalem Artichokes (also known as Sunchokes) of the season as they are one of my favorite roots. Sunchokes, a relative of sunflowers, have a sweet rich earthy taste.
Sunchokes
Let’s take a look at the local Arizona Farmers’ Winter Veggies from the Uptown Farmers Market.
2-3 TBSP organic extra virgin olive oil (Pane Bianco, Chef Chris Bianco, Phoenix)
Pinch sea salt
SIMPLE STEPS
Pre-heat oven to 400-425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Chop all veggies into equal-sized pieces.
Winter Arizona Veggies all Chopped for Roasting
Coat veggies with olive oil and seasonings.
Place flat side down on parchment-paper lined flat sheet pan.
Veggies carefully place on parchment-paper lined sheet pan.More veggies mindfully placed on pan, including the sunchokes.
Cook for 15 minutes.
Flip.
Cook another 15 minutes.
Enjoy as a side dish with a whole grain or as toppings for flatbread.
Winter Veggie Sprouted Spelt FlatbreadEnjoy Winter Roasted Veggies on Flatbread
TOP 5 TIPS TO ROAST VEGGIES PERFECTLY EVERY TIME
Coat the chopped veggies thoroughly with oil.
When placing on unbleached parchment paper, be sure the veggies do not touch each other.
When placing veggies on parchment paper, place flat side down, so that side of the veggie can brown.
Flip veggies about half-way through the cooking process.
Pay attention to veggies while they are cooking, as they cook at different speeds. More dense veggies (like carrots, beets, and sweet potatoes) take longer to cook than water-rich veggies, like onions and zucchini.
Purchase Melanie Albert’s award-winning cookbook,“A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Cooking with Real Whole Foods”
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.
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019
Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019. Start the New Year Off Right
