Tag: new view healthy eating

  • Experience Nutrition: Beautiful Plant-Based Thanksgiving Recipes by Melanie Albert, as seen in Natural Awakening’s Arizona Magazine

    Experience Nutrition: Beautiful Plant-Based Thanksgiving Recipes by Melanie Albert, as seen in Natural Awakening’s Arizona Magazine

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

    I am so honored to create recipes for the November 2018 issue of Natural Awakening’s Arizona magazine. It has been a dream of mine to cook “my” recipes in a magazine in a cooking class. I’m excited that we will be creating the Fall Thanksgiving recipes in a fun, interactive hands-on cooking class on November 18, 2018, 11am-1pm,  at The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix.

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    Four Plant-Based Thanksgiving Recipes

    The recipes in the article and cooking class are inspired by our local Arizona farmers Fall produce, especially, the Squash Soup, and one of my very favorite desserts, the Sweet Potato Brownie.

    1. Appetizer: Kalamata Olive Tapenade
    2. Side Dish: Winter Squash Ginger Soup
    3. Side Dish: Sweet Potato Brussels Sprouts Fall Veggie Saute
    4. Dessert: Chocolate Sweet Potato Brownie and Goji Berries (PHOTO CREDIT: Cassie Hepler)

    In today’s blog, I’m sharing the step-by-step process to prepare the Tapenade, which has been a favorite at several cooking classes this month. Plus, you’ll see the process to create the soup and a fun plating video. Enjoy!

    Kalamata Olive Tapenade

    Enjoy refreshing tapenade with local Arizona veggies. This rich appetizer is an update to the olive trays that our family enjoyed with holiday meals when I was a kid. When you make your tapenade, have fun experimenting with a variety of olives and mindfully plate with favorite veggies from your farmers’ market.

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, rough chopped
    • 1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and rough chopped
    • ¼ cup fresh parsley
    • 1/4 cup capers
    • ¼ cup fresh parsley
    • ¼ – 1/3 cup organic extra virgin olive oil

    Extras for Plating

    • 1 cucumber, sliced
    • 9-10 dehydrated tomato slices
    • 2-3 red or purple radishes, thinly sliced
    • 2 green onions, sliced on the bias
    • 2 Tbsp goji berries, re-hydrated in water for 10 minutes

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Gather your mise en place
    • Mince garlic
    • Rough chop the sun-dried tomatoes, soak in water to re-hydrate 5-10 minutes
    • In a food processor, pulse garlic and olives until fine, not paste-like
    • Remove the olive and garlic mixture from the food processor.
    • Place sun-dried tomatoes in food processor and process until fine.
    • Add capers and parsley and pulse a few times.
    • Place olive/garlic mixture and sun-dried tomatoes/capers/parsley mixture into a bowl and mix with a fork.
    • Add olive oil until you reach desired consistency.
    • Enjoy the tapenade on cucumbers with a few extra veggies from your local farmers.

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    Winter Squash Ginger Soup

    Yields: 4 servings

    Create your Thanksgiving soup with local Winter Squash such as red kabocha or butternut, delicata, or even pumpkins. I especially love the sweetness of red kabocha, which contrasts to the green kabocha with has a more savory flavor. While cooking your soup enjoy the mindfulness and aromatherapy of grating warming ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Have fun plating the soup with a few sliced fresh veggies to add color and a crisp texture to the soup. Enjoy the soup warm or cold.

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    The components of the soup include: Veggie Stock, Roasted Squash, The Squash Ginger Soup, and the Plating Toppings.

    Winter Squash Ginger Soup

    Simple Ingredients

    • 1 Tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
    • ¼ cup shallots, minced
    • 1 TBSP ginger, grated
    • ½ TBSP coriander seeds
    • Pinch sea salt
    • 3 cups roasted Winter squash (see recipe below)
    • 4 cups veggie stock (see recipe below)

     

    Plating Toppings (per serving)

    • 2 small tomatoes, sliced
    • 1 radish, sliced
    • 5 raw cashews, soaked in water
    • 5 slices dehydrated tomatoes
    • 1 tsp green onions, cut on diagonal
    • 1 tsp micro-greens
    • Pinch ground cinnamon
    • Pinch ground nutmeg
    • Optional: Cashew cream

    Cook the Soup

    • Pour olive oil into the soup pot and warm for 1 minute.
    • Add shallot and ginger and gently cook for about 5 minutes to release flavors.
    • Add roasted squash and veggie stock to the pot.
    • Bring to a boil.
    • Lower to simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
    • Pour soup into food processor and pulse a few times for desired smoothness.

    Plate the Soup

    • Pour soup into a serving bowl.
    • Top with local, seasonal veggies, such as tomatoes, radishes, green onions, and micro-greens.

    CLICK LINK TO SEE THE BEAUTIFUL SOUP PLATING VIDEO:

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    Simple Home-Made Veggie Stock

    To enhance the flavor of your soup, make this quick and easy veggie stock, with mirepoix base of carrots, onions, and celery. An option is a box of store-bought organic veggie stock.

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    Stock Base

    • 1 medium white onion, rough chopped
    • 4 carrots, rough chopped
    • 2 celery stalks, rough chopped
    • 6 cups water

    Aromatics

    • 10 parsley stems
    • 3 bay leaves
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 1 tsp black peppercorns

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    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Rough chop the carrots, onions, and celery into 2” pieces.
    • Place carrots, onions, celery, garlic, black peppercorns, and water into the soup pot.
    • Bring to a boil.
    • Reduce to simmer and cook with lid covered for 30 minutes.
    • Strain the veggies from the liquid.
    • Use the stock in the Winter squash soup.

    Roasted Winter Squash

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 3 cups Winter squash, cubed
    • 3 Tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
    • 3 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 3 tsp ground nutmeg

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Toss squash in olive oil, nutmeg and cinnamon.
    • Place squash on a parchment-lined sheet tray, making sure the squash does not touch.
    • Roast for 15 minutes, flip.
    • Roast for another 12 minutes.

    Another look at the Winter Squash Ginger Soup

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    Join our Simple Daily Plant-Based Eating Tips Facebook Page


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


    Purchase Tickets for the Plant-Based Thanksgiving Cooking Class at The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, November 18, 2018, 11am-1pm

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

     

    A final look at the Thanksgiving Plant-Based Cooking article in the November 2018 issue of Natural Awakenings.

     

  • Experience Nutrition: Arizona Farm-to-Table Summer Salad: Get the “Food Art” Steps

    Experience Nutrition: Arizona Farm-to-Table Summer Salad: Get the “Food Art” Steps

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

    During the summer in Arizona, our local farmers work very hard to grow beautiful produce for us in our 100+ degree weather, so I love to create beautiful dishes with it.

    Earlier this week while I was chatting with a friend who reminded me that there are often “behind-the-scenes” steps in creating a beautifully plated dish. So with this Summer dish, I’m sharing with you the full steps from the vision of the dish to the final plate.

    I hope you enjoy this “food art” lesson.


    Step 1: Stop by the farm and farmers markets to see what’s in season. This was especially important to me the last few weeks, as I was traveling in the Boston area, Cocoa Beach, Florida, and Barbados, so I lost track of what would be growing seasonally in Arizona.

    My first stop was The Farm at South Mountain, where Farm Operations Manager, Billy Anthony is growing hundreds of pounds of beautiful heirloom tomatoes.

    My next stop was the Downtown Phoenix Public Market, where I often shop and lead cooking demos. I was happy to see that the farmers were growing some of my summer favorites. Thanks Blue Sky Organic Farms for the collard greens and leeks; and thanks to Maya’s Farm for the rainbow carrots.

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    Step 2: Pause and enjoy the beautiful produce from our farmers. Begin to visualize the creation of a beautiful dish. With intuitive cooking, once we learn cooking techniques and practice with recipes, we can intuitively create beautiful, tasty meals.

    Step 3: Pause again and choose a few different types of produce with different colors and textures.

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    Step 4: Cut the veggies and fruit in different shapes.

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    Step 5: Pause, yet again, and intuitively notice if any of the produce “fits” together. Today, for me, it was a simple avocado salsa (or guacamole) with the tomatoes, avocado, colorful carrots, lemon, and sea salt.  And, the fresh peaches and butterscotch melon with a squeeze of lemon seemed to go together nicely.

    Avocado Salsa

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    Peaches & Melon

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    Step 6: Arrange all of the ingredients and components (the Avocado Salsa, Peaches & Melon) in a plating “mise en place. That is, all ingredients mindfully organized to be ready for plating.

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    Step 7: Looking at the plating “mise en place” begin to visualize how the plate will look. Then, sketch out the plating of the dish, using colored pencils or markers. In the sketch include where the different foods will go onto the plate and the order to plate them.

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    I’ve been mindfully plating for a few years now, and this process does take practice. Once we get into our own rhythm of sketching our dishes and plating, it becomes fluid and fun.  Key is to practice, practice, practice.

    Step 8: Mindfully plate the food, following your plating sketch. Know that this phase is also part of the food art process, so if your plate does not look exactly like your sketch, no worries at all. Enjoy it!

     

    All set to plate.

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    Step 9: Finally, mindfully enjoy eating your plate.

     

    Of course, first pause and enjoy your “food art”.

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    Enjoy…

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    We are only two months away from our Plant-Based Cooking & Self-Care Retreat in Sedona, Arizona September 13-16, 2019. Along with plant-based culinary skills we will also focus on mindfully plating and creating our own style of “food art”.

    Please feel free to call (602.615.2486) or e-mail if you’d like to chat about the retreat and take a look at the information about the retreat on ExperienceNutrition.com/sedona-retreats

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  • Experience Nutrition: Arizona Summer Plant-Based Flatbread. Edible Flowers.

    Experience Nutrition: Arizona Summer Plant-Based Flatbread. Edible Flowers.

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

    Upon returning to Phoenix after traveling the last few weeks to my niece, Mallory’s wedding in Massachusetts, visiting with my parents in Cocoa Beach, and scouting villas for retreats in Barbados, I’m getting back into my local farm-to-table shopping and cooking rhythm.

    This week I visited my farmer friend, Billy Anthony Lead Grower at the Soil & Seed Garden at Farm at South Mountain, in Phoenix, to catch up and see what was growing in our 100 degree weather. I was especially happy to see hundreds or thousands of beautiful tomatoes, zucchini, and edible flowers.

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    Inspired by the tomatoes, I intuitively created a Summer Flatbread with other veggies purchased from local Arizona farmers at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market. I purchased beautiful baby arugula and carrots from Blue Sky Organic Farms in Litchfield Park and Matt’s tomatoes from the Community Exchange.

    Let’s take a look at The Farm at South Mountain, at the beginning of our hot Arizona Summer.


    RECIPE: Arizona Summer Plant-Based Flatbread. Edible Flowers.

    The Summer Flatbread highlights our local Arizona tomatoes, zucchini, arugula, and carrots, and also features one of my favorite roasted veggies, Brussels sprouts, plus red peppers for flavor and color. The yeast-free flatbread is a quick recipe to prepare when your time is limited as we do not need to wait hours for the dough to rise. The cashew cream is a very simple raw nut cream that works well as a cheesy taste in the flatbread.  Finally, the beautiful, colorful edible flowers bring life to the dish.

    QUICK AND SIMPLE ROASTED VEGGIES

    Simple Ingredients

    • 1 large tomato (The Farm at South Mountain)
    • 2 cups Brussels sprouts
    • 1 small zucchini (The Farm at South Mountain)
    • 1 carrot (Blue Sky Organic Farms)
    • 5-6 small red peppers
    • 2 green onions
    • 2-3 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil (Hatun Oregano Olive Oil)
    • 1 tsp sea salt

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    Simple Steps

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

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    • Place all veggies into roasting pans.
    • Drizzle with olive oil.
    • Sprinkle on sea salt.
    • Roast for 12 minutes.
    • Stir veggies.
    • Roast for another 12 minutes.
    • Use veggies as flatbread toppings.

    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.

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    Simple Steps

    • Rinse and drain the soaked cashews.
    • 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)

    Garnish Ingredients

    • 1 cup arugula (Blue Sky Organic Farms)
    • Matt’s tomatoes (Community Exchange, Downtown Phoenix Public Market)
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • Pinch sea salt
    • Edible Flowers (The Farm at South Mountain)

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    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, olive oil, salt.
    • 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.
    • Flatten out the dough on floured parchment-paper.
    • With parchment paper on top of the dough, roll thinly with a rolling pin.
    • Carefully move flatbread to pre-heated pizza stone.
    • Spread 1 tbsp of olive oil onto the flatbread.

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    • Bake flatbread for 5 minutes.
    • Remove stone from oven.
    • Spread cashew cream on the top of the flatbread.
    • Add tomatoes, red peppers, carrots, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, and onions to the top of the flatbread.
    • Cook for about 8 minutes.
    • Garnish with arugula, drizzle of olive oil, and edible flowers.

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    Mindful garnishing of the flatbread.

    • Enjoy. Enjoy the beauty. Enjoy the tasty.

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    • Pause and enjoy the flatbread creation.

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    • My simple plate…

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    2019 Local First Arizona Independents Week: June 29 – July 6, 2019

    One-time Local Special:  Save 20%. Sedona Plant-Based Culinary Retreat, September 13-16, 2019. 

    Join us for a Memorable Plant-Based Cooking Retreat in Sedona, Arizona, September 13-16, 2019

    • Learn simple, easy plant-based cooking techniques.
    • 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.

    Click to learn more about the retreat on our website.

    Or, contact, Melanie Albert (Mel@MelanieAlbert.com or 602.615.2486) to answer your questions and to reserve your spot!

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  • Experience Nutrition: Phoenix Summer Farm-to-Table Arugula. Corn. Tomato Salad

    Experience Nutrition: Phoenix Summer Farm-to-Table Arugula. Corn. Tomato Salad

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

    After two full weeks of traveling to Boston for my niece Mallory’s beautiful, loving wedding; to my parents’ home of 30 years in Cocoa Beach; to a stop in  Barbados (while on the East Coast, of course, it makes sense to visit Barbados to explore the island and scout villas for plant-based culinary retreats.

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

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

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

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    Self-Care in Cocoa Beach.

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

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

    Back Home in Arizona

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

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    Saturday Stop: Phoenix Public Market

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

    Arizona Corn. Tomato. Arugula Summer Salad.

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


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    Fun shopping for Hatun Olive Oil at the Phoenix Public Market

    Simple Ingredients

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

    Simple Steps

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

    Pause and enjoy your mindful plating.

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    Pause. Enjoy your mindful plating.

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

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

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

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

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

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    To stay in touch, visit us on Facebook and Instagram: @nutritionauthor

  • Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table Spring Avocado Tartare

    Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table Spring Avocado Tartare

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

    I love avocados, and often when I buy several at a time I love making Avocado Tartare with the avocados and local Arizona farmers’ produce and fresh herbs. As part of my mindfulness in cooking, I love having fun creativity plating the dishes differently every time I make Avocado Tartare.

    I invite you to use the ingredients in the recipe as a guide and then have fun creating your own Avocado Tartare with your local farmers produce.

    A few key base ingredients include: a ripe avocado, citrus such as lemon or lime, a few fresh herbs like basil or oregano, a pinch of sea salt to balance the acid of the citrus and fat of the avocado.

    Avocado Tartare Recipe

    Serves 1

    Simple Ingredients

    • 1 ripe avocado
    • 6-8 Romanesco florets (Blue Sky Organic Farm)
    • 6-8 Purple cauliflower florets (Blue Sky Organic Farm)
    • 3-4 Carrots, rough chopped (Blue Sky Organic Farm, Steadfast Farm)
    • 3 orange lunchbox sweet peppers, rough chopped
    • 5-6 chrysanthemum leaves (Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain)
    • 3-5 stems fresh oregano (Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain)
    • 1 fresh lime, juiced
    • ¼ tsp capers
    • 2 tbsp Kalamata olives
    • Pinch sea salt
    • Day 2: 6-8 Purple Snap Peas (Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain)
    • Garnish: 1 small bunch baby spinach, edible flowers, fresh oregano, dehydrated tomatoes (Day 2)
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    Avocado Tartare: Farm-to-Table Ingredients

    Simple Steps

    • Chop all veggies.
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    Avocado Tartare: Veggies Chopped

    • Place all ingredients, except garnish, in a bowl.
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    Avocado Tartare: Ready to Gently Mix all the Veggies

    • Gently mix with a fork.
    • Add additional sea salt or lime, to suit your taste.
    • Plate, using a ring mold, if desired.
    • Garnish with edible flowers, fresh herbs, dehydrated tomatoes, fresh baby spinach.
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    Avocado Tartare: Plating Mise en Place

    Let’s take a look a the plating video…


    Now, the final Spring Avocado Tartare, featuring baby spinach.

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    Simple Beauty: Arizona Spring Avocado Tartare

    Another look at the Spring Avocado Tartare…in my 1-week old Elevated Edible Garden.

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    Farm-to-Table Avocado Tartare, enjoying the Edible Garden.

    Spring Avocado Tartare Day 2: Simple Farm-to-Table Ingredients

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    Avocado Tartare Day 2: Farm-to-Table Fresh Ingredients.

    Simple Steps

    • Chop all veggies.
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    Mindfully chop all veggies.

    • Place all ingredients, except garnish, in a bowl.

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    For Avocado Tartare, place veggies in bowl to gently mix.

    • Gently mix with a fork.
    • Add additional sea salt or lime, to suit your taste.
    • Plate and garnish.

    All set: Plating Mise en Place

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    Avocado Tartare Day 2: Plating Mise en Place. Always mindful.

    Enjoy the Day 2 plating…different every time.

    Food Art: A look at the Day 2 Avocado Tartare elegant plate…

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    Food Art. Avocado Tartare.

    Pause and enjoy your plating. Another beautiful view of the Day 2 Avocado Tartare.

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    Farm-to-Table Avocado Tartare Day 2: Pause and enjoy the beauty.

    Fun. Taking the Avocado Tartare to the tropics…

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    Avocado Tartare Tropics, for my friends in Barbados.

    Interested in learning simple, easy plant-based cooking techniques and enjoy self-care in Fall 2019 (September 13-16, 2019) in the beauty of Sedona? Click to learn more.

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

     

     

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

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

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

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

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

    Enjoy the Community at Farmers Markets.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Simple Ingredients

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

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    Simple Steps

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

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

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

    A-roastedcauli-IMG_0782.jpg

    • Enjoy with Hemp Seed Tabouli and Edible Flowers.

    Recipe: Hemp Seed Tabouli

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

    Simple Ingredients

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

    A-parsley-tabouli-IMG_0733.jpg

    Simple Steps

    • Chop parsley, tomato, onion, and garlic.

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

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

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    Plate and Enjoy

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

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    A few fun plates, starting with dramatic.

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    Enjoy roasted veggies in the pansy garden.

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    Fun Roasted Veggie Bowl…

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

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

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  • Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table with Pomegranate Café and Rhibafarms: Arizona Veggie Bowl

    Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table with Pomegranate Café and Rhibafarms: Arizona Veggie Bowl

    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…

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    The beauty of the POM Rhibafarms Box

    Closer look at the POM Rhibafarms Box

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    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

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    Simple Steps

    • Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
    • Slice all veggies into bite-sized pieces.

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    • 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.

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    • 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
    C-POMRhibafarms-IMG_5981
    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.
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    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.
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    POM Rhibafarms Veggie Bowl

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    A fun video of the creation of the POM Rhibafarms Box Veggie Bowl.


    A few more recipes created with the POM Rhibafarms BOX:



    INTERESTED IN PLANT-BASED COOKING RETREAT IN SEDONA, September 13-16, 2019. CLICK TO LEARN MORE

    IMG_5493


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


    Interested in the POM Rhibafarms BOX. You can purchase it right here.


    COOKING CLASSES AT THE FARM AT SOUTH MOUNTAIN IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA


    BB-04-A-06-VisitPhoenix-ExperienceNutrition-TeamBuilding-Lasagna-IMG_2111

    Purchase Tickets for Raw Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, April 7, 2019, 10:30am-1pm


    BB-05-Kids-MelanieAlbert-A-DSC_0453 (2)Purchase Tickets for Farm-to-Table Kids Food Art Cooking at The Farm at South Mountain with Melanie Albert, Sunday, March 24, 2019, 11am-noon

     

     


    Thanks to Natural Awakenings AZ magazine for featuring my Plant-Based Chocolate Pie on the cover and Plant-Based Dessert recipes in the January 2019 issue.


    Join our Simple Daily Plant-Based Eating Tips Facebook Page


    PUBLIC COOKING CLASSES AT THE MARICOPA COUNTY LIBRARIES

    I’m honored  have been leading hands-on cooking and yoga classes with the Maricopa County Library District since 2016. For the Winter Reading Program, the class focuses on Mediterranean Plant-Based Culinary. We’ll be preparing Hempseed Tabouli, Olive Tapenade, and Herbal Hummus. Classes are Free to the Public. Call the libraries directly to make your reservation.

    • Tuesday, March 19, 2019, 5:00-6:30pm: Litchfield Park Branch Library
    • More to come in the Summer Reading Program: June & July 2019.

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    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.

     

     

     

  • Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table Cooking with The Farm at South Mountain: Arizona Spring Flatbread

    Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table Cooking with The Farm at South Mountain: Arizona Spring Flatbread

    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

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    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
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    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.
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    Mise en Place: Roasted Veggies
    • In a bowl, gently coat veggies with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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
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    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.
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    Saute greens lightly and quickly with squeeze of fresh grapefruit juice and a pinch of sea salt.

    Greens & Purples Sauteed for the Flatbread

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    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)
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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

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    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.

    IJ-flatbread-cooked-top-IMG_7084
    The beauty of the Spring Farm-to-Table Flatbread.

    Mouthwatering…

    IJ-flatbread-cookedgreens-IMG_7106
    Spring Farm-to-Table Flatbread. Sauteed Greens.

     

    INTERESTED IN PLANT-BASED COOKING RETREAT IN SEDONA, September 13-16, 2019. CLICK TO LEARN MORE

    IMG_5493


     

    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


    BB-04-A-06-VisitPhoenix-ExperienceNutrition-TeamBuilding-Lasagna-IMG_2111

    Purchase Tickets for Raw Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, April 7, 2019, 10:30am-1pm


    BB-05-Kids-MelanieAlbert-A-DSC_0453 (2)Purchase Tickets for Farm-to-Table Kids Food Art Cooking at The Farm at South Mountain with Melanie Albert, Sunday, March 24, 2019, 11am-noon

     

     


    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.

    NaturalAwakeAZ-Jan19-Cover-IMG_7717 (1)
    Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019

    Join our Simple Daily Plant-Based Eating Tips Facebook Page


     

     

  • Experience Nutrition: Behind the Scenes for The List TV Shoot

    Experience Nutrition: Behind the Scenes for The List TV Shoot

    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.


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    Thanks to Billy for the beautiful farm-to-table floral arrangement for our kitchen set.

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    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.

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    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.

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    We all loved the edible flowers. Thanks so much to urban farmer, Billy Anthony at The Farm at South Mountain.

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    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.

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    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.


    IMG_5493

    INTERESTED IN PLANT-BASED COOKING RETREAT IN SEDONA, September 13-16, 2019. CLICK TO LEARN MORE


    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


    Mel-Billy-Grid-1

    Purchase Tickets for Spring Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, March 3, 2019, 10:30am-1pm


    BB-04-A-06-VisitPhoenix-ExperienceNutrition-TeamBuilding-Lasagna-IMG_2111

    Purchase Tickets for Raw Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, April 7, 2019, 10:30am-1pm


    BB-05-Kids-MelanieAlbert-A-DSC_0453 (2)Purchase Tickets for Farm-to-Table Kids Food Art Cooking at The Farm at South Mountain with Melanie Albert, Sunday, March 24, 2019, 11am-noon

     

     


    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.

    NaturalAwakeAZ-Jan19-Cover-IMG_7717 (1)
    Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019

    Join our Simple Daily Plant-Based Eating Tips Facebook Page

     

     

     

  • Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table Cooking with The Farm at South Mountain: 15 Arizona Greens & 1 Green Drink

    Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table Cooking with The Farm at South Mountain: 15 Arizona Greens & 1 Green Drink

    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.

    1. Borage greens
    2. Broccoli greens
    3. Cauliflower greens
    4. Collard greens
    5. Hon tsai tai
    6. Kale
    7. Minutina
    8. Mizuna
    9. Mustard Greens
    10. Rainbow Chard
    11. Red Pac Choy
    12. Roquette Arugula
    13. Shungiku (chrysanthemum)
    14. Spigarello
    15. 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…

    AA-TheFarm-edible-flowers-IMG_4873 - Copy-Reducesizetest


    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

    A-greendrink.jpeg

    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.

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    • Enjoy as a refreshing breakfast or snack.

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    Garnish with a few sprigs of broccoli, mint, and edible flowers…Enjoy!

    A-greendrink-IMG_5410

    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


    Mel-Billy-Grid-1

    Purchase Tickets for Spring Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, March 3, 2019, 10:30am-1pm


    BB-04-A-06-VisitPhoenix-ExperienceNutrition-TeamBuilding-Lasagna-IMG_2111

    Purchase Tickets for Raw Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, April 7, 2019, 10:30am-1pm


    BB-05-Kids-MelanieAlbert-A-DSC_0453 (2)Purchase Tickets for Farm-to-Table Kids Food Art Cooking at The Farm at South Mountain with Melanie Albert, Sunday, March 24, 2019, 11am-noon

     

     


    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.

    NaturalAwakeAZ-Jan19-Cover-IMG_7717 (1)
    Natural Awakenings Arizona, January 2019

    Join our Simple Daily Plant-Based Eating Tips Facebook Page


    INTERESTED IN PLANT-BASED COOKING RETREAT IN SEDONA, September 13-16, 2019. CLICK TO LEARN MORE

    IMG_4825

     

  • Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table with Pomegranate Café and Rhibafarms: Arizona Veggie Tacos

    Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table with Pomegranate Café and Rhibafarms: Arizona Veggie Tacos

    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

    B-veggies-IMG_5128.jpeg

    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.

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    • Place veggies on parchment-lined flat sheet pan, flat side down with veggies not touching.

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    • Roast for 8 minutes.
    • Flip veggies.
    • Roast for another 8 minutes.
    • Use veggies as taco toppings.

    D-veg-roasted-IMG_5155.jpeg

    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.

    Taco Garnish

    Simple Ingredients

    • Pomegranate Café: Guacamole, Enchilada Sauce, Corn Tortilla
    • 2 carrots, sliced
    • 3 radishes, sliced
    • 2 mini-sweet peppers, sliced
    • ¼ cup red cabbage, sliced
    • ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds

    Corn Tortilla

    • Pre-heat sauté pan on medium.
    • Coat bottom of pan with about 1 tbsp olive oil.
    • 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.

    E-miseplating-IMG_5161


    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!

    AA-tacos-IMG_5245AA-tacos-IMG_5232

    A few more recipes created with the POM Rhibafarms BOX:



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


    Interested in the POM Rhibafarms BOX. You can purchase it right here.


    COOKING CLASSES AT THE FARM AT SOUTH MOUNTAIN IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA


    Mel-Billy-Grid-1

    Purchase Tickets for Spring Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, March 3, 2019, 10:30am-1pm


    BB-04-A-06-VisitPhoenix-ExperienceNutrition-TeamBuilding-Lasagna-IMG_2111

    Purchase Tickets for Raw Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, April 7, 2019, 10:30am-1pm


    BB-05-Kids-MelanieAlbert-A-DSC_0453 (2)Purchase Tickets for Farm-to-Table Kids Food Art Cooking at The Farm at South Mountain with Melanie Albert, Sunday, March 24, 2019, 11am-noon

     

     



    Thanks to Natural Awakenings AZ magazine for featuring my Plant-Based Chocolate Pie on the cover and Plant-Based Dessert recipes in the January 2019 issue.


    Join our Simple Daily Plant-Based Eating Tips Facebook Page


    INTERESTED IN PLANT-BASED COOKING RETREAT IN SEDONA, September 13-16, 2019. CLICK TO LEARN MORE

    IMG_4825


    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.

    IMG_1302

    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

     

     

     

  • Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table with Pomegranate Café and Rhibafarms: Orange Pepper Pilaf & Greens Radish Salad

    Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table with Pomegranate Café and Rhibafarms: Orange Pepper Pilaf & Greens Radish Salad

    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…

    AA-PomBox-021419-IMG_4149
    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.

    A-Rhibafarms-ChiliPeppers-IMG_4625
    Beautiful Peppers by Rhibafarms.

    Rhibafarms Orange Pepper Pilaf & Greens Radish Salad

    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.

    INGREDIENTS from the POM BOX

    • Fresh Thyme. Oranges. Dried Peppers. Radishes. Greens. Honey.

    COOK GARBANZO BEANS

    Simple Ingredients

    • 1 cup dried garbanzo beans, soaked in water overnight
    • 3-4 bay leaves

    Simple Steps

    • Pre-soak garbanzo beans in water overnight.
    • Rinse beans and then place beans in large soup pot.
    • Cover with about twice as much cold water.
    • Add bay leaves to tenderize the beans.
    • Cover pot and bring to a boil.
    • Lower heat and simmer for about 1.5 hours with the lid ajar.
    • After about an hour start to test the beans for doneness. They should be creamy on the inside.
    • Use the beans in the Pilaf.

    ORANGE PEPPER PILAF RECIPE

    Simple Ingredients

    • 2 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 cup brown rice
    • 2 cups garbanzo beans
    • 1 orange, juiced (about ½ cup)
    • 1 orange, sliced
    • 3 peppers
    • 2 cups water

     

    A-pilaf-IMG_4633
    Mise en Place: Orange Pepper Pilaf. Greens Radish Salad.

    Simple Steps

    • Pre-heat sauté pan on low.
    • Warm olive oil in pan.
    • Add brown rice and toast 2-3 minutes.
    • Add garbanzo beans, orange juice, water, orange slices, & peppers.
    • Bring to a boil.
    • Cover and sauté for about 30 minutes, until all liquid is absorbed.

    This slideshow requires JavaScript.

    C-pilaf-IMG_E4669
    Orange Pepper Pilaf. Garbanzo Beans. Thyme.
    C-pilaf-IMG_4667
    Orange Pepper Pilaf

    ORANGE HONEY DRESSING

    Simple Ingredients

    • 1 orange, juiced (about ¼ cup)
    • ½ cup organic extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 tsp local honey
    • Pinch sea salt

    Simple Steps

    • Squeeze orange juice into small Mason jar.
    • Add twice as much olive oil as the orange juice.
    • Add honey to the jar.
    • Shake and taste. Adjust for desired taste.
    • Add pinch sea salt.

    GREENS RADISH SALAD

    Simple Ingredients

    • ¼ cup Orange Honey Dressing
    • 3-4 greens leaves, rough chopped
    • 5-7 radishes, sliced
    D-salad-IMG_4680
    Mise en Place: Greens Radish Salad

    Simple Steps

    • Gently toss greens with dressing and radishes.

    EnD-salad-IMG_4687.jpg

    E-salad-MG_4700
    Greens Radish Salad

    FINAL DISH

    • Enjoy Pilaf and Greens Salad for a simple meal.
    F-pilafsalad-IMG_4758
    Orange Pepper Pilaf. Greens Radish Salad.

    Love to cook? Check out other POM Farm Box recipes created with the beautiful Rhibafarms produce and Pomegranate Cafe goodies.


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


    Interested in the POM Rhibafarms BOX. You can purchase it right here.


    COOKING CLASSES AT THE FARM AT SOUTH MOUNTAIN IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA


    Mel-Billy-Grid-1

    Purchase Tickets for Spring Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, March 3, 2019, 10:30am-1pm


    BB-04-A-06-VisitPhoenix-ExperienceNutrition-TeamBuilding-Lasagna-IMG_2111

    Purchase Tickets for Raw Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, April 7, 2019, 10:30am-1pm


    BB-05-Kids-MelanieAlbert-A-DSC_0453 (2)Purchase Tickets for Farm-to-Table Kids Food Art Cooking at The Farm at South Mountain with Melanie Albert, Sunday, March 24, 2019, 11am-noon

     

     



    Thanks to Natural Awakenings AZ magazine for featuring my Plant-Based Chocolate Pie on the cover and Plant-Based Dessert recipes in the January 2019 issue.


    Join our Simple Daily Plant-Based Eating Tips Facebook Page


    INTERESTED IN PLANT-BASED COOKING RETREAT IN SEDONA, September 13-16, 2019. CLICK TO LEARN MORE

    IMG_4825


    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.

    IMG_1302

    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.

     

  • Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table with Pomegranate Café and Rhibafarms: Broccoli Cauliflower Fig Salad

    Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table with Pomegranate Café and Rhibafarms: Broccoli Cauliflower Fig Salad

    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.

    A-POM-love-IMG_3997


    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

    A-broc-cali-mise-IMG_3797
    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.
    B-cauliflower-IMG_3817
    Lightly coat broccoli with Lemon Finishing Dressing
    • Place parsley, figs, and almonds into a bowl. Drizzle dressing onto the ingredients. Lightly toss.

    B-parsley-IMG_3819.jpg

    • Place all ingredients into a bowl and lightly toss.
    • Plate all ingredients on purple cabbage leaf.
    • Garnish with edible flowers.
    • Enjoy.

    A-broc-calli-plate-IMG_3847.jpg
    Broccoli Cauliflower Fig Salad

    Love to cook? Check out other POM Farm Box recipes created with the beautiful Rhibafarms produce and Pomegranate Cafe goodies.


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


    Interested in the POM Rhibafarms BOX. You can purchase it right here.


    COOKING CLASSES AT THE FARM AT SOUTH MOUNTAIN IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA


    Mel-Billy-Grid-1

    Purchase Tickets for Spring Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, March 3, 2019, 10:30am-1pm


    BB-04-A-06-VisitPhoenix-ExperienceNutrition-TeamBuilding-Lasagna-IMG_2111

    Purchase Tickets for Raw Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, April 7, 2019, 10:30am-1pm


    BB-05-Kids-MelanieAlbert-A-DSC_0453 (2)Purchase Tickets for Farm-to-Table Kids Food Art Cooking at The Farm at South Mountain with Melanie Albert, Sunday, March 24, 2019, 11am-noon

     

     



    Thanks to Natural Awakenings AZ magazine for featuring my Plant-Based Chocolate Pie on the cover and Plant-Based Dessert recipes in the January 2019 issue.


    Join our Simple Daily Plant-Based Eating Tips Facebook Page



    PUBLIC COOKING CLASSES AT THE MARICOPA COUNTY LIBRARIES

    I’m honored  have been leading hands-on cooking and yoga classes with the Maricopa County Library District since 2016. For the Winter Reading Program, the class focuses on Mediterranean Plant-Based Culinary. We’ll be preparing Hempseed Tabouli, Olive Tapenade, and Herbal Hummus. Classes are Free to the Public. Call the libraries directly to make your reservation.

    • Tuesday, March 19, 2019, 5:00-6:30pm: Litchfield Park Branch Library
    • More to come in the Summer Reading Program: June & July 2019.

    IMG_1302

    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.

     

  • Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table Cooking with The Farm at South Mountain: Fragrant Winter Greens Gremolata Recipe

    Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table Cooking with The Farm at South Mountain: Fragrant Winter Greens Gremolata Recipe

    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.

    A-thefarm-poppy-IMG_E2396
    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).

    A-thefarm-greens-IMG_2563
    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.

    A-greens-ingredients-IMG_2868
    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.
    C-dressing-IMG_2930
    Gremolata Mise en Place.

    C-dressing-toss-IMG_2940
    Gremolata ready to toss.
    • Serve with roasted local veggies, such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, beets, and sweet potatoes.

    D-gremolata-vegs-IMG_2964
    Local Arizona roasted veggies to enjoy with the Fragrant Gremolata.

    This slideshow requires JavaScript.


    D-plate-gremolateveggiesIMG_2982
    Arizona Winter Fragrant Greens Gremolata. Roasted Veggies.

    D-gremolata-veg-plate-IMG_2986
    Enjoy Roasted Veggies and Gremolata.

    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

    Mel-Billy-Grid-1

    Purchase Tickets for Spring Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, March 3, 2019, 10:30am-1pm

     


    BB-04-A-06-VisitPhoenix-ExperienceNutrition-TeamBuilding-Lasagna-IMG_2111

    Purchase Tickets for Raw Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, April 7, 2019, 10:30am-1pm


    BB-05-Kids-MelanieAlbert-A-DSC_0453 (2) Purchase Tickets for Farm-to-Table Kids Food Art Cooking at The Farm at South Mountain with Melanie Albert, Sunday, March 24, 2019, 11am-noon

     

     


    Thanks to Natural Awakenings AZ magazine for featuring my Plant-Based Chocolate Pie on the cover and Plant-Based Dessert recipes in the January 2019 issue.


    Join our Simple Daily Plant-Based Eating Tips Facebook Page

     

  • Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table with Pomegranate Café and Rhibafarms: Broccoli & Cauliflower Flatbread

    Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table with Pomegranate Café and Rhibafarms: Broccoli & Cauliflower Flatbread

    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…

    BB-POM-020719-IMG_3130
    The healthy, welcoming Pomegranate Cafe, Ahwatukee, Arizona.
    BB-POM-BOx-MA-IMG_3133
    The POM Rhibafarm Box 2.8.19…”Especially grown for Pome/Rhiba Family”…I feel special. Thanks so much to Mark Rhine.
    BB-POM-Box-list-020819-IMG_3131
    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.

    A-PomBox-2018-0208-IMG_3159
    POM Rhibafarms 020819: Trio Broccoli, Galaxy Caulflower, Purple Cabbage

    Rhibafarms Broccoli & Cauliflower Flatbread Recipe

    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
    AA-Cauliflower-IMG_E2305
    Rhibafarms Cauliflower. Simple Beauty.
    AA-broccoli-IMG_E2314
    Rhibafarms Broccoli. So fresh.
    IMG_2621
    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
    A-POM-CauliBroc-Mis-IMG_2631
    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.
    A-POM-Cauli-Broc-IMG_2639
    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.
    A-POM-cauli-broc-IMG_2647
    Cauliflower and broccoli on parchment-lined sheet pan.
    • Roast for 8 minutes.
    • Flip veggies.
    • Roast for another 8 minutes.
    • Use veggies as flatbread toppings.
    A-POm-cauliflowerBroc-cooked-IMG_E2659
    The lightly roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli

    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.
    B-cashewcream-IMG_2619
    Cashew Cream: Pre-soaked cashews, lemon, nutritional yeast, sea salt.

    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)
    • OPTIONAL: ¼ cup Kalamata olives, ¼ cup capers, ¼ cup dehydrated tomato slices.

    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.
    • 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.
    • Flatten out the dough on floured parchment-paper.
    • With parchment paper on top of the dough, roll thinly 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 broccoli, cauliflower, olives, and capers to the top of the flatbread.
    • Cook for about 8 minutes.
    • Garnish with dehydrated tomatoes.
    • Enjoy!

    This slideshow requires JavaScript.

    Yummmm…the baked beautiful POM Rhibafarms Box Roasted Cauliflower Broccoli Flatbread

    E-flatbread-final-IMG_2732
    Baked beautiful POM Rhibafarms Box Roasted Cauliflower Broccoli Flatbread

    A perfect slice…

    E-flatbread-final-IMG_2785
    Perfect slice. Cauliflower Broccoli Flatbread & Leaves.

     


    Love to cook? Check out other POM Farm Box recipes created with the beautiful Rhibafarms produce and Pomegranate Cafe goodies.


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



    Interested in the POM Rhibafarms BOX. You can purchase it right here.


    COOKING CLASSES AT THE FARM AT SOUTH MOUNTAIN IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA


    BB-002-MelanieAlbert-TomShanahanTheFarm-Feb17-2019

    Purchase Tickets for Whole Foods for Addiction Recovery with New York “Spiritual Adrenaline” Author Tom Shanahan and Phoenix cookbook author Melanie Albert. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, February 17, 2019, 11am-1pm


    Mel-Billy-Grid-1

    Purchase Tickets for Spring Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, March 3, 2019, 10:30am-1pm


    BB-04-A-06-VisitPhoenix-ExperienceNutrition-TeamBuilding-Lasagna-IMG_2111

    Purchase Tickets for Raw Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, April 7, 2019, 10:30am-1pm


    BB-05-Kids-MelanieAlbert-A-DSC_0453 (2)Purchase Tickets for Farm-to-Table Kids Food Art Cooking at The Farm at South Mountain with Melanie Albert, Sunday, February 10, 2019, 11am-noon


    Purchase Tickets for Farm-to-Table Kids Food Art Cooking at The Farm at South Mountain with Melanie Albert, Sunday, March 24, 2019, 11am-noon


    Thanks to Natural Awakenings AZ magazine for featuring my Plant-Based Chocolate Pie on the cover and Plant-Based Dessert recipes in the January 2019 issue.


    Join our Simple Daily Plant-Based Eating Tips Facebook Page



    PUBLIC COOKING CLASSES AT THE MARICOPA COUNTY LIBRARIES

    I’m honored  have been leading hands-on cooking and yoga classes with the Maricopa County Library District since 2016. For the Winter Reading Program, the class focuses on Mediterranean Plant-Based Culinary. We’ll be preparing Hempseed Tabouli, Olive Tapenade, and Herbal Hummus. Classes are Free to the Public. Call the libraries directly to make your reservation.

    • Tuesday, March 19, 2019, 5:00-6:30pm: Litchfield Park Branch Library
    • More to come in the Summer Reading Program: June & July 2019.

    IMG_1302

    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)

     

     

  • Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table Cooking with The Farm at South Mountain: Specialty Greens & Di Cicco Broccoli Saute. Top 5 Tips to Saute Greens

    Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table Cooking with The Farm at South Mountain: Specialty Greens & Di Cicco Broccoli Saute. Top 5 Tips to Saute Greens

    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.

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    The Farm at South Mountain. Soil & Seed Garden. January 2019 Morning.
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    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)

    B-TheFarmCSA-IMG_1754
    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.

    B-TheFarm-Stir-012619-IMG_1766
    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
    C-TheFarm-stir-012619-IMG_1792
    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.
    E-sage-IMG_1797
    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.
    C-sautepan-IMG_1802
    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!
    D-TheFarm-stir-plate-012619-IMG_1868
    Greens & Di Cicco Broccoli Orange Saute

    AA-GreensSaute-IMG_1879

    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.

    B-TheFarm-012619-stir-Broccoli-IMG_1774
    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.

    B-TheFarm-stir-Hontsaitai-IMG_1788
    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.

    B-TheFarm-012619-orach-IMG_1781
    Purple Orach, Soil & Seed Garden, The Farm at South Mountain

    TOP 5 TIPS TO SAUTE GREENS PERFECTLY EVERY TIME

    1. Choose a variety of greens. Different shapes and colors. Some mild, some bitter.
    2. Pre-heat the saute pan prior to adding the oil.
    3. Add a pinch of salt when sauteing to bring out the flavor in the greens.
    4. Add citrus – orange, lemon, or grapefruit – to add contrasting acid to the dish.
    5. 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, ARIZONABB-01-A-13-VisitPhoenix-ExperienceNutrition-TeamBuliding-MelanieDessert-IMG_2119

    Purchase Tickets for the Get Clear for the New Year Vision Board & Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Cooking Class at The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Saturday, January 12, 2019, 1-3pm

     

     


    BB-002-MelanieAlbert-TomShanahanTheFarm-Feb17-2019

    Purchase Tickets for Whole Foods for Addiction Recovery with New York “Spiritual Adrenaline” Author Tom Shanahan and Phoenix cookbook author Melanie Albert. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, February 17, 2019, 11am-1pm


    Mel-Billy-Grid-1

    Purchase Tickets for Spring Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, March 3, 2019, 10:30am-1pm

     

     


    BB-04-A-06-VisitPhoenix-ExperienceNutrition-TeamBuilding-Lasagna-IMG_2111

    Purchase Tickets for Raw Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, April 7, 2019, 10:30am-1pm

     


    BB-05-Kids-MelanieAlbert-A-DSC_0453 (2)Purchase Tickets for Farm-to-Table Kids Food Art Cooking at The Farm at South Mountain with Melanie Albert, Sunday, February 10, 2019, 11am-noon


    Purchase Tickets for Farm-to-Table Kids Food Art Cooking at The Farm at South Mountain with Melanie Albert, Sunday, March 24, 2019, 11am-noon


    Thanks to Natural Awakenings AZ magazine for featuring my Plant-Based Chocolate Pie on the cover and Plant-Based Dessert recipes in the January 2019 issue.


    Join our Simple Daily Plant-Based Eating Tips Facebook Page

     

  • Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table with Pomegranate Café and Rhibafarms: Cabbage Two Ways

    Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table with Pomegranate Café and Rhibafarms: Cabbage Two Ways

    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.

    AA-POM-Rhibafarms-CSA-020119-IMG_2270
    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…

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    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.

    AA-POM-Rhibafarms-cabbage-IMG_2334
    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)

    IMG_E1952

    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

    A-cabbage-Pickled-IMG_1947.jpg


    A-Cabbage-pickled-IMG_1951.jpg

    SIMPLE STEPS

    Cabbage

    • Slice cabbage in half.
    • Cut out the core.
    • Slice one-half of the cabbage into ¼” strips.

    A-cabbage-pickled-IMG_1965

    • 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.

    A-cabbage-pickled-IMG_1983

    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.

    A-cabbage-pickled-IMG_1985.JPG

    • Pour the liquid into the jar to fully cover the cabbage.

    A-cabbage-pickled-IMG_E1999

    • 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.

    A-cabbage-saute-IMG_2012

    • 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.

    B-cabbage-saute-IMG_2021

    • Plate with a few fresh greens and enjoy as a side dish.

    B-cabbage-saute-IMG_E2042.JPG


    Love to cook? Check out other POM Farm Box recipes created with the beautiful Rhibafarms produce and Pomegranate Cafe goodies.


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



    Interested in the POM Rhibafarms BOX. You can purchase it right here.


    COOKING CLASSES AT THE FARM AT SOUTH MOUNTAIN IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA


    BB-002-MelanieAlbert-TomShanahanTheFarm-Feb17-2019

    Purchase Tickets for Whole Foods for Addiction Recovery with New York “Spiritual Adrenaline” Author Tom Shanahan and Phoenix cookbook author Melanie Albert. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, February 17, 2019, 11am-1pm


    Mel-Billy-Grid-1

    Purchase Tickets for Spring Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, March 3, 2019, 10:30am-1pm


    BB-04-A-06-VisitPhoenix-ExperienceNutrition-TeamBuilding-Lasagna-IMG_2111

    Purchase Tickets for Raw Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, April 7, 2019, 10:30am-1pm


    BB-05-Kids-MelanieAlbert-A-DSC_0453 (2)Purchase Tickets for Farm-to-Table Kids Food Art Cooking at The Farm at South Mountain with Melanie Albert, Sunday, February 10, 2019, 11am-noon


    Purchase Tickets for Farm-to-Table Kids Food Art Cooking at The Farm at South Mountain with Melanie Albert, Sunday, March 24, 2019, 11am-noon


    Thanks to Natural Awakenings AZ magazine for featuring my Plant-Based Chocolate Pie on the cover and Plant-Based Dessert recipes in the January 2019 issue.


    Join our Simple Daily Plant-Based Eating Tips Facebook Page



    PUBLIC COOKING CLASSES AT THE MARICOPA COUNTY LIBRARIES

    I’m honored  have been leading hands-on cooking and yoga classes with the Maricopa County Library District since 2016. For the Winter Reading Program, the class focuses on Mediterranean Plant-Based Culinary. We’ll be preparing Hempseed Tabouli, Olive Tapenade, and Herbal Hummus. Classes are Free to the Public. Call the libraries directly to make your reservation.

    • Thursday, February 7, 2019, 10:00-11:30am: El Mirage Branch Library
    • Tuesday, March 19, 2019, 5:00-6:30pm: Litchfield Park Branch Library

     

  • Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table Recipe: More than Kale Chips. 5 New Leafy Green Chips!

    Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table Recipe: More than Kale Chips. 5 New Leafy Green Chips!

    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

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    Leafy Greens

    • ½ bunch mizuna
    • ½ bunch shungiku (chrysanthemum)
    • ½ bunch roquette arugula
    • ½ bunch spigarello
    • ½ bunch cauliflower greens
    A-greens-IMG_0811
    Leafy Greens: Mizuna, Shungiku, Arugula, Spigarello, Cauliflower

    Cashew Cream

    • 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
    A-cashewcream-IMG_0791
    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.
    A-chips-IMG_0827
    Place greens and cashew cream into a small bowl.
    • Gently massage cashew cream into the leafy greens.
    A-chips-IMG_0828
    Lightly massage the cashew cream into the greens.
    • Spread greens onto dehydrator screen.
    A-chips-IMG_0833
    Mindfully spread greens onto dehydrator screens.
    • Dehydrate at 125 degrees F for about 3 hours.
    A-chips-IMG_0848
    Dehydrate greens at 125 degrees F for about 3 hours.
    • Test for desired crunchiness.
    • Dehydrate longer to suit your taste.
    • Enjoy as a snack.
    A-chips-IMG_0953
    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.
    A-shungiku-IMG_0419
    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.
    C-mizuna-learninggarden-IMG_E0467
    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!

    CauliflowerGreens-IMG_0427
    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”

    WP-088-A-book-IMG_5760


    COOKING CLASSES AT THE FARM AT SOUTH MOUNTAIN IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA


    BB-002-MelanieAlbert-TomShanahanTheFarm-Feb17-2019

    Click to Purchase Tickets for Whole Foods for Addiction Recovery with New York “Spiritual Adrenaline” Author Tom Shanahan and Phoenix cookbook author Melanie Albert. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, February 17, 2019, 11am-1pm


    Mel-Billy-Grid-1

    Click to Purchase Tickets for Spring Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, March 3, 2019, 10:30am-1pm

     

     


    BB-04-A-06-VisitPhoenix-ExperienceNutrition-TeamBuilding-Lasagna-IMG_2111

    Click to Purchase Tickets for Raw Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, April 7, 2019, 10:30am-1pm

     


    BB-05-Kids-MelanieAlbert-A-DSC_0453 (2)Click to Purchase Tickets for Farm-to-Table Kids Food Art Cooking at The Farm at South Mountain with Melanie Albert, Sunday, February 10, 2019, 11am-noon


    Click to Purchase Tickets for Farm-to-Table Kids Food Art Cooking at The Farm at South Mountain with Melanie Albert, Sunday, March 24, 2019, 11am-noon


    Thanks to Natural Awakenings AZ magazine for featuring my Plant-Based Chocolate Pie on the cover and Plant-Based Dessert recipes in the January 2019 issue.


    Join our Simple Daily Plant-Based Eating Tips Facebook Page

     

  • Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table with Pomegranate Café and Rhibafarms: Arizona Winter Greens Sauté Recipe

    Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table with Pomegranate Café and Rhibafarms: Arizona Winter Greens Sauté Recipe

    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.

    FullSizeRender
    POM Rhibafarms BOX: 1.25.19

    Let’s see…what is all that beautiful local Arizona produce…

    AA-POMBox-w-01-IMG_1374
    POM BOX 1.25.19

    RECIPE: Arizona Winter Greens & Hakurei Turnip Sauté with POM Sweet Chile Tamari Sauce

    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.

    A-POMBox-01.24.19-IMG_1092
    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.
    A-POMBox-01.24.19-IMG_1118
    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…

    https://experiencenutrition.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_1139.mov
    C-greens-saute-quinoa-IMG_1169
    Ready to plate with the Greens Saute and Turmeric Quinoa.
    • Plate with greens, fresh cilantro, white sesame seeds, and enjoy with Turmeric Quinoa.
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    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
    C-Quinoa-turmeric-IMG_1111
    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”



    Interested in the POM Rhibafarms BOX. You can purchase it right here.


    COOKING CLASSES AT THE FARM AT SOUTH MOUNTAIN IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA


    BB-002-MelanieAlbert-TomShanahanTheFarm-Feb17-2019

    Purchase Tickets for Whole Foods for Addiction Recovery with New York “Spiritual Adrenaline” Author Tom Shanahan and Phoenix cookbook author Melanie Albert. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, February 17, 2019, 11am-1pm


    Mel-Billy-Grid-1

    Purchase Tickets for Spring Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, March 3, 2019, 10:30am-1pm

     

     


    BB-04-A-06-VisitPhoenix-ExperienceNutrition-TeamBuilding-Lasagna-IMG_2111

    Purchase Tickets for Raw Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, April 7, 2019, 10:30am-1pm

     


    BB-05-Kids-MelanieAlbert-A-DSC_0453 (2)Purchase Tickets for Farm-to-Table Kids Food Art Cooking at The Farm at South Mountain with Melanie Albert, Sunday, February 10, 2019, 11am-noon


    Purchase Tickets for Farm-to-Table Kids Food Art Cooking at The Farm at South Mountain with Melanie Albert, Sunday, March 24, 2019, 11am-noon


    Thanks to Natural Awakenings AZ magazine for featuring my Plant-Based Chocolate Pie on the cover and Plant-Based Dessert recipes in the January 2019 issue.


    Join our Simple Daily Plant-Based Eating Tips Facebook Page



    PUBLIC COOKING CLASSES AT THE MARICOPA COUNTY LIBRARIES

    I’m honored  have been leading hands-on cooking and yoga classes with the Maricopa County Library District since 2016. For the Winter Reading Program, the class focuses on Mediterranean Plant-Based Culinary. We’ll be preparing Hempseed Tabouli, Olive Tapenade, and Herbal Hummus. Classes are Free to the Public. Call the libraries directly to make your reservation.

    • Thursday, February 7, 2019, 10:00-11:30am: El Mirage Branch Library
    • Tuesday, March 19, 2019, 5:00-6:30pm: Litchfield Park Brand Library

     

     

  • Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table Recipe: Arizona Winter  Three Greens & Citrus Salad Recipe

    Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table Recipe: Arizona Winter Three Greens & Citrus Salad Recipe

    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

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    SIMPLE STEPS

    SALAD DRESSING

    • Squeeze ½ of juiced orange and ½ of juiced grapefruit into mason jar. Approximately ¼ cup juice total.

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    • Pour in twice as much organic extra virgin olive oil as juice.

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    • 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.

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    • Shake jar.

    PLATE THE SALAD

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    • Place greens, snap peas, olives, capers, pecans, and mint leaves in a large bowl.

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    • Gently pour the dressing onto the greens.
    • Hand toss to coat the greens with the dressing.

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    • Plate the salad with slices of orange and grapefruit.

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    Let’s take a look at the final salad..

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