Experience Nutrition

Tag: Plant-based

  • Honored to Announce the NEW Love Beautiful Food, in honor of my Mom & Dad

    Honored to Announce the NEW Love Beautiful Food, in honor of my Mom & Dad

    This week, I had an ah-ha. On May 3, 2024, my Mom has been gone from her very favorite spot on our Earth for a year. Late last night, I had an ah-ha that I would launch my new brand, Love Beautiful Food, today to honor her (and my Dad.)

    To share a little personal, all my life, my Mom would tell me, “Follow your passions, and the money will follow.” My Dad would balance this and always ask, “How much money did you make?”…whether it be after coming home from a waitress job during the summers when I was in college, or even as an entrepreneur many years later…after an event, he’d ask, “How many books did you sell.”

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    Here’s the news! Today, I am proud and excited to share with you that I am launching my new brand, LOVE BEAUTIFUL FOOD, in my parents’ honor! With LOVE BEAUTIFUL FOOD, we go from Farm to Kitchen to Table. That is from the beautiful food our local farmers grow to simple culinary techniques and intuitive cooking to creating beautiful, eye-catching appetizers, entrees, and desserts. If you love farmers markets and home cooking and are ready to elevate your dishes into incredible, beautiful food… Coming soon…more shopping tips, intuitive recipes, and opportunities to create beautiful food in Live Online Challenges, 3-day Live Online Virtual Events, and even incredible Retreats. From my heart and passion, I really do look forward to sharing my passion and skills with you and creating Beautiful Food together! Love Beautiful Food, Melanie PS And, finally, finally…my parents would say to me today…”Now go have fun!” So, I pass that to you, too. Enjoy, my friends!

  • Experience Nutrition Recipe: Arizona Cucumber Summer Salad

    Experience Nutrition Recipe: Arizona Cucumber Summer Salad

    This fresh summer salad was inspired by the pickling cucumbers purchased at the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market. When I purchased the cucumbers I was planning on making some quick pickles. Instead, I ended up enjoying them as a raw snack and this fresh salad.

    Enjoy the video of the salad…from farmers market to table…

    Chopped Cucumber Salad

    Inspired by the beauty of the cucumber…

    Simple Ingredients

    • 1 small cucumber (Crooked Sky Farm)
    • 1 tomato (Crooked Sky Farm)
    • 1green pepper (Crooked Sky Farm)
    • 1 green onion
    • 1 cup yellow beans (Steadfast Farm)

    Simple Steps

    • Slice all veggies in unique shapes and sizes.

    Basil Garlic Lime Dressing

    Simple Ingredients

    • ½ lime, juiced
    • 2 tbsp organic extra olive oil
    • 3-4 basil stems (Melanie’s garden)
    • 1 garlic clove, minced (Blue Sky Organic Farm)
    • Pinch sea salt

    Simple Steps

    • Place all ingredients into small blender.
    • Blend until desired level of smoothness.

    Dress the Salad

    • Place all chopped ingredients into a medium bowl.
    • Pour dressing over the veggies.
    • Gently toss to coat all veggies with the dressing.

    Salad Food Art

    • Plating Mise en Place: Mindfully gather the salad, garnish, and bowl for plating

    • Mindfully plate the chopped cucumber salad with extra slices of cucumber, tomatoes, and fresh basil.
    • Enjoy!

    Another view…the beauty of the Cucumber Salad

    As you may be aware I am getting ready to announce “The 5-Day Beautiful Food Art Challenge”.

    If you’d like to be included in our e-mail to learn more about the Challenge, please fill in your Name and E-Mail below. Thanks!

  • Experience Nutrition Recipe: Asian Salad & Ginger Citrus Dressing.

    Experience Nutrition Recipe: Asian Salad & Ginger Citrus Dressing.

    I’m so honored to share simple, beautiful cooking classes with Humana in Mesa, Arizona, for the last few years. This week, our focus was on “High Fiber Foods” with a tasty, simple-to-prepare Asian Salad with Citrus Ginger Root Dressing.

    Asian Salad with Vibrant Purple Cabbage and Tangy Citrus Ginger Root Dressing

    Make your own gourmet Asian salad with a rainbow of raw organic veggies, your favorite toasted nuts, and intuitively created ginger root dressing.

    A quick peek at the set at Humana, with my short Facebook Live.

    Asian Salad: Ginger Salad Dressing: 3 Key Ingredients

    The essential ingredients for a perfect Asian dressing every time are ginger root, a soy flavoring (wheat-free tamari soy sauce or Bragg’s amino acids), and fresh citrus.

    Simple Ingredients

    • 1” fresh ginger root, minced
    • 1 garlic clove, minced
    • ½ cup soy tamari or Bragg’s amino acids
    • ½ orange, juiced
    • ½ fresh-squeezed lemon or lime juice
    • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
    • 1 tsp local honey
    • ⅓ cup organic extra virgin olive oil

    Simple Steps

    • Finely mince ginger root and garlic.
    • Place in pint-size Mason jar.
    • Add all other ingredients (except olive oil) to jar and shake.
    • Taste and intuitively add ingredients to create your desired flavor.
      • Too much acid: add olive oil
      • Not sweet enough: add honey
      • Too oily: add lemon or lime juice

    Asian Rainbow Salad

    Along with a tangy ginger root dressing, a colorful rainbow of raw organic veggies creates a beautiful Asian salad.

    Simple Ingredients

    • 1 purple cabbage, shredded or sliced
    • 2 cups Bok Choy, sliced
    • 1 cup carrots, shredded
    • 1 cucumber, julienned (long, thin slices)
    • 1 cup snap peas or snow peas, cut on bias (Note: not have snap or snow peas)
    • 6 green onions, cut on bias
    • 1 cup red, purple, or watermelon radishes, sliced
    • 1 cup almonds, sliced and dry toasted

    Simple Steps

    • Dry toast (no oil) sliced almonds in small sauté pan on low heat for 5 minutes.
    • Toss all vegetables in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
    • Drizzle the Asian salad dressing on the vegetables and gently toss.
    • Top with dry toasted almonds.
    • Enjoy!

    Happy to share with you the beautiful, colorful, simple-to-prepare Asian Salad. At Humana, we all really enjoyed the freshness of the dish and the ginger-rich dressing.

    And, I was so fortunate to enjoy left-overs with my sunset…

    Hope you enjoy creating your version of an Awesome Asian Salad.

    Please share your creations with us on our new Instagram @plantbasedfoodart and Facebook www.facebook.com/plantbasedfoodart

    I’m excited to announce that Experience Nutrition is now offering exciting Beautiful Food Art Challenges…

    If you’d like to hear about the next Challenge, please fill in your Name and Email.

     

     

     

  • Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market-to-Table Veggie Flatbread

    Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market-to-Table Veggie Flatbread

    It has been such an honor to lead cooking classes at the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market for a few years and it’s such an honor to create the Farmers Market-to-Table Flatbread with our local Arizona Winter veggies.

    Thanks so much to our local farmers for all the passion and hard work to grow and harvest such beautiful food for our community.  – Melanie Albert

    Enjoy the video with a look at the fun shopping at the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market and all of the cooking steps. Please come over to our Facebook Page to ask any questions and to share your flatbread creations with us: www.facebook.com/plantbasedfoodart and #plantbasedfoodart

    Shopping at the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market

    Melanie Albert, Shopping at the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market

    This week I had fun “shopping the market” intuitively choosing a variety of different color, shape and tasting veggies from our farmers. Thanks to Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market Manager Colin Dueker who so graciously captured this week’s shopping at the market.

    Shopping for carrots with Steadfast Farms.
    Look at the great winter veggies at Blue Sky Organic Farms.
    The beauty of our local Arizona farmers veggies!

    Farmers Market-to-Table Roasted Veggie Flatbread Recipe

    To create the Farmers Market-to-Table Flatbread, create three simple recipes to create a beautiful Food Art dish.

    • Cashew Cream
    • Quick Roast Veggies
    • Quick Yeast-Free Sprouted Spelt Flatbread

    CASHEW CREAM

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 1 cup raw cashews
    • 3 tpsp nutritional yeast
    • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
    • Pinch sea salt
    • ¼ cup water, adjust for desired creaminess.

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Pour all ingredients into a mini blender.
    • Blend to desired smoothness.

    SIMPLE ROASTED VEGGIES

    Choose a few of your favorite veggies, such as those from the Downtown Phoenix Farmer Market.

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 3 carrots, sliced (Steadfast Farms)
    • 1 golden beet, sliced (Blue Sky Organic Farms)
    • 8-10 small tomatoes (Steadfast Farms)
    • 3 slices cabbage, such as the Caraflex (Blue Sky Organic Farms)
    • 1 cup cauliflower, sliced (Blue Sky Organic Farms)
    • 1 cup broccoli, sliced (Blue Sky Organic Farms)
    • 5-6 Brussels sprouts, sliced (Crooked Sky Farms)
    • 1 cup waxed beans (Blue Sky Organic Farms)
    • 1 cup peas (Blue Sky Organic Farms)
    • 1 leek, white of leek in rounds (Blue Sky Organic Farms)
    • 2 green onions, sliced (Blue Sky Organic Farms)
    • 1 spring garlic, sliced (Al Hamka Family Farm)
    • 2-3 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
    • Pinch sea salt
    Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market Farmers' Beautiful Veggies
    Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market Farmers’ Beautiful Veggies

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
    • Slice veggies into bite-sized pieces.
    • Place veggies in roasting pan.
    • Drizzle with olive oil.
    • Sprinkle with sea salt.
    • Toss.
    • Roast 12 minutes.
    • Toss.
    • Roast another 12 minutes.
    • Use roasted veggies as flatbread toppings.
    Roast veggies for 25-30 minutes at 425 degrees F.

    EXPERIENCE NUTRITIONTM Yeast-Free Quick Flatbread Crust

    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)

    SIMPLE STEPS

    •  Place pizza stone into oven.
    • Pre-heat oven at 390 degrees F. Pre-bake 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 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.
    Sprouted Spelt Flatbread Crust
    Sprouted Spelt Flatbread Crust

    FOOD ART

    To create the flatbread, spread the cashew cream and veggies onto the pre-baked crust, bake and enjoy!

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Spread cashew cream on the top of the flatbread.
    • Add veggies to the top of the flatbread.
    • Cook for about 8 minutes.
    • Garnish with fresh herbs, such as dill (Blue Sky Organic Farms) and bok choy flowers (Maya’s Farm)
    • Slice.

    Enjoy!

    Let’s keep in touch!

    Interested in additional farm-to-table plant-based recipes, virtual cook-alongs, and future events for yourself or your organization, join our e-mail list.

  • Experience Nutrition: NEW Recipe! Graffiti Cauliflower Sauce CSA Recipe #66

    Experience Nutrition: NEW Recipe! Graffiti Cauliflower Sauce CSA Recipe #66

    Happy to share with you this week’s (01.30.2021) recipe intuitively created with the CSA from The Farm at South Mountain, right here in my neighborhood in Phoenix, Arizona.

    WOW Recipe 66!

    Every week when I pick up the CSA at The Farm, I pause and enjoy the calm, grounded beauty.

    Beautiful Kale at The Farm at South Mountain.

    GRAFFITI CAULIFLOWER ROASTED & SAUCE

    I am in awe of the beauty of the beautiful purple Graffiti Cauliflower and also love carrots! Hope you enjoy this recipe to enjoy the cauliflower two ways: Roasted and the new Graffiti Cauliflower Sauce.

    Steps to Prepare the Dish

    1. Roast the veggies.
    2. Make the sauce.
    3. Mindfully plate.

    ROAST CAULIFLOWER, CARROTS & GARLIC

    Roast the veggies and garlic for the sauce. Save some of the cauliflower and the carrots to enjoy with the sauce.

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 3 cups cauliflower: graffiti and cheddar
    • 7-8 carrots, sliced lengthwise
    • 4-5 garlic cloves, sliced
    • 1/4 cup olive oil
    • Pinch sea salt
    Carrots. Graffiti & Cheddar Cauliflower. Meyer Lemon. Garlic.

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
    • Slice veggies.
    Slice all veggies and get set to cook.
    • One type of food at a time, place carrots and cauliflower into small bowl. Toss with olive oil and sea salt.
    • Place carrots and cauliflower (not touching) onto parchment-lined sheet pan.
    Cauliflower with olive oil and sea salt. On parchment-lined sheet pan.
    Carrots ready to roast.
    • Place garlic on pan (touching to stay moist).
    • Roast 12 minutes.
    • Flip the veggies.
    • Roast another 12-15 minutes.

    GRAFFITI CAULIFLOWER SAUCE.

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 2 cups roasted graffiti cauliflower
    • 4-5 roasted garlic cloves
    • 3 tbsp Meyer lemon juice
    • 1 tbsp Meyer lemon zest
    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    Graffiti Cauliflower Sauce Mise en Place.

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Place all ingredients, except olive oil into food processor.
    Cauliflower Sauce: All ingredients into the food processor.
    • Process for about 2-3 minutes.
    • Scrape sides, as needed.
    • Stream in olive oil and process for another minute.
    Cauliflower Sauce. Process. Then stream in olive oil. Process again.
    Food Art: The beauty of roasted carrots and cauliflower. Graffiti Cauliflower Sauce.

    MINDFUL PLATING

    • Place Graffiti Cauliflower Sauce on the plate.
    • Top with the roasted carrots, extra cauliflower.
    • Garnish with the sesame seeds and calendula edible flowers.
    Graffiti Cauliflower Plating Mise en Place

    ENJOY

    Enjoy the simple beauty of the Cauliflower Carrot Food Art.

    One more look at the Graffiti Cauliflower Food Art Dish.

    Pause. Enjoy.

    To stay in touch, join us on our our new Plant-Based Food Art Facebook page for daily inspiration, food art, and please feel free to ask any plant-based farm-to-table questions. CLICK HERE FOR THE FACEBOOK PAGE

  • Experience Nutrition: The Farm at South Mountain Recipe 62: Cauliflower Saute. Chickpea Pasta

    Experience Nutrition: The Farm at South Mountain Recipe 62: Cauliflower Saute. Chickpea Pasta

    Happy to share with you Recipe 62 for The Farm at South Mountain CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). I’m so honored to create recipes with the beautiful produce, herbs, and edible flowers our local Arizona farmers grow.

    This week’s recipe was inspired by The Farm’s cauliflower and cauliflower greens and peppers. Make a simple, delicious sauté to enjoy with pasta or even brown rice or quinoa. For this dish, I enjoyed the saute with a local Arizona chickpea pasta.

    The beauty of edible calendulas growing at The Farm at South Mountain.

    Cauliflower Saute Recipe

    Steps to Prepare the Dish

    1. Sauté the veggies.
    2. Cook the pasta.
    3. Mindfully plate your dish.

    Recipe Serves 2

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 1 cup cauliflower
    • 2-3 cauliflower leaves
    • 3 peppers
    • 3 small tomatoes
    • ½ white onion
    • 1 tbsp garlic, minced
    • ¼ cup Kalamata olives
    • 1 tsp capers
    • 5 spring fresh dill
    • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    • Pinch sea salt
    Veggie Saute Ingredients
    Chop the Veggies. Mise en Place.

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Slice all veggies.
    • Pre-heat saute pan on medium.
    • Add olive oil to coat bottom of saute pan.
    • Add onions to pan. Saute 4-5 minutes.
    • Add garlic. Saute 1 minute.
    • Add peppers. Saute 2 minutes.
    • Add tomatoes. Saute 2 minutes.
    • Add pinch sea salt.
    • Add cauliflower, olives, and capers. Cover pan. Saute 5-6 minutes.
    • Add dill. Saute 1 minute.
    • Add cauliflower greens. Saute 2 minutes.

    Mindful Plating

    Mise en Place: Cauliflower Saute. Chickpea Pasta.

    Enjoy plating the veggie saute with pasta.

    • Toss pasta with a drizzle of olive oil.
    • Plate the sautéed veggies with the pasta.
    • Garnish with fresh dill and calendula flowers.

    Enjoy your Cauliflower Saute. Pasta dish!

    The Farm at South Mountain CSA Recipoe 62: Cauliflower Saute. Chickpea Pasta.

    Hope you are enjoying the recipes intuitively created for the CSA at The Farm at South Mountain, in Phoenix, Arizona.

    Please fill in the form if you are interested in a Plant-Based Farm-to-Table Food Art Experience for your organization. Right now we are offering fun, virtual “cook-along” experiences.

     

     

     

     

  • 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:

    https://experiencenutrition.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/D-Soup-plating-video-IMG_4922.mov

    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: Feed Phoenix with Local First Arizona & the City of Phoenix

    Experience Nutrition: Feed Phoenix with Local First Arizona & the City of Phoenix

    I am excited to share the incredible Feed Phoenix project with Local First Arizona as part of the City of Phoenix COVID-19 Emergency Food Assistance Funding. The project is designed to provide nutritious lunches incorporating locally grown produce to organizations in the City of Phoenix from August to October 2020.

    It was an exciting program to participate in Feed Phoenix as the program created beautiful community collaboration with our local farmers, entrepreneur chefs, and organizations.

    Serving: Native Health & Harvest Compassion Center

    Experience Nutrition had the honor to create and deliver 200 grab-and-go meals in the Phoenix community. We created 50 delicious, healthy meals for Native Health, which serves the Phoenix Native American population with holistic patient-centered care, and 75 adult and 75 kids meals to the Harvest Compassion Center, a food and clothing bank for families in the Phoenix / Maryvale area. Huge thanks to Waste Not AZ for your commitment to feed the Valley’s hungry with food that would go to waste…and for delivering the meals in your refrigerated truck.

    Plant-Based Farm-to-Table

    As soon as Experience Nutrition was approved to serve our community, I reached out to plant-based Nadira Jenkins-El, to assist with the project. We brainstormed the lunch menu and decided to create a roasted veggie wrap, hummus, quinoa salad, and fruit.

    Behind the Scenes with our Farmers

    Since Experience Nutrition always focuses on plant-based farm-to-table and creates beautiful food with what our local farmers are growing, we determined the ingredients for the recipes based on what our local farmers were growing.

    For the Roasted Veggie Wrap, I reached out to Cindy Gentry, who Sun Produce Cooperative. We purchased ten pounds each of sweet potatoes, purple potatoes, and red onions from Crooked Sky Farms, ten pounds of butternut squash grown by Mark Rhine at Rhiba Farms, and a beautiful Long Island Cheese (Cinderella) Pumpkin from the Orchard Community Learning Service.

    For the Quinoa Salad, we received 25 pounds of incredible, just harvested (while I waited) Persian cucumbers from Abby Lee Farms, 15 pounds of green beans, 10 pounds of summer squash, and 15 bunches of cilantro from Green on Purpose.

    For our fruit dessert, since watermelons are in-season, we ordered 80 pounds from Crooked Sky Farms.

    Now let’s take a look at the beautiful food as the foundation for our intuitive culinary creations for the lunches.

    Thanks so much to our local Arizona farmers.
    Pause and enjoy the beauty.
    Fresh last summer Arizona bounty.

    Subscribe to our Experience Nutrition Blog.

    The next Experience Nutrition Blogs will feature the recipes and behind-the-scenes fun cooking for the Feed Phoenix Program. Look forward to sharing with you.

    • Roasted Veggie & Hummus Wrap
    • Cold Quinoa Cucumber Salad
    • Kids Red Wrap

    Be sure to fill in your e-mail address to receive the Experience Nutrition Blog posts.

    • Massaging the Quinoa Salad
    • Creating the huge batch of hummus.
    Quinoa Salad & Classic Hummus. So much fun!
    • Amazing Roasted Potatoes, Squash and Red Onions
    • Creating the tasty Roasted Veggie Hummus Wraps
    Oh my Yumm…Roasted Veggie Wraps on the way!
    • Kids Red Wraps
    • Grab-and-Go Plant-Based Lunches
    Kids Red Wrap and Adult Grab-and-Go Lunches

    By Melanie Albert, plant-based farm-to-table culinary leader. Founder & CEO of Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona, Award-winning cookbook author, cooking event and retreat host, plant-based artisan caterer. Creator of the new Plant-Based Food Art Movement.

  • Experience Nutrition: Arizona Summer Lemon Cucumber Salad

    Experience Nutrition: Arizona Summer Lemon Cucumber Salad

    During the summer our local Arizona farmers and many across the USA are growing lots of hydrating veggies, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, and all kinds of melons.

    Click to see the Top 10 Hydrating Foods

    As always, thanks so much to our local Arizona farmers for growing such incredible produce for us during our extremely hot Arizona summer and for providing it to us safely at our local farmers markets in such a safe, social distancing way. Our community really appreciates your hard work, passion, and dedication.

    The intuitively created salad, was inspired by the Lemon Cucumber, which looks a little like a tennis ball and are fresh and crispy.

    Summer Lemon Cucumber Salad Recipe

    Create a fresh, simple salad with your favorite cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, green onion, fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Add olive and capers, and enjoy your salad.

    Thanks specifically to our Phoenix farmers for the fresh produce for this salad.

    • Crooked Sky Farms
      • Lemon cucumbers. Love and look forward to their beauty and crispness every summer.
      • Bell peppers. Enjoying the green and yellow sweet bell peppers.
    • Pinnacle Farm Phoenix
      • Sungold Tomatoes. Thank you for your honor system farm stand in the South Mountain area.
    • Arizona Micro-Greens
      • Micro Salad Mix. Sunflower Shoots, Pea Shoots, Radish, Cilantro.

    Simple Ingredients

    • 1 Lemon cucumber, sliced
    • 1 bell pepper, sliced
    • 1 medium tomato or 1/2 cup mini tomatoes
    • 1 green onion, sliced
    • 1/2 lemon, juiced
    • 2 TBSP organic extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 TBSP olives
    • 1 tsp capers
    • Few micro-greens

    Simple Steps

    • Rough chop all veggies.
    • Place all veggies in a small bowl.
    • Toss all veggies with olive oil and lemon juice.
    • Plate and garnish with micro-greens.

    Enjoy your salad…

    Top 10 Hydrating Foods

    You don’t have to get all of your liquids from beverages. About 20% of the water we consume comes from food. Eating food high in water content adds fiber, electrolytes, and vitamins to our diets.

    The following veggies and fruit, contain 89% or more water. Enjoy!

    • Cucumbers
    • Watermelon
    • Pineapple
    • Celery
    • Blueberries
    • Lettuce
    • Tomatoes
    • Pears
    • Grapefruit
    • Cantaloupe

    Sedona Plant-Based Cooking & Self-Care Retreat: November 13-16, 2020

    If you are interested in a fun, memorable, one-of-a-kind weekends, experiencing plant-based cooking, along with self-care, hiking, yoga, and special Sedona experiences.

    Click to learn more about the Sedona Retreats.

    I’m happy to share more about the retreat and answer your questions. Call Melanie Albert at 602.615.2486, send a note to Mel@MelanieAlbert.com or fill out the Form and I’m happy to answer any questions.

    • Beautiful Plant-Based Lunch Creation: Avocado Tartare
    • WOW! Yoga at Cathedral Rock. Dreams come true!
    • Getting started with our mindful chopping for our fresh Tomato Gazpacho and Avocado Tartare.

  • Experience Nutrition: Tomatoes 3 Ways: Salsa. Pasta Tomato Saute. Dehydrated.

    Experience Nutrition: Tomatoes 3 Ways: Salsa. Pasta Tomato Saute. Dehydrated.

    It’s tomato season in Arizona! And I love it. Over the years I’ve noticed that at the beginning of the season, our farmers are growing a few handfuls, then a few pounds, then a few hundred pounds of tomatoes each week. It’s actually quite amazing that our local farmers have each figured out their own process to grow tomatoes in 100+ degree days.

    Thanks so much to the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market for your commitment to our local Arizona farmers and bringing beautiful food to our community. This week, thanks to Crooked Sky Farms for the heirloom tomatoes and corn on the cob. And, thanks to Blue Sky Organic Farms for the green onions, parsley. – Melanie Albert

    I hope you are inspired by these three very different ways to prepare and enjoy tomatoes.

    Raw. Cooked. Dehydrated.

    • Tomato Salsa. Corn on the Cob. Peppers.
    • Quick Tomato Sauté. Olives. Capers.
    • Dehydrated Tomatoes.

    Enjoy the video with all these tomato recipes…

    Tomato Salsa. Corn on the Cob. Green Peppers.

    For a simple, refreshing salsa, choose a few tomatoes and peppers, aromatics such as garlic and onions, along with citrus, a fresh herb and sea salt.  If your local farmers are growing corn, add corn to the salsa.  Use this recipe as a guide for your own intuitive tomato salsa.

    Mix and match with what your local farmers are growing to create your salsa. For sweet salsa, use bell peppers in any color: green, yellow, orange, or red. For a mild pepper taste, try Anaheim, or a more spicy pepper go for the jalapeno. Use lime or lemon as citrus to sharpen the flavor of the salsa. Experiment with different fresh herbs such as dill, basil, cilantro, or even mint.

    Enjoy the salsa as a side salad, taco topping or with a baked sweet potato. And, remember the flavors in the salsa marry together the second and third day.

    Simple Ingredients

    • 2-3 tomatoes
    • 2 peppers
    • 5-6 green onions
    • 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 lime, juiced
    • 3-4 sprigs fresh dill
    • Pinch sea salt
    • Optional: 1 corn on the cob

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    Farm-to-Table Tomato Salsa: Ingredients

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    Tomato. Corn Salsa: Mise en Place.

    Simple Steps

    • Chop all veggies.
    • Place all ingredients into a medium-size bowl.
    • Toss.
    • Taste.
    • Add more salt or lime juice to suit your taste preferences.
    • Plate and enjoy.

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    Tomato Corn Dill Salsa

    Tomato Sauté Recipe

    In a few minutes, create this very simple, tasty, aromatic tomato sauce to enjoy with pasta.  Choose a few local ripe tomatoes. Quickly sauté the tomatoes with onions and garlic to create a sweet aromatic sauce for your pasta. Add in Kalamata olives and capers for added depth of flavor. For a gluten-free pasta, experiment with chickpea pasta.

    Simple Ingredients

    • 2-3 tomatoes, chopped
    • 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
    • 3-4 green onions, sliced
    • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 tbsp Kalamata olives
    • 1 tbsp capers
    • 5-6 sprigs parsley
    • Pinch sea salt

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    Tomato Saute: Ingredients

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    Tomato Saute: Mise en Place

    Simple Steps

    • Pre-heat sauté pan on medium.
    • Place green onions in pan, stir, cook for about 3 minutes.
    • Add garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds.
    • Add tomatoes and sea salt.
    • Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover for about 2 minutes.
    • Add Kalamata olives and capers. Cook 1 minute.
    • Add parsley. Stir. Cook 1 minute.
    • Toss with pasta.
    • Plate and enjoy.

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    Tomato Saute. Pasta. Plating Mise en Place.

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    Tomato Saute. Chickpea Pasta.

    Dehydrate Tomatoes

    Dehydrating fruit and vegetables concentrates the flavor. With tomatoes, they become very sweet and beautiful. During tomato season, be sure to dehydrate local tomatoes to enjoy later in the year.

    Simple Ingredients and Steps

    • Choose a few beautiful heirloom tomatoes.
    • Thinly slice the tomatoes.
    • Place tomatoes on dehydrator mesh sheet.
    • Dehydrate at 125 degrees F for about 6-8 hours.
    • Enjoy as a snack or food art.

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    Dehydrate Tomatoes: Place sliced tomatoes on dehydrator sheet.

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    Tomato Food Art

    Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenutritionaz and tag us #experiencenutrition on your plant-based culinary creations.

    Sedona Retreats. If you are interested in a self-care get-away in Sedona in September 2020, let me know. At this point we are planning on holding our Fall Plant-Based Cooking and Self Care Retreat with private rooms for all guests. Click to take a look at our Fall 2019 retreat. Or, send me a note (Mel@MelanieAlbert.com) if you’re interested in attending the 2020 retreat or in creating a retreat for a group of your friends.

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Culinary Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

     

     

  • Experience Nutrition: The Farm at South Mountain CSA Recipe: Arizona Spring Roasted Roots & Fruit

    Experience Nutrition: The Farm at South Mountain CSA Recipe: Arizona Spring Roasted Roots & Fruit

    As always, it is my honor to create recipes with the produce grown for the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) by passionate farmer Billy Anthony at the Soil & Seed Garden, at The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona.

    It is especially touching this week, during the Coronavirus Pandemic while we are all staying at home, and cooking more. And, in Arizona we are transitioning from the Spring to the Summer crops, so we still have roots, along with summer crops, such as zucchini. – Melanie Albert

    When I picked up my CSA this week, The Farm felt very still and calm, in align with the quietness of our Earth…a little video capture:

    For the CSA Members, the items in the May 9, 2020 CSA include:

    • Beets
    • Carrots
    • Glacier Lettuce
    • Salad Greens
    • Zucchini
    • Swiss Chard
    • Grapefruit
    • Lemon Basil, Mint
    • Eggs

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    RECIPE: Roasted Roots & Fruit. Honey Grapefruit Dressing.

    This week’s recipe was inspired by the peaches, and paired with beets, carrots, and grapefruit. Since grapefruits are still available, enjoy a simple dressing with a few extras: honey, mustard, and mint.

    Serves 2

    Roasted Roots & Fruit

    Enjoy creating this dish, inspired by The Farm’s sweet fruit and roots: peaches, grapefruit, beets, and carrots.

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 1 peach
    • 1 grapefruit
    • 1 golden beet
    • 1 red beet
    • 5-6 small carrots
    • Not from The Farm CSA: ½ red onion
    • 3 TBSP olive oil
    • 1 TBSP honey
    • Pinch sea salt

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
    • Chop all veggies in small bite-size pieces.
    • Veggie-by-veggie toss in olive oil and sea salt.
    • Place veggies, spread apart on parchment-paper lined sheet pan.
    • Place grapefruit and peaches on parchment-lined sheet pan. Drizzle with ¼ tsp of honey.

    • Cook for 12 minutes.
    • Flip the veggies and fruit.
    • Cook another 10-12 minutes.

    Honey Grapefruit Dressing

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 2 TBSP grapefruit juice
    • 1 ½ tsp honey
    • 1 ½ tsp stone ground mustard
    • 1 tsp red wine vinegar
    • 3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
    • 6-8 mint leaves, rough chopped
    • Pinch sea salt

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    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Into bowl, place grapefruit juice, mustard, vinegar.
    • Whisk until blended.
    • Add olive oil.
      Whisk until blended.
    • Add more acid (grapefruit juice) or fat (olive oil) to balance.
    • Add sea salt. Whisk.
    • Add honey. Whisk.
    • Add mint. Whisk.

    SIMPLE PLATING

    • Mindfully plate.
    • Place grapefruit slices on plate.
    • Layer veggies and fruit on top of the grapefruit slices.
    • Dressing Options: Drizzle dressing on top of the veggies. Or, when eating, use dressing as dipping sauce.

    Plating Mise en Place…

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    Plating…

    The beautiful, tasty Arizona Spring Roots & Fruit Dish

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    Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenturitionaz and tag us #experiencenutrition on your plant-based culinary creations.

    We are now beginning to think about Plant-Based Farm-to-Table Experiences for Fall 2020…hands-on cooking, team building, catering. Please reach out to me to brainstorm ideas for your organization.  Contact Melanie Albert at 602.615.2486 or Mel@MelanieAlbert.com

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Culinary Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

    So beautiful…one more view of the Arizona Roasted Roots & Fruit and our incredible sunset.

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    The beauty of nature…at The Farm.

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  • Experience Nutrition: Raw Carrot Cake. Vegan. Gluten-Free. Beautiful.

    Experience Nutrition: Raw Carrot Cake. Vegan. Gluten-Free. Beautiful.

    It is my pleasure to share with you another one of my favorite “healthy” desserts: Raw Carrot Cake. Berries. Edible Flowers.

    The Raw Carrot Cake recipe is adapted from my cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Cooking with Real Whole Foods.” Carrot cake has been a favorite of mine for decades. As much as I love the aromatherapy of cooking raisins with cinnamon and nutmeg for a baked carrot cake, I love the simplicity and freshness of a raw, plant-based version of carrot cake. – Melanie Albert

    Thanks

    • Natural Awakenings Magazine, Phoenix and Northern Arizona. Thanks so much for the opportunities to create recipe articles for your publication that supports our holistic community. I am especially honored to contribute to the May 2020 issue during the Coronavirus Pandemic to share the beauty of food to our community.
    • Blue Sky Organic Farms for the beautiful, bright orange carrots. I appreciate your hard work continuing to grow beautiful produce for us week-after-week and month-after-month, especially during the Coronavirus Pandemic.
    • Community Exchange Table at the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market, where small local Arizona farmers and growers sell their extra bounty to our community. Special thanks for the seasonal Pakistani Mulberries, which I love every year.
    • Northwest Wild Foods for the tasty, tart Gooseberries. So great to initially meet you when we filmed the segment with your Aronia (Choke) Berries for The List TV Show. So glad we’ve connected.

    If you love plant-based, gluten-free desserts, enjoy our Banana Bread Recipe.

    Enjoy the Raw Carrot Cake Cooking Video

    • The beautiful ingredients.
    • Steps to prep the ingredients.
    • Mindful Plating: Food Art.

    Raw Carrot Cake Recipe

    I hope you enjoy creating your own beautiful, tasty raw carrot cake, with the aromatherapy of hand-grinding the cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and the mindfulness of plating food art with berries and edible flowers.

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    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 1 cup dates, pitted and soaked for 1 hour in water, then rough chopped
    • 2 cups carrots, shredded
    • 1 ½ cups apple, minced
    • 1 ½ cups raw cashews, ground into a fine meal
    • ½ tsp cinnamon, freshly ground
    • ½ tsp nutmeg, freshly ground
    • ½ tsp cardamom, freshly ground
    • Pinch sea salt
    • Garnish: Goldenberries, Pakistani Mulberries, Edible Flowers.

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    Ingredients: Raw Carrot Cake. Thank you Blue Sky Organic Farms.

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    Pakistani Mulberries. Goldenberries. Thank you Northwest Wild Foods. Community Exchange Table Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market.

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    Edible Flowers. Thank you The Farm at South Mountain. Soil & Seed Garden.

    SIMPLE STEPS

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    Raw Carrot Cake: Mise en Place.

    • Gather mise en place.
    • Soak dates, if they are not soft.
    • Place all ingredients into mixing bowl and with hands, combine gently until the mixture forms a ball.
    • Press dough into a springform pan.
    • Refrigerate for an hour.

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    Raw Carrot Cake: Plating Mise en Place

    PLATING

    • Mindfully garnish with berries and edible flowers.
    • Enjoy!

    Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenturitionaz and tag us #experiencenutrition on your plant-based culinary creations.

    Please reach out to us if you’re interested in planning future Plant-Based Farm-to-Table Cooking Experiences, Team Building, Retreats, or Catering. Contact, Melanie Albert at 602.615.2486 or Mel@MelanieAlbert.com

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Culinary Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

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    The Raw Carrot Cake.

  • Experience Nutrition: Your Recipe Guide for a Quick & Simple Avocado Salsa With What’s in Your Refrigerator

    Experience Nutrition: Your Recipe Guide for a Quick & Simple Avocado Salsa With What’s in Your Refrigerator

    During our coronavirus stay-at-home, a simple to prepare lunch, breakfast or snack, is an “avocado tartare.” You might call it avocado salsa with a few extra veggies. I hope this avocado recipe guide inspires you to create your own beautiful, delicious avocado tartare with whatever vegetables are in your kitchen. – Melanie Albert

    Avocado Tartare Key Ingredients

    The 5 base ingredients for avocado tartare are:

    1. A ripe avocado
    2. Citrus: lemon, lime, grapefruit, Meyer lemon
    3. Sea salt
    4. Aromatic: onion, garlic, shallot
    5. Fresh herb: parsley, basil, cilantro, marjoram, lemon balm

    Avocado Tartare: The Add-in Veggies

    To these base ingredients, add in a few veggies – any kind – available at your local farmers’ markets, local farmers, or grocery stores. Some ideas: Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives.

    The plant-based cooking video guides you through the simple step-by-step process to prepare the avocado salsa. And, for reference, you can printout the recipe.

    Avocado Salsa Recipe Guide

    Use this recipe as a guide for Avocado Salsa with whatever veggies are in your refrigerator. This is a great recipe to experiment with intuitive cooking, where we choose a few vegetables, herbs, and aromatics we are attracted to and enjoy our creation.

    Serves 1

    Simple Ingredients

    • 1 avocado
    • 2 tbsp green onions
    • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
    • 1 tsp Meyer lemon juice
    • Pinch sea salt
    • 1 carrot, sliced
    • 3-4 cauliflower florets
    • Optional garnish: few broccoli stems

    AP-IMG_9705-avoingre
    Avocado Tartare: Simple Ingredients

    Simple Steps

    • Chop all ingredients
    • Toss all ingredients into a bowl.
    • Mix avocado with a fork.
    • Add Meyer lemon juice and sea salt to the avocado.
    • Mix all ingredients with a fork.
    • Mindfully plate.
    • Enjoy

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    Aocado Tartare: Plating Mise en Place

    Since I love Avocado Tartare’s so much, I’ll continue to share some of my intuitively created dishes with you, to give you more ideas on how you an mix-and-match veggies, herbs, aromatics, and citrus.

    Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenturitionaz and tag us #experiencenutrition on your plant-based culinary creations.

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Cooking Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

    www.ExperienceNutrition.com

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  • Experience Nutrition: Extra Bananas in Your Kitchen? Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread WOW!!!

    Experience Nutrition: Extra Bananas in Your Kitchen? Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread WOW!!!

    Since so many people are buying many bananas during our Coronavirus stay-at-home, I decided and am excited to share an incredible banana recipe with you.

    Enjoy this incredible vegan, gluten-free banana bread with walnuts, dehydrated citrus, and edible flowers. This banana bread is so delicious all I can say is Wow! I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy mindfully preparing this bread and enjoying it as a breakfast break or snack. – Melanie Albert

    Enjoy the Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread Video…for the step-by-step cooking process.

    Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipe

    12 Servings

    Simple Ingredients

    • Wet Ingredients
      • 3 ripe bananas
      • 1/3 cup coconut oil, liquid
      • 1 cup coconut sugar
      • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
      • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • Dry Ingredients
      • 1 ¾ cups gluten-free flour (blend of sweet rice flour, brown rice flour, potato starch, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, xanthan gum)
      • 1 tsp baking soda
      • ½ tsp baking powder
      • ½ tsp sea salt
      • 1 tsp freshly ground cinnamon
      • 1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
      • ¾ cup walnut pieces

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    Banana Bread Ingredients

    • Garnish
      • Edible flowers and dehydrated grapefruit and blood orange slices.

    Simple Steps

    • Mise en Place
      • Gather your ingredients and organize your mise en place – get everything in place before your start cooking.
    • Bake the Cake
      • Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.
    • Process Wet Ingredients
      • Place sliced bananas (about 3 cups) in food processor.
      • Process until smooth.
      • Taste. Add extra banana if desire sweeter taste.
      • Liquefy the coconut oil by placing oil in small bowl in a larger bowl of hot water.
      • Stream in coconut oil. Process again.
      • Add coconut sugar, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract to the food processor.
      • Process until smooth.
    • Mix Dry & Wet Ingredients
      • In large bowl, place flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
      • Stir until mixed.
      • Pour the banana mixture into the bowl.
      • Fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture, until well mixed.
      • Fold in walnut pieces.
    • Bake the Banana Bread
      • Pour the batter into a parchment-lined pan, 9” x 7”.
      • Place several walnuts on top of cake.
      • Bake for 40-45 minutes.
      • Cake is ready when toothpick comes out dry.
    • Plate and Enjoy
      • Garnish with dehydrated grapefruit and blood orange slices, and edible flowers.
      • Enjoy for breakfast or a snack.

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    Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread. Dehydrated Citrus. Edible Flowers.

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    Enjoying the incredible Banana Bread with our beautiful Arizona sunset.

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Cooking Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

    Visit us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ, Instagram: @experiencenutritionaz and #experiencenutrition

  • Experience Nutrition: Cook at Home Roasted Veggie Bowl with “Social Distancing.”  5 Tips to Roast Veggies Perfectly Every Time

    Experience Nutrition: Cook at Home Roasted Veggie Bowl with “Social Distancing.”  5 Tips to Roast Veggies Perfectly Every Time

    Now that we all all cooking more at home, it’s a great time to learn a few simple culinary (it’s cooking!) methods.

    With a plant-based way of eating, we do eat a lot of vegetables. With this in mind, it’s important to know several different simple culinary skills to prepare vegetables, such as roasting, steaming, sautéing, and raw.

    One of my favorite ways to cook veggies is roasting. With this method of roasting, we cook the veggies spread out “distancing” in the oven to brown the outside, while keeping the center a little soft. We can roast all kinds of veggies which gives us a nice variety of tastes, textures, and colors. – Melanie Albert

    Visit our new Experience Nutrition YouTube Channel for the video of the Roasted Veggie Bowl Recipe.

    Thank You Farmers and Farmers Markets

    Today’s roasted veggies were created with produce from local farmers: The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix, and Blue Sky Organic Farms, Litchfield Park, Arizona. All of the veggies were in CSA’s (Community Support Agriculture) offered by the farms during our Coronavirus stay-at-home.

    In Arizona, we are so fortunate that our farmers and farmers’ markets are considered essential grocery stores. Thus, we still have the opportunity to purchase beautiful food from our farmers,  and they can continue to harvest and sell to our community. Thank you!

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    The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, April 2020

    Farm-to-Table Spring Roasted Veggie Bowl

    Enjoy this tasty roasted veggie culinary method and create a bowl with brown rice and beans for a perfect lunch. Use this recipe as a guide to roast crispy on the outside and soft on the inside veggies. Choose a few of your favorite vegetables from your local farmers that are right in your kitchen and enjoy roasting beautiful, tasty veggies at home.

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    Roasted Veggie Bowl: The Veggies, Olive Oil, Sea Salt

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • Blue Sky Organic Farms
      • 1 fennel, root sliced
      • 1 spring green garlic, sliced
      • 1 leek, chopped
      • 3-4 celery stalks, sliced
      • 3-4 cauliflower florets
      • 3-4 broccoli florets
    • The Farm at South Mountain
      • 2 beets (golden and red), sliced
      • 1 radish (breakfast), sliced
      • 1 turnip ( scarlet) sliced
    • Grocery Store / My Pantry
      • 1 sweet potato, sliced
      • 2-3 TBSP organic extra virgin olive oil
      • Pinch sea salt
    • Extras
      • Plating: Brown rice, beans
      • Garnish: Edible flowers

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Chop all veggies into equal-sized pieces.

    • One-by-one, place veggies in a bowl.
    • Coat veggies with olive oil and sea salt.

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    Chopped veggies ready to be coated with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.

     

    • Place veggies flat side down on unbleached, natural parchment-paper- lined flat sheet pan.

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    Veggies “social distancing” on the parchment-lined sheet pans.

    • Cook for 12 minutes.
    • Flip.
    • Cook another 12-15 minutes.

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    Roasted veggies. Ready to be mindfully plated.

    • Enjoy as a veggie bowl.

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    TOP 5 TIPS TO ROAST VEGGIES PERFECTLY EVERY TIME

    1. Coat the chopped veggies thoroughly with oil.
    2. When placing on unbleached parchment paper, be sure the veggies do not touch each other.
    3. When placing veggies on parchment paper, place flat side down, so the side of the vegetable can brown.
    4. Flip veggies about half-way through the cooking process.
    5. Pay attention to veggies while they are cooking, as they cook at different speeds. More dense vegetables (like beets and sweet potatoes) take longer to cook than water-rich veggies, like onions.

    If you are enjoying our Experience Nutrition Blog, with simple plant-based recipes and lifestyle tips, please subscribe to the Blog, our www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ , and new YouTube Channel.

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Cooking Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

  • EXPERIENCE NUTRITION: Food & Lifestyle Tip: Stay-at-Home Simple Healthy Cooking Shopping List

    EXPERIENCE NUTRITION: Food & Lifestyle Tip: Stay-at-Home Simple Healthy Cooking Shopping List

    To eat well, cook simple meals, and do our best to stay healthy while we are all at home during the Coronavirus “stay-at-home,” it is important to be stocked with a few basic kitchen staples, along with fresh veggies and fruit.

    When we first started hearing about the coronavirus in the US, I actually started thinking about what foods would be essential to have at home. I realized that they are very similar to my list of “how to stock whole food pantry” in my book “A New View of Healthy Eating” for any time of the year. – Melanie Albert

    For a visual of my personal pantry, visit the Experience Nutrition You Tube Channel, and subscribe for future cooking videos.

    Learn to Cook. This whole food shopping list is based on staples to be able to cook, simple, delicious meals. Throughout the next few weeks, I’ll share how to use all of these staples. Please feel free to send me a note on my new Facebook Page (Facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ), if you have any specific questions or foods you’d like to learn how to cook, or if you need to make any substitutions, based on what’s available in your area.

    Go Slow. I do recognize that we are all at different levels of cooking knowledge and skill levels. If you are new with cooking, buy what you can and feel comfortable from the shopping list. Do not overwhelm yourself. Go slow over the next few weeks to gradually learn some new cooking skills into your life that may last the rest of your life.

    Shopping List Guide. I personally use this shopping list as a guide and invite you to shop for what you can in your own area and based on your personal level of cooking. I will be sharing cooking techniques and tips every day.

    Key Shopping Categories

    Use the Panty Shopping List as a guide for the ingredients to stock your pantry in the following food categories.

    • Whole Grains
    • Beans & Legumes
    • Whole Grains
    • Nuts & Seeds
    • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    • Seasonings / Sea Salt
    • Dry Goods
    • Fresh Produce (hopefully your local farmers markets are open)

    Whole Grains

    Choose a few different whole grains for breakfast and side dishes. Buy a few pounds of each. If whole grains are not available in your local stores right now, or if you’d prefer delivery to your home, I just checked, and they are available online on Amazon (not promoting, just informing). I’ll be sharing a very simple way to cook whole grains perfectly every time, right on the stovetop. I’ll also share how you can enjoy grains for breakfast, lunch, and side dishes, including Veggie Bowls with Whole Grains.

    • Brown rice
    • Quinoa
    • Steel cut oats
    • Rolled oats

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    Dried Beans & Legumes

    I totally recommend dried beans as they are much more affordable than canned beans and taste better, as well. Buy a few pounds of dried beans and lentils to be used to make hummus, tossed in a salad, soup.

    With our Food & Lifestyle Tips and Videos, I’ll be sure to share with you how to easily cook dried beans. I’ll also share recipes for tasty hummus originally made for the VIP Tailgate Party at the Super Bowl in Miami in 2009, lentil soup, raw chili, and will create other recipe ideas for you.

    Experiment with a few different beans and legumes, such as:

    • Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
    • Green lentils
    • Red lentils
    • Black beans
    • Pinto
    • Kidney
    • Tepary Beans (especially if you’re in Arizona)

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    Nuts & Seeds

    Nuts and seeds are rich in protein and healthy fats and can be eaten as snacks, made into nut milk, used in smoothies, toppings in salads, and delicious raw desserts.

    Buy a variety of raw organic nuts and seeds, such as:

    • Almonds
    • Cashews (great for desserts!)
    • Pecans
    • Walnuts
    • Pumpkin seeds
    • Sunflower seeds
    • Hemp seeds
    • Chia seeds (for smoothies)

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    Extra Virgin Olive Oil

    During this time (and always), you’ll need a high-quality olive oil. Recommend: Organic, First-pressed, Cold Pressed. Less than .8 percent acid.

    Will be sharing tips on how to make a simple 3-ingredient home-made salad dressing, and different ways to cook veggies using olive oil as flavor. Personally, I use olive oil almost every day and believe it is a must in our kitchen all the time.

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    Seasonings

    The top seasoning is sea salt or Himalayan salt. Salt brings out or enhances the flavor of whatever we cook. I use coarse Celtic sea salt and hand-grind it in a mortar and pestle for cooking.

    A few basic seasonings you can use now while we are “at home” and continue to cook with in the future.

    • Dried Mediterranean herbs: Combination or separate herbs, such as basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme
    • Seeds: Cumin (for hummus and soups)
    • Dried Mexican spices: Any kind of peppers, such as chili, ancho, chipotle
    • Dried spices: Cinnamon (key); Extras: nutmeg, cardamom

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    Dry Goods

    Other extra foods to stock your pantry.

    • Coconut water (for smoothies)
    • Vinegar: Any kind for salad dressings, such as balsamic, red wine, rice, apple cider
    • Stone-ground mustard (for salad dressings)
    • Coconut oil. Virgin, unrefined (for desserts)
    • Extras: Olives and goji berries (my favorite extras)

    Fresh Produce

    Roots

    In the Daily Food & Lifestyle Tips, I will be sharing how to cook root veggies a few simple ways: Roast, Steam, Sauté, and even Raw.

    • Carrots
    • Beets
    • Sweet potatoes
    • Radishes

    Greens & Veggies

    We can enjoy nutrient-rich greens in side dishes, soups, and veggie bowls.

    • Dark leafy greens: Kale, collards, arugula, spinach
    • Broccoli
    • Cauliflower
    • Celery
    • Lettuce
    • Tomatoes
    • Bell peppers
    • Your favorites

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    Fruit

    • Bananas (freeze some for smoothies)
    • Apples
    • Lemons, limes (important for salad dressings)
    • Avocados
    • Dates
    • Your favorite fruits, for snacking
    • Frozen fruit: Mixed or separate berries, such as blackberries, blueberries, cherries, raspberries, strawberries

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    Fresh Herbs

    Purchase a few herbs, available at your local farmers markets or grocery stores. We’ll use the herbs to add flavor to all kinds of veggie dishes. Or, if available, plant a few of your favorite herbs. Side note, here in Arizona, one of our plant-start entrepreneurs is delivering plants, including herbs, to our homes.

    • Parsley
    • Basil, dill, oregano, marjoram

    Shopping List Guide. I invite you to use this shopping list as a guide to shop for what you can in your own area and based on your personal level of cooking. I will be sharing cooking techniques and tips every day.

    Cooking Videos. I’ll keep you posted on new, whole foods, plant-based cooking videos on my Experience Nutrition You Tube Channel, so you can actually see how to prepare dishes with the basic foods in the shopping list.

    Share on Facebook. Finally, as I mentioned earlier, please reach out to me with any questions on my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Cooking Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

  • EXPERIENCE NUTRITION Tip: Stay-at-Home Cooking Method: Braised Greens in 5 Minutes

    EXPERIENCE NUTRITION Tip: Stay-at-Home Cooking Method: Braised Greens in 5 Minutes

    During our Coronavirsus social distancing, stay-at-home, this 5 minute braising greens cooking method is a simple way to cook the greens your local farmers are growing. Choose any mix of dark, leafy greens such as kale, chard, collards, mustard, bok choy, dandelion, turnip, broccoli, or cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts greens.

    This recipe was inspired by farmer Billy Anthony of the Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain, less than a mile from my home in Phoenix, Arizona. As part of this week’s Spring 2020 CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), Billy harvested beautiful white and red Swiss chard leaves that are perfect for cooking with quick stove-top braising. Add flavor to the greens with green onions and fresh dill.

    A look at The Farm at South Mountain…April 2020

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    Beautiful White Chard at The Farm at South Mountain

    Nutrition Tip: Dark leafy greens are fiber-rich and good sources of vitamins (such as A, C, and K and folate) and minerals (including iron and calcium). Our body needs a little fat to absorb some of the vitamins in leafy greens.

     Braised Leafy Greens Recipe

    Use this simple method to cook Spring braising greens while we are at home with our families and loved ones. Mix and match whatever greens your local farmers are growing to create a simple veggie side dish.

    Watch the full recipe video on our Experience Nutrition You Tube Channel

    Serves 2

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 2-3 cups braising greens, such as Brussels Sprouts, Swiss Chard, Cauliflower greens
    • 2-3 green onions, sliced
    • 2 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
    • Pinch sea salt
    • Few sprigs dill

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    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Chop greens into large ribbons.
    • Mise en Place: All ingredients in place.

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    • Pre-heat sauté pan at medium.
    • When the pan is warm, coat bottom with organic extra virgin olive oil
    • Add the onions to the pan and sauté for about 2 minutes.
    • Add the greens to the pan.
    • Drizzle pinch of salt to the greens.
    • Cook for about 2 minutes, while tossing to coat the greens with the olive oil.
    • Add a few dill sprigs and cook for about 1 minute.

    • Plate and enjoy!

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Cooking Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

     

  • Experience Nutrition Plant-Based Farm-to-Table Recipe: The Farm at South Mountain Spring CSA: Quick Sugar Snap Peas

    Experience Nutrition Plant-Based Farm-to-Table Recipe: The Farm at South Mountain Spring CSA: Quick Sugar Snap Peas

    By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Farm-to-Table Leader, Award-Winning Cookbook Author and Speaker, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition

    It has been such an honor to intuitively create recipes for the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for The Farm at South Mountain, in Phoenix, Arizona, an urban farm located less than a mile from my home since October 2018. The Farm at South Mountain Soil & Seed Garden farmer, Billy Anthony, passionately grows and harvests beautiful, incredible tasting produce, herbs, and edible flowers. Billy and his team harvest on Friday, I stop by the farm Friday evening to pick up my CSA, and then I intuitively create a recipe for the CSA members, which they receive Saturday morning with their CSA.

    This is Week 1 of the Spring 2020 CSA. After seeing the Sugar Snap Peas growing at The Farm the last month or so, I was very excited to prepare a simple dish with them. Also, The Farm has a Pecan Orchard on the property, so I was looking forward to include them in the dish.

    Prior to sharing the recipe, a look at The Farm this week.

    Let’s take a look at all of the products in the CSA.

    • Sugar Snap Peas
    • Roots: Radishes, Turnips, Carrots (Red Kyoto, Parisian)
    • Greens: Cauliflower Greens, Glacier Lettuce, Dinosaur Kale, Farm Salad Box
    • Herbs: Dill
    • Arizona favorites: Pecans, Grapefruit
    • Eggs

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    The Farm at South Mountain. Soil & Seed Garden. CSA March 14, 2020.

    Love the Sugar Snap Peas growing at the Soil & Seed Garden.

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    RECIPE: Simple Sugar Snap Pea Sauté

    Simply sautéing Sugar Snap Peas are a great way to enjoy this fresh veggie. Along with this week’s dill, grapefruit, and pecans, create this tasty side dish.

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    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 2 cups sugar snap peas
    • 1 tbsp grapefruit zest
    • 3-4 sprigs of fresh dill
    • 6-7 pecans, cracked
    • 1 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
    • Pinch sea salt

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    Mise en Place: Sugar Snap Peas. Dill. Saute.

    SIMPLE STEPS

    Mise en Place

    • Zest the grapefruit.
    • Crack the pecans.
    • If desire, remove the stems and pod strings from the snap peas pods.

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    All set to quickly saute the Sugar Snap Peas.

    Cook

    • Pre-heat a sauté pan on medium for about a minute.
    • Add olive oil to coat bottom of the pan.
    • When the oil is warm, add the sugar snap peas and sea salt to the pan. Continuously toss the snap peas with tongs.
    • Cook for about 2 minutes.
    • Add the grapefruit zest and dill to the pan.
    • Toss the snap peas with the zest and dill for about 2 minutes.

    Plate

    • Plate the sugar snap peas with the pecans.
    • Enjoy.

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    Sugar Snap Pea Plating Mise en Place

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    The Soil & Seed Garden Sugar Snap Pea Saute.

    2020 Sedona Plant-Based Cooking & Self Care Retreats

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    Getting started with our mindful chopping for our fresh Tomato Gazpacho and Avocado Tartare.

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    Beautiful Plant-Based Lunch Creation: Avocado Tartare

    A-SedonaRetreat-S19-Cath-water-DSC_8072 copy
    Yoga at one of my very favorite spots in the world: Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona.

    2020 Authentic Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Cooking Experiences at The Farm with Lead Grower Billy Anthony and award-winning cookbook author, Melanie Albert.

    Classes held at The Farm at South Mountain, 6101 S. 32nd Street, Phoenix, Arizona

    To Purchase, click below on the class date:

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  • Natural Awakenings Arizona: Recipe 2: Arizona Spring Steamed Veggies. Arugula Hempseed Pesto

    Natural Awakenings Arizona: Recipe 2: Arizona Spring Steamed Veggies. Arugula Hempseed Pesto

    by Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Farm-to-Table Culinary Expert, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition, award-winning cookbook author, speaker,

    So honored to create “recipe articles” for the Natural Awakenings Arizona magazine, with our local farmers produce. For the March 2020 issue, the recipes include:

    Recipe: Arizona Spring Steamed Veggies. Arugula Hempseed Pesto

    Enjoy a simple lunch or side dish by gently steaming local Arizona Spring veggies in a bamboo steamer and enjoy with simple Arugula Hempseed Pesto.

    Lightly steaming veggies brings out the beautiful colors and natural flavor of vegetables, while maintaining their nutrients. Steam a mix of a few Spring veggies with different colors, shapes, and textures, such as golden and Cylindra beets, Daikon radishes, Tropical Black carrots, purple snow peas, sugar snap peas, and corn grown at The Soil & Seed Garden at the Farm at South Mountain.  Plus, steam beautiful, unique roots, such as those grown by farmer Billy Anthony of Tropizona – China Rose Radishes and Hinona Kabu and Hida Beni Red Turnips – to add brilliant red and purple to the dish. Enjoy the Spring steamed veggies with a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt, refreshing Arugula Hempseed Pesto, and Calendula flowers.

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    The Farm at South Mountain Spring Produce

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    Tropizona Radishes and Turnips

    Always be mindfully organized when cooking…

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    Arizona Spring Veggies Grown at The Farm at South Mountain & Tropizona

    Steamed Spring Veggies

    A bamboo steamer is key to simple plant-based cooking.  Learn to steam spring veggies with the mindful process of steaming.

    Simple Ingredients

    • 5-7 different Spring veggies, such as beets, carrots, purple snow peas, sugar snap peas, corn, radishes, turnips, sliced
    • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    • Pinch of sea salt
    • Garnish: Edible flowers

     Simple Steps

    • To set up the bamboo steamer, fill a large (6- to 8-quart) soup pot with 3-4 inches of water, place over high heat, and bring to a boil.
    • Place sliced veggies into the bamboo steamer. Spread out the veggies so that they do not touch each other to allow the steam to rise and cook them. Sprinkle veggies with a pinch of sea salt.
    • Place bamboo steamer on top of the pot with steaming water. Cover with lid and let steam for about 5-7 minutes or until just cooked.
    • Test the veggies for doneness. When veggies easily come off a fork, they’re ready.
    • Once the veggies have finished cooking, pour them into a large bowl.
    • Drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.

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    Veggies into the Bamboo Steamer

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    The fresh steamed veggies

    ARUGULA HEMPSEED LEMON PESTO

    Make simple Arugula, Hempseed Lemon Pesto to enjoy with steamed Arizona Spring veggies. With plant-based cooking, add extra flavor to vegetables with simple herb and seed pestos.

    Simple Ingredients

    • 2 cups arugula
    • 1/2 cup hempseeds
    • 5-7 stems chives
    • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
    • 1 lemon zested
    • Pinch sea salt

    Simple Steps

    • Place all ingredients (except olive oil) into mini-processor or food processor and blend.
    • After processing, stream in ¼ cup of olive oil.
    • Adjust with oil, lemon, or salt to suit your taste.
    • Enjoy with steamed veggies.

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    Arugula Hempseed Pesto Mise en Place

    Mindful Plating

    • Mindfully plate the veggies and pesto, showcasing the color and shapes of the veggies.
    • Garnish with edible flowers.

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    Arizona Steamed Veggies: Ready to Plate

    Simple plating…to start…

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    And, next, a full bowl of steamed veggies and pesto…

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    Arizona Spring Steamed Veggies. Arugula Hempseed Pesto.

    2020 Sedona Plant-Based Cooking & Self Care Retreats

    A-SedonaRetreat-S19-LunchSat-Group-DSC_7548 copy
    Getting started with our mindful chopping for our fresh Tomato Gazpacho and Avocado Tartare.

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    Beautiful Plant-Based Lunch Creation: Avocado Tartare

    A-SedonaRetreat-S19-Cath-water-DSC_8072 copy
    Yoga at one of my very favorite spots in the world: Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona.

    2020 Authentic Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Cooking Experiences at The Farm with Lead Grower Billy Anthony and award-winning cookbook author, Melanie Albert.

    Classes held at The Farm at South Mountain, 6101 S. 32nd Street, Phoenix, Arizona

    To Purchase, click below on the class date:

    A-TheFarm-2020-0125-IMG_2144(2)

  • Natural Awakenings AZ Recipe Article: Top 5 Tips for Successful Local Plant-Based Cooking & Recipe 1

    Natural Awakenings AZ Recipe Article: Top 5 Tips for Successful Local Plant-Based Cooking & Recipe 1

    by Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition, Plant-Based Culinary Expert, Award-winning Cookbook Author

    It is my honor and pleasure to write “recipe articles” for the Natural Awakenings Arizona magazine. For each recipe over the last few years, I first meet with our local Arizona farmer, primarily, Billy Anthony, Lead Grocer at The Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix, to determine what is growing during the season. Then, I intuitively create a few recipes to be featured in the Natural Awakenings Magazine.

    I was so exited to learn that the March 2020 issue of Natural Awakenings focus was Plant-Based and loved offering a few tips to enjoy plant-based eating in Arizona and in creating the veggie-focused recipes.

    Enjoy creating these recipes with your local farmers produce and share your creations  with us on Instagram: @nutritionauthor @plantbasedexperiences

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    Natural Awakenings Arizona. Top 5 Tips for Successful Local Plant-Based Cooking, by Melanie Albert

    Top 5 Tips for Successful Local Plant-Based Cooking

    Spring in Arizona is an exciting season to enjoy cooking plant-based meals since our local farmers grow a wide range of produce this time of year. We see lots of greens, all kinds of vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers. If you are new to plant-based cooking and eating, visit a farmers’ market to get inspired by what our local farmers are growing and create simple, tasty, beautiful salads and veggies with different culinary techniques, including raw, steamed, and roasted.

    • Eat local. Buy produce, herbs, and edible flowers from our local Arizona farmers or grow your own for the freshest, most nutrient-rich food. Plant-based dishes start with beautiful fresh produce to create tasty, eye-catching meals. Shop at our local farms, farmers’ markets, commit to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), grow at a community garden, or grow your own.
    • Keep it Simple. With the plant-based way of eating, we focus on fresh veggies and fruit, nuts, and seeds, whole grains, and beans. With plant-based cooking, we use a few simple culinary techniques for flavor and color. The essential simple plant-based culinary techniques include raw, steaming, sauteing, and roasting. We cook the same vegetables with different culinary techniques to create different flavors, textures, and looks that add variety to our meals.
    • Cook Intuitively. Think about it: What grows together goes together. With plant-based cooking, mix and match the produce, herbs, nuts and seeds to create beautiful dishes. All veggies are different depending on the seeds, soil, weather, and geography. As a result, each dish we prepare is unique in a positive way with plant-based intuitive cooking. Be sure to taste while you are cooking and adjust your ingredients to suit your favorite personal taste preferences.
    • Mindfully Plate. We eat with our eyes first. Since plants are naturally beautiful, it makes sense to take time to mindfully plate your meals for visual beauty. Have fun experimenting with various plating styles with your version of “food art” using extras such as fresh herbs or edible flowers. Use your favorite bowls and dishes to add to the beauty of your meal.
    • Slow down and enjoy. Take a breath. Take time to enjoy the beauty of your local Arizona plant-based meal. Give gratitude to our local farmers for so passionately growing the incredible food and appreciation to yourself for taking the time to shop for and prepare your lovely plant-based meal. Enjoy mindful plant-based eating and the colors, textures, and flavors of your locally grown plant-based meal with your family and friends.

    Three Arizona Plant-Based Farm-to-Table Recipes

    These simple, beautiful plant-based recipes were intuitively inspired by and created with produce grown by our local Arizona farmers, The Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix, and Blue Sky Organic Farms in Litchfield Park.

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      The Farm at South Mountain Spring Produce, Herbs, and Edible Flowers

    RECIPE: Farm-to-Table Spring Arizona Greens Salad

    Create a simple, beautiful salad with greens from our local farmers or your garden. Pair a few different light leafy greens and a simple-to-prepare light salad dressing with fresh herbs. This fresh salad, inspired by the local greens grown at the Soil & Seed Garden, also features cherry tomatoes grown at Blue Sky Organic Farms.  We start with a simple salad 3-ingredient salad dressing to toss with the fresh salad greens. And, add extra plant-based extras to create a beautiful salad.

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    Farm-to-Table Spring Arizona Greens Salad

    Basic Salad Dressing: 3 Ingredients. That’s It

    Create your own salad dressing. The key components of a 3-ingredient salad dressing include an acid, fat, and salt. Once these elements are balanced, we can add in extras, such as garlic, fresh herbs, mustard, and honey. Acids are citrus, such as lemons, limes, grapefruit, along with vinegar. Fats are oils, such as olive oil. And, salts could be Celtic sea salt or Himalayan salt.  Once you’ve learned how to prepare a dressing with this technique, you can use this method to create your own unique salad dressings for your fresh salads.

    Simple Ingredients

    • 1 fresh lemon, orange, or ½ grapefruit, squeezed, approximately ¼ cup
    • Organic extra virgin olive oil, twice as much as the citrus juice, approximately ½ cup
    • ¼ tsp sea salt
    • OPTIONAL: 2-3 garlic cloves, minced; Fresh dill, fennel frond, mustard, honey

    Simple Steps

    • Squeeze a fresh citrus juice into a Mason jar.
    • Pour in twice as much olive oil as the citrus.
    • Shake the jar.
    • Taste and notice if your dressing seems too oily or acid-tasting. Add more citrus or olive oil to suit your taste.
    • Sprinkle in sea salt.
    • Shake the jar. Taste.
    • OPTIONAL: Add in minced fresh herbs and garlic.
    • Shake the jar. Taste.
    • OPTIONAL: Add honey and/or mustard. Shake and taste.
    • Taste testing salad dressing is a great way to mindfully use your cooking intuition. Add ingredients until the dressing tastes great.

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    Farm-to-Table Spring Arizona Greens Salad

    For the base of the salad, choose a variety of Spring greens grown by our local Arizona farmers or growing in your garden. In addition to the salad greens and dressing, extra ingredients add texture, beauty, and taste to the salad. Some sweet. Some salty. Some crunchy. Choose a few of your favorite extras such as tomatoes, berries, nuts and seeds, raisins, capers, and olives.  When plating, add beauty to your salad with dehydrated Arizona citrus and edible flowers.

    Simple Ingredients

    • 4 cups Mixed Greens, such as lettuce, baby kale, arugula, spinach, mizuna, shungiku (chrysanthemum greens)
    • 1 cup tomatoes, sliced
    • ½ cup berries (eg. blackberries, raspberries)
    • ¼ cup cracked pecans, walnuts, or pumpkin seeds
    • ¼ cup golden raisins
    • ¼ cup Kalamata olives
    • 2 tbsp capers
    • Garnish: 3-5 sliced dehydrated citrus (oranges, blood oranges, grapefruit); Edible flowers, herbs (dill or fennel fronds)

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    Farm-to-Table Spring Arizona Greens Salad Mise en Place

    Simple Steps

    • Chop or tear Spring greens into bite-size pieces.
    • Pour dressing over the greens.
    • Lightly toss the greens to coat with the dressing.
    • Add half of the extras (tomatoes, berries, nuts or seeds, raisins, olives, capers) and gently toss.
    • Mindfully plate with the remainder of the extras, dehydrated citrus, herbs, and edible flowers.
    • Enjoy!

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    Create Your Spring Salad with your Favorite Greens and Tasty Extras

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    Farm-to-Table Spring Arizona Greens Salad

    Enjoy our local Arizona Spring veggies by cooking with a few simple plant-based culinary techniques – raw salad, steaming, and roasting . Mindfully enjoy your plant-based creations with your family and friends.

    2020 Sedona Plant-Based Cooking & Self Care Retreats

    A-SedonaRetreat-S19-LunchSat-Group-DSC_7548 copy
    Getting started with our mindful chopping for our fresh Tomato Gazpacho and Avocado Tartare.

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    Beautiful Plant-Based Lunch Creation: Avocado Tartare

    A-SedonaRetreat-S19-Cath-water-DSC_8072 copy
    Yoga at one of my very favorite spots in the world: Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona.

    2020 Authentic Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Cooking Experiences at The Farm with Lead Grower Billy Anthony and award-winning cookbook author, Melanie Albert.

    Classes held at The Farm at South Mountain, 6101 S. 32nd Street, Phoenix, Arizona

    To Purchase, click below on the class date: