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!
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.
So humbled and honored to be featured in the media over the years. And, really excited to start 2021 with two beautiful, very appreciated highlights in our Arizona publications. And, thrilled to shoot a farm-to-table cooking tv segment with the nationally syndicated tv show The List and with the City of Peoria in 2020.
Natural Awakenings, January 2021: “Create Food Art with Sprouted Spelt Arizona Winter Veggie Flatbread.”
I’ve been writing plant-based farm-to-table recipe articles for the Natural Awakenings Magazine for a few years, and am happy to share with you the January 2021 article: “Create Food Art with Sprouted Spelt Arizona Winter Veggie Flatbread.”
This article highlights the philosophy of the new Plant-Based Farm-to-Table Food Art Movement and features one of my favorite, fun-to-prepare, delicious meals: Farm-to-Table Veggie Flatbread. Thanks so much to editor Tracy Patterson for the opportunities to showcase beautiful food ideas on your publication.
The List TV Show: 3 Ways to Cook with Banana Peels. Yes, Really! January, 21, 2020
So honored to prepare fun “healthy dishes” on the nationally syndicated tv show, The List, with incredible co-host Segun Oduolowu. So much fun to cook together and create fun, beautiful, tasty dishes.
Thanks so much to producer Jacqui Denker for the opportunities to work together. Also, so much fun and I love your creative ideas for the segments.
Enjoy this segment with Banana Peel Beet Burgers and Banana Bread.
Farm-toTable Cooking TV Segment: SustainableU City of Peoria, October 7, 2020.
For several years I’ve been hosting farm-to-table cooking demos and experiences with the Sustainable U Program with the City of Peoria.
With the Covid-19 Pandemic, rather than in-person cooking experiences, I’m honor to share plant-based cooking with our community via the tv cooking segment.
Oh my…I think it was around 112 degrees when I arrived at the Peoria Channel 11 studio.All set for the TV Shoot. Beautiful food, thanks to our local Arizona farmers.The sign of the times…Coronavirus Pandemic 2020.Eat local!
Please fill out the form if you’d like to collaborate on plant-based farm-to-table media opportunities.
It’s such an honor to create recipes for the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) at The Farm at South Mountain. The Farm is a beautiful organic farm right in my neighborhood in Phoenix, Arizona.
Let’s take a look at the beauty of The Farm and the incredible veggies growing right now in mid-December 2020.
Winter Broccoli at The Farm at South Mountain.The simple beauty of Broccoli.
Enjoy the Kale at The Farm
For the CSA members, Winter Week 5: 12.17.20
The Farm at South Mountain: Winter CSA 12.19.2020
Scarlet Turnips: Root & Greens
Corn-on-the cob
Broccoli
Bok Choy
Meyer lemon
Lemon basil
Romaine lettuce
Meyer lemon
Peppers
Eggs
Winter Scarlet Turnip. Corn. Bok Choy Saute Recipe
This week’s recipe was inspired by the incredible scarlet turnip, corn-on-cob, and the lemon basil!
Hope you enjoy creating a simple veggie sauté to enjoy with chickpea pasta for a great gluten-free veggie dish. Add the Meyer lemon while sautéing to caramelize the veggies.
I was so excited to create this recipe, that I actually prepared it within 2 hours of bringing the veggies into my kitchen.
Steps to Prepare the Dish
Sauté the veggies
Cook pasta.
Mindfully plate your sautéed veggies with pasta, seeds, herbs, and edible flowers.
Enjoy the video for this beautiful, tasty recipe.
VEGGIE SAUTE TIPS
Use the simple veggie sauté culinary method to easily cook all kinds of veggies.
Pre-heat the saute pan before cooking.
Cook the veggies step-by-step to layer the flavors.
Start with onions for the flavor base.
At the end of cooking, add the greens (bok choy) and herbs (lemon basil) to gently cook.
WINTER VEGGIE SAUTE
Recipe Serves 2
Use this simple veggie sauté method to cook the fresh CSA from the Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
Winter Veggie Saute: Beautiful Veggies from The Farm CSA
3-4 green onions (not in the CSA)
2-3 small peppers
1 corn-on-cob
½ broccoli stem
1 cup turnip, sliced
1 cup bok choy
1 stem lemon basil
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ Meyer lemon, juiced
Pinch sea salt
SIMPLE STEPS
Slice all veggies and corn off the cob.
Pre-heat sauté pan on stove top on medium.
Add olive oil to coat bottom of the pan.
Add the onions. Sauté a few minutes.
Add peppers. Sauté a few minutes.
Drizzle pinch of sea salt onto the veggies.
Add corn on cob. Sauté a few minutes.
Add broccoli. Sauté a few minutes.
Squeeze Meyer lemon and stir to de-glaze the pan.
Add turnip. Sauté a few minutes.
Add bok choy and lemon basil. Sauté a minute.
Veggie Saute: Ingredients
FOOD ART: PLATE THE DISH
Enjoy plating the veggies with layers of veggies and pasta.
Garnish with pine nuts (or other nuts), a green onion, sliced raw turnip, and lemon basil leaves, and edible calendula flowers.
Veggie Saute: Plating Mise en Place
ENJOY YOUR WINTER VEGGIE SAUTE DISH
Arizona Winter Veggie Saute
ENJOY OUR PHOTO SHOOT BEHIND-THE-SCENES
Interested in creating a Plant-Based Farm-to-Table Food Art Program (Virtual and in Person when the time is right), fill out our Form. Look forward to talking with you.
Happy to share with you this week’s recipe video for the Winter 2020 CSA at The Farm at South Mountain, right in my neighborhood in Phoenix, Arizona.
The recipe was inspired by the beautiful beets, scarlet queen turnips, and rosemary. And, of course, the pecans that grow right at The Farm.
Enjoy this video of the Roasted Beet & Turnip Bowl, and use it as a guide to create your own Roots Bowl with beets, turnips, tossed salad greens, and a few of your favorite salad extras, such as cashew cream, figs, and blackberries for a fresh Winter dish.
Steps to Prepare the Dish
Roast the beets and turnips with the quick roast method.
Prepare the Simple Cashew Cream.
Crack the pecans.
Make the simple acid, fat, salt salad dressing and toss with the greens.
Mindfully plate the roasted roots, salad greens, pecans, Cashew Cream, and your favorite extras.
Enjoy Cooking!!!!
Recipe intuitively created by Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO of Experience Nutrition, Award-winning cookbook author, creator of the Plant-Based Food Art Movement. Leader in wellness, integrative nutrition, and culinary for 15 years.
I am so honored to intuitively create recipes for The Farm at South Mountain CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) members, And, I’m happy to share this week’s Winter Arizona recipe with you.
As many of you are aware, I live in a wonderful area of Phoenix, Arizona with incredible urban farms right in my neighborhood, including The Farm at South Mountain. For four years I’ve been teaching hands-on plant-based farm-to-table cooking experiences at The Farm and have been intuitively creating recipes with the weekly CSA box. This week is actually Recipe #55!
Excited to meet the new farmers at The Farm…Olive, DJ, Nicole, Meredith, with Melanie Albert.
The Farm at South Mountain…Olive, DJ, Melanie, Nicole, Meredith
The Winter CSA for November 21, 2020 includes:
Detroit Red Beets
Purple Daikon Radishes
Rainbow Swiss Chard
Curly Leaf Lettuce
Lemon Basil
Eggs
The Farm at South Mountain CSA: 11.21.20
BEETS & DAIKON RADISH BOWL
This week’s recipe was inspired by the beautiful beets and purple daikon radishes. Create your Veggie Bowl with the beet roots and greens, daikon radishes, Lemon Basil Cashew Cream, quinoa and walnuts for a beautiful Winter dish.
Steps to Prepare the Dish
Roast the beets, daikon radishes, and green onions.
Prepare the Lemon Basil Cashew Cream
Sauté the Beet Greens.
Plate the roasted roots, sautéed greens, Lemon Basil Cashew Cream, and walnuts.
Enjoy the Beets Bowl video for step-by-step visuals of the cooking process. Scroll down for the recipes.
All Recipes Serve 2
ROASTED BEETS, DAIKON RADISHES & GREEN ONIONS
Roasted Beets & Daikon Radishes
Roast the Winter roots for your simple-to-prepare, tasty farm-to-table veggie bowl.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
2 beet roots
2 daikon radishes
3-4 green onions, sliced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp dried herbs, such as Herbs de Provence
Pinch sea salt
SIMPLE STEPS
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Cut beet roots, daikon radishes into unique shapes and sizes.
Place roots (beets and radishes separately) and onions into a small bowl. Coat with olive oil, dried herbs, and sea salt.
Place roots, not touching, on parchment-lined sheet pan.
Layer onions on parchment-lined sheet pan.
Roast for 12 minutes.
Flip the veggies.
Roast another 12-15 minutes.
SIMPLE LEMON BASIL CASHEW CREAM
Create this simple plant-based cream with the lemon basil to enjoy with roasted roots.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
1 cup raw cashews, pre-soaked in water for 2-4 hours
¼ cup lemon basil leaves
2 green onions
2 tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup nutritional yeast
Pinch sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil
SIMPLE STEPS
Place all ingredients into food processor.
Process until chunky.
Stream in olive oil while processing.
Process to desired level of creaminess.
SAUTEED BEET GREENS
Create this quick sauteed beet green side to enjoy with the Roasted Beets and Radishes Bowl.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
Tops of 2 beets, sliced (greens and stems sliced separately)
2 green onions sliced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Pinch sea salt
SIMPLE STEPS
Pre-heat sauté pan on medium.
Pour olive oil into pan.
Add onions.
Sauté for 3 minutes.
Add beets stems.
Sauté for 1 minute.
Add beet greens.
Add pinch sea salt.
Sauté for 3 minutes.
NEW Online Plant-Based Food Art Program
Interested in learning more about plant-based cooking and creating beautiful dishes, I invite you to register for our new 3-Day Food Art course. Learn how to prepare the recipes and create beautiful dishes: Avocado Tartare, Roasted Veggie Bowl, and Raw Carrot Cake. CLICK TO REGISTER.
This week I was excited to purchase a great Chickpea Pasta from Sonoran Pasta at the Downtown Phoenix Market and wanted to enjoy it with a quick tomato sauce.
From start-to-finish with photos and videos this took less than 30 minutes to prepare and the sauce itself cooked in 7 minutes.
Hope you enjoy this delicious simple tomato sauce! Please tag us on Social Media: #plantbasedfoodart
7 Minute Tomato Sauce Recipe
Serves 1
1 heirloom tomato, sliced
1 elephant garlic, minced
¼ cup Kalamata olives
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Pinch sea salt
Garnish: Green onion, sliced
SIMPLE STEPS
Pre-heat sauté pan on medium.
Add olive oil to bottom of pan.
Add tomatoes and sauté for 4-5 minutes.
Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
Add olives and sauté for 4-5 minutes.
The Chickpea Pasta
Use this recipe as a guide to cook refrigerated (not boxed) chickpea pasta. Cook the pasta while the tomato sauce is cooking.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
3 ounces pasta
½ tsp sea salt
SIMPLE STEPS
Pour about 4 cups of water and sea salt into a medium size pot.
Bring water to boil.
Add pasta to the boiling water.
Lower to simmer.
Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
Drain the pasta.
PLATING
Toss some of the pasta with the sauce.
Plate with the tossed pasta, extra sauce, and green onion.
Based on a request for a chocolate dessert that is actually healthy, I’m happy to share this simple-to-prepare, delicious, healthy Avocado Chocolate Pudding. This dessert features a few superfoods as toppings for the pudding: Goji berries, raw cacao nibs, and hemp seeds.
Simple Recipe from “A New View of Healthy Eating” by Melanie Albert
Chocolate Avocado Pudding
Incredible, rich, and creamy vegan chocolate pudding will delight everyone. Make it for dessert or an after-work or after-school snack. Once you’ve made this avocado pudding, experiment by adding some extras, such as bananas, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, homemade nut milk, and freshly ground spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
2 ripe avocados
4 Medjool dates, pitted and sliced
1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, scraped
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
1 cups water
Avocado Pudding Mise en Place
SIMPLE STEPS
Place all ingredients in food processor or high-speed blender.
Blend on high for about 2 minutes.
Stop and scrape down sides of food processor or blender, if needed.
Blend for another 2 minutes or until completely pureed and smooth.
Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Enjoy topped with goji berries, cacao nibs, hemp seeds,citrus, raw cacao powder.
Avocado Pudding: Ingredients into Food Processor
Avocado Chocolate Pudding. Superfoods.Add Edible Flowers & Raw Cacao Powder to your Plate.
