Experience Nutrition

Tag: Raw Food

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Matthew Kenney Fundamentals of Raw Cuisine Level 1 Final Project: Arizona Summer Raw Cuisine

    A New View of Healthy Eating: Matthew Kenney Fundamentals of Raw Cuisine Level 1 Final Project: Arizona Summer Raw Cuisine

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

    As many of you are aware, I’ve spent the last few months learning more about Raw Food with the Matthew Kenney Culinary Fundamentals of Raw Cuisine Level 1 and am so glad I did.

    Today, I’m excited to share a video of my Final Project for the course. During this project, we were required to create a menu, which included our learning from the course, along with our philosophies around the menu, and to prepare 2 of the 3 courses in the menu.  Of course, I had fun preparing all three.

    MENU: Arizona Summer Raw Cuisine

    FIRST

    Arizona Summer Flatbread

    Basil Marjoram Hummus. Local Flowers and Microgreens.

    SECOND

    Deconstructed Arizona Lasagna

    Local Heirloom Tomatoes. Marjoram Pesto. Parsley Cashew Cheese.

    THIRD

    Raw Matcha Pistachio Ice Cream

    Ginger Pistachio Cookies. Arizona Local Peaches. Goji Berries.

    I would like to thank all our local Arizona farmer friends, Maya Dailey of Maya’s Farm, Abby Lee Farms, Golo Organic Family Farms, The Community Exchange, and the Downtown Phoenix Public Market where I shopped a lot for this course. Honestly, your food really brought my creations to life!

    I will be sharing learning from the Matthew Kenney Fundamentals of Raw Cuisine with you on my Blog, Facebook and Instagram posts, a book (of course!) and am in process of creating Raw Culinary Experience classes and retreats!

    “A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Cooking with Real Whole Foods” by Melanie A. Albert is available. Please let me know if you’d like your book gift wrapped or if  you are interested in the book and cooking events for your business or organization.

     

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Sprouted Spelt Flatbread: Cooked & Raw Cuisine

    A New View of Healthy Eating: Sprouted Spelt Flatbread: Cooked & Raw Cuisine

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

    I’m excited to share my favorite cooked flatbread, Sprouted Spelt Flatbread, paired with Raw Pistachio Pesto and Fresh Tomatoes.

    As many of you are aware, I’ve been teaching whole foods cooking for several years, and am now learning more about gourmet raw culinary with Matthew Kenney Culinary. The flatbread really brings together these two ways of cooking. Enjoy!

    Organic Sprouted Spelt Flatbread

    Excerpt from “A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Cooking with Real Whole Foods”

    A few years ago I discovered that I was sensitive to gluten (the protein in grains like wheat, barley, and rye). By exploring different grain flours, I’ve found that I’m not sensitive (no hives, no bloating, no headaches) to the Organic Sprouted Spelt Flour by One Degree Organic Foods. Have fun making your own flatbread with this simple recipe.

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • ¾ cup hot (not boiling) water
    • 1 tbsp dry yeast
    • ½ tbsp honey
    • 2 tbsp organic olive oil
    • 2 cups organic sprouted spelt flour
    • ½ tsp sea salt

    SIMPLE STEPS

    1. Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees F with pizza brick in the oven.
    2. Put dry yeast, honey, and olive oil into a cup with hot water.
    3. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.
    4. Pour sprouted spelt flour and sea salt in a bowl.
    5. Add the water with yeast into the flour mixture.
    6. Blend with a fork for a few minutes, then knead with your hands for another few minutes. Only knead for about 3-4 minutes total; otherwise, the flatbread will be tough. If the dough is sticky, add more flour. If it’s dry, add more water.
    7. Coat a large bowl with olive oil. Place dough in bowl, cover with a towel, and rest for about 15 minutes. Any additional water in the dough will soak into the flour.
    8. Split the dough in half. Place 2 balls of dough into the bowl coated with olive oil, and cover for about 2 hours (to rise).
    9. Again, split the dough into 2 sections and spread it onto a pizza brick using your hands.
    10. Bake for 5 minutes, then check for doneness (crispy on outside and soft on inside). Bake for another 3-5 minutes if needed.
    11. Enjoy.

    “This Organic Sprouted Spelt Flatbread has become a staple in my home and when I travel. This year I made the flatbread with 15 pounds of the flour and my family and friends from Florida to Arizona all enjoyed its simplicity.”

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    Quick Pistachio Basil Pesto and Quick Marinated Tomatoes

    Quick Pistachio Basil Pesto

    INGREDIENTS

    • ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
    • ¼ cup pistachios, rough chopped
    • 1 TBSP organic extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
    • Pinch Celtic sea salt

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Rough chop basil and pistachios
    • Gently mix basil and pistachios with a fork in a small bowl
    • Squeeze in lemon juice
    • Drizzle in olive oil
    • Add sea salt
    • Stir
    • Add extra olive oil, lemon, or sea salt, as needed for your taste

    Quick Marinated Tomatoes

    INGREDIENTS

    • ¼ cup tomatoes (variety of small heirloom, if available)
    • 1 TBSP organic extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
    • Pinch sea salt

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Rough chop tomatoes and place in a small bowl
    • Add lemon juice, olive oil, and sea salt to tomatoes
    • Gently mix with a fork
    • Add extra olive oil, lemon or sea salt, as needed for your taste

    PLATING PRESENTATION

    • Place three slices of flatbread on plate
    • Spoon pesto to half of each flatbread slice
    • Spoon tomatoes to the other half of each flatbread slice
    • Garnish with micro greens
    • Enjoy!

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    If you are interested in purchasing in my book, “A New View of Healthy Eating,” stop by one of my cooking events in the Phoenix area. Or, if you are out-of-town, I’m happy to mail a copy to you.

     

     

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Matthew Kenney Culinary Journey: My First Raw Heirloom Tomato Lasagna!

    A New View of Healthy Eating: Matthew Kenney Culinary Journey: My First Raw Heirloom Tomato Lasagna!

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

    Taking a moment to reflect on the beginnings of my Raw Culinary Journey with Matthew Kenney Culinary.

    A few weeks ago, I was so excited to prepare Matthew Kenney’s classic Raw Heirloom Tomato Lasagna, given that I ate it many times 10 years ago when I was in school for weekends with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York at Pure Food & Wine. I actually ordered that amazing raw lasagna every time I ate there, so when I saw that we had the opportunity to learn how to prepare this dish, I was more than excited! I was also excited that I was able to use local Arizona tomatoes and zucchini in the dish.

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    Mindfulness in the Kitchen. I loved the mindful, careful, beautiful, meditative process of preparing each component of the dish – pesto, red sauce, raw ricotta, and basil oil. It really was a quiet, meditative process for me. I was in the present moment with the food, aroma, texture, and colors. I enjoyed seeing how the different textures and colors were coming together, and could hardly wait to taste it.

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    Art of Plating. I really begin to appreciate the art of plating and the art of food more deeply when I began to plate the dish. I could see the beauty of each element of the dish coming together into a (hopefully) beautiful dish.

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    Many aspects of making this dish were new to me, including the plating style and it was the first time I ever sauced a plate! And, it was the first time using my new “high-quality” mandolin.

    More to Share. I’m looking forward to sharing more about my raw culinary experience with you, in practicing plating, and enjoying the beautiful mindful process of raw culinary.

    If you are interested in purchasing my latest book, “A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Cooking with Real Whole Foods,” I’m happy to gift-wrap a copy for you.

     

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  • A New View of Healthy Eating: 3 Types of People who Dehydrate

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

    The last few days, I’ve been having fun dehydrating and tomorrow I will post a blog with the 9 trays of kale chips that are in the dehydrator right now.  Meanwhile last night I dehydrated a few apples and realized how much I love the crunch, sweetness, and texture of dehydrated apples.

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    EXCERPT from A New View of Healthy Eating

    What is Dehydrating?

    Dehydrating is the process of removing the moisture from food by surrounding food with a warm circulation of air, not exceeding 118 degrees Fahrenheit. This process concentrates flavors and creates dry, crisp food.

    Dehydrating is a simple, quick way to prepare food for different types of people and various culinary uses:

    • Raw Diet. Raw foodists (who eat food that is not cooked above 118 degrees) dehydrate lots of fruit, vegetables, wraps, and crackers with nuts and seeds for everyday eating.
    • Simple Fruit. Kids and adults of all ages enjoy dehydrated fruit (bananas, apples, persimmons) for everyday snacks.
    • Culinary Delight. Chefs and culinary enthusiasts dehydrate to concentrate and intensify the flavor of food, such as tomatoes, sweet peppers, and beets.

    If you’re interested in my new book, A New View of Healthy Eating, it’s available and I can ship it to you right away.

    Step 1: Order the Book

     Step 2: Fill out the form and receive Top 5 Recipes & Culinary Tips

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