Experience Nutrition

Tag: romanesco

Experience Nutrition Farm-to-Table Recipes: Roasted Purple Cauliflower, Romanesco, and Carrots. Hemp Seed Tabouli
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
It’s been such a beautiful Spring in Arizona, that this weekend I took time to enjoy self care, soaking in the beauty of our Arizona sky and visiting the Gilbert Farmers’ Market in Gilbert, Arizona, about 15 miles from my home.

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

Enjoy the Community at Farmers Markets.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Simple Ingredients
- 6-8 Romanesco florets (Blue Sky Organic Farms)
- 6-8 Purple Cauliflower florets (Blue Sky Organic Farms)
- 2 Green Onions (Blue Sky Organic Farms)
- 8-10 Carrots, sliced (Steadfast Farms)
- 1 Purple sweet potato, sliced
- 3 Lunchbox yellow, orange, or red sweet peppers
- 2 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch sea salt
Simple Steps
- Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Slice veggies.
- Place veggies in baking pan (enamel or stainless steel).
- Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt.
- Toss veggies to coat with the oil and salt.
- Roast for 10 minutes.
- Toss veggies.
- Roast for 10 minutes.
- Enjoy with Hemp Seed Tabouli and Edible Flowers.
Recipe: Hemp Seed Tabouli

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

Simple Ingredients
- ½ cup fresh parsley, rough chopped (Blue Sky Organic Farm)
- 1 tomato, rough chopped
- ¼ cup hemp seeds
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2-3 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch sea salt
Simple Steps
- Chop parsley, tomato, onion, and garlic.
- With a fork, mix veggies, hemp seeds, lime juice, olive oil, and sea salt.
- Add lime juice, olive oil, or sea salt to suit your taste.
Plate and Enjoy
- Plate the Roasted Veggies with the Parsley Tabouli and Edible Flowers and enjoy.
A few fun plates, starting with dramatic.

Enjoy roasted veggies in the pansy garden.

Fun Roasted Veggie Bowl…

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

To learn more, feel free to call 602.615.2486 or e-mail Mel@MelanieAlbert.com
April 1, 2019
A New View of Healthy Eating: Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Top 4 Favorite Plant-based Culinary Techniques & Rustic Veggie Saute
by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC
This week while cooking my local Arizona farmers’ produce I realized I was cooking the same foods different ways every day. One of my philosophies of healthy eating is to learn simple culinary skills and then when we shop at our farmers’ markets we can cook intuitively with what’s available seasonally.

Four of my favorite ways (or culinary methods) to cook veggies intuitively are roasting, sautéing, bamboo steamer, and raw. This week, I roasted twice, sauteed once, ate raw a few times, and, so far I have not used my bamboo steamer.

Take a look a this week’s roasted Farmers’ Market Veggies. Simple steps to Roast Winter Veggies

Rustic Winter Arizona Farmers’ Market Veggie Saute

My veggie saute featured many of the same veggies that I roasted earlier in the week. With the saute, I very intuitively added 2 Arizona navel oranges for sweet flavor and moisture.
- Romanesco
- Yellow cauliflower
- Purple carrots
- Sweet potatoes
- White beets
- Turnip
- Yellow tomato
- Greens
Mindfully Chop Veggies and Organize your Mise en Place

Chop veggies in about equal-sized pieces and mindfully organize them for cooking. Also, gather other ingredients for your dish. I added extra virgin olive oil, navel orange, and sea salt.

Saute Veggies One-by-One

Start with saute pan on medium heat. Warm the olive oil then add the tomato, root veggies, then cauliflower, and finally the greens.

Mindfully Plate Veggies with Quinoa

Again, be very mindful with your plating, placing veggies on the plate one-by-one. Add a few extras for extra flavor and interest, such as olives, capers, and dehydrated tomatoes.

Enjoy your meal.

This week I set up a new Facebook Group, Simple Daily Plant-based Eating Tips with Melanie Albert. The group is dedicated to daily actionable eating and cooking tips for people who wish to eat more plant-based food. Hope you join us and share in the conversation.

Melanie’s cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Eating with Real Whole Foods” includes 84 simple culinary technique with simple steps and photos of the process.

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March 9, 2018
A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Arizona Winter Harvest Bowl The Beauty of Local Farmers’ Food
by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLCs
I am so in awe of our beautiful Arizona farmers’ Winter bounty. Today’s intuitive recipe was inspired by many of the incredible veggies I purchased at the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market this weekend. Thanks so much to so many of my local farmer friends for all the passion, dedication, and hard work to grow the beautiful produce for all of us to enjoy.

Thanks, Farmers!
- Blue Sky Organic Farm: beautiful Romanesco
- Maya’s Farm: unique purple and white cauliflower, edible flowers
- Steadfast Farm: fresh sunflower sprouts, Iitois onions and amazing rainbow of purple, yellow, and white carrots
- Rhiba Farms: wild arugula
- Golo Family Farms: sweet lime
In addition to showcasing the beautiful Arizona Winter veggies, I also wanted to share a simple way to cook the veggies in a bamboo steamer to keep them vibrant and colorful. Once we’ve gently steamed the veggies, we can finish them with a simple dressing.

I invite you to Intuitively create your dish using these recipe steps as a guide. When you choose your vegetables consider their different colors, different textures, and different flavors. Also, use your intuition to determine how much of the veggies you’d like to cook. For me, I like to cook a small batch so I can enjoy a meal one day and then eat the left-overs for lunch the next day.

SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

Bamboo Steamer
- Romanesco
- Purple cauliflower
- Yellow and purple carrots
- Wild arugula
- Iitoi onions, cut on bias
- Sunflower sprouts
Dressing
- Sweet lime
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Coriander seeds
- Sea salt
Extras
- Rose brown rice
- Edible flowers
SIMPLE STEPS: Arugula Saute
- Pre-heat saute pan on low-medium heat.
- Add olive oil to pan.
- Sweat onions for a few minutes.
- Add arugula and cook for a few minutes.
- Add Sunflower sprout and cook for about a minute.
SIMPLE STEPS: Dry Toast Coriander
- Pre-heat small sauce pan or pot on low heat.
- Add coriander to pan and toast for a few minutes.
- Remove from heat and save for the dressing.
SIMPLE STEPS: Bamboo Steamer
- Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a large stock pot.
- Cut all vegetables into bite-sizes pieces.
- Place vegetables on steamer, with space between each, to allow steam to rise and cook the veggies.
- Sprinkle a few pinches of sea salt on the veggies.
- Cover the steamer.
- Steam for 5-7 minutes until the veggies easily fall off the fork.
- Drizzle lemon, olive oil, and sea salt, and coriander seeds on the veggies to create a dressing.
- Gently hand toss the veggies in the dressing.
- Adjust flavors. Add more olive oil, lemon, or salt to suit your personal taste.
- Gather your plating mise en place.
- Plate the veggies with brown rice.
- Garnish with edible flowers.
Two Cooking Events this Weekend in Phoenix, February 17 and 18, 2018

Taste of the Market, Downtown Phoenix Market, Saturday, February 17, 2018, 10am. If you’re in the Phoenix area, I’ll be hosting the Taste of the Market Cooking demo at the Downtown Phoenix Market on Saturday, February 17, 2018 at 10am. I’ll be shopping the market and then will create a bamboo steamer and sautéed greens dish. Stop by to learn these culinary techniques and taste the amazing food from our local farmers. Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market, Central & McKinley, 14 E Pierce Street, Phoenix, AZ (Central Ave & McKinley)

Intuitive Cooking Experience: Winter Farm-to-Table Cooking Class at the Farm at South Mountain, Sunday, February 18, 2018, 11am-1pm. Full hands-on intuitive cooking class at The Farm at South Mountain. Cost $45 per person + tax.

I’ll intuitively shop the Saturday farmers’ markets for local, Phoenix fresh, justharvested produce the day before the class. During the hands-on cooking experience you’ll learn culinary skills and dishes from my book, “A New View of Healthy Eating.” You will create:
- A beautiful, unique Asian-inspired salad with ginger dressing
- Seasonal chickpea hummus with fresh herbs
- Colorful veggie stir-fry with lots of greens
You’ll learn a few simple key culinary skills:
- 3-Ingredient salad dressing, as the foundation for the perfect dressing
- A basic hummus that you can adapt with all kinds of herbs and spices
- The proper steps and process to make a veggie stir-fry
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
February 13, 2018