Tag: tomatoes

  • Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table Lemon Cucumber Tomato Tower Salad

    Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table Lemon Cucumber Tomato Tower Salad

    Eat What Grows!

    A simple way to think about eating locally and eating with the season, is to eat what your local farmers are growing, or what’s growing in your garden.

    What Grows Together Goes Together

    A simple way to think about how to create a dish with your local farmers produce, is to create with the vegetables, fruit, and herbs that are growing together. Intuitively, have fun mixing and matching different colors, textures, shapes, and sizes.

    Right now in Arizona, in late August, it’s still hot, with temperatures above 105 degrees. With the heat, hydrating foods, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, cantaloupe, and watermelons are still growing.

    Thank  You Farmers & Farmers Markets!

    As always, thanks to our Arizona farmers markets and farmers for continuing to serve our community with incredible food throughout the Coronavirus Pandemic and our extra hot summer.

    Special thanks to the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market and the following farmers for the produce in the Lemon Cucumber Tomato Tower. Crooked Sky Farms (cucumbers, tomatoes), Blue Sky Organic Farm (parsley).

    A-IMG_9833
    Arizona Summer Veggies

    Lemon Cucumber Tower Salad Recipe

    This quick salad, inspired by the beautiful, unique crisp lemon cucumber, is paired with an heirloom tomato, along with a fresh parsley gremolata.

    Use this recipe as a guide to create your own fresh summer salad with your favorite cucumbers and tomatoes. Add flavor with a simple parsley gremolata as a dressing.

    Have fun plating your own version of Food Art with this dish. Post it on Instagram and Tag #ExperienceNutrition

     Serves 1

     Simple Ingredients

     Cucumber Tower

    • 1 lemon cucumber, sliced in rounds
    • 1 heirloom tomato, sliced in rounds

    Gremolata

    • ¼ cup fresh parsley
    • ¼ cup fresh basil
    • ¼ cup raw almonds, rough chopped
    • ¼ lemon, juiced
    • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
    • Pinch sea salt

    Garnish

    • Few basil leaves
    • Few parsley leaves
    • Few olives
    • Optional: Dehydrated tomato (previously dehydrated)
    • Optional: Dolmas: Stuffed Grape Leaves (Not use in plating)
    A-lemoncucumber-IMG_3792
    Lemon Cucumber Tomato Tower Mise En Place

    A-lemoncucumber-IMG_3801

    Simple Steps

    Gremolata

    • Rough chop the basil, parsley, and almonds.
    • Place all ingredients (basil, parsley, almonds, lemon juice, olive oil) into a small bowl.
    • Toss gently.
    • Add more lemon, olive oil, or sea salt to suit your taste.
    A-gremolota-IMG_3804
    Gremolata Ingredients: Basil, Almonds, Parsley

     Plating

    Enjoy mindfully plating your salad to create your own Food Art.

    • Place a cucumber round on the bottom of plate.
    • Add a tablespoon of the gremolata and a few capers.
    • Place a tomato slice onto the gremolata.
    • Add a tablespoon of the gremolata and a few capers.
    • Continue with a few more layers of cucumbers and tomatoes.
    • Garnish with fresh basil, parsley, olives, capers, and dehydrated tomato.
    A-cucumber-lemon-IMG_3811
    Plating Mise en Place: Lemon Cucumber Tomato Tower

    Watch the plating video and then have fun plating your own Cucumber Tomato Tower.


    Enjoy your Cucumber Tomato Tower

    My tower tipped over….but…still delicious, so wanted to share it with you.

    A-lemoncucumber-IMG_3833
    Lemon Cucumber Heirloom Tomato

    A-lemoncucumber-IMG_3824

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


    We have now, with careful consideration of the Coronavirus Pandemic, postponed our Sedona Plant-Based Culinary and Self-Care Retreat to November 13-16, 2020.

    Click hear to learn more about the retreat and see the wonderful time during our September 2019 Retreat.

    If you’re interested in a once-in-a-lifetime memorable weekend, please reach out to me. Would love to chat and get to know you and answer any questions.  Also, please let me know if you’d like to create a custom retreat for a group of friends or your business.

    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.

    A few memories from our September 2019 Sedona Plant-Based Culinary & Self-Care Retreat.

  • 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

    AP-IMG_8106-salsaingr
    Farm-to-Table Tomato Salsa: Ingredients

    AP-IMG_8139-salsamise

    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.
    AP-IMG_8214-salsa-plate
    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
    BP-IMG_8104-tomsauteingr
    Tomato Saute: Ingredients

    BP-IMG_8147-sautemise
    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.

    CP-IMG_8171-sauteplatemise
    Tomato Saute. Pasta. Plating Mise en Place.
    BP-IMG_8215-sauteplate
    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.
    CP-IMG_8165-dehy
    Dehydrate Tomatoes: Place sliced tomatoes on dehydrator sheet.

    FP-IMG_8310-tomdehy
    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: Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market Summer Salads

    Experience Nutrition: Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market Summer Salads

    Thanks so much to the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market for the opportunity to share a few beautiful summer salads with our local Arizona farmers early summer produce.  Having shopped the market for 15 years and leading cooking demos at the market for 4 years, I am honored to be part of our local farmers community.

    Thanks to the farmers market and our local farmers for your continued commitment and hard work to provide beautiful, fresh produce and local products to our community during the Coronavirus Pandemic. We all appreciate you and all the farmers and vendors.

    AP-IMG_7716-farmersveg
    Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market: Summer Veggies

    Looking forward to the Fall when we can continue our “Shop the Farmers Market” Cooking Demos.

    Meanwhile, I’m honored to share two simple, refreshing salads – Tomato Gazpacho and Chopped Salads. Hope you enjoy the recipes and have fun preparing and enjoying them with your family and kids.  – Melanie Albert

    Enjoy the Summer Salad Cooking Video featuring our local Arizona farmers produce and then create your own Tomato Gazpacho and Chopped Veggie Salad with your family and kids.


    Summertime Tomato Gazpacho Recipe

    A fresh, cold tomato gazpacho is refreshing, especially on warm days. Make this quick cold tomato salad with our local farmers tomatoes and cucumbers for a tasty summer side dish. Be sure to experiment with all kinds of tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers.

     Simple Ingredients

    • 4-5 medium tomatoes, rough chopped
    • 2 green bell peppers, seeded and rough chopped
    • 1 medium Armenian cucumber, rough chopped
    • ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
    • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice and lime zest
    • 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
    • Sea salt, to taste
    AP-IMG_7730-gazveg
    Tomato Gazpacho: Farmers fresh ingredients

    Simple Steps

    • Place tomatoes in a large bowl.
    • Massage with hands to break down tomatoes.
    • Add sea salt, lime juice and zest, and garlic.
    • Mix well.
    • Add all other soup ingredients to the bowl.
    • Mix well.
    • Taste and season with sea salt.
    • Top with diced cucumbers, tomatoes, and cilantro.
    • Enjoy!
    • Refrigerate leftover gazpacho soup and enjoy the next day for an even more flavorful salad.
    AP-IMG_7755-gaz-chopped
    Tomato Gazpacho: Mise En Place
    AP-IMG_7835-gaz
    Arizona Summer Tomato Gazpacho

    Summer Chopped Salad Recipe

    Simple Ingredients

    Chopped Salad

    • 1 carrot, cubed
    • 2 cups, green beans, sliced
    • 1 green onion, sliced
    • 1 green pepper, sliced
    • 1 corn on cob
    AP-IMG_7806-choppedvegs
    Summer Chopped Salad: Mise En Place

    Dill Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

    • ½ fresh lemon juice, approximate ¼ cup
    • ½ cup olive oil, twice as much as the lemon juice
    • 2-3 stems fresh herbs, such as dill
    • Pinch sea salt
    • 1 tsp honey
    • 1 tsp stone ground mustard
    AP-IMG_7777-dressmise
    Dill Honey Mustard Salad Dressing: Mise En Place

     Salad Dressing Simple Steps

    • Pour lemon juice in a small jar.
    • Add olive oil.
    • Shake. Taste.
    • Adjust with more oil, of too much acid; adjust with more lemon, if too much oil.
    • Add sea salt.
    • Add honey and mustard.
    • Shake.
    • Taste and adjust with any ingredients to suit your taste.

     

    Summer Chopped Salad

    • Place all veggies into a bowl.
    • Pour dressing over the veggies.
    • Gently toss.
    • Enjoy your fresh salad.
    AP-IMG_7836-chopsalad
    Arizona Summer Chopped Salad

    Have fun plating your Summer Salads…A few ideas to get you started. And, take a look at the video to “see” the plating.

    AP-IMG_7829-plate
    Summer Salad: Mise En Place
    AP-IMG_7875-gazdish
    Tomato Gazpacho. Armenian Cucumber
    AP-IMG_7849-choppedplate
    Arizona Summer Chopped Salad
    AP-IMG_7886-hummusandchopp
    Chopped Salad: Another View
    AP-IMG_7878-chophum
    Chopped Salad. Classic Hummus.

    NEW: Corporate Wellness Healthy Eating Programs

    In light of the Coronvirus and safety, rather than in-person cooking experiences, we are now creating custom plant-based cooking videos with “cooking kits.” To learn more contact, Melanie Albert at 602.615.2486 or Mel@MelanieAlbert.com


    UPDATE: Sedona September Self-Care Plant-Based Cooking Retreat

    At this point, we are planning on holding our Fall 2020 culinary and self-care retreat, keeping in mind safety and limiting the number of participants. If you are interested in the September 18-21, 2020 or a custom retreat for your group of friends, let me know, Mel@MelanieAlbert.com  Click for a glimpse of our beautiful Fall 2019 Retreat


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

    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.

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Plant-Based Recipes by Melanie Albert: Summer Salad: Arizona Peach Tomato Arugula Salad

    A New View of Healthy Eating: Plant-Based Recipes by Melanie Albert: Summer Salad: Arizona Peach Tomato Arugula Salad

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

    Summertime!!!! Peaches!!!!

    I’m so happy peaches are in season in Arizona right now. Today, I bought a few perfectly ripe peaches and tomatoes from local farmers. I really didn’t have a plan to prepare them; however, right away when I got home I intuitively created, for the first time, a salad with both tomatoes and peaches. I really got excited and created sweetness with figs to balance the bitterness of the arugula. Plus, I love goji berries for their earthiness and pistachios for a little crunch.

    Have fun creating your own peach salads and desserts this summer!

    A-peach-agritopia-IMG_E5809
    Beautiful Peaches at Agritopia, Gilbert, Arizona

    A-Peaches-IMG_E7051

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • Arizona peaches, sliced (neighbor friend)
    • Arizona yellow tomato, sliced (Abby Lee Farms)
    • Arizona arugula (Blue Sky Organic Farm)
    • Goji berries, soaked in water for 10 minutes
    • Mission figs, sliced
    • Blood Orange Olive Oil (Queen Creek, Arizona)
    • Pistachios
    • Arizona fresh mint (Maya’s Farm)
    • Sea salt

     

    A-peach-mise-IMG_7057

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • In a small bowl, toss arugula, blood orange olive oil, and a dash of sea salt.
    • Add a few peaches, goji berries, Mission figs, and mint to the arugula.
    • Toss all ingredients.
    • Beautifully plate.
    • Enjoy!

    Making the salad…

    A-peach-mise-IMG_7059

    B-peach-ingredients-bowl-IMG_7061

    Plating Mise en Place

    c-peaches-plating-mise-img_7066.jpg

    Plating Video…

     

    The Final Summer Arizona Peach Tomato Arugula Salad

    D-peach-plate-top-IMG_7084

    Enjoy…

     

     

    A New View of Healthy Eating” by Melanie Albert is available directly from the author, and she’ll gift wrap for you.

     

    A-NewViewBook-Agritopia-IMG_5780

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: 20 Pounds of Tomatoes Part 3: Tomatoes Arizona Lemon Sauce

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLCs

    As some of you may be aware, a few times a year I have the opportunity to purchase 20 pounds of organic Campari tomatoes from McClendon’s Select for $20 US dollars at one of our local Phoenix farmers markets. This time, I was fortunate to purchase the tomatoes at our Wednesday morning Uptown Market in Phoenix, Arizona.

    When purchasing the flat of tomatoes, they are quite ripe, so I really have to cook them within a day or so, or share with family and friends. With the flat of tomatoes I purchased a few weeks ago, I prepared the tomatoes 4 different ways:

    1. Roasted in oven.
    2. Dehydrated in dehydrator.
    3. Stove-top saute with Arizona lemons.
    4. Stove-top saute with veggies.

    AA-tomates-4ways-JVRJ3960

    Tomatoes. Arizona Lemon Saute Sauce

    Today, let’s take a look at the sautéed tomatoes with Arizona lemons.

    This simple tomato sauce was inspired by our local Arizona citrus season, with so many aromatic lemons growing everywhere around the Phoenix area. Love the sharp contrast of the lemon in the sauce. After the sauce cooked and cooked, I froze it in 2-cup servings.  I look forward to enjoying the Tomato Lemon Sauce with whole grains and veggies…Maybe tonight??!!!

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • Tomatoes
    • Lemons
    • Extra virgin olive oil
    • Sea salt

    A-01-tomatoes-lemons-IMG_2926

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Place tomatoes and lemons in large saute pan.
    • Bring to a simmer.
    • Drizzle in olive oil and a few pinches of salt.
    • Saute for about 45 minutes.

    A-02-tomatoes-lemons-IMG_2936

    Quick video…Getting started…tomatoes and lemons into the saute pan…

    And, the tomatoes and lemons cooking…

    Another simple idea for Tomato Saute in my cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating.”

     

    56-57_Tomato-sauce-1

    You can purchase “A New View of Healthy Eating” right here and I’ll gift wrap and mail a copy to you.

    Also, I invite you to Follow me on Instagram where I post my favorite “food art” photos. @nutritionauthor

     

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: 4 Great Ways to Cook 20 Pounds of Organic Tomatoes: Part 2: Slow Roast Tomatoes

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

    Continuing the recipe blog with this week’s 20 pounds of organic tomatoes, today’s recipe guide to roast tomatoes is a simple way to very easily cook tomatoes. Chop a few veggies and roast for in the oven with tomatoes for about 1 ½ -2 hours.

    This batch of tomatoes was cooked intuitively with a few ingredients from this week’s farmers’ market. And, while the tomatoes were cooking, I really enjoyed the natural sweet aromatherapy of the sauce that reminded me of an authentic Italian restaurant.

    Simple Ingredients

    • Tomatoes
    • Red peppers
    • Orange carrots
    • Green onions
    • Parsley
    • Extra virgin olive oil
    • Sea salt

    a-01-tomatoes-roast-img_2894.jpg

    Simple Steps

    • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Slice peppers, carrots, and green onions.

    a-04-tomatoes-roast-img_2905.jpg

    • Place all veggies in a large baking pan.
    • Drizzle with olive oil.
    • Add a few pinches of sea salt.
    • Lightly toss the veggies.

    A-05-tomatoes-roast-IMG_2912

    • Roast for about 1 ½ – 2 hours, stirring and breaking down tomatoes occasionally.

    A-07-tomatoes-roast-IMG_3002

    This tomato sauce was so rich I enjoyed it on flatbread, and topped it with arugula, dehydrated tomatoes, and goat cheese. Enjoy your tomato sauce with flatbread, quinoa, or spiralized veggies.

    A-flatbread-tomato-sauce-IMG_3188

    The next time you roast tomatoes, please share your creations with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: 4 Great Ways to Cook 20 Pounds of Organic Tomatoes: Part 1: Dehydrate Tomatoes

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

    Several times a year I have the great opportunity to purchase a flat – 20 pounds – of organic Campari tomatoes from McClendon Select Farms in Phoenix. This week I shared a few pounds of the tomatoes in a Wise Choices Meet-up with the Valley of the Sun United Way. After that I started creating a few different batches of tomatoes with the other beautiful produce from this week’s Uptown Farmers Market.

    A-tomatoes-box-IMG_2786

    4 Different Ways to Cook Tomatoes

    I invite you to use these 4 ways to cook the tomatoes as a guide to cook tomatoes from your local farmers’ markets. During the next few days I’ll be blogging the cooking process with photos and videos for all of these ways to cook tomatoes.

    • Roasted Tomatoes. Orange Carrots. Red Peppers. Green Onions.
    • Stove Top Tomato Sauté. Arizona Lemons.
    • Dehydrated Tomatoes.
    • Roasted Tomatoes. Leeks. Green Garlic.

    AA-tomates-4ways-JVRJ3960

    Dehydrated Tomatoes

    Dehydrating tomatoes is a really simple way to prepare tomatoes. When we dehydrate, the flavor of the tomatoes becomes very concentrated and sweet.

    Simple Steps

    • Slice tomatoes in rounds: half or in thirds.
    • Place on dehydrator screens, with skin side down.

    A-02-DehydrateTomatoe-IMG_2968

    • Dehydrate at 115 degrees for about 10-12 hours. Enjoy the tomato aromatherapy while dehydrating.

    A-04-TomatoesDehydrate-Ready-screen-IMG_3021

    • Store in air-tight glass jars.

    A-07-DehydratedTomatoes-jars-IMG_3133

    The dehydrated tomatoes were so delicious,  I  sliced a few more pounds, which are in the dehydrator right now.

    5 Great Ways to Enjoy Dehydrated Tomatoes

    1. Enjoy as a snack.
    2. Add to a veggie sauté.
    3. Use as a pizza or flatbread topping.
    4. Process in a raw marinara sauce for a deep flavor.
    5. Add to a nut pate for a fresh taste.

    Stay in touch, as I’ll be sharing the other four ways to cook 20 pound of tomatoes. If you dehydrate tomatoes, please share your experience with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

    For some additional ideas to cook tomatoes, Melanie’s book, “A New View of Healthy Eating” is available.

    56-57_Tomato-sauce-1

    A-IMG_5209

     

     

     

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Quick and Easy Tomato Gazpacho

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

    Today I had the opportunity to share how to make a really simple tomato gazpacho to a group with Gregory’s Fresh Market. Tomato gazpacho is one of the simple staples in my cooking classes, as it is so simple for everyone to make – from kids, to adults, to former NFL players and their families, to seniors.  This cold soup is also so refreshing and very versatile. Plus, it’s great for hydration.

     

    This soup is so quick to prepare. In fact, today, I chopped for 30 minutes and then prepared two big batches in 30 minutes for the 56 people attending the cooking class. During the classes, rather than blending the veggies, I actually massage the tomatoes to bring out the tomato juice and flavor. Today, we intuitively made one batch with lots of garlic and cilantro, and the other with a little more lemon and green onions.

    The recipe in my book, “A New View of Healthy Eating” can be used as a basic guide to prepare the soup, then you can experiment with different flavors. Such as lime, dill, lots of colorful heirloom tomatoes, various peppers.

    Excerpt from “A New View of Healthy Eating

    Summertime Tomato Gazpacho Cold Soup

    A fresh, cold tomato gazpacho is refreshing, especially on warm days. Make this quick cold tomato soup with red, orange, and yellow tomatoes and red, orange, yellow, and green bell peppers for a bright summer side dish. Be sure to try the beautiful (some may think ugly) heirloom tomatoes. If you are fortunate enough to purchase a whole flat of really ripe organic tomatoes, make a big batch of tomato gazpacho for a summertime picnic.

    P-078-Option-Content-02-T-TomatoesSoup-hand-DSCF9538

    Simple Ingredients: Soup

    • 10 medium tomatoes, cut into eighths
    • 4 red, orange, yellow, and/or green bell peppers, seeded and rough chopped
    • 3 cucumbers, rough chopped
    • 2 jalapeno or Anaheim peppers, seeded and rough chopped
    • ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
    • ½ cup fresh lime juice
    • 6-8 garlic cloves, minced
    • Up to 2 cups water, if needed
    • Sea salt and pepper, to taste

    Simple Ingredients: Topping

    • 4 tbsp cucumber, small diced
    • 4 tbsp tomato, small diced
    • 4 tsp cilantro leaves

    Simple Steps

    • Place all soup ingredients in a large bowl.
    • Mix well.
    • Puree half of the ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.
    • Combine pureed soup with chopped veggies.
    • Taste and season with sea salt and/or pepper.
    • Top with diced cucumbers, tomatoes, and cilantro.
    • Enjoy!
    • Refrigerate leftover gazpacho soup and enjoy the next day for an even more flavorful soup.

    P-080-tomatogazpacho-mandkind-B-IMG_4946

    P-081-A-gazpacho-IMG_0810

    ACTION: Make your own tomato gazpacho, experimenting with fresh herbs, peppers, and colorful tomatoes. Share your cold soup with us on Facebook.com/NewViewHealthyEating

    42-43_tomato-gazpacho_28June

     

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Organic Tomato Gazpacho Cold Soup Recipe

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

    Recently, I’ve been teaching public hands-on Intuitive Cooking Experience Classes at the Phoenix Public Market and The Farm at South Mountain, in Phoenix. Tonight I’m getting set to lead tomorrow’s class at the Phoenix Public Market. Lately, I’ve been really enjoying  tomatoes, so tomorrow, October 15, 2016, at the Phoenix Public Market (9-11am, Central & Pierce) we will intuitively create a simple tasty, fresh tomato gazpacho soup. Looking forward to tomatoes from Abby Lee Farms, about 4-5 miles from my home.

    p-078-option-content-02-t-tomatoessoup-hand-dscf9538

    Excerpt from A New View of Healthy Eating

    Summertime Tomato Gazpacho Cold Soup

    A fresh, cold tomato gazpacho is refreshing, especially on warm days. Make this quick cold tomato soup with red, orange, and yellow tomatoes and red, orange, yellow, and green bell peppers for a bright summer side dish. Be sure to try the beautiful (some may think ugly) heirloom tomatoes. If you are fortunate enough to purchase a whole flat of really ripe organic tomatoes, make a big batch of tomato gazpacho for a summertime picnic.

    Simple Ingredients: Soup

    • 10 medium tomatoes, cut into eighths
    • 4 red, orange, yellow, and/or green bell peppers, seeded and rough chopped
    • 3 cucumbers, rough chopped
    • 2 jalapeno or Anaheim peppers, seeded and rough chopped
    • ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
    • ½ cup fresh lime juice
    • 6-8 garlic cloves, minced
    • Up to 2 cups water, if needed
    • Sea salt and pepper, to taste

    Simple Ingredients: Topping

    • 4 tbsp cucumber, small diced
    • 4 tbsp tomato, small diced
    • 4 tsp cilantro leaves

    Simple Steps

    • Place all soup ingredients in a large bowl.
    • Mix well.
    • Puree half of the ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.
    • Combine pureed soup with chopped veggies.
    • Taste and season with sea salt and/or pepper.
    • Top with diced cucumbers, tomatoes, and cilantro.
    • Enjoy!
    • Refrigerate leftover gazpacho soup and enjoy the next day for an even more flavorful soup.

    Create Your Own Tomato Gazpacho

    Use your intuition when you create your tomato gazpacho. Use different colors and types of tomatoes. Sometimes make it chunky; other times make it smooth. Try different levels of spiciness using jalapeno or Anaheim peppers. Sometimes make it spicy hot, sometimes make it mild. Try different types of in-season cucumbers, such Armenian, pickling, or lemon.

    “The key to a beautiful tomato gazpacho is to blend some of the fresh veggies into a creamy liquid and to keep some veggies chunky.”

    p-081-a-gazpacho-img_0810

    I’ll be selling my new book A New View of Healthy Eating, this weekend at 2 events in the Phoenix area:

    • Saturday, Oct 15, 2016, Phoenix Public Market, Central & Pierce. 9am-1pm
    • Sunday, Oct 16, 2016, Yoga Rocks the Park, Steele Indian School Park, Phoenix (3rd Street, North of Indian School), 9am-noon

    If you are not in the Phoenix area and would like to purchase the book, it’s available on my website and I’m happy to ship a copy to you.

    42-43_tomato-gazpacho_28june