Experience Nutrition

Tag: zucchini

  • Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table Zucchini Salad. The Farm at South Mountain CSA

    Experience Nutrition: Farm-to-Table Zucchini Salad. The Farm at South Mountain CSA

    Again this week, I’d like to honor our local farmers and farmers’ markets in Phoenix, Arizona who are continuing to bring our “essential” beautiful food to us during the Coronavirus Pandemic. We truly appreciate you.

    As always, I am so honored to create recipes for the CSA at The Farm at South Mountain, a small urban farm about half a mile from my home in Phoenix, Arizona. In early May our farmers are transitioning from the “cooler” to “warmer” weather crops. So this week, many farmers are harvesting end of the Spring root veggies (carrots, beets), along with the early Summer veggies, like zucchini.

    This week I was totally inspired by the beautiful 2 pound 5 ounce (yes, I weighed it) Costada Romanesco Zucchini. I intuitively created a simple Zucchini Salad with Cashew Cream featuring The Farm’s grapefruit and fresh mint and lemon basil. I invite you to use this recipe as a guide to create your own Zucchini Salad with a nut cream prepared with fresh herbs and citrus available at your local farmers’ market, farmers, or grocery stores. – Melanie Albert

    Enjoy the video that showcases the steps to prepare the salad including how to:

    • Prepare a refreshing Raw Cashew Cream.
    • Spiralize zucchini.
    • Peel carrots for salads.
    • Mindfully plate with fresh veggies and edible flowers.

    Let’s take a look at The Farm at South Mountain CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)

    The May 2, 2020 CSA, with the transition from Spring to Summer:

    • Roots: Beets, Carrots
    • Greens: Glacier Lettuce, Salad Greens, Swiss Chard
    • Veggies: Zucchini
    • Citrus: Grapefruit
    • Herbs: Lemon Basil, Mint, Sage
    • Eggs
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    The Farm at South Mountain. Soil & Seed Garden CSA, May 1, 2020.

    RECIPE: Raw Cashew Salad. Cashew Cream.

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    Ingredients: Zucchini Salad. Cashew Cream.

    Serves 2

    Cashew Herbal Cream

    Inspired by The Farm’s grapefruit and fresh mint and lemon basil.

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water, 2-4 hours
    • 2 TBSP grapefruit juice
    • 1 TBSP grapefruit zest
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • 2-3 stems of mint and lemon basil
    • 2-3 onion green onions, sliced
    • Pinch sea salt
    AP-IMG_4520-cashewmise
    Mise en Place: Cashew Cream.

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Pre-soak cashews in water; rinse the cashews prior to using in the recipe.
    • Place all ingredients into food processor.
    • Process until smooth.

    Spiralized Zucchini

    Spiralize the zucchini and peel the carrots for the salad.

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • ¼ zucchini, spiralized
    • 1 carrot

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Spiralize the zucchini with a spiralizer.
    • If you do not have a spiralizer, use a veggie peeler to thinly slice the zucchini.
    • Slice the carrots with veggie peeler.
    AP-IMG_4703-zucchspiraled
    Costada Romanesco Zucchini. Spiralized.

    Zucchini Salad

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Toss the zucchini and carrots with the Cashew Cream.

    SIMPLE PLATING

    Ingredients

    • Zucchini Salad
    • 1 Swiss chard leaf
    • 3-4 fresh herb leaves: mint, lemon basil
    • 3-4 mini-tomatoes
    • 1-2 green onions
    AP-IMG_4555-zuchplatemis
    Zucchini Salad: Plating Mise en Place.

    Simple Steps

    • Mindfully plate.
    • Place Swiss chard onto the plate.
    • Layer the tossed zucchini onto the Swiss chard.
    • Add the garnish ingredients.
    • Enjoy.

    Enjoy a few plating views of this simple, delicious, beautiful “summer salad.”

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    Zucchini Salad. Sunflowers.
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    Zucchini Salad. In the Garden.
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    Zucchini Salad. On the Video Set.

    Stay in Touch. 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 Culinary Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.

    Please reach out if you are interested in future plant-based farm-to-table cooking experiences, or catering. Look forward to collaborating when “the time is right.”

  • Experience Nutrition:  Zucchini Lasagna Two Ways: Raw & Baked. The Farm at South Mountain CSA Recipe

    Experience Nutrition:  Zucchini Lasagna Two Ways: Raw & Baked. The Farm at South Mountain CSA Recipe

    Honored and happy to create the Recipe #51 for the CSA at The Farm at South Mountain, right here in my neighborhood. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to create new recipes for the CSA members, with ideas on how to prepare the veggies, fruit, and herbs in their weekly CSA.

    During our Coronavirus Stay-at-Home, with everyone cooking more at home, I am happy that our farmers are still working so hard to bring great food to our community. I’m also grateful that our Arizona farmers’ markets are still operating as “essential grocery stores.”

    Yesterday (Friday) afternoon, when I picked up this week’s CSA at The Farm, it was 99 degrees in Phoenix, and my AC was not working, so I decided to create a Raw Dish with the CSA veggies. Although, not at all planned, I then wanted to experiment with a cooked dish with those veggies as a base.

    I hope you enjoy creating a simple Raw or Cooked Zucchini Lasagna, along with a Raw Hempseed Cream.

    Enjoy the video for a glimpse of The Farm at South Mountain, where we are transitioning into our Summer growing season, along with the Raw and Baked Lasagna recipes.

    Spring CSA Week 7: 4.25.20

     For the CSA members, items in the CSA include:

    • Roots: Beets, Carrots, Purple Daikon Radishes
    • Greens; Glacier Lettuce, Salad Greens
    • Veggies: Zucchini
    • Citrus: Grapefruit
    • Herbs: Basil & Dill
    • Aromatics: Green Onions
    • The Farm Eggs
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    The Farm at South Mountain. Soil & Seed Garden. CSA 4.25.20

    Raw Zucchini Lasagna

    This week’s recipe was inspired by our warm Arizona weekend and the Soil & Seed Garden zucchini. The Raw Lasagna recipe features the end-of-season purple daikon radish and carrots. Enjoy with a Grapefruit Hempseed Herbal Cream.

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    Lasagna & Hempseed Cream Ingredients

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    Ingredients: Zucchini Lasagna. Hempseed Grapefruit Herb Cream.

    Lasagna Veggies

    Prep the zucchini, carrot, and daikon radish, and enjoy Raw Lasagna with Grapefruit Hempseed Cream.

    Serves 2

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • ¼ zucchini
    • 1 carrot
    • 1 daikon radish
    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • Pinch sea salt

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Thinly slice veggies with a mandoline or veggie peeler.
    • Place veggies, not touching, on parchment paper.
    • Drizzle veggies with olive oil and sea salt.
    • Let the veggies sit for 10-15 minutes.
    • Save the veggies to create the veggie lasagna.

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    Hempseed Grapefruit Herb Cream

    This raw hempseed cream was inspired by The Farm’s grapefruit and fresh dill, lemon basil, and green onions. This Hempseed Cream can be made very quickly since we do not need to pre-soak hempseeds, and you can add flavor with whatever herbs you have in your kitchen or garden right now.

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • ½ cup hempseeds
    • ¼ cup grapefruit juice
    • 1 TBSP grapefruit zest
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • 3-4 stems of dill, lemon basil
    • 2-3 onion green onions
    • Pinch sea salt
    AP-IMG_3560-AP-hempmise
    Mise en Place: Hempseed Cream

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Place all ingredients into food processor.
    • Process until smooth.
    • Add water, as needed, for creamier sauce.
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    Raw Hempseed Grapefruit Herb Cream

    SIMPLE PLATING

    • Layer the zucchini, carrot, daikon radish and the cream.
    • Garnish with Glacier Lettuce and fresh dill and lemon basil.

    AP-IMG_3655-rawfinal

    BONUS RECIPE: Baked Zucchini Lasagna

    Since I ended up with extra ingredients from the Raw Lasagna, I decided to cook a really quick and easy baked version of the lasagna. Hope you enjoy this version, as well.

    SIMPLE EXTRA INGREDIENTS

    • All ingredients from the Raw Zucchini Lasagna
    • 1 tomato, sliced
    • 2 small sweet peppers, sliced

    SIMPLE STEPS

    • Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Layer all ingredients into a baking pan.
    • Cook for 20-30 minutes.
    • Enjoy!

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    Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenturitionaz and tag us #experiencenutritionaz on your Raw and Cooked Zucchini Lasagna dishes and other 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.

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    Self Care: Sunflower!