Meet Chef Marlee Rudman...

This week, 9 students graduated from the NTI Natural Foods Chef program. This group of students were super passionate and ready to learn. I am sure their choice to follow their passion will help make the world healthier…
I had the pleasure of speaking with Marlee, one of our grads and this is what she had to say…

I became a Natural Food Chef because:

With a curiosity to better understand myself, I moved to CO four years ago to attend Naropa University. I enrolled in my first nutrition class where I was deeply impacted by my professor and his teachings. I learned how to assess which foods were best for my body and realized my passion for food could enhance my quality of life. I experimented with different foods to see what worked best for my body. The more I cooked with real whole foods, the more I felt connected to the earth and grounded in myself. As a result, my health began to transform. When I found NTI it became clear that the NFC program blends my passion to create, nurture, connect and nourish. Now that I am a Natural Foods Chef I look forward to serving others on their own healing journey.

In what areas of nutrition do you specialize (if any)?

I specialize in therapeutic diets with an awareness of food allergies and intolerances. Throughout my own experiences of having food sensitivities, I have created many allergen friendly foods. Cooking for restrictive diets allows me to think outside the box and be totally creative in the kitchen.

A helpful tip about cooking for food sensitivities and allergies:

I think that a helpful tip would be encouraging people to experiment with elimination diets to pinpoint which foods are causing inflammation, because inflammation is often considered the root of all illness. My goal as a NFC is to share my skills of alternative cooking methods to help clients approach food in a new transformative way.

How will your life change, if at all, with your new knowledge?

My life has already changed, as the program has inspired me take my new knowledge and apply it in the kitchen. I experiment and develop my own unique recipes, with an emphasis on the process of cooking, an equally important ingredient to create delicious and nutritious meals. From soaking cashews and forming them into a sweet and creamy dessert to slowly simmering a deep nutrient rich broth, I love taking whole foods and transforming them into meals for optimal health.

Can you share an “ah-ha” that you’ve had since becoming a NFC?

I have had quite a few “ah-ha” moments throughout my time at NTI. However, I think one of the biggest moments was when I created my own original recipe, a chickpea fritter, so delicious I was able to use them in my final proficiency exam.

Please share your favorite recipe:

Chickpea Fritters

by Chef Marlee Rudman

Serves 4

Ingredients

-1/2 cup water

-3/4 cup organic chickpea flour

-1/4 cup organic zucchini shredded (and strained through cheesecloth)

-1/4 cup organic carrots shredded

-1/4 cup organic kale chopped finely

-1/4 cup organic red bell peppers minced

-1/2 t turmeric powder, garlic powder, onion powder

-1/4 t cumin

-2 t salt

-1 T coconut oil/ghee

Method

Combine all ingredients in a bowl
Heat a cast iron skillet with coconut oil or ghee
Ladle in the pancake mixture, use the back of the spoon to spread, thinning out the pancakes.
Cook until each side is crispy.
Serve with guacamole or hummus

Anything else that you want to share with our readers:

Everyday my awareness expands as I learn new information about healing foods. The knowledge is never ending and impacts my life on a daily basis. I am passionate about spreading this wisdom so that we, as humans, can open our eyes and feel connected to our food once again.