Category: Food and Shopping

My Vegan Sushi Thanksgiving dinner experience…

I admit I am not an adventurous eater and I don’t get out much, so when I was invited to a vegan sushi dinner last month catered by Asa and Kaori of Garden Sushi Maui, I was apprehensive. My limited imagination wasn’t envisioning what Asa was about to serve us.

There were six hungry and excited people curious and eager to see what vegan sushi was. To my surprise, he presented an exceptional, masterful and artistic experience using the color and texture of veggies. Asa is an artist in the presentation of each course. His rigorous training as a sushi chef in Japan was on full display. There was an exactness and attention to detail that only a chef with a very sharp knife can accomplish! The combination of flavors was subtle and amazing. His wife Kaori made every course come alive with her description of what was sitting in front of us.

The challenge here is describing a completely different experience in food. I had to take photos to capture the colors and the inventiveness of what was being served.

There wasn’t any vegetable I hadn’t heard of or eaten before (mushrooms, daikon, cucumber, beets, avocado, burdock, eggplant, etc.), but the way Asa flavored it by marinating it or combining it with another flavor (homemade miso with a slice of bell pepper or candied ginger combined with a fresh tomato) made all the difference.

My favorite was the sushi served as the last course. He combined rice with quinoa and azuki beans to make it red and rolled it up with seaweed. Then he placed avocado slices on the roll and topped it with a dollop of miso and a slice of red bell pepper. What? It was almost too beautiful to eat! The flavor of the bell pepper first surprises you and then the delicious sweet miso takes over. Oh happy dance!

They have a facebook page at Garden Sushi Maui with more photographs and up to date information as to where you can purchase their food.

Upcountry is the perfect growing climate for a wide variety of plants, including fruits from different parts of the world. I first came across loquat here on Maui, and became curious about its origins. After tasting the fruit right off the tree and freshly washed, I wanted to know more about the loquat and get some ideas for using it in recipes.

The loquat evergreen shrub or tree (Eriobotrya Japonica) is native to China and is thought to have been introduced to Hawaii as early as the 1780’s. Loquats are subtropical trees that do well in elevations from 1,000-5,000 feet. Flowering in autumn or early winter, the fruit ripens in the spring and summer. Loquat grows in clusters of small, rounded fruit with a thin, orange-yellow skin.

Loquats are high in fiber as well as vitamin A, potassium, and manganese. Their sweet, tangy flavor is described as a mix of peach, citrus and mango. To me, they taste like a very mild pear with hints of apricot and citrus. The seeds are large and easily removed. There can be anywhere from one to four seeds in each fruit. The skin is soft and edible.

Loquats can be used to make jams, jellies, pies, and chutneys. I decided to try them in a salsa, improvising this quick recipe:

    12 ripe loquats (pitted and diced)

    1/2 medium yellow onion (diced)

    juice from 1/2 lemon

    salt and pepper to taste

I like to keep mine simple, but this salsa could be punched up with some added diced tomato, cilantro, or hot peppers. This easy recipe goes great with fish, served here with whole grilled opakapaka snapper.

Loquats are a versatile fruit with a unique flavor that works well in sweet and savory dishes. They’re also a tasty snack picked fresh from the tree. Check them out while they’re in season.

Look off to the side of the road this time of year on much of the wetter (Northern) side of the island and you are sure to see lots of bright yellow Guavas (Psidium Guajava) ripening. You can also smell the pungent scent of the fruit that falls to the ground and creates a bounty for birds, pigs and insects alike.

While considered to be an invasive species, guavas have been an important food source on the islands since their introduction. Native to Mexico as well as Central and South America, guavas have been growing in Hawaii dating back to at least the late 1700’s. You can see how thick stands of these trees easily crowd out all others around them.

Though they may be plenty, due to their very short shelf life and fragility when ripe, a lot of folks have never had a guava, except perhaps in juice form. Indeed, guavas are one of the three fruits that comprise the famous POG juice (passionfruit, orange, guava).

Some Guava trees seem to produce sweeter fruit, while others can produce a very tart flavored fruit. The ones pictured here are from a particularly “sweet” tree.

The fruit can be eaten raw or juiced, and it’s great for making jam or jelly. Jars of the same can be seen on supermarket shelves everywhere on island. Wood from the guava tree is also used locally for smoking and cooking meat, and is favored over kiawe by some for its sweet scent.

Common guavas are ripe and ready to eat when they turn from green to yellow, and they’re in their prime with a bit of pink coloring on the skin. Ripe guava should smell sweet and musky, and you’ll have about a two day window to eat the fruit once it’s picked. You can scoop the center out or try them whole, skin and all. One thing is for sure though, the seeds can break your teeth, so be careful when eating a guava. There’s nothing like the flavor of this unique fruit, so enjoy it while it’s in season.

Cherimoya (Annona cherimola), often referred to as “Soursop” to local folks here, is a wintertime fruit from a leafy evergreen tree that is believed to have originated from Ecuador and Peru and to have first come to Hawaii around the 1790’s. It tastes kind of like banana and pineapple with a little strawberry thrown in, but some palates won’t have the same taste experience and find them more or less flavorless. Cherimoya is a large, grapefruit sized, heart shaped fruit with an inedible hard and pointy green skin. The seeds are basically poisonous, and the trees won’t grow where it is too warm or too cold.

These photos are of a tree located in the temperate zone of Kula at 3,000 feet on Haleakala.

When they are very ripe, but not yet spoiled, they can be of a custard like consistency. When chilled, they’re eaten with a spoon and I have heard many older locals here tell stories of how they were seen as an ice cream substitute back in the day.

Determining ripeness involves a similar experience to that of determining the ripeness of avocados. There seems to be a very small window for success. The pointy parts of the skin begin to round off and the skin begins to give slightly. This is the time to pick and then let ripen on the counter.

Just when they begin to get soft, chill them, cut open and enjoy!

From Mella’s Italian Kitchen: Maui

My sister Marie, who has been making delicious biscotti for years, finally shared her recipe with me a while back.  Last week, I went on a baking frenzy and decided to make a variety of scotti and biscotti.  You’re probably thinking, “I know what biscotti are, but what are scotti?”  Well, here’s a brief piece of baking history…

Whenever cookies are in the oven, you can count on our family friend Sid to be there.  I call him my sous chef because he likes to be in the kitchen watching over everything.  The last few times I did my baking, he insisted on taking the biscotti out of the oven too soon.  We would banter back and forth as I tried to explain the concept of traditional biscotti to him, but my lesson fell on deaf ears.  “Biscotti are supposed to be hard so that they don’t fall apart when they’re dipped in coffee or any other hot beverage of choice.  The word biscotti means twice baked,” I said.  But the oven still opened up before its time.  He just did not appreciate the intended crunchy, hard texture of a perfectly baked cookie.

In a final compromise, I simply shortened the second baking time to five minutes on the last batch of biscotti and gave them to Sid.  He joyfully thanked me and proclaimed that he liked the “scotti” much better than the biscotti.  Hence, the term “scotti” was coined.  So, for those of you who prefer softer biscotti, you now have the option of making the lightly baked version.

Marie’s Almond Biscotti
6 cups flour (set 1/2 cup aside for flouring board)
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup chopped, toasted almonds
6 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 ounces olive oil
2 tsp amaretto or rum (optional)

In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients well.  Add wet ingredients and mix until dough separates from sides of bowl.  On a floured board, roll dough into five 2-inch thick logs (slightly flattened).  Place logs on a large parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes until golden.  Slice each log diagonally into 1/2 inch thick strips.  Separate strips slightly and bake at 350 for 10 to 15 minutes (for “scotti” bake for 5 minutes only).

Almond Chocolate Chip Biscotti
Follow Almond Biscotti recipe, except:
Add 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, decrease flour by 1/2 cup, increase sugar by 1/2 cup

Discovering a variety of choices can make grocery shopping fun.  I’m always on the lookout for healthier options, and I like that our local Costco in Kahului, Maui has an ever-increasing array of organic foods.  Different items are popping up all the time.  Some come and go, while others stay in stock regularly.  Here are thirty of my recent finds…

1. Organic by Nature Organic Premium Sweet Baby Peas:  Frozen peas in a giant bag…these are a great go-to veggie.  Heat/defrost and add to pasta, curry, or just eat a bowlful with butter.
   

2. Organic by Nature Organic California Broccoli Florets:  Four perfect serving-size bags of frozen broccoli.  Another easy veggie to have on hand.

3. Good Grains Organic Frozen Quinoa & Kale Blend with Citrus & Black Pepper Seasoning:  This is an interesting mix.  Add some butter and parmesan to kick up the flavor, or try some olive oil and nutritional yeast to keep it vegan.

4. Seeds of Change Certified Organic Quinoa & Brown Rice with Garlic:  One of my favorites.  Cooked heat and serve bags that make an excellent side dish.  I like it with fish, but it’s also shovel-it-down good on its own.

5. Minsley 100% Organic Cooked Brown Rice:  These are convenient heat and serve microwaveable bowls.  You could also skip the micro and drop the rice right into your stir-fry.

6. Minsley Cooked Organic Quinoa:  More ready to eat bowls…these don’t even need heating.  I like to flavor with soy sauce or liquid aminos and serve with fried eggs on top.

7. Kirkland Signature Large Grade A Organic Eggs:  If you don’t have your own chickens or an in at the farmers market, Costco is the place to go.  Lowest price I’ve found on island for organic at around $8 for two dozen.

8. Spice World Organic Garlic:  Ready to use garlic minced in a jar.  This has a different flavor from fresh garlic, but it works well in cooking as a simple way to spice up a meal.

9. Kirkland Signature Organic Creamy Peanut Butter:  Best price and taste I’ve found for organic peanut butter, perfect for smoothies or paired with apple slices.  If only they’d offer a crunchy version too.

10. Daisy Girl Organics Fuji Apples:  Sweet and crisp Washington State apples.  These last a surprisingly long time in the fridge, and they’re a bargain at around $13 for 5.5 pounds (that’s under $2.50 a pound).

11. Taylor Farms Organic Superfood Power Greens:  A ready to eat pre-washed combo of chard, kale and spinach.  This mix makes for great salads and stir-fry, or a green boost in a smoothie.

12. Larabar The Original Fruit & Nut Bar:  These really are just made with fruit and nuts…a tasty on-the-go power snack.  Two flavors in the 18 bar box, Cashew Cookie and Apple Pie.

13. Organic by Mariani California Deglet Noor Pitted Dates:  Dates are a natural way to satisfy your sweet tooth.  Add them to homemade desserts, cereal…or eat a few right out of the bag.

14. Organic Made in Nature Golden Delicious Calimyrna Figs:  Another excellent sweet snack.  Nothing in here but dried figs, and they are yummy.  I’ve chopped these up and used them in recipes too.

15. Kirkland Signature 100% Pure Grade A Dark Amber Organic Maple Syrup: When you just need a great big bottle of maple.  It’s so good, you’ll want to make a mountain of french toast every time you look at that jug.

16. Amy’s Organic Chili:  For a quick easy meal, this is a fine meatless chili.  Medium heat, vegan, and packed in non-BPA lining cans.

17. S&W Premium Organic Black Beans:  These cooked beans do nicely in a salad or refried with some spices.  Also in non-BPA can lining…stock up for the zombie apocalypse.

18. Coco Libre Pure Organic Coconut Water:  We can’t always make it to the farmers market for fresh coconut.  Another useful smoothie ingredient to have on hand, these store conveniently in the cabinet.

19. Naturipe Organic Blueberries:  California grown big sweet berries.  Organic does vary in price, so look for the good deals and pick a ripe bounty from the packs.

20. Kirkland Signature Organic Blueberries:  These frozen gems are much more economical than the produce section variety.  Defrost in the fridge and throw some in your cereal, or blend them in a beverage.

21. Bare Fuji Red Crunchy Apple Chips:  Wow, there is nothing in here but 100% organic apples baked into crispy chip form.  “30 Apples in Every Bag”…watch out, it’s hard to stop eating ’em.

22. Wild Friends Organic Honey Sunflower Butter:  This tastes exactly like it sounds.  If you enjoy sunflowers and honey, this combo is a fun alternative spread.  Try dipping some apple chips in there.

23. Don Lee Farms Organic Superfoods Veggie Patty:  A hearty burger that fries up nicely.  It’s not always easy to find a satisfying meatless substitute, so these flavorful patties are a welcome addition to the Costco freezer section.

24. Good Earth Organic Sweet & Spicy Caffeine Free Herbal Tea:  A strong spiced beverage with a distinct taste of cinnamon, ginger and orange.  It’s naturally sweet and zesty, perfect hot or iced.

25. Amy’s Light in Sodium Organic Soups:  Another quick meal in a can.  Two flavors in the box, lentil and lentil vegetable.  Both are good, even better mixed with some pasta or quinoa.

26. Pita Pal Organic Balela:  “A Savory Mediterranean salad of chickpeas, black beans, spices and herbs.”  This is a healthy mix with a bold tangy taste.

27. Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Blue Agave:  “100% Pure Agave Nectar from the Weber Azul.”  A natural sweetener that dissolves easily and works well in a number of recipes.

28. Amy’s Organic Burrito Cheddar Cheese:  Frozen burritos are a fast fix when you’re feeling hangry.  Simple and satisfying, this Costco box is a great bargain at under $1.50 per burrito.

29. Hi I’m Skinny Sticks: Real Sweet Potato:  Hi, I’m gonna eat the whole bag.  These are like sweet potato fries in veggie stick form, and they are face-stuffing goodness.

30. Kirkland Signature Organic Coconut Oil:  Costco sells a two-jar pack of this versatile oil at a bargain price.  I stir-fry with it, put it in baked goods, and mix it with cacao and agave for a ridiculous choco frosting.  I also use it to moisturize my face.

I’m scanning the kitchen now and I have to say…this list could go way past thirty.  Make room in the cupboards, it’s time to head over to Costco and see what natural foods I’ll be stocking up on next.

To learn more about organic and non-GMO food labeling, check out the USDA National Organic Program and the Non-GMO Project.