Farm Fresh Vegetables

VEGETABLE FRESH

I do love vegetables. It is wonderful to live in a place where fresh fruits and vegetables grow year round. I will admit, I'm not a gardener. I do love knowing the gardeners. This woman on the left brings her fresh herbs and vegetables from Oahu each weekend. Thanks to her I can make lots and lots of pesto!

I love the fact that Pacific'O and I'O and Feast at Lele restaurants here on Maui have their own farm and grow their vegetables. They are leaders and really dedicated to food and making a difference. I have been to the farm twice now and learned so much both time. The photo of the red branches is RED QUINOA! SEE PHOTOS LEFT AND BELOW of O'O Farm.

I really did pick those asparagus. And if you don't pick them when they mature they flower.
The watermelon radish on the right was quite fabulous and has such a vibrant color and adds quite a blast to any plate. Try adding some fresh fennel bulb to a vegetable tray for an absolutely fresh and delicious crunch.

I think that eating vegetables can be as exciting as eating anything else. It's just that you have to find a source for different produce to make it exciting for you and your family. Try adding different raw vegetables and sprouts to a plate such as fennel, sunflower sprouts and daikon radish. Experiment. You don't have to buy a lot. Just try a few things and buy small quantities to start.

Quinoa - Yes, it comes in colors.
Red quinoa has just as much wonderful healthy goodness as regular white quinoa. It's a complete protein like its pale sister, offering you all the essential amino acids that you need to build strong bones, muscles, skin, and blood. You can substitute rice in any dish with quinoa, which is great since it has more than twice the amount of protein than rice. Compared with white quinoa, the red variety has a slightly earthier flavor.

Cooking Quinoa in a pot:

Boil 2 cups of water.
Add 1 cup of quinoa, cover, and turn down the heat to low.

After about 15 minutes, lift up the cover and stir.
You'll know it's done when the grain turns slightly transparent, and the curly string-like germ has separated from the circular part.
Quinoa is great on its own when eaten with a stir-fry, but you can also make it its own dish, similar to a rice pilaf. Simply sauté your favorite veggies and add them to the cooked quinoa. For even more flavor, cook quinoa in veggie or mushroom broth instead of water.

I cook quinoa in my rice maker. I take 1 1/2 cups short grain brown rice and 1/2 cup white or red quinoa. Add 4 cups water. Add salt to water. The consistency is PHENOMENAL.

You can create a wonderful rice/quinoa salad. Fresh julienned pea pods, shredded carrots, some garlic, fresh diced tomatoes and a little feta with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar (try white balsamic if you can get it).

Remember. Always fresh. Always Delicious. Always with Aloha!

Easy Spreads and Dips - Recipes Included

When I was growing up the dips that we used to make were always made with mayonnaise and sour cream. Since most people are looking for healthy alternatives I have had to come up with some options. I am a huge fan of spreads and dips and have come up with a few that are really healthy as well as really beautiful too!

Today I came up with a recipe that uses carrots and cashews! It’s delicious yet so healthy and you could eat it guilt-free. Remember, that even if you are eating something like nuts that are heavy in calories and natural fat you are not eating these calories in the other fatty ingredients you normally would be using and eating. In addition a cashew is full of vitamins and nutrients. The recipe for carrot cashew paté is a great dip for an afternoon snack with your children, using baby carrots and celery sticks as dippers.

I also am going to share my ultimate garlicky hummus recipe. I made this recipe up for a friend who didn’t want to spend the $5.00 at the health food store for a small container. The ingredients were still expensive, but in the end a much better deal because of the quantity and quality of the end result! If you want to get away from bread and fatty crackers there are fat-free crispy flatbreads available and even tortillas that you can use for these spreads.

The key to eating well is thinking outside the box and discovering alternatives that will satisfy the cravings and yet your taste buds are still enticed. You can make these spreads ahead of time for parties and they last up to a week or so in the refrigerator. You can make them look beautiful and get creative when you decorate them for even your family, I bet your kids will want to participate!

Eat well and make cooking an art, not just something you have to do. Make it fun and try something new and different! Thinking outside the box allows your creativity to flow and your imagination run wild.

Cashew Carrot Paté

Ingredients:
3 med. carrots, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
3 cloves garlic peeled
1 c. raw unsalted cashews (soaked for 1 hr. and drained)
1 tbls. soy sauce or tamari
2 tbls. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
sea salt, to taste

Preparation:
In a food processor blend the carrots, celery and garlic to a fine consistency.
Drain the water from the cashews. Add them to the processor with the vegetables and process along with the soy sauce or tamari, olive oil and sea salt. Stop periodically and scrape the sides with a rubber spatula. Continue to blend until creamy. Chill and serve.
For serving you can put the mixture into a medium glass bowl to use as a mold. Place a plate under bowl and carefully allow paté to sit in middle of plate. You can take a peeler and make a few carrot curls for decoration on top. Place a few whole cashews on top if you like or even a few chopped cashews for decoration. Serve with carrot or celery sticks or crackers and flatbreads.

NOTE: you can use soaked raw almonds (skins removed) or sunflower seeds instead of cashews. Cashews give a nice creamy consistency, especially raw ones.

Ultimate Garlicky Hummus

Ingredients:
2 15 oz Cans Garbanzo Beans (2 2/3 cup cooked beans drained, reserve 3/4 c. bean liquid)
6 Garlic Cloves Peeled
3/4 c. Tahini (raw sesame paste)
3/4 c. Bean Liquid
1/2 c. Fresh Lemon Juice
3/4 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbls. Sea Salt
Optional Herbs (parsley or basil)

Basil Leaves

Pine Nuts

Sundried Tomato Strips

Preparation:
In food processor blend garbanzo beans, garlic cloves and tahini until mixed. Slowly add reserved bean liquid and lemon juice until processed. Add olive oil in a slow drizzle. Keep blending until well blended and smooth. It takes about 10 min. Add 1 tbls. or more sea salt to taste. You can add dried or fresh basil and/or parsley. Blend mixture a little more until just mixed.

To serve you can decorate the top with a sprinkling of pine nuts, basil leaves and a few sundried tomato strips. Use your imagination.

This makes over 4 cups hummus. Refrigerate in covered containers, keeps about a week. Enjoy with flat bread or in wraps.

NOTE: If you need to adjust the lemon juice or garlic to taste with a little more water or bean liquid. If you are using fresh herbs only add a few basil leaves or parsley, you do not want the mixture to turn green.

THE MANGO

This year here in Maui, Hawaii mangoes have been flourishing and I have found myself in mango paradise. I discovered a tree in my neighborhood here in Kihei that was bearing fruit in April. Mangoes usually mature early July and August here in Hawaii. I then discovered over a dozen trees of differing varieties in a 2-block radius. I am so excited because it feels like a gift that keeps dropping from heaven. I so look forward to my morning foraging for mangoes. It’s a piece of paradise that I can touch, feel and taste.
I am like a kid in a candy store. I started eating the mangoes raw, making fruit smoothies, even mango muffins and mango coconut sorbet, frozen mango pie and started sharing the mangoes with friends. Along the way I have discovered lemon, pomelo and breadfruit trees as well around the corner from where I live. It feels as if I have been able to access what comes to us in its purest form without any human intervention. This experience has given me a greater appreciation of the local produce and the beautiful place where I live.

What I have discovered on my journey of learning about the mango is that it is considered a royal fruit. It’s a fruit that comes from a rich descent. It is an enchanting fruit that has caused me to want to write about it. This fruit is exceptional, not only for its nutritious value and amazing intense taste, but it has a history as well. It has been estimated that there are over 1000 commercial varieties in India, where mangos are often called the "king of fruits". India is the world's largest producer of mangoes and has been cultivating this species for more than 4,000 years.
It is said that the Buddha was given the gift of a whole grove of mango trees where he could rest whenever he wished. It was a place for him to go and sit back and enjoy nature and a piece of paradise on earth. From that time on the mango tree was held in awe as capable of granting a person wishes. It is said that in India that the mango tree is so revered that it has become a symbol of love. Offerings of mango leaves are presented at wedding ceremonies, a ritual that guarantees the couple will bear many children. Throughout Indian villages there is a powerful belief that the mango trees grow new leaves each time a son is born. To herald the new birth to their neighbors, doorways are decorated with mango leaves.
Revered not only for their exotic sweetness and juicy quality, mangoes are known for their many health benefits. In addition to offering huge amounts of beta carotene, antioxidants and vitamin C, the mango also contains an enzyme that is a soothing digestive aid. A mango consists of over 80% water and is a great fruit to eat to replenish energy after working out.
Mango trees are evergreens and grow as high as 90 feet with a width of 80 feet. Mangoes are in the same family as pistachios, cashews, poison oak and poison ivy. Perhaps that explains why so many people have allergic reactions when they touch the skin and sap. Weight of the fruit varies and can be up to over 4 pounds. Each tree produces about 100 fruit. Mature fruit has a characteristic fragrance and a smooth, thin, tough skin. Mangoes should be picked before they are fully ripe, at which time they soften and fall.
When selecting a mango make sure it has a tropical fruity aroma as unripe mangoes have no scent. A fresh mango will give slightly to the touch, but soft and bruised fruit will be overripe. It’s best to allow them to ripen at room temperature and then refrigerate. A mango will continue to ripen at room temperature especially if you see sap and enough sugars from the tree still on the fruit itself. Some mangoes ripen to a combination of raspberry, orange and green shades, while other varieties are golden yellow or green when ripe. The size of the mango varies according to variety. The larger the mango the more fruit in relation to the pit.
What I know for sure is that the mango has given me a greater perspective on gifts that come to us from a place that cannot be seen or heard. It’s a place where gifts are given and the receiver must be open to receiving. I had gone by the mango trees so many times and never even noticed their magnificence. I never even noticed that they were there. Now I go by those trees everyday and am so appreciative of what they represent. They represent magic, abundance, well-being, vitality and grandness. It is as if the awareness of the mango has allowed me to tap into the essence of what it represents. Enjoy and let the taste of the mango fill your body and its essence fill your spirit.