Guest appearance on ABC 10 lifestyle show
Native Hawaiian cuisine traditionally consisted of:
- Meat (pig and fowl)
- Fish and shellfish
- Pineapples
- Coconuts
- Coconut milk
- Sweet potatoes
- Taro
- Seaweed
- Sea salt (as a condiment)
Here’s an updated veggie version of some historical Hawaiian dishes, which incorporate some of these native foods, as demonstrated on ABC10’s local morning TV lifestyle show in Sacramento.
Here’s what I prepared for the show:
- Vegetarian Poke: tofu, mango, avocado, wakame (seaweed to impart the flavor of the sea), sweet onions (e.g., Maui or Vidalia onions), green onions, macadamia nuts, Hawaiian sea salt
- Vegetarian Lau Lau: sweet potato, spinach, sweet onions, green onions, coconut milk, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, Hawaiian sea salt, and collard greens
- Hibiscus Cooler
- Mango Freeze
- Sparkling POG Juice
- Haupia with fresh fruit and edible flowers (coconut dessert – pudding style)
- Hawaiian bread pudding
- Fresh pineapple in freshly cut coconut bowls
Karen’s Fit Tip: If you cannot find Maui or Vidalia onions, look for an onion that has a flattened vs round globe shape.
These flatter onions are less pungent due to their low amount of sulfur compounds, which allows their ‘sweetness’ (sugar) to come through.