ABC 10 | How to Host a Vegetarian Hawaiian Luau

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.