plant-based Hawaii — Blog — The Grains Of Paradise

Aloha!

I just returned from another incredible trip to Kauai!

We spent almost three weeks taking beach walks, surfing, free diving, beachcombing, ceramic hunting, muumuu shopping, and drinking a ton of green juice. It was amazing!

On this trip to Kauai, we finally opted for accommodations with a kitchen. We love eating out on vacation but over the years we have found that we are more comfortable making the majority of our meals at home. Especially on longer trips. Not only is it more affordable but we generally feel so much better when we do this. Plus, Kauai has some pretty amazing farmer’s markets so it makes it even more enjoyable to make meals at home.

However, we did make a few exceptions…

My favorite place to eat on Kauai’s Northshore is an upscale ramen restaurant named Ama. Not only is the food absolutely delicious but the airy building and general esthetics are so on point! Beautiful dark wood interior, open-air with garden seating, an incredible view of the waterfall abundant mountains of Hanalei, beautiful Balinese teak furniture, bamboo lanterns, and a generous amount of orchids. Seriously, EVERYTHING I LOVE! Check out their website HERE.

I think we went to Ama maybe five times on this three-week-long trip? I basically ordered the same exact thing every time…Fried Brussel sprouts ( minus the fish sauce ), ramen with a vegan spicy miso broth, and a Burmese salad with a ginger vinaigrette that I’m completely obsessed with!

As soon as I returned to Maui, I did my best to recreate the Brussel sprout dish and the Burmese salad and honestly, I think I nailed them both! Or at least made a very passable version of them.

So here’s my attempt at Ama’s incredible Burmese salad. I’ll post my version of the Brussel sprout dish in another post. If you make it to Kauai, make sure to make a reservation ahead of time at Ama so you can try the real deal!

Burmese Salad - two entree size salads or 4 small

Roasted Lentils - Pre-heat oven to 350F

1, 14 oz can of brown lentils. Drained, rinsed, and patted dry on a paper towel
garlic powder and salt
avocado oil spray
Spread drained, rinsed, and dried lentils on an oiled parchment-lined cookie sheet making one layer. It’s important to use pre-cooked lentils when making this recipe. I used canned lentils for convenience but you can easily cook your own. After spreading the lentils on a cookie sheet, spray lightly with avocado oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, shake, add a sprinkle of garlic powder and bake for another 10 minutes until slightly crispy. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. I use about half the cooked lentils for this recipe and save the rest to snack on or to add to other salads for veggie bowls.

Ginger Dressing - you will have leftovers

1/4 cup avocado oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1.5 Tbs cane sugar or coconut sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tb grated fresh ginger
Mix/shake all the ingredients until the sugar is dissolved.

Salad Base

Romaine lettuce ( 1 medium head ) finely chopped
Napa Cabbage ( 1 medium head, tender green part of leaf only ) finely chopped. If you can’t find Napa cabbage you can just add extra chopped romaine.
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/3 cup sliced sushi-style ginger ( I used the Ginger People brand )
1 Tb sesame seeds
1/3 cup chopped peanuts ( or almonds if avoiding peanuts, cashews would work too )
2 Tbs sunflower seeds ( optional )
1 red Fresno thinly sliced or Thai chili thinly sliced ( optional ) These chilies are HOT so be careful.
Place all the salad-base ingredients in a large bowl. Add about 1/2 of the prepared roasted lentils and 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of the ginger dressing. Toss everything together and enjoy!
***Cubed and baked teriyaki tofu make a fabulous addition to this dish. Add a side of sticky rice and you got a great filling meal.

We had big plans for 2021. My husband was turning 50 and to celebrate this milestone, we had planned a month-long surf trip ( his choice ) to Bali, Indonesia. We were so excited. We absolutely love Bali and we couldn't wait to get back there. Unfortunately, Covid obviously had other plans for us as well as the rest of the planet.

Having to cancel a month-long vacation to an exotic locale is hardly the end of the world. I understand that it’s a massive privilege to even be able to consider such a trip in the first place. However, the reality is Bali isn't going anywhere and getting on a plane for 18 hours to fly across the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean during a global pandemic is probably not the best idea. On top of that, Bali was basically "closed for business" in 2021.

But I was dealing with my first true case of island fever in 23 years. I can honestly tell you, I have never felt “island fever” before even though I get asked about it constantly. It was probably a combination of many different things, but I must admit, I was kind of going bananas. Lucky for us, we live in an insanely beautiful state, and we were able to hop on a 40-minute flight to Kauai to ease my isolation anxiety and to finally celebrate my husband's belated 50th birthday. This was the first vacation we had been on since early 2019. Like always, Kauai doesn't ever disappoint. Of all the gorgeous places I have been fortunate to see in my 40+ years on this planet, the sheer drama and beauty of the island of Kauai are up there with French Polynesia and the Cook Islands in my humble opinion.

This time we stayed in Kapaa, which is centrally located on Kauai’s east side. However next time we go, which is actually coming up this spring, we will be staying in Princeville since we finally realized that we always tend to spend most of our time on Kauai's lush north shore.

So here’s a photo journal of our brief 6-day semi-staycation. Can’t wait to go back to Kauai for a much longer stay this spring since we had to cancel another trip ( thanks again Covid ) we had planned to Costa Rica not too long ago. But then again, Costa Rica isn’t going anywhere but sadly, neither is Covid-19 for the time being. Until then, we have decided to finally take some time to visit our neighboring islands.

Avocado and Pesto Toast from Trilogy Coffee

Where we stayed

Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort - I had a ton of Marriott Bonvoy points so I ended up using them for this stay. The Sheraton is conveniently located on the beach in the center of Kapaa and is within walking distance of many shops and cafes. Kapaa is only 10 miles from the Lihue airport which was an added bonus. We didn't spend much time at the resort but I did enjoy the onsite workout facilities since I'm such an early riser. We also spent a few evenings at the Crooked Surf restaurant. They had a great bar menu and were super accommodating when it came to so some of my plant-based requests. All the bartenders were also very friendly and fun to chat with. We also ran into quite a few Kauai residents at the bar which is always a good sign. We also loved the beautiful fire pits surrounded by heliconia plants glowing around the property at night.

Where we ate

Kauai restaurants got hit hard with the recent island shutdowns related to Covid-19. Many businesses were short-staffed and because of this, they were unable to keep normal business hours. For instance, many establishments that would normally be open for lunch only offered their dinner service. Many places were also closed for business 1 or 2 days a week. Luckily, I made a couple of reservations well ahead of our trip but there were a couple of nights that we couldn't find a place to eat for dinner or were unwilling to wait in a long line. Good thing for Foodland in Princeville haha. In spite of the island's Covid-19 restrictions, we did have some fantastic food on the Garden Island. Here's a list of my favorites!

Ama in Hanalei - Definitely a must! Ama has an Asian-influenced menu with a variety of ramen bowls, kushiyaki, yummy salads, and bao. The cocktails were super tasty too. Ama reminded me esthetically of a lot of some of the restaurants we enjoy in Indonesia. The building itself is beautiful with a large outdoor and semi-outdoor seating area. Definitely, a romantic and exotic vibe going on.

The Bistro in Kilauea - My husband LOVED this place! Especially the Fish Rockets. I had to make a few alterations to my plates to make them dairy-free but it was minor. The Bistro is cozy and casual but also elegant. My favorite part was seeing Mr. Chow ( the restaurant’s big gray kitty cat ) roaming free and playfully greeting all the patrons. Everyone seemed to know everyone at The Bistro. Definitely seemed like a local favorite.

Trilogy Coffee in Kilauea - I think we went to Trilogy every single morning. I loved the vibe of the place ( and the surrounding shops ) so much so that when I returned home, I went on a massive hunt to find the Indonesian stone pots scattered throughout the property. We have also decided to use the same puka lava stone they used to pave our backyard as well. As for the food and drinks, it was all delicious. I ordered the Avocado and Pesto toast almost every morning ( pictured above ) but I also tried some of their yummy raw vegan desserts. They also have adaptogenic elixirs as well as coffee and teas sourced from family-owned farms and smallholder co-ops and estates.

Kauai Juice Co in Kapaa, Kilauea, and Koloa - If you've followed me for a while on Instagram @mauimandy, then you will know that I'm a huge fan of Kauai Juice Co. Kauai Juice Co was my first experience with fresh, cold-pressed, artisan juices and kombucha. They also make insanely delicious fermented hot sauces and sambal which you can order from their online shop and they will ship them to you on the mainland. I'm also obsessed with their cute selection of t-shirts, trucker hats, stickers, glass juice bottles, their beautiful bird of paradise logo, and all over general vibe of the shops.

Sushi Girl Kauai in Kilauea - it's easy to miss the little food truck tucked behind a small shopping center in downtown Kilauea ( it's in the same complex as The Bistro if that helps! ) She has a nice selection of maki rolls, large sushi burritos, poke bowls and musubi. Lucky for me she had some great vegan options.

The Hanalei Gourmet in Hanalei - Nice casual lunch option in the center of Hanalei. We always end up eating here 2-3 times every trip. I always get the garden burger and fries! This place always seems to be busy so expect a bit of a wait.

Nourish Hanalei in Princeville - Another hard-to-find little food truck but worth the hunt. Nourish Hanalei has a nice selection of delicious Acai bowls, salad bowls, and wraps. Go for the healthy food but stay for the incredible view overlooking Hanalei Bay.

Where we shopped

My husband and I tend to shop a lot on vacation. We keep saying we're going to stop doing this but honestly when you live on a small island with limited selections, it's hard to resist shopping for our home ( or ourselves ) when on vacation. What we love about shopping in tropical locales is the fact that so much of what we find works so well for us back home on Maui. Let me just say, our suitcases were much heavier on our return flight home per usual.

Hunter and Gatherer in Kilauea - I'm obsessed with this place. Located right next to Trilogy Coffee, it was easy to stumble into this shop almost daily. Hunter and Gatherer is stuffed with some of my favorite brands like Mt. Washington Pottery, Humble Ceramics, and Sundry clothing. They also sell tons of crystals, unique books, incense holders, jewelry, food condiments, and even some surf surfboards. Basically, everything I love.

Ohana Shop Kauai 2 locations in Hanalei - These places are just so cute! Loved all the beautiful shells leis ( ended up buying one ), the delicate local Niihau Momi shell jewelry, the finely woven lauhala Papale ( hats ), and a variety of bikinis, one-pieces, dresses, pareos, and local t-shirts.

Sway Hanalei in Hanalei - Great selection of clothing, ceramics, books, stationery, baskets, candles, jewelry, linens, and artwork. Everything in this shop was beautifully curated and fun to browse through. I ended up purchasing some nice dresses and some small ceramics for my kitchen collection back home.

Have you been to Kauai? If so, let me know your favorite places to visit, eat, and shop. Aloha!