Aloha 2022!

Happy New Year! I know it’s been a minute. Let me explain…

As most of you can probably relate, 2021 sure served up its fair share of challenges, didn’t it?

So, here’s what happened to me…

After almost an entire year out of work on covid related furlough, I returned to work full time in the early spring of 2021. During this crazy busy time, I was halfway through my course work with The Institute for Integrative Nutrition, working towards my goal of receiving my certification to become a Holistic Health Coach.

Fast forward to summer…

I graduated from IIN in July! Ya!! But without much planning, the day after my graduation, I immediately jumped into an intense study course to become an ACE certified personal trainer. At this point, I was really used to balancing work and school so figured I could handle it all with no problem.

 However sadly in early fall, we had an unexpected family emergency and I had to make a last-minute trip out to Florida. Upon our return, I got sick (luckily not with Covid) but something that unfortunately lingered for weeks. This, along with some new challenges in the tourism industry back home (Re: the governor of Hawaii basically told people to not come to the islands during the covid Delta spike). I got REALLY thrown off my game.

How 2021. Right?

 So here I was in late fall, re-evaluating everything I was doing. Like I’m sure everyone else has been during these unprecedented trying times. So, with that said, I have decided to take a short break on my personal training certification with ACE and go back to working on the intentions I set back in 2020… Which was to create an online business (and in-person) that I am truly passionate about.

 I’m now an Integrative Holistic Nutrition Health Coach certified through New York’s Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), the world’s largest nutrition school. At IIN I learned a variety of subjects in nutrition and nutrition science, including a multitude of dietary theories like Paleo, Veganism, Ayurveda, Macrobiotics, and many more. We are what we consume, and that’s not just what eat. At IIN they teach a 360-degree, holistic approach to wellness which includes primary and secondary foods. Primary food includes topics like regular exercise, proper rest, healthy relationships, spirituality, along having a fulfilling career. When our primary foods are in balance, we feel fueled and satiated, making the food on our plate secondary.

At IIN I studied under several of the world’s leading authorities in health and wellness, including...

• Dr. Andrew Weil, MD, Founder of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine

• Mark Hyman, MD, Founder of The Ultra Wellness Center 

• Mark Bittman, best-selling author, and food writer for The New York Times 

• Gabrielle Bernstein, life coach, and best-selling author

• David Wolfe, nutrition expert, and leader in the raw food movement

• AND SO MANY MORE!!

 Additionally, I have a Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition through eCornell University where I studied under the expertise of Dr. T. Colin Campbell, MD. Over the course of his career, Dr. Campbell has participated in the development of national and international nutrition policy, co-authored the worldwide bestseller The China Study, and authored the New York Times bestseller Whole.

 So this leads me to today, January 1st, 2022. I have put in the work, gained the knowledge and now I want to help YOU! Over the next few months, I plan on working towards fine-tuning my coaching program. I plan on updating this site more frequently with new recipes, fun blog topics, resources, books, and some other tools for achieving optimal health using a holistic approach. Can’t wait!

 Here’s to a rewarding, healthy, and very happy 2022!

Red Lentil Curry

Winter has finally arrived on Maui! We even had a rare, snow-capped Haleakala this week! So beautiful.

So on these “chilly” February nights, I love making large batches of creamy soups, Dahls, and curries. Here’s a recipe for my current weeknight favorite. This Red Lentil Curry is full of exotic flavors, it’s spicy and it makes great leftovers for days.

Red Lentil Curry - serves 4-6

• 1.5 cups of dried red lentils, rinsed

• 1 Tb avocado or coconut oil

• 4 cups of vegetable broth

• 1, 14 oz can of full-fat coconut milk

• 1 large sweet onion, diced

• 2 carrots, diced

• 4 cloves of crushed garlic

• 1 Tb fresh grated ginger

• juice of 2 juicy limes

• 1 Tb coconut sugar ( subs can be brown sugar, agave syrup, or maple syrup )

• 1 Tb plus 1 tsp curry powder

• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1/4 tsp black cracked pepper

• 1, 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed

• 1 cup chopped cilantro, chopped

• 5 oz fresh baby spinach, chopped

*In a large stockpot or Dutch oven add 1 Tb of oil add diced onions. Saute about 3-4 minutes over med-high heat until slightly translucent. Add diced carrots, minced garlic, grated ginger, and black pepper and saute another 2-3 minutes. Add curry powder and cayenne pepper and saute for about 1 minute or just until spices are fragrant and slightly toasted.

*Next, add vegetable broth, coconut milk, lime juice, and sweetener of choice. Then add rinsed lentils and chickpeas and stir until combined. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce heat to medium-low heat and simmer ( uncovered ) until lentil curry thickens to the desired consistency. Stirring occasionally. This will take about 20 minutes.

*Add chopped baby spinach and chopped cilantro and stir until wilted ( about 2-3 minutes). Remove from heat. Taste, adjust flavor with more lime juice, cayenne or salt only if needed.

*Serve over rice. Some great toppings suggestions would be mango chutney, fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, or my favorite homemade vegan sour cream ( recipe under Dips/Sauces )

This will last in the fridge for about 4 days. This freezes really well too!

Jewel Box Salad

This pretty winter salad was inspired by a recent dinner at the Hali’imaile General Store in Makawao. I took the liberty of adding a vegan cheese but this addition is completely optional. I also thought that a citrus-based dressing would be a nice compliment to the roasted veggies.

Jewel Box Salad - makes one large salad

• 2-3 cups of mixed leafy greens

• 1/2 cup of roasted butternut squash ( made from frozen butternut cubes )

• 1/2 cup of roasted corn kernels

• 1/4 cup vegan ricotta, crumbled ( I like Kite Hill )

• 2 Tb chopped walnuts ( toasted walnuts are nice here )

• 2 Tb dried cranberries

Citrus Dressing

• 1/4 cup orange or tangerine juice

• 1/4 cup avocado oil ( or olive oil )

• 2 Tb white balsamic or champagne vinegar

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 2 drops of liquid stevia or 2 tsp maple syrup

• cracked black pepper ( about 1/8 tsp or more )

*Wisk all ingredients together and taste. Adjust any ingredients to your liking. Place in the fridge to chill until ready. This makes about 4 servings of dressing.

To prep salad ingredients

Preheat oven to 375F.

*Place frozen butternut squash cubes on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. I used a whole 10oz bag of frozen butternut so I did have some leftovers. Feel free to toss with a little bit of neutral-tasting oil ( like avocado oil ) but this isn’t totally necessary. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cubes are slightly golden brown and crispy looking. This step can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge.

*While the squash is roasting, place 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels on a lightly oiled, non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Saute until corn is lightly roasted ( about 10 minutes ) This step can also be done ahead of time and kept in the fridge until ready.

To assemble salad

Place fresh leafy greens In a large shallow bowl. Top with 1/2 cup of the chilled or room temperature roasted butternut squash, the chilled or room temperature roasted corn kernels, 2 Tb of dried cranberries, 2 Tb of chopped walnuts, and 1/4 cup crumbled ricotta. Dress with 2 -3 Tb of the Citrus dressing and toss. Serve with extra cracked black pepper.

Southwest Pumpkin Soup

This recipe was inspired by a soup made on Rachel Ray’s cooking show over 15 years ago! Over the years I’ve made some tweaks to the soup, which includes making it vegan, by swapping the heavy cream in the original recipe with full-fat coconut milk. If you prefer, you can omit the coconut milk completely to make a delicious, very low-fat soup. It’s totally up to you, but I highly recommend including the coconut milk. It adds a velvety creaminess that compliments the heat of the cayenne and the tang of the lime juice so nicely. Originally Rachel Ray served her soup with cheese quesadilla slices. If you would like to do the same but are looking for a healthier, plant-based alternative, here’s my quesadilla recipe HERE.

Southwest Pumpkin Soup - Serves 6

• 2, 15oz cans of 100% pure pumpkin puree ( not pumpkin pie mix )

• 4 cups vegetable broth

• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 1, 14.5 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained

• 1, 14.5 oz can of roasted diced tomatoes ( including liquid )

• 1.5 Tb curry powder

• 1.5 tsp cumin powder

• 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper ( salt with 1/4 tsp and then check the heat level at the end before adding more )

• Juice of one lime

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro ( optional )

To Prepare

*In a large pot over medium-high heat, saute diced onion in a couple of Tbs of water ( or 1 Tb of olive oil ) until translucent ( approximately 5-7 minutes ). Add curry powder, cumin powder, and cayenne powder to the onion and saute for another 30 seconds to lightly toast the spices. Careful not to burn.

*Add remaining ingredients ( except the cilantro ) and bring soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the freshly chopped cilantro. Now, taste the soup and adjust salt, pepper, cayenne and/or lime juice if needed.

To serve

Distribute soup into shallow serving bowls. Topping suggestions include baked corn tortilla strips, chopped cilantro, chopped chives, THESE spicy pumpkin seeds, and/or a dollop of vegan sour cream ( sour cream recipe is under my dips/sauces )

This recipe freezes well if anyone is interested!

Late Season Spicy Gazpacho

For those of you that aren’t quite ready for “fall-themed” foods ( meaning, pumpkin spice on everything LOL ) This is a great way to use up those ripe, late summer tomatoes and make a delicious light lunch. I feel like this gazpacho is best when it has a few hours to sit and “marinate” in the fridge. If you aren’t into spicy foods, you can easily skip the sambal or sriracha that I’m obsessed with. No strict rules here so enjoy!

Late Season Spicy Gazpacho - makes approximately 6 servings

• 32 oz tomato organic juice

• 5 large tomatoes - scored, blanched, peeled, and diced

• 1 large seeded cucumber, diced ( I left the skin on )

• 1/2 large green bell pepper, diced

• 3 cloves of garlic minced

• 1/2 of a large red onion, diced

• 1/2 cup of Italian basil, chopped

• 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped ( cilantro haters can omit )

• 2 Tbs aged balsamic vinegar

• 2 Tbs olive oil

• 2 Tbs sambal or sriracha for heat ( a finely diced jalapeno could work in space of this )

• juice of 1/2 of a large lemon

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

To Make

*Bring water to a rolling boil in a medium saucepan. Score ( cut an X ) on the bottom of each tomato and place in boiling water for 30 seconds. Quickly drain tomatoes and place in an ice bath until cool. Peel skin off of the blanched tomatoes and finely dice and place in a large bowl

*Finely dice a seeded cucumber, 1/2 of green bell pepper, and 1/2 of red onion and add to the large bowl with the tomatoes. Pour in the tomato juice and add the remaining ingredients. Stir and taste. Adjust spice, salt, and pepper if needed.

***Optional - I like to take an emulsion blender to this recipe at the very end. I just submerge it in the finished soup and pulse it a few times to break down the veggies just a little bit more. This step is completely optional. You can get the same effect by pulsing just half of the finished gazpacho in a medium speed blender and then combining it with the unblended half.

To serve

*ladle gazpacho into a shallow soup bowl. Top with chopped basil and/or chives and drizzle a little olive oil on top. Cubed or sliced avocado is a nice addition as well.

The Grain-Based Macro Bowl

I probably make a variation of a Macro Bowl about 3-5 times a week. So comforting, so full of flavor and so incredibly healthy for you. This “easy to throw together” bowl will make a wonderful staple for you and your family during these stressful times.

Feel free to play around with the base ingredients that I have listed below. Please use whatever you currently have in your pantry and fridge because there are no strict rules for this bowl.

For the bowl pictured above, I used chickpeas, quinoa, a variety of sweet potatoes, raw kale, sauerkraut, chopped almonds, and a tahini/lemon/miso-based dressing. The idea is to use some sort of plant-based protein ( tofu, tempeh, beans or lentils ), some sort of grain ( quinoa or rice ) or another whole plant carb like sweet potatoes or squash, some veggies ( raw or fresh ), some sort of fat ( tahini, avocado, or nut butter ) some seeds or nuts for some crunch, some sort of fermented food like sauerkraut or kimchi and, ideally, some sort of sea vegetable like crushed nori.

The Grain-based Macro Bowl

• 1 cup cooked quinoa

• 1/2 cup of roasted sweet potatoes

• 1/3 cup of chickpeas

• 1 large handful of shredded kale

• a couple of tablespoons of sauerkraut

• 1 Tb chopped almonds

• a couple of Tbs dressing ( see recipe below )

• 1/2 of a sliced avocado

• Layer in a bowl, top with dressing, and serve.

Prep for Roasted Potatoes

Take 2 or more sweet potatoes and cut into small cubes ( you may skin them if you prefer ). Toss potato cubes with 1-2 tsp of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper. Next, spread seasoned potato cubes on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Roast potato cubes at 425F for 40 mins until crispy and browned. Flip potatoes halfway through. Oven temps can vary so some potatoes may need less of more time to reach the desired crispiness. Save any leftovers in the fridge for the next day.

Prep for cooked Quinoa

Rinse 2 cups of dried quinoa if a mesh strainer for about 1 minute. Place in a medium-size soup pot with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil over med-high heat then cover and reduce heat to very low. Cook covered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, leave the lid on, and “steam”. Remove lid and fluff cooked quinoa with a fork. This makes a lot of quinoa. I like dividing this into 1 cup servings and placing it in the freezer for later use.

My favorite Macro Bowl Dressing

• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

• 2 Tbs water

• 2 Tbs avocado oil

• 2 Tbs tamari or low sodium soy sauce

• 1/4 cup light miso

• 1/3 cup tahini ( you can omit this for a lower fat dressing )

• Mix in a small mason jar. Keeps for about 1 week in the fridge.

Japanese Sweet Potato Potstickers

How’s everyone doing?

Surreal times right?

Sorry I’ve been a bit M.I.A. I started working 5 days a week vs. a mixture of nights and days so photographing food in proper daylight has been a challenge.

I have some extra time now though…

So, I could go on and on about the impact of the Covid-19 virus here on Maui. Sadly, most of the island is out of work, or at least, we’ve been put on hold. To be perfectly honest though, I need a break from all the doom and gloom right now. I’m sure we all do right? So I’m not going to get into the icky stuff here.

So since I haven’t left my immediate neighborhood for the last 14 days, I’ve had plenty of time to go through my pantry, fridge, and freezer ( like so many people have I’m sure ) and take a solid inventory of what I have on hand. Going forward, I plan on doing my absolute best to grocery shop just once a week. Maui goes into full lockdown mode tomorrow, March 25th. This means only essential errands or solo activities are allowed outside the home. Lucky for us, this still includes surfing ( yay! ). My husband has actually been the one braving the grocery stores for the last 2 weeks and I’ve been doing the cooking ( per usual ). I honestly have not been around another human since March 13th and I gotta say, it’s been eye-opening.

Anyway, so these delicious Japanese Sweet Potato Potstickers… You don’t need many ingredients and they are so fun to eat. Plus, it’s sort of meditating when it comes to the actual folding part and since some of us have a lot of time on our hands now, why not?

BTW - I’ll let you look up how to do the potsticker folding on YouTube. There are tons of tutorials on there. It's probably easier than a written step-by-step from me anyway.

Stay safe and healthy my friends. A L O H A!

Japanese Sweet Potato Potstickers - makes about 30

• 1 large Japanese Sweet Potato ( purple skin, yellow inside ) a yam would work too.

• 1 large shallot, minced

• 1 clove of garlic minced

• 1/4 inch of fresh ginger, skin removed and minced

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• 1 Tb sesame seeds ( optional )

• 1 Tb soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos

• 1 handful of chopped cilantro ( optional )

• 1 package of store-bought potsticker or wonton skins ( check the label to make sure there’s no egg added )

Dipping Sauce

• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

• 1/4 cup low-sodium tamari or low-sodium soy sauce

To make the potsticker filling, peel and chop the sweet potato into small cubes and steam until easily pierced with a fork.

In the meantime, saute the shallot, garlic, and ginger in sesame oil over med-high heat until translucent ( about 5 mins )

Mash steamed sweet potato cubes until creamy. Add shallot/garlic/ginger mix, soy sauce, sesame seeds, and cilantro. The mixture should have a similar consistency to cookie dough.

Place potsticker wrappers on a large cutting board. Place 2 tsp of the sweet potato mixture in the middle of each wrapper, rub water along the edges of the wrapper, fold, and seal.

Place in a steamer basket and steam until cooked through. About 3-5 mins.

*Or if not cooking right away, place all potstickers on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and freeze. Once frozen, place potstickers in a zip-lock bag.

*Steaming will take slightly longer when ready to cook if potstickers are frozen.

ENJOY!

Spinach and Mushroom Risotto

Ever since having lunch at The Girl and Fig in Sonoma, I’ve been really craving risotto. But for whatever reason since I’ve been home, I’ve been putting off making it?

Why? Because in the past ( back when I was a vegetarian vs vegan ) it always seemed like such a labor-intensive dish? Well, I was wrong. Or maybe I was just making it wrong LOL? I dunno? But I’m so glad I finally decided to give it a go!

This Spinach and Mushroom Risotto is the bomb. It’s gooey, rich, warm and full of umami flavors. Honestly, it tastes like it’s really high fat but it’s really not. No dairy ( obvi ) but no “vegan cheese” either. However, I did use a good dollop of Miyoko’s vegan butter at the end. I believe this step is key so try not to skip it. I think this, combined with the creamy arborio rice really did the trick. This is so satisfying and delicious!

Spinach and Mushroom Risotto

• 1 cup Arborio rice

• 3 cups veggie stock - feel free to add more broth ( or water ) about halfway through cooking if needed

• 1 tbs olive oil

• 3 tbs dry white wine ( optional )

• 1 large diced white or yellow onion

• 5 cloves minced garlic

• 2.5 cups sliced mushrooms ( I like Cremini )

• 1/4 tsp salt ( feel free to add more at the end if needed )

• 1/4 tsp pepper

Added near the end of cooking

• 2 cups chopped spinach

• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

• 2 tbs vegan butter 

• 1 tbs fresh lemon juice

In a large pot on medium-high heat, saute onions and garlic with salt and pepper until translucent ( about 5-7 mins )

Add white wine, add sliced mushrooms and saute another 2-3 mins

Add veggie broth and rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15- 20 mins. Stirring occasionally.

Add chopped spinach, yeast, butter, and lemon juice and stir until incorporated. Add more broth or water if needed. Cover and simmer another 10 minutes or so. Taste, and add additional salt/pepper if needed.

Top with chopped fresh parsley or minced chives

Enjoy!

Easy Thai Curry

We loved this recipe so much we made it twice this week!

After chopping some fresh veggies and potatoes, this was actually pretty quick to throw together on a rushed weeknight. By the way, I do like steaming the potatoes ahead of time to speed things up a bit but that’s totally up to you. Also, feel free to play with different curry pastes out there. I found this delicious yellow curry paste by Mae Ploy at my local health food store so I decided to give it a go in this recipe. Red or green curry paste will work well too here. Just make sure to check the ingredient list! Some curries contain shrimp paste!

Don’t be too worried about what veggies you decide to throw in this. I just used up some odd bits that I still had left in the fridge before a shopping day. Feel free to add or sub whatever veggies you want! Extra-firm tofu cubes might be a nice addition as well.

Easy Thai Curry - makes 4-6 servings

• 2, 14 oz cans of coconut milk. I went with full-fat coconut milk.

• 1 cup of vegetable broth

• 1/4 cup curry paste

• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder ( optional, I use this for color )

• juice of one lime

• 1 Tb of coconut or brown sugar

• 1 yellow onion, sliced thin

• 2 medium yellow potatoes, skinned and diced.

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced

• 3 medium carrots, sliced

• one Bell Pepper, diced ( I used a yellow one )

• 1 large tomato, diced

• 1/2 zucchini, sliced

• 1 cup frozen peas ( optional )

• 1 cup chopped cilantro

Steam - skinned and cubed potatoes to save time. ( optional )

While potatoes are steaming…in a large deep pan over med-high heat, saute diced onions and minced garlic with a little water ( or oil ) until translucent ( about 5-7 minutes ).

Next, add vegetable broth, coconut milk, curry paste, turmeric powder, coconut sugar, juice of one lime and stir until combined.

Add carrots, Bell pepper, tomato, zucchini, and frozen peas to the broth and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer uncovered until veggies are tender ( about 12-15 mins ). Be careful not to overcook. You don’t want “mushy veggies”. Next, add steamed potatoes and cook another 5 minutes. Stir in fresh cilantro. You can add raw potatoes to this instead of steamed however, you will just need to increase the cooking time until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.

Top with crush peanuts, sliced green onions, fresh cilantro, and/or sambal. Enjoy this curry on its own or serve over jasmine rice.