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.

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.

Plant-Based Mac + Cheese

Sometimes I just really crave some comforting carbs and this particular dish is perfect for those times! Not only does it check everything off my list ( warm, savory, and cheesy ) it’s shockingly low-fat, full of B vitamins, potassium, and probiotics. So yes, it’s good for you!

Toss in some lightly steamed kale or broccoli florets to add something green if that makes you feel better. I usually do and it’s delicious! Oh and don’t forget something spicy on top! I put sambal on practically everything and this dish is no exception. Enjoy!

Plant-Based Mac + Cheese

• 1.5 cups of water ( start with 1.5 cups and check the consistency before adding more )

• 2.5 cups white potatoes ( skinned and cut into 1-inch cubes )

• 1 cup carrots ( peeled and roughly chopped )

• 1/2 cup dried instant oats

• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1 tsp corn starch

• 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

• 1.5 tsp onion powder

• 1.5 tsp garlic powder

• 1/4 tsp turmeric ( optional but this adds color )

• 2 Tbs lemon juice

• 1.5 Tbs white miso

• 2 Tbs tahini paste

1, 12 oz bag of cooked pasta ( I like to use gluten-free organic brown rice pasta by Tinkyada ) Spirals, Shells, Penne, or Macaroni shapes work well with this sauce.

Steam potatoes and carrots until easily pierced with a fork. Remove from heat and place in a high-speed blender. Add all other ingredients and blend until very smooth. 

Cook and drain pasta and place back into the pot. Slowly add “cheese “ sauce to cooked pasta and stir until well coated. You might not need all the sauce so if you have leftovers, this makes an excellent cheese dip. Just add some jarred chipotle salsa!

Top Mac + Cheese with some smoked paprika or even better, some spicy Sambal!

*Feel free to mix in some chopped kale or some steamed broccoli florets for a bit of green.

I love

On my original blog, “The Grains of Paradise @ Blogspot” I had a series of posts called, “I Love”. This was a series of snapshots that I had taken over the week ( or over a month ) that really spoke to me but didn’t necessarily make it into a regular blog post, Facebook update ( or nowadays ) an Instagram post. Honestly, there is no rhyme or reason with these shots. But, that’s exactly the point. I really look forward to doing these “I Love” posts once again.

Note: I’m off to California in a couple of days for vacation so my posts may be a bit sporadic over the next week or so. Hopefully, I’ll be returning home with some fun content to share. I’ll be posting on Instagram while I’m in California if you would like to follow our adventures. @mauimandy

The photo above: A windy afternoon walk on Baldwin Beach with my husband,

A quiet, bamboo lined pathway in Makawao that leads to the Haku Maui studio.

Lunch at Fork and Salad in Kahalui. I love the Super Salad ( vegan ) made into a wrap.

The newest member of our little family, 10 month old Nalu, napping on our banister. Adopted 2 weeks ago from the Maui Humane Society.

Picking organic lettuce ( $2 a head ) at the Maui Bees Farm in Kula, HI

Tofu Buddha Rolls

How pretty are these?! I gotta be honest though, I didn’t come up with this idea myself. Nope, I ordered something just like these pretty little rolls almost every time I dined at the Shady Shack in Bali. Lucky for us, these Buddha Rolls are fairly easy to re-create at home. No eighteen-hour flight required.

Tofu Buddha Rolls ( per serving )

• 1/2 cup shredded carrots

• 1/2 cup shredded purple cabbage

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced cucumbers

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red cabbage

• a handful of mint leaves

• a handful of cilantro

• a handful of chives or green onions

• coconut amino marinated + pan-fried super firm tofu. I love the high-protein, sprouted organic tofu from Wildwood

• 1 large English cucumber thinly sliced into long wide “noodles”. You can use a mandolin or you can thinly slice the cucumber with a sharp knife.

Coconut Amino Marinated + Pan-Fried Tofu ( one serving )

• 4 oz super firm organic tofu

• 2 tbs coconut aminos

• 1 tsp sesame oil

To make the pan-fried tofu, take about 4 oz of tofu and slice into 1/2 inch “sticks” . Then place tofu sticks into a shallow dish and pour about 2 tbs of coconut aminos over the tofu. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, turning once. Next, heat up a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat with a tiny drizzle of sesame oil ( for flavor ). Add marinated tofu and pan-fry until golden brown ( A few minutes on each side ) Remove from heat and let cool to the touch.

To arrange the Buddha Rolls, lay cucumber noodles on a large cutting board. At one end of each cucumber noodle, pile on a tofu “stick”, whatever veggie fillings you desire and then roll to enclose fillings. Rolls can be secured with a toothpick if need be. Enjoyed with the Spicy Peanut Sauce below.

Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce - makes about 14 oz

• 1/2 cup creamy unsweetened peanut butter or almond butter

• 3/4 cup - 1 cup full-fat coconut milk ( depending on desired consistency )

• 1/4 cup of coconut sugar ( 2-3 tbs can be used instead if you want to reduce sugar content )

• juice of 1 juicy lime

• 1 tbs low-sodium soy sauce or tamari

• 2 tsp sambal ( or sriracha )

• 1/2 inch piece of fresh peeled ginger

• 1 clove of garlic

• Blend all ingredients in a highspeed blender until smooth. The sauce will thicken up ( a lot ) in the fridge. I’ve found that it’s better to reheat to thin out rather than adding additional liquids. Lasts for about 1 week in the fridge.

Hoisin Peanut Sauce - makes about 2 cups

• 1 and 1/3 cups of water

• 1 cup hoisin sauce

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter

• 1.5 Tbs minced shallot

• 1 Tb rice wine vinegar

• 2 tsp coconut sugar ( optional )

• 1 Tb sambal oelek or sriracha

*More water if needed for consistency

*In a small saucepan over med-high heat saute the minced shallot in a splash of water until translucent ( about 1-2 minutes ).

*Add water and hoisin and whisk until blended and bring to a low simmer. Add peanut butter, vinegar, sugar, and sambal and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat.

*I like to serve this with crushed salted peanuts sprinkled on top. This makes a lot of sauce so feel free to cut the recipe in half. Stores well in the fridge for several days. Add more water to thin out if needed.