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.

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!

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.