Burmese Salad

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.

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!

Nourish Bowl

I’ve definitely been taking advantage of all the Brussel Sprouts on sale lately! How about you? What are your favorite fall fruits and veggies? I also love me some Acorn squash, pears, persimmons, dates, and pomegranates as well. Wholesome bowls with the current season in mind is definitely the way to go.

As for Brussel Sprouts, this Nourish Bowl is one of my favorite ways to incorporate this healthy cruciferous vegetable into my whole food plant-based diet.

Brussel Sprouts are full of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. And when prepared properly, they are also freaking delicious. Enjoy!

Nourish Bowl - Makes 2 bowls

• 2 cups cooked quinoa

• 2 cups Brussel Sprouts, washed, ends trimmed off and cut in half

• 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

• 4 cups of kale, shredded

• 1/2 cup of sauerkraut, divided

• 1 Tb of BBQ sauce of choice or Korean gochujang paste

• 1 Tb coconut aminos ( tamari or soy sauce can be used instead )

• 2 tsp roasted sesame seeds or furikaki, divided

• 1 avocado cut in half and sliced

• 1 lemon sliced in half

• Creamy Lemon Tahini Dressing ( recipe can be found on my “Dressings” page. Link HERE )

*Preheat oven to 375F and cook quinoa according to the package instructions.

*Put washed and sliced Brussel Sprouts in a medium-size bowl and add 1 Tb of coconut aminos and the juice of 1/2 of a lemon. Next, spread Brussel Sprouts on a parchment-lined baking tray.

*Place one can of rinsed and drained chickpeas in the medium-size bowl and toss with 1 Tb of BBQ sauce or gochujang paste until well coated. Place chickpeas on a second parchment-lined baking tray.

*Put baking trays in your pre-heated oven for 30-40 minutes or until desired “crispiness” has been reached.

*Place shredded kale in a medium-size bowl and squeeze the remaining lemon half over the kale. Massage the lemon juice into the kale and set aside.

To Assemble Nourish Bowl

Separate the kale into 2 medium-size serving bowls. Add 1 cup of cooked quinoa on top of the kale. Next, divide the Brussel sprouts and BBQ chickpeas and arrange them in the serving bowls. Top Nourish Bowl with 1/2 of a sliced avocado, 1/4 of a cup of sauerkraut, 1 tsp sesame seeds, or furikaki and Tahini Miso Dressing.

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!

Healthy Pumpkin Waffles

Happy October! Unfortunately, we don’t see much of a seasonal change out here in Hawaii but I gotta admit that I absolutely live for fall ( and especially winter ) in the islands. Temps start to drop a bit, white ginger is in full bloom and the surf starts to pick up big time. It’s magical.

As much as I love fall decor, it always seems a bit out of place in our lit’ tropical bungalow. So instead of spending money on ceramic pumpkins and fall-themed wreaths, I invest in my fall pantry. Squash, pears, apples, persimmons, pomegranates, dates, and sweet potatoes turn into my go-to ingredients. I tend to bake more, roast more, and overall eat more “cooked foods” during this time of the year as well. Because honestly, who wants to heat up the oven during a hot Hawaiian summer? Um, not me.

So here’s my first simple recipe of the season: Super healthy pumpkin waffles! I used oat flour here. You can buy oat flour in the grocery store but honestly, you can just make it yourself. I actually make a huge batch of it ahead of time and store it in my pantry. Just add quick oats to a highspeed blender and blend until you get a fine powder. So easy.

I purchased this cute little waffle maker at Target for like $10! However, if you are making several waffles at a time, I would purchase something larger. The waffles take about 5-6 minutes to bake so you don’t want them getting cold if you are making a larger batch.

Healthy Pumpkin Waffles - makes 3 mini waffles, feel free to double or triple recipe. Use 1/4 cup of batter per waffle.

• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tb oat flour

• 1/2 cup nut milk ( I used almond )

• 1/4 cup 100% pumpkin puree

• 1 Tb coconut sugar

• 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

*Add all ingredients to a highspeed blender and then blend until well combined. To make a mini waffle, use 1/4 cup of the batter and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions. A cooking spray might be needed. I used avocado oil. Cooking time is approximately 5-6 mins.