Food Happens Everyday

Steve and I headed to Hilo for the Valentine's Day weekend and stayed at a unique Bed and Breakfast in downtown Hilo run by two locals, Penny and Tip. As we sat in their tin roof covered courtyard playing the ukelele and talking story, Penny offered us a glass jar filled with cheese crisps she had baked. Steve lit up because he loves cheese crackers. Penny told us how easy they were to make. They were quite good! And so upon arriving back in Honolulu we baked these delicious treats with the three types of cheeses we had in the refrigerator: shredded Parmesan, shredded cheddar and shredded Monterey Jack.  Sidebar: Ok...so we said we would cut back on dairy and yes we have replaced yogurt and milk, but you can see we are still hitting the cheese hard 😅 Take whatever medium to hard cheeses that you have in the refrigerator, mix them together in a small bowl, add seeds of your choice and you are done with your mixture and ready to bake. We added a small handful of four types o

It's Superbowl Sunday and a great time to post about one of our favorite dishes to make - nachos! They are easy to make, yummy and filling. And my crunch-obsessed wife loves this weekend treat! No one said eating plant-based food needs to be boring. We usually use some cheese on our nachos, and sometimes a little plain greek yogurt, but you can easily skip the cheese and use a plant-based yogurt instead. Ingredients: - Tortilla chips - Vegetarian refried beans - Diced tomato - Salad greens - Shredded cheddar cheese (or similar); can replace with vegan cheese or leave out entirely - Greek yogurt; or replace with a plant based yogurt like cashew milk yogurt - Green and red salsas Steps: - First prepare the beans by mixing them with some of the green salsa (or red if that's the only kind you have) and heating them for a couple of minutes in the microwave - Arrange the tortilla chips on the plate; if you are using cheese, sprinkle on the chips and microwave the pl

Oh the beauty of squash! If you haven't tried flavoring your soup, stews, beans, or curry dishes with squash, you are missing out on a unique mildly sweet wonderful flavor. I encourage you to forego the potato and opt instead for diced squash or pumpkin in your dish. An acorn squash (pictured above) is a small safe bet if you haven't tried a variety of more intimidating squashes. Once you've cut into one, cleaned out the seeds and cubed it, you can cook it just like a potato by adding it into your dish and slow cooking. It does not take any longer than potato takes to cook in your soup or stew. I definitely prefer squash over sweet potatoes which I find to be denser with a stronger flavor. Tonight, we added acorn squash to our Chickpea Masala or Chana Masala dish. Yum! An easy to make dish (if you buy the curry already made in a jar and just add diced onions, cilantro, and red peppers) over your preferred rice. I love to eat it with basmati rice. The acorn squash c

Chris and I have been interested in eating healthy for many years. I gave up meat for two years while I was teaching middle school, and it was a great experience, but it didn’t stick. And I wasn’t eating especially healthy vegetarian, with lots of sweet cereal and Taco Bell black-bean and cilantro rice burritos. Chris has also been searching for solutions to her serious stomach issues and first eliminated meat from her diet a few years ago before her celiac diagnosis. Along the way, there were a few books that I read that made an impact on me. The first was Michael Pollan’s book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” followed by “In Defense of Food.” Both books challenged the diet culture all around us as well shedding light on the marketing machine that drives a lot of how we feel about what we eat and ultimately what we actually eat. A lot of what Pollan has to say can be found in a really interesting article he published in the New York Times back in 2007. I also read a book called “Grain Brain”

One week into our 2019 food adventure, and we are taking another big step - transitioning from dairy-based Greek yogurt (which I love!), to plant-based yogurt. At the end of last year (2019) we gave up milk, which means I gave up my obsession for Cheerios and Corn Chex as a night time snack - emotionally painful! OMG I am skeptical and borderline dramatic about taking this step with yogurt, but nothing lost in trying. So first we went for the Kite Hill brand of an almond-based yogurt. I made lots of ugly faces when I ate it, but Steve liked it. Or at least he pretended he did to try to shame me. I'm not a big fan of the almond milk taste in general or of the taste of anything almond other than the pure nut itself, so no surprise here. I did not give up though, and engaged in my second taste-test experiment with Forager brand Cashewmilk yogurt. Guess what? I liked it! So with a simple taste test, and a willingness to get beyond my adult-set-ways of eating, I found a good replace

Gluten-Free Corn Muffins While we are focused on eating healthy, I still need options for a Saturday evening snack that provides some comfort and substance. This weekend, I found one such option in a family favorite! I love a warm, freshly made moist corn muffin, especially as an evening snack, with a pat of butter and a little touch of fruit preserves, or just a little drizzle of locally made Hawaii honey (from Hilo's Farmer's Market!). Here is a quick, gluten-free recipe with simple ingredients that is quick to make.   Ingredients: 1 cup gluten-free flour (I usually use Bob's Red Mill) 1 cup gluten-free corn meal 1/8 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 cup almond milk or other dairy-free option 1/4 cup vegetable oil Once you mix, distribute evenly into 12 cupcake cups. Bake for 20 minutes in 425 degree oven (always preheat oven when baking). Watch them around minute 18 so that they don't over-brown.