Category Archives: Recipes

fresh almond milk.

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Fresh Almond Milk

2 cup soaked almonds

8 cups filtered water

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 dash sea salt

Soak almonds 8-12 hours. Be sure to cover them in plenty of water, they will grow a bit in size. Once soaked, rinse almonds and repeat.  Plop nuts in blender and pour in water. Blend until creamy.  Strain thru a nut bag (steel strainer or even and old t-shirt works). Squeeze ground nuts to extract all the milk. Add vanilla and salt for flavor. May also be sweetened with maple syrup or honey. * Keep ground almond meal for muffins, brownies, or add them pancakes!

homemade laundry detergent.

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A chore that never seems to end: laundry!  I enjoy starting the washer, the smell of laundry detergent, and folding the clothes into neat little piles.  I somehow get lost in the exchange from the washer to the dryer and the process of opening drawers to put the laundry away.  There is a saying, “how you do one thing is how you do everything”.  With that in mind I guess you could say I like to start something and see the finish, but somehow put off the middle part.  Ahh, I am having some clarity now why my towels always smell moldy!

Enough with the deep stuff, lets talk about ways to make laundry fun again.

1. hire someone to do it for you

At the laundry mat they charge per pound…I once paid $60 to have 4 loads washed and folded, only problem was I couldn’t find some one to put them away.

2. buy new clothes every time yours get dirty

I had a boyfriend that would buy new underwear on the weekly!

3. have lots of kids, wait till they are old enough to do it all themselves

This is my excuse when people ask me if I am going to have more kids. I tell them when Mai can fold her own laundry I will think about it. 

4. compost them

My friend leaves them in big piles in his garage.  They stay there for months, decaying into compost. Kinda stinky.

5. make your own laundry detergent!

It like a cool science experiment every time you make a batch!

What you need to make homemade laundry detergent:

1 Bar of soap (Dr. Bronner’s or Ivory for sensitive skin)

1 cup Borax

2 cups Washing Soda or Baking Soda

Bucket with a lid

3 gallons H2O, plus 2 cups for dissolving soap

Note: finding Washing Soda was a problem that I ran into living on a remote island. A solution that I found and is more cost effective, was to make my own Washing Soda.

Making Washing Soda:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place baking soda in an oven-safe pan. Bake for 40-60 minutes.

I am not a chemist, but thru some simple research I found that there is a chemical reaction that takes place when the Baking Soda is heated.  The product is a “fluffy in texture” powder called Washing Soda.

How to make homemade laundry detergent:

1. Over stove top heat 2 cups of water.  Cut or grate (1) bar of soap into heated water. Stir until dissolved.

2. Measure 1 cup Borax & 2 cups Washing Soda into bucket.  Add melted soap.  Cover with 2 gallons of warm water.

3. Stir Borax, Washing Soda, Soap and H2O together in bucket. Wait 24 hours.

After 24 hours the liquids will turn into a slimy gel.   Stir detergent around with each use. Measure 1 cup for each load if you have a top loader. Use 1/2 cup for HE machines without hesitation.

This recipe is better for the skin, the Earth, and the pocket book. Total cost per batch (3 gallons) is roughly $2.75, with Mainland prices being cheaper.

fennel and beets.

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This week we got fennel and beets in our CSA (community supported agriculture) box from Kahumana Farms.  Since there are really only two seasons in Hawaii (wet and dry) we are able to grow vegetables and other sorts of fruits that you may have to wait till fall to get.

Fennel (click here to view some neat facts)  is a crisp herb with a taste that resembles licorice.  Alone the flavor can be strong, but when combined with other ingredients it becomes subtle.  The whole plant is edible.  I use the bulb for salads or roasting and the stalk in soups like “cream of broccoli soup”.  One cup of this refreshing stalk equals 20% of your daily vitamin C, it is also an inflammatory.

Beets (click to read more) are a root that have a deep red coloring.  Just like fennel the whole plant is edible.  Beet greens are great sauteed and have a soft texture for a leafy green.  Beets can also be juiced and are really high in antioxidants and superb for detoxify the body. I like to grate the beet bulb raw into salads, steam ’em, or roast ’em.   You will find beets at high end restaurants paired with lamb or other divine entrees.

 

Fennel and Beet Salad

3 large beets

1 fennel bulb

3-6 oz of goat cheese

1-2 tbs. of fresh squeezed orange

2 tbs. of olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

 

*Cut the tops of the beets (save the greens for later cooking) and leave the skin on.  Cover with water on the stove top. Bring to a boil and let cook for 15 minutes or so.  You will know the beets are done when you can pierce smoothly with a fork.  To remove skins place under cool running water. Cube the warm beets. Chop fennel into bite size pieces.  Add goats cheese to the beet and fennel mixture. NOTE: if you do this while the beets are warm you will get a creamy texture. Or if you like to taste the goat cheese more, mix together when the beets have cooled.  Then, add your orange juice (fresh), olive oil, salt and pepper. Walaah a colorful side salad to accompany any dish.

Warning:  don’t be alarmed if you pee red the next day! This is from the betalain pigments in the beets.

 

grammy’s granola and kale smoothie.

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My mom (Mai’s Grammy) makes the most delicious granola.  My friends even request it for Christmas or Birthdays!  When we were visiting last week she made a big batch up for me to take home.  I store mine in the refrigerator, it seems to stay the freshest there. Anytime we make smoothies, Mai likes to have hers in a bowl with Grammy’s granola on top.  I like to call it the “mock acai bowl”.  My twist is that there is kale inside (sounds gross I know), but its a sneaky way for me to get dark leafy veggies in my daughter’s diet).

          Grammy’s Granola

10 cups of rolled oats

2-4 cups of nuts (whatever is in the pantry)

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup of oil (I like cold pressed coconut, but canola is fine)

1-2 cups of honey

1/2 cup large coconut flakes

*cinnamon to taste

 Preheat to oven to 375 degrees.  Add all dry ingrediants into a large bowl.  Pour in honey,    mixing well so all the oats are coated ( you will notice the oats change into a darker shade). Add oil and continue mixing.  Spread out on to two cookie sheets.  Bake for 30-40 minutes.  Open oven and stir the browning sides into the middle ever 10 minutes or so.  NOTE: you can add dried fruit once the granola is baked.  The success of Grammy’s Granola lies in adding your own favorite ingediants.  My mom says she makes the granola with whatever she has on hand.  I think the true secret is LOVE and CINNAMON.

Blueberry Kale Smoothie

The secret to adding leafy greens to smoothies is:  30 percent veggies/ 70 percent fruit

I don’t really measure when I am smoothie making, I just stick to the veggie/ fruit ratio rule.

Russian Kale

Blueberries

Bannanas

Almond Butter

Rice Milk

ADDED SUPPLEMENTS:

(powdered Vit. C and children’s Probiotic)

hummus tell you.

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Mai really likes her snacks (so does Mommy) and especially hummus. Its a great side dish to accompany any picnic, party, or bar mitzvah. This magical little chickpea fills the tummy up like a baguette, but without all the dangers of wheat or additives. Challenge:I dare you to take a look at ingredients found in bread…chances are high fructose corn syprup is in there somewhere. YUCK! Amazing what the food industry gets away with.  (PS. I am a bit passionate about the quality of food for the sake of our precious land and bodies. You may find me rant about this from time to time).

Pictured below is a sample of a typical snack we like to eat.  whole organic milk, farm fresh cucumbers and carrots, rice crackers, and of course HUMMUS!

I like to make my from scratch, it’s healthier and cheaper AND canned foods contain BPA (click to read more).

HUMMUS RECIPE:

  • 1 lbs dried chickpeas
  • 1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons tahini (pureed sesame) *
  • 2/3 cup of fresh lemon juice
  • Olive oil to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon Paprika optional
  • 1/4 packed basil leaf (Mai’s fav)
  1. Soaking: Rinse the dry chickpeas to get rid of any debris, then soak for 8-10 hours.
  2. Rinsing: After soaking rinse chickpeas really well
  3. Boiling: Cover chickpea with water, about 1 inch above them. Bring it to a boil on high heat, then let it simmer for about 1 hour on the lowest heat. You will know they are ready when you can squish them with your fingers.
  4. NOTE: As soon as the water starts boiling, a foamy froth will appear on the top, scrap off.
  5. Puree: Once the chickpeas has cooked, and while still hot add it immediately to a food processor with one cup of warm water and puree for a few minutes at low speed. Add the salt and garlic, then slowly start to add the Tahini sauce as the food processor grinds away. Once done, slowly add the lemon juice at the end and let the food processor run for a couple minutes more afterwards. Taste the beautiful puree and see if it needs to be tweaked with salt or lemon juice.
  6. ENJOY🙂