Farm Fair Round Up, Savory Macaroon Recipe and a Tip to Cut Cravings!

With the farm fair having come and gone I am now left with an intense craving for sweets! This is largely thanks to the several rounds of cookies and pies that were baked in preparation for the home economics show. During the the year I stick to low carb food choices and definitely avoid white flour and sugar - both of which I've been consuming on a daily basis this past week! But, since my family gets into the Fair, we've decided it counts as a holiday! (I'm not sure that's wise or a good excuse to "pig out"!)

These are the first test version of the Savory Macaroons just with the topping mixed in. You can do it either way!

At the fair this year we did take home some ribbons (albeit not the coveted purple best in show) for our entries: 1st place -Macadamia Nut-butter Cookies with Liliko'i frosting, 1st place - Macadamia Nut and Onion Bread, 2nd place - Savory Chili-Lime Garlic Shrimp Mac Nut-Crusted Macaroons, 2nd place Peach Chantilly Delight and Honorable mention for Mac Nut-Butter Fudge. All in all, we did pretty well and I think we were pleased with the outcomes of our entries and our recipes.

New Favorite Recipe

Hot off the presses! Or at least outta my kitchen! My new favorite recipe of the moment, Fried Eggplant Mini-Pizzas! 

MMMMMmmmm so ONO!

I love pizza, but my awareness level is such that I have a hard time enjoying restaurant pizza (don't even think about store bought!). Most resturants default to factory food, which is going to be full of plenty of nasty stuff and barely any good stuff. Besides that, I try to stay away from most breads and grains n such (with a few exceptions). Plus, I like to get as much of my food locally as possible. So, this leaves me no other choice but to go homemade using what I know are the best ingredients!

This week at the farm market I picked up some lovely eggplants, the big round dark purple kine 2 for $1! Yess! I used eggplant parmesan, bruccetta, and margharita pizza as an inspiration and created these lovely and satisfying mini pizzas!

Ingredients:

• Eggplant large round variety (1 medium sized serves 2 people)*
• Organic Raw Coconut Oil
• Grass Fed Butter 
  
• 1 Medium Clove Garlic
• Hawaiian Sea Salt finely ground*
• Organic Raw Milk Cheese
• Tomatoes*
• Fresh Basil*

*locally sourced

   

Kerrygold (all I use) is a great brand of grass-fed hormone-and-antibiotic-free butter that you can find at some of your local grocery stores and is well priced (for the quality!). Look for it at your grocery! They also make great cheeses! The general rule of thumb is do some brand/company research and find out if the cows are grass fed.

1. Soften 1 Tablespoon of butter per person and mix with garlic and salt to taste.
2. Slice the eggplant into 1/4-1/2 inch rounds and lightly fry/sautee in coconut oil until tender, but still firm.  
3. Remove from heat and melt the garlic butter on the top of the eggplant followed by the cheese sliced or diced tomatoes and finely chopped basil. 

 You can also add whatever other veggies you like. I think I'll use some nice black olives next time I make this! Serve with a salad or any clean meat you like! We had ours with a small handful of wild goat jerky! Yum yum!

 

This was awesome! Fatty and satisfying, but without being heavy. We used forks and knives to eat these babies due to the thickness of the eggplants. Try it soon and I promise you'll love it!

Fast Easy and Healthy Chocolates!

Raw Cacao PowderFast easy and deeeeelicous way to get your coconut oil and your cacao!! Chocolate lovers rejoice! This stuff is full of goooodies. And if you don't make it really sweet you're alll gooood!

Ingredients:

• Raw Coconut Oil
• Raw Cacao Powder
• Yacon Syrup or Honey
• Sea Salt

Mix equal parts coconut oil and sifted cacao powder (3/4 C of each in the photos). Sweeten with 1 teaspoon - 1 Tablespoon yacon syrup or honey. Add a couple pinches of finely ground sea salt. Mix with a whisk or spoon then pour into silicone molds or ice cube trays and chill till solid. ENJOY!!!

These will keep in the refrigerator or freezer longer than they'll be around!

The finished product!! Soo ono!

My Chemical Shower

It's time for my shower filter to be replaced and I just can't wait to get it! My skin and hair are so soft and smooth when the chlorine is not in the water!

Photo Source

I didn't used to be concerned about chlorine or other chemicals in my water, until I read that chlorine can be toxic to your thyroid and that our bodies absorb more chlorine (and other chems) in the shower than from drinking water! I guess it makes sense our skin soaks up anything we put on it and it's the largest organ of the body! Since then, I've found that chlorine can aggravate asthma, contribute to heart disease and even cause cancers. Yikes!

What's in My Ice Box?

Au'rai, so this is it, my ice box! This photo was taken last week after I got home from the farm market. Check out the details below.

A beautiful sight! Makoa's waiting in his spot, hoping to get a treat!

Wow! A week in Food!

I've been photo documenting most of the meals I have and lemme just say this past week has been ONO! I have so many beautiful food shots I wish I could share all the shots and all the angles.. not to mention the dishes themselves! But here's a sample taste of what's been eaten this past week : )

It's been a long time since I made any raw chocolates (with raw coconut oil) and I'm feelin a major comeback! LOVE the fresh shredded coconut! And I don't make these very sweet at all, more better, so I can eat more!

Nothing like some raw veggie nori rolls (no rice!) on a hot day! : )

Packed full of Kaua'i grown veggies: mixed greens, carrot, cucumber, avocado and sprouts. Just need the Nama Shoyu as seasoning. So ONO!

More Photos you don't wanna miss, after the jump!

Juice Worth the Squeeze

Found a great article (link found at the end of this post) from the folks over at Food Matters on the subject of cleansing. I subscribe to their newsletter and check out the articles that catch my eye.

Juice cleansing is a subject that has two sides to the story, one healing and the other scary! Sadly, enough some pretty dangerous cleanses have become popular fads that are super high in sugar and involve not eating for a long period of time! I'm not here to bash the folks out there practicing or promoting that variety of cleansing or fasting, but if you are curious about juicing or cleansing there are other options.

Dressing Deconstructed

Okay, here's about the easiest seasoned way to make a healthy salad dressing. Once you get comfortable with this you can get more creative by adding other seasonings to the mix!

As I have said in my Italian Dressing post all salad dressing is just: seasoning, fat and acid. The best fat choice for salads is organic extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil, but it doesn't refrigerate well, so....

Just make the vinegar part and keep it in the fridge! When ready to eat, drizzle your olive oil over salad followed by your vinegar mixture. (Always add oil first.) Pau! This is so easy to make you really don't have an excuse not to do it!

Here's the finished product! Click "Read More" below for more step-by-step details.

Easy, Easy Stir-Fry under $5 per person!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, my BF and I love our food! Lucky for you we take some pretty decent photos to share our meals and our inspirations with you folks : ).

Here's a look at our Sunday supper. Nothing really special just a stir-fry that we could have whipped up on any weeknight. That's the nice thing about stir-fry can make dinner really fast if you need to. Okay so let's talk ingredients! (Click "Read more" below for the whole recipe.)