Join Maxime Michaud, Kauai Grill chef de cuisine, for a hand crafted tasting menu inspired by the freshest products from na aina Hawaii (the land of Hawaii).
Tag Archives | local food
Kauai Healthy Lifestyle with Verde
Verde Chilaquiles with NewMona Hui Farm eggs, Kauai Kunana Dairy feta cheese, Lawai Valley Mushrooms and Govinda Farm’s kale and tomatillos. Maris Manzano photo.
When Maris Manzano, owner of Verde, read Round One: Battle of the Bulge in Kauai Midweek, she learned that Dan and I were on a mission to lose weight. Knowing that Verde is one of our favorite go-to stops for a quick bite to eat, Maris, who is into fitness, gave me a call and asked how she could help. Since Jane Riley, our personal trainer at Kauai Athletic Club, has me on 1300 calories a day, I suggested calorie counts. Maris created this Healthy Thursday meal, which is available starting today and under 380 calories!
Verde Chilaquiles ($12.99) are made with local ingredients including NewMona Hui Farm eggs, Kauai Kunana Dairy feta cheese, Lawai Valley Mushrooms and Govinda Farm‘s kale and tomatillos. Since Maris went through considerable effort to create a new, low calorie, locally sourced menu item, she’s keeping it on the menu for the entire month of March. If you’d like to see more of these types of meals at Verde, stop by and try it and let her know what you think.
Go to the Tasting Kauai Facebook page and leave a comment about how you stay healthy, and you can win a $20 gift certificate to Verde. This offer will expire at midnight HST on Wednesday, March 12.
Verde made some changes including taking down the walls, opening up the space and adding a wide, granite-topped bar. There’s new tables and chairs, new AC, new lighting and fixtures as well as new bathroom fixtures. Continue Reading →
USDA Announces Request for Applications for FY 2014 Farm to School Grants
Children love fresh produce, especially when they have a hand in growing it. Daniel Lane photo.
National Program Continues to Increase Local Foods in Schools and Provides New Economic Opportunities for Producers of All Kinds
Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced the release of a request for applications (RFA) for the latest round of USDA’s Farm to School grants. These grants help eligible schools improve the health and wellbeing of their students and connect with local agricultural producers. Continue Reading →
Candied Kumquats
Fresh kumquats from the Kapaa farmers market.
Kauai is fortunate to have an open farmers market 365 days a year. There are a lot of exotic fruit stalls at the farmers market in Kapaa. One fall day, I bought a huge bag of bright orange, golf-ball sized kumquats and made this recipe. Their sour tang is softened, and replaced by a bright, sweet orange flavor. You can use them in salads, on roasted pork, grilled chicken, in oatmeal, over creamy goat cheese, cheesecake, chocolate ice cream or enjoy them on their own.
Candied Kumquats
4 cups of roughly chopped kumquats, roughly 1 pound
1 cup of water
2 cups of sugar
This recipe for candied kumquats will fill a 1-quart mason jar.
With a pairing knife, cut kumquats lengthwise. Discard any seeds that are easy to get to. They’re edible so don’t worry if you don’t get them all. Leave small kumquats whole.
Heat water and sugar over high heat until it comes to a boil. Simmer for 4 minutes. Add the kumquats and simmer for 10 minutes.
Drain kumquats through a sieve set over a small pot. Simmer syrup for 5 minutes to reduce. Add the kumquats and syrup to a jar and refrigerate. Can be stored for up to two months.
Pau Hana Friday for Jan. 18
Dr. Vandana Shiva at the Kauai War Memorial Hall. Daniel Lane photo.
NEWS:
Rise Awareness and Inspire Change
Over 1,000 people filled the Kauai War Memorial Hall in peaceful solidarity last night. Dr. Vandana Shiva, a celebrated physicist and environmental activist, spoke about the deadly effect genetically modified crops have had on India. She encouraged our residents to become active with legislature and banning GMO crops in Hawaii.
Andrew Kimbrall, executive director of the Center of Food Safety, gave numerous examples of how GMO giants Monsanto, Syngenta, Dow AgroSciences, Bayer CropScience and DuPont have been stanched. In 2006, the Center for Food Safety, Friends of the Earth, Pesticide Action Network North America, and KAHEA (the Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance) sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). A federal district judge ruled that the USDA violated the Endangered Species Act. The ruling is the first on controversial drug-producing GE crops.
Hawaii’s revered environmental activist Walter Ritte lives on Molokai and shared that 30 percent of the island’s food supply is grown on the island. A remarkable feat since 90 percent of the state’s food supply is imported. Many native Hawaiians were in the audience and he reached out to them by saying that independence and sovereignty are part of food security and aloha aina.
Regeneration Botanical Gardens and Kauai Seed Bank passed out seeds that were harvested from plants that were grown on Kauai. The event was organized by GMO Free Kauai, and Hawaii SEED. A free copy of the book Facing Hawaii’s Future was given to everyone.
Dan and I were there to cover the event for MidWeek Kauai. A complete story will run in the Farmers Markets column of the Jan. 30 issue. Continue Reading →
