Day 45: Palasami - luau- lupulu - call it what you will, I call it delish!

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As a kid we had a Tongan version of this dish called Lupulu. You just mention that word at our house and people start to drool. We got the recipe from my Auntie Meleami. This is the same auntie that taught us to say "hello, how are you, go eat cockroaches" in Tongan un- beknownst to us. This recipe always helps us forgive her.
The samoan version - palasami or luau - is about the same, minus the tomato. I guess Tongans just like more veggies...or is it a fruit? Anyway - this is a great, authentic recipe that is so satisfying. We have it every sunday and if we don't I crave it the rest of the week. I don't know what we'll do when we leave samoa....I guess I'll have to make it in my coconut bra.

Lupulu
1 bunch red swiss chard
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 onion chopped
1 can coconut milk or fresh is best!
1 coconut per 2 people
cooked brown rice

Here is a quick tutorial on how to prep your coconut:



Notice that all this is done with the back of the knife with the blade towards you! BE CAREFUL! if it doesn't crack in one whack just keep hittin' it, it takes me a few hits. I guess I'm not as strong as this manly samoan. Once you've got your coconut cleaned out it should look like this


Now, pour your tomatoes into a strainer and let sit for about an hour to drain. Cut the stems from the swiss chard and ruffly chop the greens. In a bowl mix the swiss chard, onion,salt,tomato and a can of coconut milk. Divide into your coconut bowls and cover with tin foil. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour to 1 hour and a half. If you want to make homemade coconut milk you can put the coconut meat through your juicer if it can handle it or check out this link.

Make your brown rice into rice balls by kneading it in your hands till in sticks together in balls the size of a tennis ball. Serve with the lupulu.

This dish really is best eaten with your hands. Take a pinch of rice between your thumb and first two fingers. Then take a pinch of the lupul with the rice and eat together. Great dish and easy clean-up!

Day 44: Chop Suey

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As you can see, Amerikan Samoa is right at the cross roads of the pacific. In such a location, it would be hard not to have influences from around the world. The first time I had this dish it was called pancit which is a noodle dish from the Philippines. The chop suey I'm used to has a thick noodle, not rice noodles, but this dish is still fantastic and a great way to get in some added veggies. Any veggie will pretty much work but I wouldn't serve this to a Samoan in it's vegan version or you might have an angry guest wondering why "there wasn't even any chop in it"


Samoan Chop Suey
1 pkg rice noodles
chopped green cabbage
chopped carrot
chopped onion
chopped celery
about 1/4 c soy sauce
garlic
oil
vegetable broth
green onion

In a large pan saute the onion and garlic in oil till fragrant. You know it's fragrant when your husband comes into the kitchen asking what you're cooking and if its ready. Now add the noodles, soy sauce , and vegetable broth. Cook everything till the noodles are soft and the liquid is gone. You may need to add more broth as you go. Top with green onion and serve.

Day 43: Hawaiian Haystacks

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Alright, before we even get started I want to make something very clear - Hawaiian Haystacks are not Hawaiian! I lived in Hawaii for several years and never once did I have Hawaiian Haystacks. The first time I had them was at my sister-in-laws house when I was dating my husband....actually, we're still dating ;) Her family is hooked on this delicious dish and since she has an aspiring vegan in her family, this one is dedicated to her.

Vegan Hawaiian Haystacks
1-2 c vegan cheese
1 tsp sage
2-4 c cooked brown rice
1 bullion cube (vegan chicken if you can get it, if not veggie is fine)
1 can pineapple drained and chopped
1 c water
chopped celery
chopped green onion
crunchy asian noodles
any other fixins that appeal to ya'll

In a sauce pan, warm the vegan cheese, sage, bullion and water to make a sauce the consistence of cream of chicken soup. Now layer the cooked rice, pineapple, celery, other fixins (this is a good time to clean out the fridge!) Now pour on the sauce and top with crunchy asian noodles and green onion. Mmmmm, it's a sight to make a wahine proud!

Note: We found that using a curry sauce instead sends this out of this world! Yum! Which do you think is best?

Week 7 = Heaven

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I want to apologize for the delay this week. I've been in my test kitchen (that is under construction by the way) and I have been testing a few recipes to share with ya'll. While not yet in a state of perfection, I'm hoping ya'll can help with the tweaking. I promise this week is worth waiting for, after all, it is "the food of the gods"
Monday: Hawaiian Haystacks
Wednesday: Palasami in a Coconut
Thursday: Hawaiian Meatballs
Friday: Mango Mushroom Burgers
Saturday: Musubies
Sunday: Poke or Oka
Bonus: Poni Popo
Special : Mango Salsa

After living in Polynesia for several years, I am well aware of the fact that vegan Polynesian food is an oxymoron but since I love both Polynesia and being vegan I thought I would blend the two together.

Grocery List
brown rice
2 cans pineapple rings
1 thingy celery
sage
crunchy Asian noodles
1 bunch green onions
1 pkg long rice noodles
soy sauce or liquid amino's
frozen veggies
fresh carrots
1 bunch red swiss chard
1 coconut per 2 people
3 cans coconut milk
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 onions
1 shitaki mushroom per person
1 fresh mango if available
1 jar teriyaki sauce
burger buns
1 pkg nori/seaweed
vital wheat gluten
vegan cheese
vegan meat
1 block firm tofu
a dozen rolls
tapioca starch
chili flakes

You're Vegan?!?

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Lately we've got a lot of questions from family and friends asking why we went vegan. Honestly, the one thing that has been keeping us from going vegan before is the social aspect that food plays in our lives. Like others who strive for a healthy lifestyle, we find that our diet opens us up to mocking. Why is it that living a healthy life is something that society ridicules you for? Why is the SAD (standard American diet), the norm and a diet that is good for your bodies on the fringe? If you can't tell by now, our family (like most I suppose) is the kind that lives to eat which makes food the center of attention and since food is an emotional thing it can be a touchy subject.

Many ask if we're going to stay vegan once our food options improve and expand when we go home. To answer this I say HECK YA! I tried to explain it to my persistent mother this way....we did this for religious reasons but we don't live it religiously. As Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we follow a health code referred to as "the word of wisdom." In a family home evening we read, studied and decided we were going to try and live it to the best of our understanding; and to test the promise - to paraphrase - to run and not be tired, to walk and not faint and gain knowledge.
Without going too much into detail, Matthew and I can both say that as we have been conscientiously living the word of wisdom as we understand it we have seen these promises fulfilled. We have been so blessed since we have made these changes but like we said, we're not religious about it. If meat is on the same table as the tofu we're not gonna freak out or if there's a dollop of sour cream instead of non dairy raw cream substitute were not going to go haywire. Food is a social thing and we like being social but we've found that even in Samoa we can be social and vegan and if we can do it here we can do it anywhere!

We're not trying to convince anyone to turn vegan. We know that changing your diet is a hard thing. Believe us, we have! This clip even shows that some people would rather die than change their diet. But we feel great and are so happy with the changes we have made.

Great things come from being vegan. It was actually our carnivore auntie that made us watch this video that first got us thinking about changing our diet. Or check out The China Study. There are a lot of studies and experts out there to back us up but we feel we went to the best expert on the subject. With that said, we're not sticklers, everything we eat we try to do with "prudence and thanksgiving" we are grateful for how blessed we have been since we have made these changes and though you may not make the same changes, we hope that you will share in our joy and support us in what we are doing to improve our lives.

Day 42: Stuffed Zucchini

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I'm sure you've all heard the joke: On a mans first day at church in a new town one brother came up and introduced himself. The two men had a nice chat and as the conversation ended the one brother said to the other, "be sure you lock your car." The new brother thought this was an odd comment, this was a church for goodness sake, why would he need to lock his car. But, as he left the church and went to his car he found the reason, his car was full of zucchinis


Ya, lame joke. I can't tell you how many times I've heard that one, especially at harvest time! But it makes the point...sort of.

Zucchinis are so great and one plant can usually produce a lot! They can be served salty, sweet, sliced, diced or shredded. They are like the tofu of the veggie world. They'll go with pretty much everything and you usually have enough to go with everything. So enjoy this zucchini recipe, there will be plenty more to come.


Stuffed Zucchini
1 large zucchini
vegan stuffing
chopped mushrooms
chopped cabbage
vegan cheese sauce
vegetable broth

Carefully slice the zucchini in half length wise. Core out the middle. Mix the cheese sauce and broth till creamy. Mix together the stuffing, mushrooms, and cabbage. Spoon in the stuffing mixture to both sides of the zucchini till it's overflowing. Squish the two halves back together, wrap in foil and bake in the oven on 350 till you can insert a knife easily. Separate and let bake another 10-15 minutes. Drizzle with cheese sauce.

Bonus: Vegan Stuffing

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Who doesn't love stuffing? Even though the name can be a bit insulting considering the one time a year that people go for stuffing is the same day people gorge themselves on all sorts of indulgences followed by a new years resolution, which is consistently the result of trying to counter that one day of feasting. How about we take a tip from the south and call it "dressing?" Sounds much more in line with the healthy eater.

This dressing is just how I like it. Not too moist but not too dry. Feel free to twist and tweak this recipe however you like and be sure to make a bunch, you'll want to use this a lot!

Vegan "Dressing"
1 loaf firm bread cubed
3 tb EVOO
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 chopped onion
2 c chopped celery
3 c vegetable broth
1/4 c fresh parsley
salt

Toast the bread cubes in the oven. While those are toasting, saute the garlic, onion, and celery in Olive oil. In a large pot mix the toasted bread cubes, saute mixture and parsley. Add the broth till the bread sticks together but isn't mushy. Bake in a 9 x 13 for about 30 minutes turning occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Day 41: Bubbles & Squeak

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I loved bubbles and squeak as a kid but honestly I thought it was something my grandma came up with. She came up with a lot of "creative"recipes and very "unique" names to go with them. I was shocked to find that it is indeed a real dish. Proof: bubbles and squeak. This dish actually has a few different names depending on where you are. In Ireland it's called Calcannon and in Scotland it's called Rumbledthumbs....I think that's what I'm going to call it now for dramatic effect!

As usual, grandma makes it a little different but the basic ingredients are the same. Granny is also a big fan of Paula Dene, which means she includes a stick of butter in this. I use a few table spoons of EVOO instead. Matthew loves this with a side of coleslaw. The sweet and salty really go well together.



Rumbledthumbs, formally known as Bubbles & Squeak
1 potato per person
1 head green cabbage
EVOO
1 onion
vegetable broth

Clean each potato well and cube. Boil till soft then drain. Add EVOO, vegetable broth, and salt to make mashed potatoes. Ruffly chop the cabbage and onion in large chunks. Mix the mashed potatoes and cabbage in a 9 x 13 pan and drizzle with olive oil over the top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour and listen to it bubble and squeak.

Day 40: New England Ratatouille

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The first year my husband had Christmas with my family was a bit different for him. At his house they would all run down and open presents early in the morning. My family has a rule of one present an hour so that Christmas would last throughout the day. Matthew's family acts out the nativity on Christmas eve; we watch how the Grinch stole Christmas. Matthew has hamburgers, chips and salsa; we have New England clam chowder.

Day 39: Cheesy Broccoli Casserole

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This recipe is for my mother-in-law Pam. She loves broccoli and cauliflower and all those yummy things. Whenever we have a party she always brings the relish tray with all sorts of yummy rawness, and lots of extra broccoli and cauliflower. She has great taste. She also is great at meals on the fly, which this is. So, I dedicate this to her. Love you Pam!

Day 38: Angel Hair with Mushroom and Artichoke Hearts

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1 can or pkg mushrooms

Day 36: Baked Potato with Cheesy Broccolie

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My Samoan auntie was telling me about a time when she was cooking for a pologie (white kid) guest. She had spent quite a bit of time in the states and knowing that this guest was from Idaho, wanted to have a potato bar. Knowing that she was going to have quite a few other guests besides, and knowing that they were going to be large Samoan men she made a lot!

The time came for dinner and the special guest was elated! He dove in! I believe she said he had two potatoes fully loaded with cheese, sour cream (I love that stuff)...the works! She was so happy to see her guest enjoying himself. Then she looked at the other guest. No one else even finished their potato...or had any toppings on them. Apparently, they had never had a potato bar before and: 1- didn't know what to do, and 2- didn't quite care for pologie food. Matthew and I got a kick out of her story....and started craving potato bar!

Baked Potato with Cheesy Broccoli
1 potato per person
cheesy broccoli soup
chives

Wash each potato well and stab it with a knife or fork a few times. Wrap individually in tin foil and bake in the oven on 350 for about an hour or till a knife or fork goes in easily. Top with heated broccoli cheese soup and a sprinkling of chives.

Week 6:

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My mother always cooks for a crowd. I'm not too sure why. Maybe it was because she used to be a caterer. Maybe it's because I have an older brother named bubba and he always had other teenage friends coming over and we all know how much teenage boys can eat. Maybe its because she always like to be ready for a party.

Whatever the reason, my mother's mad cooking skills meant we ALWAYS had leftovers. I don't know if she even knows how to make a meal for just two.

I love leftovers. They are my artistic pallet if you will. They spark my imagination.....some would say my meals are a little to imaginationish. I prefer the term adventurous. With that said, here is week six's menu. Don't be frightened. It's all pretty normal.

Week 6
Monday:Baked Potato with Broccoli and Cheese
Tuesday: Gulosh
Wednesday: Angel Hair Pasta with Mushrooms and Artichoke Hearts
Thursday: Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Friday: New England Ratatouille
Saturday:Bubbles and Squeek
Sunday: Stuffed Zucchini
Bonus: Vegan Stuffing

This week we're using up leftovers, so that saves at the store.

Grocery List
2 russet potatoes per person
3 cans or pkg mushrooms
1 pkg pasta (ex:eggless egg noodles, pennie)
angel hair pasta
1 jar artichoke hearts
rice
1 head cabbage
bread crumbs (or your favorite stuffing)
1 large zucchini
1 thingy of celery
1 onion
white vinegar
vegetable broth

Day 34: Mushroom Bisque

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In northern Utah there is a chain of restaurants called Zuppas. Anyone in Utah who likes to eat healthy will know that name. They offer some fantastic soups, salads, and sandwiches. I haven't been back since I turned vegan so I'm not too sure what kind of variety they would offer to the non-carnivore but many of their dishes still linger in my mind. On one occasion, my father-in-law, a meat-and-potata kind of guy, left his comfort zone and tried this mushroom bisque - after which he found a new comfort zone.

His adventurous spirit inspired me and I partook as well. While he may not have the best taste in clothes, he has great taste in daughters-in-law and in soup.


Since there is no Zuppas in St. George or anywhere close to Amerikan Samoa, I was forced to develop my own recipe. I had some dehydrated mushrooms on hand when I made it the first time, as well as sour cream (I love that stuff). I put the two together and w-h-a-l-a, even dad liked it, (except for the mushrooms that I didn't puree that were like erasers, but that's besides the point).

Being vegan, that delightful thing called sour cream obviously poses a problem. In this recipe I pulled out the trusty old vegan cheese and it worked like a dream. So, here ya go - not zuppas-vegan mushroom bisque


Mushroom Bisque


Easy Peasy- put everything in your blender till creamy. Add more or less vegetable broth till its your desired consistency. Heat in a sauce pan and serve.

Day 33: Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

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3 red bell peppers

Day 31: Black Bean Soup

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It's funny how once you leave home your tastes change. I'm totally convinced that as I drove that long stretch of road away from home to college my tastebuds actually mutated and started liking different things. Perhaps my liberal education liberated my tastebuds as well.....as if I could get more liberal in the kitchen than my mom and grandma....but that's beside the point.

As I said before, at our house we ate strange things like sweet spaghettie and tacos! But, we never had anything with cooked tomatoes. We weren't exactly prohibited, we just never had it. Even tomato soup was looked down upon. It actually wasn't until I was married that I had a tomato based soup. And I liked it. I'm such a rebel, I know.

After my first daring experience, which was this soup, I confronted my mother about what a deprived child I was. How could she do this to her children? Her reply, "ya, I don't like cooked tomatoes." That was it. I was a bit taken back by her brutal honesty. I can think of a lot of things that we didn't like as kids but were "invited" to quietly gunk down. We even had this rule in our house....the "no thank you" rule. This meant that we had to try everything at least once (twice if he was really cute) and if we didn't like it we could say "no thank you." I fully intend on torturing my children with this, and, as payback - Mother, I know your reading this, and I invite you to a no thank you helping! :)


Black Bean Soup

1 lb black beans cooked
2 carrots cubbed
2 potatoes cubbed
1 can corn
1 onion chopped
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 box spanish rice
lime
avacado
cilantro



Place everything but the corn, lime, avacado, and cilantro in your slow cooker and add enough water to fill it. Let simmer till carrots soften. Before serving add the corn, just to warm. Top with lime, avocado and cilantro. Enjoy mom!

Day 29: Cheesy Broccoli Soup

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When my husband and I were first married we were asked by his sister if we could come and watch her two kids for a few days while she and her lovely husband went on vacation. Being newlyweds we gladly accepted and looked forward to our opportunity to play house. When we first arrived we set some ground rules:

Week 5: Sumptuous Soups

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Here in Amerikan Samoa it is actually our summer, which is actually not that different from our winter, except for in the summer we have cyclone season - lucky us. We actually just experienced cyclone Wilma....I know, my first, and hopefully only cyclone and it has a ferocious name like Wilma! I'm really embarrassed to even mention her if it weren't for the fact that for three days she brought winter. It was rainy, windy, and actually cool. I was enjoying it. I put on my one pair of sweat pants, and one sweater and I actually wore socks. We stayed inside and watched movies, ate soup and pretended we were having winter. Since we haven't had winter for several years now this was quite a treat. Thus the inspiration for this weeks menu....maybe if I say it differently it will be scarrier...Wil-MAAA....willlllmaaaaa!!!

Week 5
Monday: Cheesy Broccoli Soup
Tuesday: Split Pea Soup
Wednesday: Black Bean Soup
Thursday: Butter Bean Soup
Friday: Tomato with Red Pepper Soup
Saturday: Mushroom Bisque
Sunday: Rat-ta-toui

All of these can be made as slow cooker meals. Just throw everything into a pot and let it cook all day. Oh the sumptuous smells that will waft through the house beckoning young and old alike to come and partake.....you better make extras for un-invited guests.

Shopping list
vegetable broth
1 pkg or head broccoli
1 lb split peas
salt
1 lb black beans
4 onions
3 cans crushed tomatoes
1 can corn
1 box spanish or cajun rice (I like zatarans)
4 carrots
2-3 russet potatoes
1 lb small white beans
1 lb barley pearls
1 eggplant
any other veggies that are on sale
1 pkg dehydrated mushrooms

One thing I love about soup is that a little goes a long way, both to fill you up and to feed a crowd. It's so comforting and just right for a cold summers night.

Bonus: Thai Dessert Rice

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I adore this recipe for two reasons: