Recipes for Succeeding at the Eat Local Challenge

By Roger Harris & Diane Koerner

Kanu Hawaii’s EAT LOCAL CHALLENGE in September may seem like a daunting task – until you investigate all the options.

By eating 100 percent locally grown food for a week you can jump-start your awareness and learn by doing. You’ll see what you and your family can maintain over time to make a real impact on our island’s sustainability.

Eat Local advocate Andrea Dean from North Kohala advises, “Think about changes that you can make and sustain them. Increase your quantity of local starches — taro, sweet potato, ‘ulu instead of bread — for example. Or buy all of your veggies from local, sustainable sources.”

When away from home for lunch or dinner, check ahead for restaurants that use local ingredients, such as Village Burger in Waimea or the Volcano Garden Arts Center Café.

Preparing (shopping, cooking and packing local food) in advance can also help you succeed at the Eat Local effort. Dean advises busting out that old lunch box or using a small cooler for a lunch on the go.

“I usually pack a main course (squash, fish, greens), a major staple (like poi) and some snacks (fresh or dried bananas and mango), and maybe even a hard boiled egg,” said Dean.

To make the challenge fun, try new recipes and food combinations using the fabulous fresh fruits and vegetables available locally. “Since we have local milk on Hawaii Island, I make yogurt and custard, which I consider fun when mixed with honey, macadamia nut butter, cocoa and tropical fruits,” said Dean.

Or go local with these interesting recipes, which will render an ono meal.

HEALTHY FAST-FOOD BURGER – Wash and grate a raw sweet potato (with peel), add a raw egg, chopped green onion, salt and pepper or any spices you like, form into a patty and fry in coconut oil.

FRITATTA – Sauté one chopped or slivered onion in 2 TBL of coconut oil at medium heat; add 4 cups of chopped veggies (such as greens and tomatoes); when the onions are browned, reduce heat to low, add beaten eggs and cook until set – about 10 minutes.

POKE – Season fresh-caught ahi and limu with onion, salt and other seasonings.

STIR-FRY – Sauté a Maui onion or green onions in macnut or coconut oil, add corn and other veggies like green beans, peppers, zucchini, kale and tomatoes. Cover and cook until veggies are just done. Sprinkle with goat cheese and season with salt, chopped cilantro or parsley.

If you’ve grown your own, be sure to harvest the fruits of your labor at their peak of flavor. For instance, green beans actually snap in half when they’re ready to be picked, while carrots and radishes poke their heads out of the ground.

If you’re growing lettuce, pick individual leaves from the bottom of the plant to let it keep growing. Pluck zucchini when your thumbnail can easily puncture the rind and before they get too large and lose their sweetness.

For more tips and recipes, or to sign up for the Challenge, see www.KanuHawaii.org/EatLocal.