SUMMERTIME - TIME TO GET YOUR GAME UP!

  

   Every day is Summer here in Hawaii.  We're known to be one of the healthiest populations in the states.  Gio reminded me of one of our first meetings talking about food.  She had been a body builder as well as a tri-athlete, and a friend, coached her on a diet of brown rice, egg whites, soy this and that, and power bars, which in those days, was a step above the white rice and whole egg diets of others.  She remembers being fit but just a tad "thick."

   I took a look at the ingredients in her power bar and noted all the sugar and chemical preservatives in it and told her I'd make her one without any sugar and chemicals.  I gave her our Date Nut Mana Bar.  The soy this n that had to go too, as soybeans have a lot of fat compared to other beans, and she could get her protein from dark leafy veggies as well as nuts and seeds. That meeting and the changes she noticed in herself, remains in the heart and soul of each Farmers' Market she does. 

    She has been the face and embodiment of Licious Dishes, Greens & Vines for over 8 years now.  We worked side-by-side at the Farmers' Markets from the beginning (me, Pete and Gio).  It is there (and at our restaurant) that a deep love of who we are, and what Raw Vegan Gourmet is all about, is presented first through our food, then in our words and actions. 

   Greens & Vines (Licious Dishes, parent company) is not just a restaurant, it's not just another booth at the farmers' markets.  It's a Movement.

 

 

HOW SWEET IT IS TO

BE LOVED BY YOU

 

   After reading about Cancer's building block, sugar, and seeing what alternatives to the highly processed sugars (including agave) are, I noticed that Maple Syrup is an acceptable sweetener to use and have replaced agave with it.  Of course Maple Syrup-B is four times as expensive (i.e., pay twice as much for half as much; OUCH) so don't complain about prices okay?  No I haven't raised any prices yet, and still need to change the menus.

   I had gone to Down To Earth to purchase and experiment with various liquid sweeteners.

   I loaded my cart with these and did the resulting taste test:

         *Blonde Coconut Sugar:  Saline Sweet

         *Dark Coconut Sugar:  Salty Sweet

         *Molasses:  Bitter Sweet

         *Maple Syrup:  Mellow/ Woody Sweet

         *Stevia:  Medicinal (yucky) Bittersweet (any-

   thing with a dropper is medicinal) No way,

   Jose. Won't go there at all. Only use the 

   Powder (Super Sweet).

   Still experimenting.  Michael has used the Molasses in a dessert.

 

WE ARE NOW ABLE TO HAVE FOODS DELIVERED

 

   You can call 536-9680, with your order and if you're within the "Honolulu Area"- Airport to Hawaii Kai, we'll get it to you and you pay a $9/delivery fee (please tip the delivery person).  Please note that additional fees for gas will be applied if you're outside of the "Honolulu Area".  Only the specific Meal Plan for the week is available for delivery on Fridays (and an automatic tip on anything over $100 is applied).

 

WINE TASTING

CLASSES

 

         Have you ever wondered how Sommeliers train their palates and study the essence of wines?  We will be offering Blind Tasting Classes shortly.

 

FOOD ETHICS 101 @

THE ORGANIC MOHALA FARM

 

   What a wonderful "field trip" to the North Shore this past Sunday.  Great to meet new people too.  The setting was a beautiful "Hala"-an open Grass-roofed pavilion with rock walls and a lot of Aloha.  Our hosts Mark Hamamoto and Macrobiotic chef/farmer Cathy Maddock have done a great job transforming depleted sugar cane land into a thriving veggie farm with shiny pliable collards, kale, arugula that we so love and use, breadfruit trees, lettuce, chard, herbs, etal, within the past 10 years. 

   We watched Dr. Richard Oppenlander's  "Food Choice and Sustainability" (a lecture on Dr. John McDougal's website).  Each time I see it, I learn something new.  This time I learned that our coral reefs are dependent on the existence of sharks.  But with the purse fishing nets gathering not just targeted fish species, but depleting the sea of everything in its way, our coral reefs, and our oceans are dying due to "PEOPLES LOVE OF FISH... i.e., Peoples' love of EATING fish."  A friend of mine recently lectured me to "Stop trying to save the world."  Will you?