Hawaii Tribune-Herald: It's all in good taste at P&R Summer Fun

Thursday, Jul 29, 2004

It's all in good taste at P&R Summer Fun

by Sonia Martinez
I mentioned several weeks ago that the Hawaii Island Parks and Recreation Culture and Community Arts Department in partnership with Hawaii State Department of Health had received a grant for promoting the program they call "Start. Living. Healthy."

George Yoshida has been the coordinator of the different programs, which have been established to help promote a healthier lifestyle among our island population.

The Summer Fun Program is one of them and geared mainly to island teens at different Parks and Recreation facilities around the island.

I was asked to participate as part of this program recently at the Puueo Gym on Wainaku along with two other demonstrators. It was a lot of fun, the kids were all very attentive and quite enthusiastic and the questions they asked were sharp and pertinent. You could tell they were interested and paying attention!

The recipe I demonstrated was the "Light Vanilla Trifle" dessert I presented in February at the Hilo Diabetes Center, except this time I used fresh strawberries instead of bananas. If anyone missed it (see food section of Feb. 3) I will be happy to e-mail you the recipe.

You can catch glimpses of the presentations by watching Channel 27's hour-long program "Seniors in Paradise" every day during this month at 6 a.m. or 6:30 p.m.

Following are the recipes for dishes presented by the other two demonstrators who shared "the stage" with me and also by two of the demonstrators the previous week.

Chicken Taco Salad

Audrey Wilson is a gourmet cook who has taken up the mission of teaching healthy food cooking classes on a regular basis at the Hilo Diabetes Center.

The classes are free, fun and very informative. Call the center for schedule of classes.

The following recipe was well received by the kids. If there had been enough for multiple helpings, I think they would all have asked for seconds! Yields 8 servings.

Combine:

1 1/2 cups bottled salsa

6 Tablespoons wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar or Splenda

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

Dash of ground red pepper

Mix 1 cup of salsa mixture with:

1 pound skinned, boned chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips.

Place chicken and salsa mix in a zip-lock bag, seal and marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Cook chicken by grilling. (*)

Add to cooked chicken and marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes:

2 cups halved cherry tomatoes (about 24 tomatoes)

2 cups canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 Tablespoon olive oil

When you are ready to serve:

8 cups chopped iceberg lettuce

2 cups shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese

64 low-fat baked tortilla chips

Place 1 cup lettuce on plate, top with 1/2 cup of the bean and chicken mixture, sprinkle with cheese and serve with 8 tortilla chips.

(*) Discard and don't re-use salsa mixture in which the raw chicken was marinating.

Summer Fruit Smoothies

Betty Jo Thompson was for many years the home economist with the Hawaii County Cooperative Extension Service. Though now retired, Betty Jo continues to be involved in many projects involving food and nutrition. Her smoothies were the hit of the day at the Puueo Gym. The kids all gave her "instructions" as to what fruit combinations to add to each batch.

There are no set amounts for the smoothie combinations, so play with the suggestions below to come up with your favorites.

Assorted fresh fruit, washed, hulled, peeled if needed, sliced and frozen in individual zip-lock bags. Betty Jo had sliced bananas, mango pieces, papaya pieces, strawberries, raspberries and some others I might have forgotten.

Non-fat powdered milk

Water

Crushed ice

Place some frozen fruit in your blender, combining them to suit your taste. Add powdered milk and water, add crushed ice and give them a whirl to combine all and make smooth and frothy. Serve in glass; garnish with fresh fruit.

Undercover Chili

Leigh Critchlow is the food editor for the Hawaii Tribune-Herald. Her demonstration was, as the name suggests, a bit of underhanded subterfuge. Leigh comments, "Enjoy. No one will ever discover that it's not hamburger!"

1 12-ounce package Quorn Grounds (a mushroom-based meat substitute available in freezer section of natural foods stores in Hilo)

1 package chili seasoning mix

1 large can chili beans

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 can or jar of spaghetti sauce

1 can kidney beans

1 onion (or dried onion flakes)

2-3 cloves garlic (or garlic powder)

Salt, to taste

1/2 cup olive or canola oil

Sizzle onion and garlic in oil in large non-stick skillet. Add thawed Quorn Grounds and fry a bit. Then add chili seasoning, stewed tomatoes and spaghetti sauce; simmer until bubbling. Pour into pot on stove; add chili beans and kidney beans and bring to a boil. Simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, adding water if needed.

Ladle over hot rice. Can be topped with shredded cheese, salsa, hot sauce, guacamole and/or minced Maui onion.

Soy Tacos

Sachi Fukuda is another Hilo foodie person who has written cookbooks, gives cooking demonstrations and conducts cooking classes.

Sachi is retired from the Hawaii County Police Department, where she served as secretary to the chief of police for many years. Here is another recipe for substituting a healthier alternative for beef.

1 1/3 cups Ground Soy Alternative

1 1/3 cups water

2 Tablespoons dried onion flakes

1 package Taco Seasoning Mix

Taco shells

Guacamole

Salsa or chopped fresh tomatoes

Shredded cheese

Shredded iceberg lettuce

Sour cream

In a large glass measuring cup or bowl reconstitute the soy alternative in the water by microwaving for 1 minute. Let stand for 5 minutes so the soy can absorb all the water.

In the meantime prepare the taco seasoning mix according to package directions.

Combine the soy mix, the seasoning mix and the dried onion flakes in a saucepan and heat to a simmering stage. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve in taco shells and add guacamole, salsa or chopped fresh tomatoes, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce and/or sour cream.

Peanutty Sesame Munchkins

This was a bonus treat that Betty Jo shared with everyone.

2 or 3 cups peanut butter

1 cup toasted wheat germ

1 cup nonfat dry milk

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup toasted sesame seeds

1/2 cup brown sugar

Optional ingredients:

Chopped dried fruits

Chopped nuts/seeds

Mix wheat germ, powder milk, sugar, raisins and optional ingredients. Add enough peanut butter to make mixture stiff but not too crumbly. Mix well. Roll into balls, about the size of a quarter. Roll in sesame seeds. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator. If you don't want to roll them into balls, spread the mixture on a plastic wrap-lined baking pan, sprinkle the sesame seeds on top, and refrigerate to firm up. Pull plastic wrap up, unmold slab of candy on cutting board, cut into bite-size squares.

Contact Sonia at 963-6860 or by e-mail at cubanwahine@hawaii.rr.com.

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