Avocado Pie

Thanksgiving is almost here and it has become an annual tradition for me to make Avocado Pie for the occasion. It sounds strange, but give it a try because seriously, what could taste bad mixed with a can of condensed milk anyway?

Avocado Pie (award winning!)

1 pre-baked 9" pie shell (I have a special oil based recipe I use, but use whatever you like. I recommend avoiding a sweet/rich crust due to the richness of the filling)
1 large avocado or 2 "California" avocados (If you live in Hawaii, you know that our avocados are many times bigger than what you can get in the store on the mainland. You want about 2 cups of avocado meat)
1 can sweeted condensed milk
juice and zest of 1 lemon or 2 limes (more if you like it tart)

Mix avocado, milk, and juice in a bowl until creamy. I use my immersion blender to get it smooth, but chunks are ok if you mash it with a fork. Pour into pie shell and allow to set in the fridge for at least an hour. Serve with whipped cream. Always a crowd pleaser. Enjoy!

Avocado Festival and Recipe Contest

Yesterday we attended the 6th Annual Avocado Festival right here in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

You may not know this, but avocados are hands-down my absolute favorite food. The festival hosted a recipe contest, so I couldn't resist entering my first ever live competition.

Over 50 people voted in the People's Choice contest

I submitted two recipes: Avocado Pie and Pan-seared Mahimahi with Avocado Remoulade (recipe below). Both recipes ended up being winners! The pie took the People's Choice contest while the mahimahi won the hearts of the judges.

The one marked "Gwen Edwards" is my Avocado Pie

Mahimahi

The whole thing was quite nerve-wracking for me, as you can see. But at the end of the day, it was a lot of fun to participate and I most certainly enjoyed being part if the Avocado Festival.

There were so many yummy treats and interesting booths at the fest, can't wait to attend next year!

Avo smoothie

Guacamole in a lilikoi cup

Special thank you to the Miyamotos for the wonderful avocados from their backyard tree, this wouldn't have been possible without those buttery beauties!


Pan-seared Mahimahi with Avocado Remoulade (award winning, weeeeeeee!)
Inspired by Simply Recipes

Remoulade:
2 large avocados
4-5 TBL olive oil
5-6 TBL fresh lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 shallot
salt & pepper to taste

Fish:
4 mahimahi fillets
1 TBL cumin powder
salt & pepper
olive oil

In a food processor or blender, combine avocados, lemon juice, shallot, and mustard until smooth. Slowly add olive oil until you reach a "sauce" consistency. You may need to add more lemon juice if you want it thinner. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Sprinkle cumin, salt and pepper over all sides of the fish and gently rub in. Heat a pan over medium high heat and coat with olive oil. You don't want to crowd the pan, so you may need to cook the fish in batches. I did them one at a time. Place a fillet in the hot oil and sear for 5 minutes. Don't touch the fish while it sears. Flip the fillet and cover the pan for another 3 minutes. This last part may take longer or shorter depending on the thickness of your fillets. Again, don't mess with it while it cooks, just touch it with your spatula or finger after the 3 minutes to determine doneness, like you would with a steak.

I served the fish and remoulade with wild rice mixed with a little lemon juice and olive oil. Enjoy!

Pie Crust: to process or not to process

Confession: I do not own a food processor. This only really becomes a major problem when baking, which does not happen in my household more than a couple times a year.

Enter Thanksgiving morning 2010 (aka yesterday) when I was faced with the task of baking two pies. My plan was to make an avocado pie and an apple pie. The avocado pie only requires a simple crust, like pat-in-the-pan or graham cracker so the double crust for the apple felt doable. Alas the avocados were not ripe and slight hysteria ensued. Braving the supermarket did not seem like an option because if one were to fight the crowds, one may as well buy pre-made pies, and this would not do as I had committed to homemade pies damnit! We were all saved when my brother-in-law discovered a bag of frozen blueberries under the half-eaten wontons in the freezer.

But now I was faced with making four crusts. With no food processor. And upon further inspection, no shortening. Google came to the rescue with this all butter crust recipe. Now, if you have never made pie crust by hand you should know that all this butter has to be "cut in" to the dry ingredients with some sort of hand tool, I use a sturdy and trusty fork. This must be done quickly as well so as not to allow the butter to melt. Fifteen minutes later and a blister on my right index finger all that dang butter was cut in.

After mixing the filling ingredients it was time to roll out the dough. With ease the dough submitted under my granite rolling pin and the result was beautiful, thick, golden dough draped generously over each pie. I can't help but think that my admiration of these glorious pies was exponentially increased by cutting all that butter in by hand and feeling that dough come together between my fingers.

So I'll admit it, these did not turn out to be the best tasting pies on the planet, but they sure looked good and I think I'll hold off on buying that food processor after all.

Hawaiian-style Thanksgiving

It's Sustainable Sunday! Let's get into it. Since Thanksgiving is next week, I want to encourage you to incorporate as many island grown ingredients as possible in your turkey day spread.

Speaking of turkey, unless you'll be hunting for your bird on the slopes of Mauna Kea, you won't find a  Hawaii raised turkey in the grocery store. Maybe an herbed-stuffed whole fish will grace your table, or some prime grass-fed beef steaks.

Get real Gwen! I know what you're thinking, there is no way you are going to forgo a turkey dinner for my personal agenda. Ok, ok fine, but will you consider doctoring a few sides then?

Let's start with potatoes. Why mash up some decrepit mainland shipped potatoes that have been rolling around on the bottom of an ocean liner for several months when you can make delicious, fresh and unexpected mashed breadfruit? Below you'll see my recipe for mashed breadfruit with roasted garlic and goat cheese.

Grab some fresh island grown green beans (I've seen them at Costco, KTA and the farmers' market) and some Hamakua mushrooms and you've got yourself a green bean casserole, recipe below.

Savory pumpkin pie

Kabocha squash is widely available and will make the best (sweet or savory) pumpkin pie you'll ever have. Maybe you're up for adventure? Serve some avocado pie.

Will you be serving locally grown dishes at your Thanksgiving this year? I'd love to hear about it. In the meantime, I hope you'll consider trying these sides.

Mashed breadfruit

Mashed Breadfruit with Roasted Garlic and Big Island Goat Cheese
serves 6-8

1 green breadfruit (make sure it is hard, like a bowling ball. If at all soft, find another one)
1 head garlic
2 to 5 oz Big Island goat cheese (found at KTA)
2 TBL butter
1/2 cup Big Island milk (found at all major grocery stores)
Hawaiian sea salt
2-3 sprigs rosemary (if desired)

Preheat oven to 400. Peel and core the breadfruit. Keep in mind the sap is messy and can stain, so use a junk knife. Cut breadfruit into bite-sized pieces and place in a steamer basket. Steam for 20-40 minutes or until very soft. I realize that the cook time is vague, but I have found that all breadfruits are slightly different, which has to do with its stage of ripeness. Don't be afraid to steam the heck out of it.

Wrap head of garlic in foil and roast in oven for 30 minutes.

When garlic and breadfruit are finished cooking, transfer breadfruit to a large pot and mash. Peel garlic and add to mash. Place pot over low heat and add goat cheese (I only added 2 oz or so, but if you want it cheesier, add more), milk, butter, and sea salt. Continue to mash until all is combined and mixture is smooth. Sprinkle with chopped fresh rosemary, if desired.

Big Island green bean casserole

Big Island Green Bean Casserole with Hamakua Mushrooms
adapted from My Life as a Mrs. 
serves 6-8

1 lb island grown green beans
1 TBL olive oil
1 TBL butter
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 package (12 oz) Hamakua mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
dash cayenne pepper
3 TBL flour
1 cup water (or vegetable broth)
1 cup milk
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Blanch green beans in salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain.

In a cast iron skillet heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Saute onion until soft, adding some salt & pepper. Add mushrooms and cook until soft and fragrant, 8-10 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute or so. Add flour and stir to coat. Add water and bring to a simmer, then add milk and simmer until the mixture thickens, 5 minutes or so. Be sure to add salt & pepper along the way, tasting as you go.

Add green beans to the mushroom mixture and stir to coat. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until brown and bubbly.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Savory Baked Apples with Parmesan and Sage

It's possible you are freaking out because tomorrow is T-gives and you still don't know what to make. Don't freak out. It's turkey. It's potatoes. It's pie. As long as there's enough of it, no one will complain.

But just in case you want to make an unexpected and super fancy side that is (much) easier than pie, I have a recipe for you that I'm really excited about. These baked apples would look awesome next to a turkey, but would pair especially well with ham or any porky product. They look elegant and I love serving foods that are fun and unique.

And before I go I need to say that this year I'm thankful for some really amazing people. You. All of you that read this little blog and leave comments or like my posts on Facebook, you are what keeps me going. Thank you from the bottom of my avocado pie. Sincerely.

Savory Baked Apples with Parmesan and Sage 
serves 4

4 apples
1 cup walnuts
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup yellow onion
1/2 cup parmesan cheese + 4 TBL for topping
4-5 fresh sage leaves or 1/2 tsp dried sage
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325. Core apples using a paring knife, taking care not to pierce the bottom of the apple. If you do, all the sweet juices will leak out. This is tricky, but don't worry, no need for perfection here.

In a food processor or similar device, grind up the walnuts, garlic, onion, 1/2 cup cheese, sage, and some salt & pepper. Spoon walnut mixture into hollowed apples, pressing to pack in. You may need more or less filling depending on the size of your apples. Top each apple with 1 TBL of additional cheese. 

Place apples in a baking dish or sheet and bake for 1 hour or until apples are soft and cooked all the way through. Serve as a side to turkey, ham, pork chops or ? Enjoy! 

Potluck All-Stars

The holiday season is teeming with potlucks. From work celebrations, to Christmas parties, to family gatherings my calendar is full of them.

My first tip is to plan ahead. Look at your calendar right now and next to the potluck event, jot down what you're thinking of bringing. This way you'll have a chance of remembering this when you do the grocery shopping that week instead of scrambling to throw something together a half hour before the potluck. Which is in the real world, what I ALWAYS do.

This year is going to be different! I am planning ahead people. Below are my potluck go-tos. Most require minimal prep, but if they are more in-depth, I'll be sure to warn you. I'm going to put them in order of difficulty/time involved to prepare.

Have fun this holiday season and remember, eat something before you dive right into the spiked punch. Oh and never eat the booze soaked fruit. Never.

Easiest Peanut Butter Candy Ever

Easy Potluck Ideas (as in, I'd trust my husband to make it if I'm running late. None of these require cooking and can be thrown together in less than 30 minutes)

"Costco" Style Broccoli Salad
Pink Slaw
Magic Bean Salad
Easiest Peanut Butter Candy Ever

Fig and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

Mostly Easy Potluck Ideas (as in, you need to cook these ones, but should not take more than 1 hour)

Fig and Goat Cheese Bruschetta
Southwestern Meatballs with Creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce
Positive Self-Talk Potato Salad
Don's Grilled Sweet Potatoes (scroll to bottom of link)
No-Carb Lasagna
Steamer Clams
Avocado Pie

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Kinda-Difficult Potluck Ideas (as in, you may need to prepare these the day ahead but are great if you want to wow the crowd)

Savory Pumpkin Pie
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Coffee Brigadeiros
Homemade Butterfingers
Limoncello (this one needs a couple weeks prep, be sure to read the recipe first!)

Homemade Butterfingers

Cook, Eat, Love, Repeat

We cooked our hearts out yesterday! Wait, that sounds gross.

Deviled eggs topped with Hungarian paprika (Thanks Loree!) 

                   
How about this: we cooked with love and shared a wonderful meal with family.

Aromatics for the turkey

 
My brother, his girlfriend, my nephews, my sister, her boyfriend and our BIMC ohana joined us for the meal.

Garlic soup

 
We are very blessed to have family to spend holidays with all the way out here in the middle of the  Pacific.

Sweet potato casserole

Brussels sprouts mushroom bake with crouton topping

Avocado pie

Nephew in grandma's apron

Dinner for Two: our week in food

This week should really be Dinner for One since I spent most of the time out and about with my girls in Denver and backpacking with my friend here on the Big Island. Let me tell you, it was an interesting week of food and my tummy really needed a break by the time I got home. This is just a sneak peak of all the Colorado goodies we found, will be posting more about Denver food shortly.

Jessica floating down Larimer Square 

Saturday: Shepherd's pie with Colorado lamb at the Wynkoop Brewing Co. in Denver, followed by bar hopping and good fun with my Americorps pals. A night like that brings a girl right back to her early 20s.

Sunday: Cup of tortilla soup and a strawberry margarita at the Rio in Denver. We used to come here for happy hour all the time back in the Americorps days.

Monday: Rattlesnake and pheasant sausage with fried green tomatoes at Biker Jim's in Denver. Could not pass up the chance to try snake, plus where Anthony Bourdain goes, I follow.

Photo by Love Ayi

Tuesday: Airplane cheese and fruit platter. Blegh. Stomach and liver detox in order due to eating snake and drinking too much beer.

Wednesday: Broccoli soup with carrots, onions, and absolutely no cream. Recipe to come. My version of a detox is a fruit and vegetable only diet for as many days as it takes for my tummy to calm down.

Thursday: Badass backpacking trip with my girl Rae led us to a secluded valley on the northern part of the Big Island. Bliss. Camper's salad of garbanzo beans, cucumber, tomato, Swiss chard, and macadamia nut oil.

Friday: Scrambled egg, tomato, cheddar cheese, and avocado on a roll made by my loving husband after coming home tired from camping.

Highlight of the week: How can all of this have happened in one week?!? Seeing my Americorps pals again was exceptional!

Have a great weekend!

Dinner for Two: our week in food

This week I am in deep cooking mode trying to figure out my Signature Dish for my MasterChef application. One of my goals before I turn 30 is to try-out for a reality TV show. Therefore, October is Signature Dish month, can't wait to share what I've been creating!

Saturday: Roasted eggplant tacos with asparagus and avocado salsa. Signature Dish possibility.

Sunday: Fresh tombo ahi (albacore tuna) steaks with stir-fried buckwheat noodles, broccoli and chard.

Monday: Duck at the new Sam Choy's in Keauhou. Meh, we were expecting better. But, this was still a really fun night (my make-up date).

Tuesday: Seared albacore with roasted eggplant and arugula salad, balsamic sauce, and tapenade. Signature Dish possibility.

Wednesday: Roasted broccoli pasta dressed in olive oil, garlic, and olives. Signature Dish possibility.

Thursday: Store-bought cheese tortellini with asparagus and tomatoes.

Friday: Wild Mushroom and Puna Pie pizzas at Kona Brewing Co. with my folks. They are visiting from Washington!