I hope everyone has been enjoying my travel blogs about the Big Island, Hawaii. I had a really hard time trying to condense our trip in to one or two blogs so that’s why we ended up with six!

This is the final blog on Hawaii.

Time for a teaser! The next few blogs are going to be 2 different gluten free bread machine recipes, dairy free coconut pudding, squash-apple soup and cabbage rolls. What recipe would you prefer first? 

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Back to the Big Island! Our 2 weeks visiting the island were wonderful and I highly recommend a visit. We did a lot the last week, while still managing down time.

I booked the four of us with Fairwind Ocean Cruise on the Hula Kai for a snorkelling adventure. The cruise included breakfast and lunch. When I inquired about being gluten free, I was informed that there would be things I could eat but that I should bring my own snacks too- just in case.

Breakfast was croissants, fresh fruit, yogurt, and crustless mini quiches. Of course, I didn’t have croissants but everything else was fine. Then for lunch, they barbequed all beef burgers, buns, salad, pasta salad, and chips. I was able to have salad, a no-bun burger, and a bag of chips. Was it a 5 course meal? No. But I wasn’t left hungry which was nice.

Our cruise took us down the South Kona coast and we loved seeing the island from the water. We’ve taken snorkeling cruises before and it has always ended up being a great day.

We stopped at 2 different spots, one of them being Captain Cook’s memorial.

The Hula Kai is equipped with sea rockets which propels the snorkelling through the water. Of course, the guys had to try them out.

Once we returned to land, we drove to the Kona Brewing Company to sample some local beer. Bruce and Kevin had a favorite flavor or two, however they didn’t have any gluten-free beer for me to try.

One of the things I was very impressed with was the local grocery stores. In Waimea the Foodland carries a large selection of gluten free products, as well as the smaller store in Mauna Loa. Even the tiny Puako Beach grocery store carried gluten free supplies. Our flight leaving Kona was a red-eye, so after making a huge gluten free barbequed breakfast, we cleaned and packed up the villa and headed to Puako Beach.

Carol had read that a Hawaiian custom was to release your lei into the ocean once it had dried up. Both Carol and I had lei’s and wanted to follow Hawaiian tradition.

While we were walking around Puako Beach, we found sea turtles, both swimming in the tide pools and sunning themselves on the lava rocks.

What a site that was! Many photos were taken of these graceful creatures. The only disappointing thing was that we were unable to swim with them. We had our luggage in the rental car, and didn’t have a place to shower before we left the island.

Another gluten free discovery on the island was the large variety of KIND Bars. All gluten free travellers are familiar with these bars that are often sold at Starbuck locations around North America, especially at airports.

What I found in Hawaii was flavors such as: Peanut Butter and Strawberry, Pomegranate Blueberry Pistachio, Peanut butter Chocolate + Protein, and Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew. Wow, they were delicious! They also came in handy for the beach or anytime a snack was needed during our 2 weeks. Wish I could find these flavors in Calgary!

Another yummy gluten free snack found on the island was a Bora Bora Bar with the flavor of, “Exotic Coconut Almond.”

*Gluten Free Warning: The Kona airport is extremely small and doesn’t really have much to eat. I suffered with french fries, and a small Yoplait yogurt for my supper. Make sure you stop at a grocery store to load up on fruit, veggies and crackers to take on the plane. It can be a grueling flight when you are hungry and there is nothing for you to eat. There is also no Starbucks at this airport. We didn’t stop at a grocery store before our flight, assuming I could find some snacks.

We loved our trip and I hope I’ve made your next trip to the Big Island easier if you are gluten free. It was a shock on our system when we arrived in Calgary at 10:30am. When we left Hawaii it was +27 degrees Celsius, a cold snap had hit Calgary and it was -27 degrees Celsius when we landed. A difference of 54 degrees! Nothing like -30 below to welcome you home!

Brrrr!

We are really loving Hawaii. The sun, heat, waves, and humidity are absolutely lovely. We live in Calgary, Alberta and it’s winter there, which means cold temperatures, snow, no-humidity, and mega dryness. When we left Calgary my hands were cracking and bleeding. So you can understand all the enthusiasm.

I would highly recommend the Hilton Waikoloa if you are looking for a large resort hotel with a lot of ammendities. Our ocean view room had us sleeping peacefully and waking up to glorious palm trees and blue sky every day. The property was well maintained, beautifully landscaped and had a lot of pools and restaurants. It was a great way to start our vacation.

We are now at Wai’ula’ula Villa near the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel. It’s actually only 10 minutes north of the Hilton. We booked the villa through www.luxuryretreats.com since my sister and brother-in-law were joining us for the last week. I wanted a house for all of us to share.

And wow, what a place!

We have a wall of glass panels that open up to our own pool and hot tub. A high end kitchen with wolf appliances, even a Wolf barbeque and outdoor fridge on the veranda. Yep, not exactly roughing it up out here.

I love to cook (obviously) and couldn’t wait to go grocery shopping and pick up fresh fruits and vegetables.

My suggestion for everyone wanting to visit as well as for myself would be: to do the grocery shopping more inland in Waimea. Waimea is away from the hotels and tourists so the groceries would have been cheaper. Our grocery trips were to Safeway in Kailea-Kona and even though it’s in a major city centre- it’s still full of tourists.

Kevin and I were quite shocked at the prices. $7.00 for a loaf of bread, $7.00 for a bag of chips, $7.00 for a small bag of potatoes, $7.00 for strawberries. $7.00 seemed to be the price number for everything. What do you think the price for a single large navel orange would be?

$4.00.

Yes, you read that correct. $4.00 for a single orange- Yikes! These prices seem a little high huh? Well if you are living on an island in the middle of the Pacific, that would explain the inflated prices for groceries. Near Safeway was a Natural Market and I was able to find some gluten free goodies, even Kinnikinnick frozen products were available. At Target we were able to pick up a boogie board, suntan lotion, bottled water and a small cooler for our beach adventures.

The first day that Carol and Bruce arrived we enjoyed the pool, the property and a barbeque. Of course a lot of pina coloda’s were blended and drank. The following day we woke up early to make the 2 1/2 hour drive south to the volcano. It took us longer than 2 1/2 hours to  get there since we stopped to see Kona coffee, a roadside stand for a mandarin orange, and then a detour to the southernmost point in the US on our way there.

Kilauea Volcano was a must visit on this trip for my husband. We aren’t exactly familiar with volcanoes in Canada, so we weren’t sure on what to expect.

Our original plans was to rent bikes and bike down the volcano, however when we got to the visitor center we were informed that most of the National Park was closed due to toxic gases. What’s a tourist to do when that happens? You see what you can see, and know that you’ll just have to come back again for a visit- darn.

As someone who’s never seen a volcano, let alone been close to an active one, the site of the crater leaves you silent. You are in complete awe.

This volcano has been active for 20 years, and while it can be a spectacular live show of molten lava, a person has to realize it has also destroyed entire towns and subdivisions. One of the things we will do next time when we visit the island is to do a crater walk. You really need to be prepared with hiking boots, flashlights, sunscreen, bottles of water, rain gear and sunglasses. We didn’t have these things, so we didn’t get the opportunity to go down there.

We did go on all the hikes we could and walked along the old highway that parts fell into the crater when the volcano erupted. That was pretty freaky.

All of us were getting fairly hungry by lunchtime and being that I am gluten free I can’t just eat a hot dog, so we drove to Volcano Village and found a Thai restaurant. It was called ThaiThai and the food was really good. Nothing better than some hot Tom Yum Soup and Red Curry rice noodles when you’re feeling a bit chilly.

After our tummies were full and warm, we headed back to the National Park and walked through the lava tube. Then we walked along the crater edge to see the steam vents.

Around 5:30pm we then drove to the Jaggar Museum to get ready for sunset. When the sun is setting the cloud at the craters opening turns pink and red.

Tourist Tip: Make sure you bring a sweater or jacket! You don’t realize the altitude but it was very cold when the sun set.

Well worth it though, wouldn’t you say?

At the hotel I picked up the “Big Island of Hawaii Dining” in Paradise magazine. I was so excited when I saw one of the cover stories on Island Farmers Markets. Being in tropical paradise with heat and endless sunshine I couldn’t  imagine the abundance of fruit and veggies.

I could hardly contain my excitement. When I opened up to page 6 there was a full color photo of mangos, then a page of pineapples, green beans, sunflowers, herbs, and a vegetables I didn’t even recognize.

Hawaii is a special place and almost everything grows here. If you have a kitchen when you travel here, you’ll be able to partake in the variety of meats and vegetables grown by farmers and ranchers.

Can you imagine the smile I had while reading all of this? Can you guess what we did after breakfast?

We jumped in to the car and headed northwest to Waimea. Our first stop was the Waimea Town Market, where parts of the proceeds of the market go to fund a local school. I could hardly contain myself. We parked, walked around the corner, and stop.

There was maybe 10 stalls with barely any fruit or vegetables. Mainly artisans selling their wares. No pineapples, no mangos, no abundance of vegetables. I was disappointed, but we meandered through and chatted with a few of the folks. With only an hour left for the other market, I asked Kevin if we could just head to it, and we did.

When we were on our way to the Market we drove by a massive barbecue on a street corner. I hoped we could go back and check it out. We arrived at the Waimea Homestead Farmers Market and again, I had high hopes to be overwhelmed- Not so much.

It was bigger, but the only produce this one had was avocados, some papayas, and a lot of fresh lettuce. Hmmmm.

Maybe I was naive for since I have always had plenty to choose from in Calgary, but I was surprised in the little produce I saw. Even in Hawaii January is winter. We did end up going back to the barbecue on the corner, and ordered a plate of barbecue pork ribs to share. $7.95 was a great price and definitely fed us.

If you are in Waimea on a Saturday, I recommend stopping at this Philipino barbecue.

After our lunch, we headed east towards the coast and Akada Falls. We had heard it was a must see and it was worth the drive. You also get the chance to see the different vegetation’s, climates and cultures. The Big Island has a huge Japanese influence and it is evident in the landscape.

Akada Falls is a 45 min hike through thick vegetation, large bamboo, and warm moist air.

Here are some photos of our hike.

On our way back through Waimea, we stopped at Daniels Organic Cuisine. I ate scallops and gluten free risotto. They were quite good. The restaurant uses local, fresh and sustainable ingredients.

Meyer Lemons.

I think you have all gathered by now that I enjoy Meyer Lemon season. Nothing made me happier than to find loads of Meyer Lemons at Costco a few weeks ago. I took 4 large containers home with me and then wondered, “What should I do with all these lemons?”

I knew I wanted fresh Meyer Lemon juice, but I had a lot of lemons so what else could I make?

How about using the juice to make lemonade? Or even better- Sparking Meyer Lemonade! Lemons are so good for you, especially in the morning to cleanse and detox your system. I hope you make some of this lemonade and enjoy a fresh glass in the morning. I know I have!

* Note: You need a juicer to make this lemonade. One that is powerful enough to juice the meyer lemons. I used Jack Lalanne’s juicer and it worked quite well. *

Meyer Lemon Lemonade Syrup

 4 cups fresh meyer lemon juice

3 cups organic cane sugar

3 cups water

Instructions: The first step in making this lemonade is to juice 15-20 meyer lemons. Juicing gives you a lot of pulp in your lemon juice, you want pulp for the added health benefits.

In a large saucepan, add sugar and water. Stir well. Bring mixture to a boil and stir constantly.

Boil for 3 minutes.

Let mixture cool.

Once cooled, add lemon juice  and stir well.

Pour lemonade syrup into mason jars and store in refrigerator.

To serve pour 1/4 cup of the syrup into a large glass and top with sparkling water.

I really enjoy the Calgary Farmer’s Market. I actually like to visit farmers markets wherever I travel. There’s something about the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables filling all the stalls that makes my heart skip and bring a smile to my face.

Maybe it reminds me of the huge gardens I had as a child. I’d shell peas all day outside on the front step. I remember the huge pot of borscht that would be left cooking on the stove and I loved that pink soup as a kid. I still do.

When I was at the market the other day I saw baskets of these green tomatoes covered with a papery husk. “What are these?” I said to myself. I took a couple of baskets home and discovered that they are called Tomatillos. They’re a mexican relative of the tomato.

So what do you make with tomatillos? Green salsa?

“Yes!”

I love fresh salsa and I plan on making this green salsa again. Tomatillos add a tartness to the salsa, which I really enjoyed.

Gluten Free Tomatillo Salsa

10 tomatillas

1 jalapeno, roughly chopped

1 red chili pepper, roughly chopped

2-3 large shallots, chopped

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro

juice of 1 lime

1/2-1 tsp maldon sea salt

Instructions: Remove papery husks from the Tomatillos.

Cut Tomatillos in to wedges.

Place Tomatillos, chopped jalapeno, chopped shallots and chopped red chili pepper into a food processor.

Pulse until finely chopped.

Add cilantro and the juice of the lime into mixture and pulse again. Stop when finely chopped.

Add Maldon sea salt to salsa.

Serve and enjoy.

Store salsa in refrigerator.

I’m excited to share with you a homemade & healthier sweet chili sauce.

Thai Sweet chili sauce is a superb condiment for many dishes. It’s great in stir fries, with shrimp or as a dip for finger foods. Sweet chili sauce is also a great glaze on chicken, beef, pork, seafood and grilled vegetables.

This recipe is made of 5 ingredients. Why do some store bought bottles have a list of 20 ingredients? Could it be the added chemicals and gluten?

This is a simple recipe that you can make in less than 15 minutes- including chopping time. In the end you have a healthy, gluten and chemical free chili sauce for the family.

Who wouldn’t want that?

Is there a bottled sauce or condiment that you’d like to be able to make yourself?

This past summer I had so much fun making ketchup and barbeque sauces for my Gluten Free Hamburger Fridays. I’ve already made a long list of other condiments I want to learn to make and share.

Chilies are available all year long in grocery stores, however later in the summer months, closer to September, are the best time to go to the Farmers Markets for fresh organic chilies.

Gluten Free Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

1 Tbsp minced fresh garlic

3 red chili peppers

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/2 Tbsp salt

1 Tbsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp water

Instructions: Chop up chili peppers in a small food processor. I did not deseed the peppers as I wanted my chili sauce to be spicy.

Add chopped chili peppers, garlic, and all the rest of the ingredients into a saucepan.

Heat on medium till the mixture boils.

Turn sauce down to a simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes.

Combine cornstarch and 2 tbsp water in a small bowl and mix well. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the chili sauce and continue simmering for a few minutes.

The sauce will thicken quite quickly.

Remove from heat and store in glass canning jars.

Store sauce in refrigerator.

Easy!

Harissa is a hot chili paste common in Moroccan and Tunisian cuisine. It can be added to soups, pastas and meats for added spice.

Harissa is available at specialty stores but I find a lot of them have gluten in them. However, It’s super easy and inexpensive to make.

As I said in earlier blogs, 2012 is the year to go back to basics and make your own homemade sauces with fresh organic ingredients.

What would you like to learn to make?

Anyone interested in canning seasonal vegetables?

I understand that we are living in a world where our lives can be busy, but I have to tell you truthfully that I have always baked and cooked from scratch for my family. My kids didn’t go to school with Oreos or Lunchables. They always had homemade cookies, fresh bread, vegetables or fruit in their lunch.

Even when we were on a tight budget, I always had flour, sugar, butter and eggs in my house. I could always make pancakes for supper, make a batch of fresh cinnamon buns for lunch, or a homemade vegetable soup.

I don’t understand how families can afford to eat out all the time and honestly why you would want to anyway?

Does that come from a grandma who used to make fresh bread every day? From a family who had dessert at every meal? Who knew how to make sauerkraut and perogies as a child? Who learned how to make an angel food cake from scratch without measuring anything?

Maybe.

Having to live gluten free is helping me get back to basics again.

Read ingredient labels on processed food lately? It’s absolutely crazy what is added to the simplest of foods. This is why we need to get back to locally grown, organic, whole foods.

Gluten Free Harissa

20 fresh red chili peppers

2 Tbsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice( do not use bottled)

1/4 cup good olive oil ( I like to use Olio Santo)

1 tsp maldon sea salt

2 1/2 tsp freshly ground cumin

1/8 tsp saigon cinnamon

Instructions: Cut the stems off the chilies and then chop them up.

Add chopped chilies and garlic to a food processor.

Puree in food processor until finely minced.

Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt, cumin and cinnamon and process until a sauce is formed.

Place harissa into small canning jars, top with more olive oil and store in refrigerator.

Now wasn’t that easy!? 
These will keep for a couple of months.

Its been Meyer lemon season here in Calgary and I bought a few bags. Actually, I bought 7! So you’re probably wondering, “What does someone do with 7 bags of Meyer Lemons?”

Well as you probably noticed, they were a huge staple in my Christmas baking. I knew that I would end up making preserved meyer lemons as food gifts. Preserved lemons are a wonderful Mediterranean addition to slow cooked dishes like tagines. They are quite expensive to buy in specialty stores but are rather inexpensive to make and give as gifts. They are also great for you to keep all year around for baking or cooking.

If you missed my other Meyer Lemon recipes, click here. If you were able to make a lot of those recipes I had at Christmas time and have some Meyer Lemons still around the house then this is a great way to preserve them until you need them again.

Gluten Free Preserved Meyer Lemons

36 Meyer Lemons (3 per jar)

5 Tbsp coarse sea salt

12 fresh bay leaves

4 cinnamon sticks broken into 3 pieces

12 small dried red chili pods

2 Tbsp white peppercorns

2 Tbsp cardamon pods

2 Tbsp fenugreek seeds

2 Tbsp mustard seeds

large container of extra olive oil

12 500 ml canning jars

Instructions: Scrub the lemons well. Then, cut each lemon into 4 wedges from the blossom end, but not through, to the stem end. This will allow the wedges to remain intact.

Arrange the lemons in a glass bowl.

Gently spread the wedges apart and heavily sprinkle each lemon with sea salt.

Tightly cover the dish with plastic wrap and set aside in a cool place for 24 hours.

To prepare the jars: wash them in hot soapy water and then rinse. I find the easiest is to wash them in the dishwasher as it will keep the jars hot until ready to use.

Next, drain the juice from the lemons.

In a small bowl mix the peppercorns, cardamon pods, fenugreek seeds and the mustard seeds.

Put 3 Meyer lemons in each jar as well a bay leaf, piece of cinnamon, a chili pod and a small portion of the seasonings.

Fill the jars with olive oil, while making sure the lemons are covered by at least a 1/2 inch of oil.

Wipe jars clean and cover with lids.

Store in a cool dark place for at least 2 weeks.

Lemons should last 6 months if kept cool.

Did you know most of the flavored nut mixtures on the market have gluten in them?

Why not make your own and have some fun playing with flavor combos?

Curry?

BBQ?

Sweet and Salty?

Spicy Lime?

What are your favorite combinations?

This recipe makes a large bowl of peanuts. Great for a large gathering or for a movie night.

Gluten Free Chai Spice Peanuts

Chai Spice mixture

2 tsp saigon cinnamon

2 tsp ground cloves

2 tsp ground cardamon

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

1 tsp chinese ground ginger

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

1 tsp Maldon sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

Gluten Free Chai Spice Peanuts

4 cups raw spanish peanuts

4 egg whites

1 tsp good vanilla

1/2 cup coconut sugar

4 tsp chai spice mixture

1 tsp maldon sea salt

 

Instructions: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, beat with a hand mixer the egg whites and vanilla until frothy.

Add the peanuts to the egg mixture and stir to combine.

Add the coconut sugar, chai spice mixture and salt. Stir well.

Spread peanuts onto parchment lined cookie sheet evenly.

Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes, stirring at 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and break up peanut mixture.

With the holidays over, you probably have family and friends still popping by and the kids are still off of school. So you may be looking for a great brunch recipe!

This is a delicious gluten free breakfast that will surely be your new family favorite. Gluten Free Waffles topped with warm salted caramel sauce, bananas and toasted almonds.

Oh ya!

The key to these waffles is using buttermilk. I find the buttermilk gives pancakes and waffles the “lift/air” that gluten free goods tend to not have.

Gluten Free Waffles

3/4 cup potato starch

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1/3 tsp xanthan gum

3 eggs

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

Instructions: Heat up your waffle maker.

In a medium bowl add dry ingredients (potato starch, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum) and combine well.

Add wet ingredients to dry and stir well to make a smooth batter. If too thick add a little more buttermilk.

Pour small amount of waffle batter to hot waffle maker.

Salted Caramel, Banana and toasted almond topping

Salted Caramel Sauce (see www.lickmyspoon.com) for a great recipe

2 bananas

1 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup butter

2-3 Tbsp heavy cream

Add 1/4 cup butter and 1 cup almonds to a pan and heat until lightly toasted.

Put toasted almonds into a bowl.

With same pan,  add 1/4 cup butter and 2 bananas sliced and heat on low for a couple of minutes.

Add 1/2 cup of the salted caramel sauce and whipping cream to bananas and simmer until caramel sauce is warm.

Top waffle with salted caramel banana sauce, and then top with toasted almonds.

This made 4 waffles.