Macadamia nut
It’s no surprise that the fruits in Hawaii are delicious and everywhere. The volcanic soil seems to concentrate everything, making the flavors of fruits seem brighter, richer, and more aromatic. My first encounter with volcanic produce was while living in Greece. The tomatoes there were ridiculous and unlike any tomato I had ever tasted in the states. (Beware tomato—haters, I dare you to try one if you ever go to Greece and see if you change your mind!) The fruit on Hawaii has that same, unbelievable quality to it’s flavors. Not only were we buying it at local farmer’s markets and fruit stands on the side of the roads almost everyday, but beautiful emerald avocados, bright yellow bananas, and wild macadamia nuts were growing alongside the mile-long trails that lead you to foot-traffic-only beaches (meaning they were deliciously deserted). We were feasting everywhere we went, and all we had to do was make sure we brought a sharp enough knife to get into these sweet, fatty gems.
At one farmer’s market stall, I met Nader, a Parisian ex-pat living in Hawaii, selling fruit, and teaching cooking classes. He offered me some of his homemade guacamole and hummus which were both fantastic. I love the camaraderie that happens over mutual love and bonding over food!
Guacamole is probably one of my top 10 favorite things to eat. I keep it super simple to make fresh and it will make you happy as well as the hungry crowd happy every single time, guaranteed.
Super simple guacamole
2-4 avocados (depending on how large they are and how many you are feeding) 1-3 garlic cloves (also depends on how many avocados you’ve used and how garlicky you like things) 1 lime salt to taste 1/2 fresh tomato (and only if you are feeling fancy, I usually only add this in when they’re in season)
Slice the avocado, take out the pit in the middle, then score and scrape out the soft, green middles into a bowl. Crush and finely chop your garlic, add it to the bowl. Slice your lime and squeeze one half of it into the bowl.
Using a fork, mash it all together up the sides. I like to keep some big chunks but have a nice, creamy base too. Taste. Add salt if needed and more lime, if needed. Mash together a little more. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips and enjoy.
I’m a sucker when it comes to tropical fruits–mangoes, avocados, coconuts–I love them all. They make me feel like I’m getting sun when it’s actually raining (hailing, sleeting, or misting) outside, of which all four have been happening throughout the course of a day–every day–for the past week or so. However, the pay-offs of this manic weather are the ever spectacular spring blossoms, the constant greenness of the surrounding landscapes, and lots of quiet, contemplative time indoors.
It’s those quiet moments that ideas always seem to make themselves known by either slithering into the conscious mind from a deep, unknown place or, exploding right in front of me like fireworks. Either way, they are always happening–it’s just when I get quiet that I tend to hear them. When pursued, I inevitably think “yes, of course! this is what I’ve wanted all along!” but I tend to be a tactile learner, having to experience things for myself to fully understand why, how, or what.
(Pie crust cooling on the window sill).
These past few weeks have been an emergence of sorts for myself in many ways. But most importantly, this time has forced me to come to terms with a lot of things that I tended to have been unsure about in the past, (ahem…a more focused career path). But no more! If you look around Eating Is Art, you will see some of this progression. Narrowing in on writing, food styling & photography, and health coaching never felt so good. It was like the muscles in the middle of my chest, you know the ones that are right over your heart, relaxed when I decided that this was it–and then putting it out there. I’ve heard so many times “I can’t believe all the things you do”. I decided that while I am able to do many things, I do not enjoy them all, therefore, I am not going to focus my energies on them any longer (yes!). After talking with a friend of mine about career direction and life the other day, she said “well, what do you want to do? If you do so many things, how can you do any of them that well?” This was something I had thought of thousands of times before but for some reason had not been able to do something about it before now. I’m sure it had something to do with being afraid of giving up, or what I perceived as giving up, these other skills and persona’s that I have been known for.
It’s an enormous relief to finally let go of what has not been working and find strength in what is–to the point of the physical reaction of my chest feeling lighter! I think spring time can have this effect on people, spring cleaning in both the home and in the ‘ol brain.
Check out my new Writing and Photography Services page if you get the chance! And if you are needing a little spring cleaning in a nutritive sense, make sure to see Food Loyal–I’d be happy to answer any questions! But now, I am leaving you with a real spring treat–Leela’s Mango Pie. It is tangy, creamy, cool, and delicious–perfect for a mother’s day treat or just a warm summer day. It may fall under the category of vegan, but don’t let that scare you away–this pie is going to become a regular occurrence in my house especially the warmer it gets. Cheers!
For the Love of a Mango Pie, via Leela Cyd 2 ripe mangos, sliced in pretty half-moons sprinkle of chili powder 1/4 c sugar 1/4 c water
For the lime cream: 2 c non-dairy milk (I like vanilla almond for this, but anything will work) 1/2 c flour 3/4 tsp corn starch zest of two limes 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 c lime juice 1/2 c sugar 1/4 c Agave nectar
For the crust: 1 c flour 1/2 c veg butter (Earth Balance is my preference) 1/3 c sugar 1/2 tsp salt 2 tsp cinnamon 3 tbsp cold water
To assemble:
First, make the crust (I like to do this a day before the pie is served, much easier to get it out of the way) – cream the butter and sugar together in a mixer, add flour, cinnamon and salt and gradually incorporate cold flour until rough pie dough forms. Stop mixing and gather barely holding together dough into large ball on top of plastic wrap. Shape into a large disc, wrap up in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours. After two hours, roll out on floured surface. Poke about 5 fork marks in the crust. Lightly grease a 9 inch pie or tart pan, place rolled dough into shell – folding over edges for double-thick sides. Wrap tightly in plastic and freeze until day of serving pie.
Meanwhile, make the lime cream – place non-dairy milk, sugar, and vanilla into a medium-sized pot and stir on medium heat for approximately 5 minutes. Place cornstarch into small bowl, mixed with a splash of milk or water, whisk until starch is dissolved. Mix this starch slurry into the milk/flour mixture and cook for 5 minutes more, whisking the entire time (or else clumps will form). Mixture will thicken into a pudding-like texture. Take off heat and mix in remaining ingredients – lime zest, juice, Agave nectar. Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic, and chill until ready to assemble pie (about an hour, at least.)
Now, back to the crust. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove frozen crust from freezer and grease the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and tightly cover crust, pressing into the sides so that it is directly on the crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 3-4 minutes more. Set aside to cool.
Remove lime cream from fridge, whisk it up if it has set into something a little too firm. Pour almost all the lime cream into the crust. Spreading it into the edges with the back of a spoon.
Arrange mango slices into whatever pattern you like, trying to fit as many as possible into the pie. Heat 1/4 c sugar with 1/4 c water over low heat to make a simple syrup. When mango slices are all in place, drizzle syrup over entire tart. Finally, sprinkle a tiny dusting of chili powder over entire pie. Garnish with lime wedges or lime leaves, as I had on hand. Chill for at least an hour or so, and then serve. Perfect for celebrating anything.
