Kokua Market produce. By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin
Kokua Market produce. By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin
The following Kokua recipes are courtesy of Kai, who said recipes are selected for the newsletter based on anticipated store specials.
1 cup couscous (about 6 ounces)To prepare salad: Bring water and salt to boil in medium saucepan. Add couscous. Remove saucepan from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Transfer couscous to large bowl. Fluff with fork. Add garbanzo beans, red peppers, green onions, carrots and olives to bowl.
1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans, drained (about 1-3/4 cups)
2 small red bell peppers, diced
4 stalks green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup sliced, pitted Kalamata olives (about 4 ounces)
6 ounces feta cheese, coarsely crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste
Romaine lettuce leaves
Fresh mint sprigs
1/4 cup pine nuts
3/4 cup fresh mint leaves Mint vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons white wine or red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
To prepare vinaigrette: Machine process mint, vinegar, garlic, mustard and sugar, using on/off turns. With machine running, gradually add olive oil. Process until well blended. (If using a blender, throw everything in all together, but try not to completely puree the mint.)
Pour dressing over salad and toss. Gently mix in the feta cheese. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared up to 6 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Arrange lettuce leaves around edge of large platter. Mound salad in center. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs and a handful of pine nuts. If desired, eat by rolling up a scoop of salad in a lettuce leaf. Makes 6 (12-ounce) servings.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 630 calories, 36 grams total fat, 8.5 grams saturated fat, 25 milligrams cholesterol, 930 milligrams sodium.*
1 cup dried lentilsRinse lentils and bring to a boil in the salted stock or water. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes.
5 cups vegetable stock or water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup raw bulghur
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste
Pinch of dried rosemary (more, if desired)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups steamed, cleaned and coarsely chopped fresh spinach (more, if desired)
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a heavy soup pot. Saute onions until translucent. Add garlic, cayenne, bay leaves and raw bulghur. Stir mixture on medium heat until onions and bulghur are lightly browned. Mix in parsley and tomatoes. When tomatoes start to give up their juice, gently stir in tomato paste. Pour lentils mixture into soup pot. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add rosemary, salt and pepper. If lentils and bulghur have absorbed too much liquid, add more stock, water or tomato juice. Taste and adjust seasonings. Remove bay leaves.
Just before serving, stir in fresh spinach and let it wilt in the hot soup. Garnish with more fresh parsley and serve with crusty bread. Makes 8 (10-ounce) servings.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 210 calories, 7.5 grams total fat, 1 gram saturated fat, no cholesterol, 370 milligrams sodium.*
1 head broccoli, cut into florets (peel and slice stems too)Heat the butter and garlic together until very fragrant. Do not let garlic brown (it gets bitter). Set aside and keep warm.
2 to 5 tablespoons butter
2 or more cloves garlic, pressed
Salt or seasoned salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Fresh lemon juice to taste
Steam broccoli until just tender - this takes only a few minutes. Test by piercing with a fork. Place broccoli into serving bowl and toss with the garlic butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Squeeze a wedge or more of fresh lemon juice over all. Taste and correct seasonings. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 90 calories, 6.5 grams total fat, 3.5 grams saturated fat, 15 milligrams cholesterol, 160 milligrams sodium.*
2 cups whole wheat pastry flourStir together dry ingredients and set aside. Beat together the remaining ingredients until well blended (start with the smaller amount of buttermilk or yogurt). Mix dry ingredients into wet until a soft dough is formed. Add more buttermilk or yogurt if dough seems dry. Do not overbeat. Roll out dough on floured surface to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out in desired shapes and bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 24 biscuits.
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash nutmeg
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons maple syrup or brown sugar
1/2 cup melted sweet butter
3/4 to 1-1/4 cups buttermilk or plain yogurt
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving, based on 1 cup buttermilk: 85 calories, 4 grams total fat, 2.5 grams saturated fat, 11 milligrams cholesterol, 120 milligrams sodium.*