THE ELECTRIC KITCHEN
Chef's food offers flavor and good health
Hawaiian Electric Co.
WHEN food is described as "healthy," there's a tendency to think, "probably not so ono." But Daniel Kahalioumi, executive chef at the Waianae Comprehensive Health Center's Dining Pavilion, will convince you that healthy food can be tasty.
Chef Daniel re-educates his diners with what he describes as the "weaning process": He uses less sodium, replaces some sugar with Splenda, incorporates more vegetables and a little less protein, when possible. The result? Food that has the flavor you're used to, but healthier.
He also participates in Waianae High School's farm-to-table program and serves healthy meals to Kamehameha and Puna Na Leo preschools. He purchases a lot of produce from local farms such as MA'O Organic Farm, Keoni Fujimatsu Taro and Makaha Elementary School (which he claims has the best lettuce!) and he buys directly from commercial fishermen in the area.
The Dining Pavilion is open weekdays with breakfast from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Chef Daniel shared these recipes with us. We tried the recipe for the bread pudding and it even though it was not as sweet as most other recipes, it was very tasty!
Cinnamon Bread Pudding with Pumpkin Custard
Non-stick cooking spray
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1/3 cup Splenda (sugar substitute)
1 1/2 cups low fat buttermilk
1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 slices raisin bread or whole wheat bread cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup raisins or currants
Boiling water
» Pumpkin Custard:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups nonfat milk
1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin purée
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray an 8- or 9-inch square non-stick baking pan with cooking spray.
In large bowl, beat eggs, egg whites, Splenda, buttermilk, milk, vanilla and cinnamon until blended. Add bread; stir in raisins. Let stand 5 minutes to soften bread.
Pour mixture into prepared pan. Set pan into a larger baking pan. Set both pans on middle rack of oven. Carefully pour boiling water into larger pan, up to level of pudding. Bake until top is golden brown and center no longer jiggles when pan is lightly shaken (about 1 hour and 15 minutes).
When pudding is almost done, prepare custard: Combine sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Stir in milk, pumpkin and nutmeg. While stirring, bring to boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and whisk in egg whites. Return to heat and cook, stirring, just until the mixture bubbles and begins to thicken. Remove from heat and add vanilla. If desired, strain custard through a fine strainer. Serve hot or warm. Makes about 4-1/2 cups.
To serve, spoon warm custard into 8 dessert bowls or plates. Top with pudding, then a little more custard. Serves 8.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 340 calories, 3.5 g total fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 400 mg sodium, 65 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 33 g sugar, 13 g protein.
White Gazpacho
1 cucumber (about 1 pound) peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped
2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic peeled
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
2 tablespoons sliced green onion
Thinly sliced cucumbers and slivered green onion tops, for garnish
In a blender or food processor, whirl cucumber, yogurt, lemon juice and garlic until smooth (add 1/2 cup of the broth if mixture is too thick). Pour into 2-quart container and stir in broth. Cover and refrigerate until cold (at least 2 hours).
Stir in cilantro and green onions. Serve garnished with cucumbers and green onions. Serves 4.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 90 calories, no fat or cholesterol, 370 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrate, less than 1 g fiber, 13 g sugar, 9 g protein.
Garlic Chicken Bites with Tomato Raisin Sauce
3 tablespoons minced cilantro
2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, in 1-1/2 inch chunks
» Sauce:
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon distilled white or cider vinegar
1/2 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Lightly grease a 10-by-15-inch rimmed baking sheet.
Mix cilantro, pepper and garlic; rub over chicken. Place chicken pieces well apart on baking sheet. Bake until lightly brown and no longer pink in center (18 to 20 minutes).
Meanwhile, in food processor or blender, whirl sauce ingredients until raisins are chopped. Serve chicken hot with sauce. Serves 4.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 230 calories, 4.5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 95 mg cholesterol, 230 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 20 g sugar, 24 g protein.
Hawaiian Electric Co. presents this weekly collection of recipes as a public service. Many are drawn from HECO's database of recipes, accessible online at
www.heco.com.