A DASH of Aloha - Healthy Hawaiian Cuisine and Lifestyle
The best parts ofA DASH of Alohaoccur after page 47.That's when this new Hawaii-centric guide to healthy eating habits and physical activity put together by Kapiolani Community College's much-lauded Culinary Arts Department steps out of its brief educational mode and into some very tasty-looking recipes.Macadamia nut butter and lehua honey muffins. Tofu lemongrass curry. Shiso pesto-marinated opakapaka. Molokai sweet potato-lemongrass bisque. Loco moco fried rice. (For the uninitiated, loco moco is a favorite Hawaii dish--typically, white sticky rice, topped with a homemade hamburger patty, fried egg and brown gravy. Good stuff.)There are more than 70 recipes in all. Each emphasizing cooking with low fat, farm fresh, locally-grown ingredients, for a healthier diet.DASH, or Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension, is an eating plan designed by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The plan encourages reduced fat cooking using more fruits, vegetables, whole-grain products, fish, poultry, nuts and low-fat dairy. Lean red meats and sugar are copacetic, but only in moderation.The book starts out with an easily digestible description of the DASH eating and exercise plan, before digging into its collection of recipes. Created by the instructors and students of KCC's culinary school--which has graduated many of the state s top chefs--the recipes match the DASH ethos with ideas, ingredients and tastes largely familiar to Hawaii palates. (See loco moco fried rice, above.)Each recipe even carries a nutritional label--yes, just like the one on every box of Pop Tarts--for an accurate reading of calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium, etc. therein. --Derek Paiva, HawaiiMagazine.com