Easy Recipe - Eggplant Bruschetta

Thinking of what to bring to a potluck or family gathering? Try this easy Eggplant Bruschetta recipe. It's plant-based, quick, uses minimal ingredients, and can be prepared in less than 30 minutes.   I added a few additional ingredients to this recipe, as you will see below.

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan. Rinse and cut about 3 cups of cherry tomatoes in half. Add to halved tomatoes to the pan with a couple cloves of crushed garlic. Sauté on medium heat for about 5 minutes, then crush with a fork.

2. Add cubed eggplant, salt, pepper, and one cup of water. Stir, then cover with a lid for 15 minutes (stirring occasionally).

3. After 15 minutes, remove the cover and add one can of tomato paste and one tablespoon balsamic vinegar and stir for 5-10 minutes until mixture thickens. Top with fresh basil leaves.

4. Toast sliced bread (I used sourdough), drizzle toasted bread with olive oil and garlic, then top with the eggplant mixture. 

 5. Enjoy! 

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Little Vessels Donut Co.

Whether you are living that plant-based or vegan lifestyle, or just enjoy donuts as much as I do, you must try Little Vessels Donut Co. They specialize in hand-made, plant-based yeast donuts, made in small batches, on the weekends only.  Flavors change weekly, and are announced on Instagram earlier in the week (usually Tuesdays). They do not have a storefront, so getting your hands on these can be tricky and takes a bit of planning and fast fingers. 

Pre-orders for Saturday pick up open on Wednesdays at 10 am sharp. Pre-orders for Sunday pick up open on Thursdays at 10 am. All orders must be placed and pre-paid through their website, and picked up in Kaimuki (9th Ave) between 12-2 pm on your designated pick up date, otherwise, you lose your order. 

Last weekend the stars aligned and I was able to get my order in before they sold out (I had to set my alarm to make sure I went to the website right at 10 am!) and pick up my donuts on a Sunday. These donuts exceeded my expectations! I have tried vegan donuts from other local purveyors, but none of them gave me that WOW feeling, but these donuts had me thinking WOW after the first bite! Well actually, the first WOW came when I opened the box - they were larger than expected. And since I picked them up right at 12 pm, they were really fresh and still warm. The vanilla was my fave of the three, and the chocolate marzipan came in a close second. 

Set your alarms for the next pre-order!

chocolate marzipan

vanilla

Ritz & Grape Jelly 

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Holey Grail's Tasting Box for 4th of July Weekend

Thank you to our sponsor for the complimentary Tasting Box!

Celebrate the upcoming 4th of July holiday with a box (or two, or five - you'll see why when you scroll down!) of Holey Grail Donut's delicious, locally-sourced plant-based taro donuts! This weekend Holey Grail will be offering a special Tasting Box filled with some of their most popular flavors, and they will also run a special promo on July 4th.

I was invited to preview their Tasting Box for this 4th of July Weekend, and if you know me well, you know I will never turn down donuts, ever!  

This was my first time visiting Holey Grail's new pop-up location at Ward Centre.  

All donuts are made to order, ensuring ultimate freshness.  There is nothing quite like biting in a freshly made hot donut, fresh from the fryer.

This weekend's flavors will include: 

• Birthday Cake – vanilla bean, dehydrated strawberry, bee pollen
• L&L – Meyer lemon sugar, Tahitian lime curd, citrus caviar (or finger lime)
• Chocolate Crunch – single origin Lydgate Farms chocolate, cacao nibs, and sea salt
• The Haole – piña colada with Kō Hana rum, smashed pineapple, and coconut

You can buy the donuts individually at $4 per piece, but the best value is to buy the Tasting Box, which comes with one of each flavor, for a discounted price of $12 - that comes out to $3 per donut.  And on Sunday, July 4th, when you buy 5 Tasting Boxes, you'll get the 6th box free!

Pictured above and below are the birthday cake and L & L donuts.  These donuts are crisp on the outside, moist and fluffy on the inside. They all have a slight coconut taste due to the fact that they're fried in organic coconut oil (some say there are many health benefits to coconut oil!).

These donuts look sweet on the outside, but they really aren't as sweet as traditional donuts. 

You can find Holey Grail Donuts at Ward Centre, Waikiki, and in Hanalei (on the island of Kauai).

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HOLEY GRAIL DONUTS

Waikiki - 325 Seaside Ave

Ward Village - 1200 Ala Moana Blvd.

Hanalei - 5-5100 Kuhio Hwy

Website: holeygraildonuts.com

Instagram: @holeygraildonuts

 

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Muki Dogs

I'm not vegan or a vegetarian, and I don't particularly seek out vegan or plant-based products (I have yet to try the Beyond Burger that was trending last year). But when Yelp Hawaii organized an event at Muki Dog for Yelp elites, I signed up, because I was very curious to try a vegan hot dog, and, I just love hot dog carts! It reminds me of New York City, where there are hot dog carts on almost ever corner. What I would give to be able to visit NYC again! 

But back to Muki Dogs. It's a one man show, owned and operated by a fella from Guam named Gene.

Everything on his cart is plant-based - from the buns to the dogs to the toppings (relish, Sriracha mayo, ketchup, mustard, and Spanish crumble). 

I asked for "the works" which includes everything.

In less than five minutes, my hot dog was ready. 

I zipped back to my office and practically inhaled it.  It was so good!  Granted, it doesn't taste like a beef hot dog.  It's not supposed to! But it was flavorful, thanks to all the toppings that are included in 'the works'. 

And being that this was my first time trying a Beyond Meat product, I must say, it's a pretty satisfying meat substitute. 

Thank you Yelp Hawaii and Muki Dogs for the complimentary Muki dog and Yelp Swag!

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Muki Dogs
3631 Waialae Ave
Hours: Tuesday - Sautrday 10 am - 3 pm

 

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