Cakes at Mad Greek International Johnson City TN

We don't normally look for Greek restaurants but thought we'd try this one as they are always busy, even during a pandemic, and especially at lunch. When you walk in the doors you are greeted with this huge display of cakes! The main dishes and sides were great too, we'll be back!

Plant-Based Diet, No-Oil: Staying Off Medications

There's a potato under there, truly there is!

This is not about the recipe for these foods but what these foods have helped me accomplish in my goal to:

1. Not start on meds for diabetes

2. Lower my cholesterol meds and numbers

3. Increase energy levels

4. Lose a few extra pounds

5. Reduce inflammation in the body

Like many, I've been on a number of diets. The food lifestyle change was not just to lose weight, but to add more years to my life.

More than 20 years ago, I attended a 2-day seminar on reversing diabetes and heart disease by eating a plant-based diet. Because of this change, I have been able to keep diabetes and heart disease at bay for all those years. The most profound unofficial testing was that my mother died of complications from diabetes at the age of 58. Years later, both my younger brother (by 7 years) and my older brother (of 2 years) are both insulin-dependent diabetics. My brothers and I have the same biological parents, but they both continued to have the same diet of meat and animal products and I made some changes.

At first I had blood work to test where I was starting at. Escalated bad cholesterol was already running rapidly on the paternal side. Type II diabetes had already taken my maternal grandmother, also at the age of 58.

I started with no animal products, then gradually added back some of the meats to figure out what impacts they had on my labs. This was suggested by the doctors and dieticians who presented at the seminar. They did say, it would be best to do the diet for life, however they knew people would have problems sticking to it, so they suggested based on what level your health was at, to do the diet for 2 weeks, and then a month, and add more time. Then later, after I reached a healthier blood lab result, I could add back the animal products and see what impact it had on my cholesterol etc.

I found that after changing my lifestyle - I could eat fish but not much else. I also found that my cholesterol never really stayed down, but stabilized and wasn't going up. So, I stayed at this level of eating for about 20 years. 

But then, in the past 5 years, my numbers went up and no matter what I did, following medical and nutritional advice, the numbers weren't going down and I was borderline diabetic for almost ten years. The difference was that I was preparing meals with oil and still eating fish and now, after being "scared straight" into not wanting to go on diabetic pills which has caused many negative side-effects to those who take it, I decided to do another deep dive into my eating habits. I refound some old cookbooks and videos on reversing diabetes and heart disease (again).

6 Months to Improved Lab Results

The first three months, strictly on the plant-based diet with no oil was challenging as I started in the beginning of September 2019. I retested in Dec 2019 and there was little to no change, although the numbers didn't go up, so that's good. I have to admit it was a bit disappointing. However, with much of what I had read and viewed online by Dr. Esseltyn and others, I was determined to see what the next three months could do and I pushed forward.

I found that if I go off of the truly plant-based, no oil diet - as prescribed in the book, "Reversing Heart Disease" - the weight creeps back on for me. Weight can sometimes mean an increase in bad labs so I have a concern about weight gain.

I retested again in Feb 2020 - my labs had remarkably lowered that even my doctor was impressed. I had lost about 10 pounds in the first 3 months and another 10 in the last 3 months. My cholesterol numbers had not been this low in ten years! I need to keep this up, so I never have to say I'm borderline diabetic. I also still want to reduce cholesterol pills and get off of them!

But then, March 2020 came and everything changed... The pandemic happened.

So you might be saying, what really changed? I started eating "snack" foods instead of making my foods like I did. I also moved from one state to another. Although I have been working remotely for a couple of years, the changes and the food options and not being able to freely travel was a bit crazy.

May 2020 - I gained 10 pounds of the 20 I lost. Still not bad for staying home for the past couple of months. I kept walking but not as much as before. 

I can feel the difference with and without the weight. I also have a condition that causes pain in my joints and the external stress wasn't helping.

It's the end of May, I never left the plant-based, no oil eating, I just ate sugary snacks and processed non-meat foods. The processed foods were an option I used to eat, but I need to stay away and go back to my cookbooks. I also need to reduce processed candy and go to fruit if I feel the need to eat something sweet. Being at home somehow justified in my mind that I should buy bad food in order to help me cope with the world's crazy. That's gotta stop now.

Things I have to watch:

Adding salt via: 

Shoyu

Furikake

Processed foods:

Soy Milk

Pasta including Saimin

Natto

Fake sausage / meats soy or other base

My favorite foods need to be whole foods not processed:

Jasmine Rice

Red and White potatoes

Okinawan Sweet Potatoes

Greens

Bok Choy

Blue plate special - homemade mash potatoes with mushroom gravy, yummo!

Every morning I enjoy home-cooked steel-cut oats with plant milk, and fresh fruit - Sprinkled with chia seeds, ground flax seeds, hemp hearts, and pumpkin seeds - hulled of course.

This breakfast can be made ahead of time. I cook 2 cups of steel-cut oats with 5 cups of liquid, you can use water or plant milk. I use a milk of both but usually just water. I then smash an extra ripe banana in while cooking it, along with dried cranberries and or golden raisins, and a splash of real vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon.

I use the long, 30-minute cooking variety as I like the texture better than the fast cooking steel-cut oats. Costco has a large bag of organic steel-cut oats. 

After the oats are cooked, I let it cool, put it in a glass container and I have enough cooked oats to last about 5 breakfast meals. I top it with whatever fruit I have in the house, along with a tsp or so of chia seeds, ground flax seeds, and hemp seeds. 

I like watching Jane and her mom Ann Esselstyn on preparing plant-based, oil-free, meals. Here's a video on the Plant Perfect Guidelines. This way of eating will help save your life if you are at risk for diabetes, heart disease, and a number of other issues. I've also found that eating this way has reduced the inflammation in my body.

Changing to a Plant-Based Diet

One of my favorite youtube channels to watch on food prep for the new way that I'm eating is Jane Esselstyn and her mom Ann - the authors of the Reversing Heart Disease Cookbook. I don't have heart disease, but the way of eating, whole-food, plant-based, no oil, no animal products - it's stricter than I have been eating and cheating over the years.

I knew as the years went on that I would need to do something different as my labs don't lie. I would eat fish and cook with oil. Those are my two primary issues. But when the doc tells you that you either go on more medications or change your diet, more than what I've been doing, I knew I had to do this one more change - I've been able to do well - except when going out to eat - I have a hard time getting foods not made in oil.

Anyway, here's one of my favorite things to eat - potato salad and I'm surprised that it tastes really good and gives me the texture that I wanted. Try it, you won't be sorry.

Why your Instant Pot may not pressure well - How to Clean the vents

Moni's favorite: All Purpose Seasoning Mix

I have a video of me making a version of my Adobo kinda Seasoning Mix - here. Here's the history of how it evolved into what I mix now. Originally from the: Arroz con Pollo adapted from Bobby Flay's Foodnetwork, Showdown show. Ingredients 1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons salt 1/8 cup paprika 1/4 cup sazon tropical - (optional, I had in my pantry) 3 tablespoons and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoons and 1-1/4 teaspoons onion powder 2 tablespoons and 1-1/4 teaspoons dried oregano 2 tablespoons and 1-1/4 teaspoons ground cumin 1 tablespoon and 1-3/4 teaspoons garlic powder 1 tablespoon and 1-3/4 teaspoons chili powder ****************This is from the Fonda Boricua's website************** In January of 2008, renowned chef, Bobby Flay, brought his Food Network show 'Throwdown with Bobby Flay' to the Fonda Boricua, and challenged Boricua's to an 'Arroz con Pollo' battle. The Fonda Boricua's traditional, homestyle Puerto Rican arroz con pollo (rice with chicken) won the day. Since the show's airing, many of you have asked for our recipe. We are pleased to finally make it available on our web site. Enjoy! The Recipe INGREDIENTS DIRECTIONS The Sofrito A great arroz con pollo begins with the sofrito, a blend of vegetables and herbs that is the base of most Puerto Rican stews and rice dishes. Here are the ingredients to our sofrito: One cup of white onion, chopped One cup of green pepper, chopped One half of a red pepper, chopped Four garlic cloves Quarter cup of cilantro leaves, chopped Quarter cup recao leaves, chopped Adobo Dry Spice Rub A mixture of dry spices, including cumin, oregano, granulated onion, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Remaining Ingredients Four chicken quarter legs and thighs Quarter cup of olive oil infused with achiote (seeds of the annatto tree) Quarter cup of canned tomato paste Quarter cup of green pimiento stuffed Spanish olives Quarter teaspoon of ground black pepper Three bay leaves (dried) Four cups of long grain white rice Six cups of chicken stock One 12oz beer (optional) Marinate the chicken in a mixture of olive oil and two tablespoons of the adobo dry rub mixture. (For best results, let the chicken marinate for a few hours to a day before cooking.) Chop up the ingredients for your sofrito in a small bowl. Preheat a medium-sized casserole pot with the achiote infused olive oil. If you aren’t able to find achiote, plain olive oil will do nicely. Brown the chicken until seared and caramelized and golden brown (about five minutes over medium heat). Next add the sofrito and sautee for another ten minutes. Add the tomato paste, Spanish olives, black pepper and bay leaves. Stir and cook for 20 minutes (covered), until chicken is fully cooked. Stir in rice thoroughly, then add the chicken stock and beer and bring to a boil at medium high-heat until most of the water has evaporated. Finally stir rice and chicken and reduce heat to a simmer. Let cook for another 20 minutes (covered)or until rice is softened. Buen provecho!

The Dr. Oz 3-Day Detox Cleanse - a personal review

Review of the: Dr. Oz 3-day Detox Cleanse

Dr. Oz 3 day detox cleanse - fruit and veggies

Photo by: Monica Lehua

Dr. Oz's detox cleanse is a great way to reboot your system. Whether you’re healthy, working on prevention of disease or challenged by health issues; we all need to look at simple, holistic methods of recharging our bodies.

When I heard about Oz’s 3-day detox cleanse drinks it sounded like a simple and relatively inexpensive way to give me a boost and reset my body, besides its only 3-days. I waited until the weekend so I would be able to spend the time shopping for the ingredients, (the shopping list and recipe for each drink is below) blending my drinks, and not have the temptations that an office environment can sometimes have with candies and snacks.

Detox breakfast drink

Breakfast was pretty good, sweet with a refreshing taste. I didn’t have flax seeds until later and found that I had to pulverize the seeds if you buy the whole flax seed and try to blend it, you’ll be picking seeds out of your teeth. Later I found it was less expensive to purchase a large bag of organic flax seed powder which made future drinks one step easier and easier to digest. You can purchase the flax seed powder I got on Amazon or a huge bag that will last forever at Costco or check your local health/grocery store.

Breakfast drink ingredients:

·        1 cup water

·        1 Tbsp flax seeds - powder

·        1 cup raspberries

·        1 banana

·        ¼ cup spinach

·        1 Tbsp. almond butter

·        2 tsp. lemon

Flax seed is used in the breakfast and dinner drinks. WebMD reports the benefits of flaxseed can include fighting heart disease, diabetes and breast cancer. Another difference is using almond butter which is not very common but can be found in most grocery stores. If you have a health food store nearby, those stores sometimes have machines that will grind fresh almonds to make the butter with no additives or oil. Costco scored again by having a large bottle of almond butter for a great price. I also tried grinding whole almonds into a powder form and that blended well too.

Detox lunch drink

This is known as the ‘green drink’. I must have used the super large green veggies because this was too much for me to drink at one sitting. I was also very full trying to get all of this stuff down. Besides, the one page print out wasn't very clear and I didn't see the show to see what they actually did to mix the drinks.

Since I have a Vitamix blender (you can buy refurbished models on Amazon to save some moolah) that baby can pulverize almost anything, including the skin, seeds, and stems of fruits and veggies. With that said, don’t blend the lemon or lime rinds. I thought I would see what the blender could do and it made the drink bitter. So although it says, one banana, I knew not to put the banana peel in, yet I still thought grinding the half lime and not squeezing half a lime juice in the drink was the way to go cause it was a green drink – don’t do it. I put some tips next to the ingredients below. Since the green drink is mainly veggies, if you’re not doing organic, the skin on the cucumber and other veggies can be bitter once blended.

Lunch drink recipe

·        4 celery stalks - clean

·        1 cucumber – unless organic, peel the skin and remove the seeds to reduce bitterness

·        1 cup kale leaves

·        ½ green apple

·        ½ lime – squeeze the juice only

·        1 Tbsp. coconut oil

·        ½ cup almond milk

·        1 cup pineapple

Dinner detox drink

·        ½ cup mango

·        1 cup blueberries

·        1 ½ cup coconut water

·        1 cup kale

·        1 Tbsp lemon juice

·        ¼ avocado

·        ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

·        1 Tbsp flax seed powder

After the challenges of drinking the lunch drink, of which I couldn’t finish on Day One, this was a relief to my taste buds. The sweetness of the mango and blueberries blended well with the kale and avocado. I left the cayenne pepper out as I never cared for it. I was still full from the lunch drink so I had the dinner drink later in the evening.

Side effects or benefits of detoxing

The purpose of a body cleanse is to put your body into a state of rest of digesting whole foods, proteins and other things that you usually indulge in. A suggestion when drinking these drinks is to sort of chew your drink to generate saliva in your mouth to help in the digestion. This detox will clean out your system but it wasn’t something that was uncontrollable, however everyone’s system is different. I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables in the first place so I was sort of half way there. For those who aren’t accustomed to eating regular servings of fresh fruits and veggies, you may want to be sure to start and end when you’re able to be at home and not on a stressful schedule.

That said, the 3-day detox cleanse also includes taking a Detox Ultra Bath each night using Epsom salt and lavender oil. I admit I didn’t have the time, although I wanted to, it didn’t work out but it would have been nice.

One of the side effects that I noticed after three days and more of being awake while working on the computer was that I wasn’t tired and I got a lot of writing done. At first I thought it was because of a new medication I was on, however then I realized that after I stopped the detox drinks I was able to sleep at night.

Although it’s been a few weeks since I did the 3-day detox cleanse, I decided to continue to take the breakfast drinks as part of my daily routine of energizing my body with fresh ingredients. I noticed that I also don’t need to take protein powder shakes like I used to. This not only saves me money but the raspberries help curb my appetite, increase my vitamin intake and naturally wake up my cells. I may do the 3-Day Detox Cleanse a couple times a year, depending on what’s going on in my body and would highly suggest that others try it, even two days is better than none.

Share your experience with the 3-Day Detox in the comments below.

©mLehua. All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced without prior permissions from the author. Partial re-posting is permitted with a link back to the original article. 

Vegan pasta and garden veggies - no dairy, no tomatoes

How to make healthy homemade dog food - Makana Meatloaf

This is a canine recipe, that's also posted on Makana's Dog Blog - it helped her heal from liver failure, along with love, prayers and powdered milk thistle - a supplement which vets & research is said to aid in the regeneration of a dog's liver. - Let me know how your pet likes it, try it!

Okinawan Purple Sweet Potato from Hawaii

Homemade Adobo All-Purpose Seasoning Recipe - Make Your Own

I wrote a version of this recipe in my blog a while back, so this is a video of how I actually do it. I mention that each time I make it, every couple of months, I change it, depending on what I have in my cabinets - although the adobo base is always the same. Try it and let me know what you think!

How to cut (chiffonade) & use Collard Greens for Soups, Saute & Juicing

This is a short video on how I cut and prep my collards for soups and stir-fry. It's so tender I eat the stems by cutting it very thin. I also like putting it in my Saimin aka ramen noodles. Great in any dish that you want to add dark, leafy greens to your dish. - mm

Kitchen-In-A-Box: Cooking essentials - Everything You Need for college, camping, roadtrip...

This is great to take on the road when you can make meals in your hotel room, or if you bring a small stove, for camping, for setting up a small kitchen, for college dorm rooms - it has everything you need except the stove and pot!

How to Make 120 No Bake Cereal Bars for under $10

Try this simple recipe to make your own 'no bake' cereal bars delish!

GE asks for a review & then declines the truth

GE rejects my review they asked for - stating 'It cannot be published to the website.'  It's not a bad review it just gives the facts, i would never recommend this dishwasher. 

Even their microwave is making noises after a few months and the 'new' dryer made horrible noises when we moved in that it had to be replaced. Shoddy work & overpriced repairs and parts is why most people replace their appliances, but don't expect much from GE. 

 

Hello mlb23,

We appreciate you taking the time to write a review on GDF510PSDSS however, your review did not meet the guidelines for posting on our site.

We encourage you to revisit our guidelines and resubmit your review on GDF510PSDSS.
 

Resubmit your review

Thanks again,
GE Appliances

Works but don't like prints

This came with our house, it was brand new and the top arm broke off and fell to the bottom & melted within the first month or so. After researching online it was easier to just buy another arm & install it rather than the vague comments from customer service who said they had to send a tech out to look at it.  Online there's many comments of this being an issue, the arm is just lightly clicked on and isn't held on well. No reason of why it came off in the first place. Since our last d/w was over 6 yrs old, anything that washed and dried was appreciated.  Sometimes the soap doesn't get dispensed even though the clip part opened. Also don't like the water and fingerprint marks on the front SS finish. other than that it's an average d/w. Although I do like that the racks are deeper than our old one to fit larger pots and cups on both top and bottom drawers.

You may contact GE Appliances with questions or concerns related to customer support and satisfaction.

This email was sent by: GE Appliances
Appliance Park, Louisville, KY, 40225, USA
 

Recipe for Adobo Dry Spice Rub

Ingredients

6 Tablespoons Kosher Salt (modify half-half salt substitute like Mrs. Dash if you're watching your salt intake)
6 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
4 Tablespoons Dried Oregano
2 Tablespoons Turmeric
2 Tablespoons Onion Powder
1-Tablespoon Black Pepper
1-Tablespoon Cumin

Optional - 2 Tablespoons Badia brand Sazon Tropical

Of course if you like other seasonings add it 1 tablespoon at a time so you don't overpower your rub. I like Badia brand Sazon Tropical - although some of the spices are duplicated there's just something about this mix that I like the aroma and the coloring it adds, more of a orange than the turmeric adds a yellow tint to foods. It's great with vegetables and meats for roasting, baking - or anytime you want to add seasoning. Of course this adds salt so you'll want to be careful and add less kosher salt when adding this.

Gift Tip:
I made a batch of this and bought 10 small decorative bottles, decorative bag, and some ribbon to give out as gifts. Each bottle fit about a little over 2 tablespoons of this dry seasoning. That doesn't sound like much but it's about how much if not more, in seasoning bottles we buy in the store. In addition I typed out the ingredients and suggestions for use and printed it on business card size paper & attached it to each bottle.

Kid's Favorite Food List at Trader Joe's

A Kid's Wishlist at Trader Joe's

Opening Day: Trader Joe's has finally arrived in Orlando - Winter Park

Yippee! Yes, Trader Joe's has finally arrived in Orlando, FL - in Winter Park to be specific. The grand opening was held on Friday, June 27, 2014 a day that many in Orlando counted down and stood in line for at least a half hour to get to a cashier. Hopefully the crowds will calm down by the time the other stores in the  shopping center that share the parking spaces open.

Comments for pictures are below each photo.

At first I thought this cool sign said 19 cents a pound and wondered why the stand was so full but then got closer to realize it was EACH, but still I needed some so I bought me some bananas. They had organic ones also but I forget the cost. Everything looked awesome but it was so crowded I decided not to get any cold items as we were going to go on other errands, but we'll be back!

I noticed a sign that said 99 cents - it was a little round loaf about the size of my palm, we'll try to get a picture of the whole thing next time!

I didn't take this picture, I think the "kidd" was trying to hint and make a list for all the things she wants next trip; you'll see coming up the cheesey frozen items.

"Organic Hemp Protein powder"

I thought this one needed to be taken, hubby is looking for an alternative protein powder - too bad it doesn't have the full effects of pot. The reviews for both flavors are not good, I wouldn't get it for a kid or a hubby! It seems the powder doesn't blend well with any liquid and the smell and taste is less than desirable. I have a pretty good tolerance for "green" things so I guess this one just didn't cut it. Some reviewers say they would keep taking it for the health benefits; yet even when they blend it with soy or alternate milk, frozen fruit or fruit and ice it leaves the clumps of powder on the bottom of the cup, however for $10.99 in Orlando and Amazon selling it for $27.47 someone is making some bucks on this one.

Ah yes, the Kidd's grocery list - mozz sticks

Interesting Turkey Meatballs - she's usually into the red meat but she's preteen, she'll be more health conscious next year, I hope.

Trader Joe's Mac 'n Cheese

This is one of the favorite's on many lists that I've read about - kids and adults love this stuff and what's always great is that all - yes ALL - of the TJ product line are GMO FREE - great news and the prices are always awesome. I'll get some next trip when I bring the ice and cooler.

 MAC & CHEESE BITES

Oh my, they make this stuff at one of the restaurants that we go to and I'm sure it's super high in fat. I'll check the label next time but it's WAYYYY cheaper than getting it as an appetizer at that sit-down place we ate at.

Cheese food again? This kidd is wacky with the cheese stuff, fortunately she has her daddy's metabolism. 

Kidd wanted to try this, she looked at the label and it's "guilt free" because it uses plain yogurt - she's willing to try it so we bought a box. Wayyyyy cheaper again than the similar stuff at that place (whole foods) never need to go back there again. I'm so in heaven that we'll be having another Trader Joe's in the Dr. Phillip's area of Orlando - both stores are still half hour away but way better than the Tampa store which is our closest that is 90 minutes. "happy dance"

Kidd just started noticing the fun labels on TJ's products.

We didn't buy any of this but we love popcorn and got a $1.49 snack bag of TJs caramel popcorn - delish - um sorry, no picture we ate it on the way home and I don't know where it is now?! oh kidd???

TJ groupies love this

Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies oh and Dunkers

Opted to get the Joe Joe's cookies that look like Oreos this trip but will try these at another time.

I'm guessing someone wanted chocolate chip - I can see her list is growing.

Potato Gnocchi

Well, we won't be getting the Kidd the "Orange Vodka Sauce" as the sign says it's delicious with, however this is Italian pasta without cheese, wow!

Interesting, the Kidd didn't care for this one and she loves cookie batter, but I guess it wasn't batter like taste for her. We also got the Cookie & Cocoa Swirl version and she said she preferred that one but wasn't a fan. I'm not surprised, the Kidd is a finicky eater and it was sweet for me but I could eat it as a dessert or snack on a plain, unsalted cracker.

We saw this at the cashier's check out - it looked cool but I'm not into PB & J although it has raspberry, I would try it, just to try it. 

We were fascinated by the look of the gift card you could purchase so of course we took a pic!

I'll be posting reviews of the goodies that I bought on future posts. Another favorite is the penguin gummies! Thanks for stopping by! -ml

Check out my recipes at: Orlando Cooking Examiner

Copyright content including photos, recipes and ideas are that of Monica Lehua. Please do not copy without written permission. Feel free to share using the social media buttons and giving credit to this site. - mlehua

Turkey Meatloaf on the menu for the busy home cook

The first three months of this year seem like a blur and we're almost done with half the year. Time flies when you're busy and even when you're not. I took some time off earlier this year to take care of myself and thought I'd spend some time writing, but that went out the window, however it's time to get back to the basics of my writing, about food.

Today I published a modified version of Turkey Meatloaf, you can click on the link to see it in detail. It's simple and a very large recipe that is great, already written as a double recipe - eat one and freeze the other loaf - give it a try. Hubby doesn't like Worcestershire (I could never quite say that word) so I substitute his with A-1 sauce. I've tried other brands but for some reason he likes the A-1, hmmm I wonder if I put some of the Aldi brand steak sauce in his bottle if he'll notice. Shhhh, he doesn't read this blog so I could get away with it - ha. I digress. - ml

Check out my recipes at: Orlando Cooking Examiner

Learning about meal planning, shopping lists and recipes

Save money, time and reduce stress with weekly meal plans

Meal planning helps save money, time and reduces stress. We all know it, but where do we start? After a bit of research and looking for food in the house but not wanting to eat any of what I have, I realized I needed to work on a plan that I've wanted to do for years, but never got around to doing.

I've always know there are meal planning lists and recipes out there on the web but I couldn't find one that had everything I wanted for free and the type of food that might be healthy, affordable and easy to make. But then one day I feel upon a site called The Better Mom and from there found one of their contributor writers who not only has a menu that may work for my family but one that has all the information and resources I have been looking for, it's called The Nourishing Home.

I'm enjoying reading both websites and looking forward to introducing the menu planner to the family so that we can work on our food budget and agree on meals, which is another challenge considering the difference cultural background we come from and the fact that I can't eat meat or dairy but I can eat fish. I will cook with meat and dairy for others but need to figure out how to prepare meals where I can eat too.

Check out my recipes at: Orlando Cooking Examiner

Kalua Turkey Not-in-the-Pit #2 Made in a Crock Pot, Slow Cooker baby

Crock Pot Cooking - slow but set it and forget it

As promised I am going to share a crock pot version of the kalua turkey recipe. Sure this is being posted on Christmas morning and dinner is but 8 or 10 hours away, even better if you live on the west coast, there's still plenty of time for you to whip up a batch of Hawaiian Style Kalua Turkey, you just need some turkey and a crock pot as it only takes fours hours and once you get it in the pot and plug it in, you can do other stuff, this is just way too simple.

This year I bought myself a very small 3-quart crock pot. Why? Well, why not. It looked cool with the black and white design I've not seen on other crock pots and it was only $11 brand spanking new! Although we have a small family and I love to cook and I no longer live in Hawaii, I seem to always want the flavors of home. So in this case, if you have at least a 6 quart crock pot, I would recommend this recipe for the regular larger size crock pot. I think the one I have is too small, although you could always reduce the amount of turkey breast to make this, but then again if something is going to take 4-hours; I might as well make more and freeze it for another time. I made some potato and corn chowder the other week with my baby crock pot and it was filled to the rim with what I thought was a small recipe. I’m so used to eating and cooking for lots of people like my parents did that it’s a challenge for me to cook for myself as my family have taste buds that are not of the Hawaii flair.

That said, this blog helps me live out my life of cooking for others and sharing some of the experiences of home.

This recipe comes from Pikake21 at Food dot com, it looks like the typical kalua pig and cabbage recipe which is ‘onolicious with hot sticky rice but I would wait to put the cabbage in the last hour before serving not from the beginning as it would make for more texture that I personally prefer in my dish or you could leave the cabbage out completely.

The difference between this version of Kalua Turkey and the imu (underground oven) and the regular oven in my prior post, "Kalua Turkey Not-in-the-pit #1 Kitchen Oven" - is that it will most likely be very wet. The oven versions are cooked with heat and steam and although the meat is moist it's usually not sitting in it's juices like the crock pot version. That said, it's still a tasty version of the pit.

Kalua Turkey without the pit #2 Make it in a crock pot, slow cooker

Ingredients

• 5 -8 lbs turkey breast
• 5 tablespoons liquid smoke
• 1 head shredded cabbage
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Place turkey in crockpot and cover half-way with water.
2. Add seasonings then cook until tender and falling off the bone.
3. Remove meat from bones and place meat in crock pot with cabbage.
4. Simmer in crockpot for 4 hours.

Check out my other recipes at: Orlando Cooking Examiner

If you liked this article click the Subscribe button to receive email updates when a new article is published. Connect with Monica on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

Kalua Turkey Recipe Not-in-the-pit #1 Kitchen Oven

Hawaii's Imu - the underground oven

Seems like everyone in the mainland US has an idea of what they should or should not eat for Christmas dinner. In Hawaii it depends on the majority of the ethnic group of your family, and for us it was usually more turkey. 

We didn't do much ham, may be cause it was too 'mainland', I have no clue.

While reflecting back to the holidays in Hawaii I realized while watching a Thanksgiving episode of the reality show, Cake Boss, it was always about family and food. So I set out to find some versions of kalua turkey when digging a hole out in the backyard just won't cut it.

On my search for an alternative to the pit for mainlanders and islanders who want to use electricity I found this oven version and I'll be posting at least two other versions using a crock pot (slow cooker) and a pressure cooker - I need to do a little more research but check back.

Here's the oven versions from Sara who lives in the east coast and who's dad modified the imu (underground oven) to the regular house oven.

Kalua Turkey Recipe - in the Oven

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups coarse sea salt or kosher salt (Hawaiian salt can be ordered online) 16-pound fresh turkey, giblets, neck and any other packets removed 1/2 cup liquid smoke seasoning, or more as needed Water (optional) Large heavy duty roasting pan Heavy duty foil Meat thermometer 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Have at hand a roasting pan with rack that fits inside.

Use all of the salt to rub the exterior of the bird, its cavity and gently under the skin as much as possible. 

Then pour all of the liquid smoke seasoning outside and inside the bird, rubbing it into the skin to spread it evenly. 

Place the turkey on the rack in the roasting pan; cover tightly with aluminum foil. Roast for 4 1/2 to 5 hours, until much of the skin is lightly browned and a thermometer inserted into the thigh (but not touching the bone) registers 165 degrees. The turkey should be falling off the bone. Uncover, and let the turkey rest for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, strain the pan juices into a small saucepan. Add water (to dilute) or a little liquid smoke seasoning (to intensify the flavor) as needed. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for about 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and keep warm; its consistency will be thin.

Discard all the skin and remove the bones from the turkey, reserving the bones for another use, if desired. Transfer the meat to a separate large pan or casserole dish or platter. Use two forks or your clean hands to shred the turkey to the consistency of pulled pork.

Before serving, pour the heated pan juices over the turkey and toss lightly to coat. Serve warm.

SERVINGS: 16 , WITH LEFTOVERS