for the Love of Lilikoi: recipes with my favorite tropical fruit of Hawaii

Oh my GOODNESS. Lilikoi (Lily-koy) aka Passionfruit is SO DELICIOUS! As I shared with you earlier, my hub and I spent a little over a week recently in Hawaii. We were reminded daily of just how much we LOVE the local fruit. To be able to walk outside and pick your breakfast fruit right off a tree or vine is incredible. After trying many of the Hawaiian native fruits I can tell you that Lilikoi is #1 on my list of top ten.

Not only that - but it has a pretty nifty historical story to go with it.  The Lilikoi flower, or Passion Fruit, had religious connotations attached to it in the 16th century. Some Catholic missionaries were reminded of the Passion of Christ through the parts of the flower. The three stigmas represented the Trinity to them, and the stamens reminded them of the hammers used to drive nails into Christ’s hands. 

While visiting the local farmers markets in Hawi on the the Big Island, I was able to wrap my fingers around a scrumptious glass of freshly squeezed lilikoi & guava juice. YUM-O! 

This was our breakfast of choice. Most mornings you would find us with a plate of Portuguese Sausage, which we picked up at Takata's, the local grocery store in the city of Hawi, scrambled eggs and a side of freshly picked lilikoi. It is so refreshing and flavorful. Remember the scratch n' sniff books of days gone by? I wish I could post a "catch-a-whiff" for you to experience the smell of fresh lilikoi. 

Our resident Auntie made up batches of this DELICIOUS Lilikoi Dressing. It was a few simple ingredients whipped together leaving our taste buds exploding with flavor. Lilikoi, honey and oil, she may have a little rice vinegar in there or lemon/lime juice to give it a bit of a bite. It was SO YUMACIOUS! I had it on salad every chance I could get. As the locals would say "ONO" slang for DELICIOUS! 

We also stopped at our favorite little coffee shop in Hawi - Kohana Coffee Mill. It is a charming little coffee shop, gift shop and it has local baked goods. One morning we were lucky enough to spot the last slice of Lilkoi Lime Pound Cake sitting there waiting to be devoured. Devoured it was!!! The three of us had gulped it down within minutes. I am bound and determined to recreate this recipe. Don't you worry, I know it will be post worthy. 

Here are a few other Lilikoi recipes I am excited to try - Lilikoi Barbecue Sauce & Ribs &  Chicken Breast with Lilikoi Sauce.  I know the savory Lilikoi can in no way disappoint. I am known to alter a recipe as I go - so I will let you know if these get tweaked for improvement.

Chicken Breast with Lilikoi Sauce 

Ingredients: 

2     Chicken Breasts

1 T  Olive Oil 

2 T  butter 

1 t.  Honey 

2 T  lime juice 

1/4 C Lilikoi Juice

Salt and pepper to taste 

Preparation: 

• Pound the chicken to  ½”
• melt butter/oil in saute pan - add chicken saute until browned 
• add sugar,  lime juice, salt. pepper to the pan and stir over low heat to dissolve browned bits. 
• Stir in lilikoi and barely heat through. 
• Serve

One of our favorite nights on the Big Island was a dinner gathering we were invited to with our local family friends. The dessert was.... get ready for it..... Lilikoi Bars. Just wait until I whip up a batch and post the pics. I was bestowed a precious gift of the recipe a few years ago on my last visit. Once you read the recipe you will be on the hunt for fresh lilikoi, trust me! (The recipe is up - just click on the link above)

I do have Lilikoi pulp that I freshly removed from the fruit the other day, just waiting for me to whip up something delicious with. Be on the lookout! A new post is on it's way. ALL THINGS LILIKOI! Perhaps I shall change my name to Lilikim.

-Simply Sublime

Grilled Eggplant & Quinoa Roll Up Recipe: Gluten Free Barbecue Side Dish Idea

Our family LOVES a good meal off the "Q" - that's what I call anything barbecued {grilled or smoked}. My family thinks I am off my rocker every time I say "Q", which somehow drives me to say it like a broken record.  "Love me some Q",  "Hurry up and heat up the Q".

We love to Q SO Much that you might even find us standing outside by the grill with crisp white snowflakes falling. Yep, Fall, Winter, Spring & Summer we will still be cooking it up on the Q. {You are beginning to see why my family goes bonkos over my Q'isms aren't cha?}

It's easy to find recipes for barbecued main dishes - but I have been on the hunt to widen my recipe box of Q'd healthy side dishes. So, here is the latest concoction: Grilled Eggplant & Quinoa Roll-ups.

Grilled Eggplant & Quinoa Roll-ups

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 Eggplants
• 6 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tsp of ground cumin
• 1 pinch of salt

Quinoa and Feta Filling

• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 dash of vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic - chopped or pressed
• 1/4 tsp of ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp of chili powder
• 1 tsp of garam masala
• 2/3 cup crumbled feta

Cold Raw Crispy add-ins

• 1 red beetroot, coarsely grated
• 2 carrots, coarsely grated
• 1 red pepper, cut small
• 1/4 bunch of fresh cilantro

Directions:

1)Prepare Quinoa and Feta Filling by cooking 1 cup of quinoa as per package directions. While quinoa is simmering begin sauteing the chopped onion in the dash of oil. After onions are sweetly fragrant and soft add garlic, salt, turnmeric, chili powder and garam masala and cook another 2 minutes while stirring. Add salt to taste.  Remove from heat, cover and set aside.

2)Wash and prepare the Cold Raw Crispies - rinse and chop cilantro. Grate carrots and beet. Rinse and dice red bell pepper. Set aside.

   

3)Combine olive oil, ground cumin and salt in a small bowl. Trim stems from eggplants and slice into 1/4" slices lengthwise. Brush both sides of eggplant slices with oil combination and grill on barbecue for a couple minutes on both side until it begins to soften but prior to getting crisp.

4)Assembly time - one by one take a slice of grilled eggplant and sprinkle with feta, fill with a layer of quinoa mixture and sprinkle the cold crispies on top...then roll up. YUM!!!

Serve immediately.

 Goes great with my Greek Grilled Chicken Skewers. 

-Simply Sublime

BEST & EASIEST Paleo Barbeque Side Dish: Grilled Veggie Kabobs

Since completing our June challenge of 7:Food month with some success, and great learning experiences, we have been trying to keep a clean & simple meal plan. We are trying hard to keep some forever change after our month of deliberate simplicity surrounding our food choices. 

Well, it is sunny out here in the Pacific Northwest, which is rare for June. With the sun comes get-togethers, barbeques, gatherings, festivities...ALL SURROUNDING FOOD! 

This particular weekend we had a family barbeque where burgers and big 'ole dogs would be fired up on the grill. Yummers and at the same time yuckers as the sides are so often the stick to your gut type of filler food. Since we were asked to bring dishes to share we decided on two: 1) grilled veggie & fruit kabobs & 2) my daughter Madison made this incredible triple layer chocolate dessert made with avocado, dates and more hidden deliciousness. (link will be provided when she gets it posted)

 The Kabobs were my work-my-fingers-to-the-bones contribution - haha. Hey, she loves to bake paleo desserts and I am SUPER-dee-duper, crazy, busy fundraising for our upcoming Africa trip. Don't be a judger!

I painstakingly chopped up the mushrooms, onions, zucchini, green bell pepper, red bell pepper. I also took the possibly-chop-a-finger challenge of slicing discs of corn on the cob. Oh, yes I did! And - wait for it.... I perfectly sliced each single piece of the pineapple for the sweet, tart addition that these veggie creations needed to create the perfect balance on each precisely and artistically placed skewer! Gotta love it, am I right?

Aren't they B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L???

and they were SO yummy.

I would have some lovely photos of the finished, oh-so-perfectly-grilled, product from our PART-AYYYY - BUT...

we had a wee lil bit of a crank-fest happening due to over-crowding on the host homes grill. Oops! 

For those planning to bring this as a gift-offering to a potluck barbeque... do yourself a favor and give advance warning to the Bar-B Chef, that is if you want to remain on the guest list for the next party.

These really were simple & delish. A MUST try! 

***If using wooden skewers make sure and soak them for a good hour before skewering. 

-Simply Sublime