Maui Time Weekly: Plugs & Slugs

Plug
To Mana Foods for reaching the quarter-century mark. This month, the popular Paia health food store is celebrating 25 years in business with a series of customer appreciation events, including a BBQ fundraiser for the Paia Youth & Cultural Center on October 30 (check out www.manafoodsmaui.com for more info). Even if herbal supplements and kombucha tea aren't your thing, you've got to give credit to a local establishment dedicated to healthful, sustainable food (40 percent of Mana's produce is grown in Hawaii and between 80 ans 90 percent in certified organic, according to a company release) Plus, Mana employs about 100 people, an especially important fact these days.

by Jacob Shafer, Maui Time Weekly
October 22, 2009, Volume 13, Issue 18

New York Magazine

"Hike way above the clouds in the dormant Haleakala volcano, Maui's highest peak. Stop beforehand for provisions at Mana Foods, an excellent health-food store in Paia"

By Vanessa Grigoriadis

Read the entire article here

http://nymag.com/travel/weekends/maui/

Gluten Freedom: October 2009

My name is Annie Nelson and I have been a patron of Mana Foods for about 24 years. I travel a great deal, and because I have Celiac Disease ( which I will go into in a moment ), I have had the good fortune to discover just about every health food store in the US, plus much of the rest of the world. I can honestly say, without reservation that Mana is Da Best!

Last Of The Summer

So okay, for those of us blessed enough to live on lovely Maui there is no end to perpetual blissy (is that a word?) summer. If it was the end of summer, this is the menu I would prepare:

- Vegan Pesto Pasta
- Everything Yummy Salad
- Kinnickinick Garlic Toast
- Almond Bliss

Vegan Pesto
Serves 4-6
2 cups organic basil
3-4 Cloves Organic Garlic
1 ½ C. Olive Oil
¼ C. Organic Earth balance Buttery Spread
½ C. Nutritional Yeast
Salt

In a Blender, Food Processor, Vita Mix, or Magic Bullet add ingredients and blend until smooth.

1 Pk. Tinkyada Spinach Spaghetti Style pasta (fusili works too)
Make as usual & do not overcook

After pasta is prepared and pesto is blended (you can make it ahead and it tastes better if it sits and marinates together), add a small amount of pesto to the pasta bowl you want to serve the pasta in, add the spaghetti on top of that, then add the rest of the pesto…it’s that simple!

Everything Yummy Salad

Find the finest freshest, most local salad greens you can find in your friendly Mana produce department for this salad!!!

Freshest, yummiest Salad Greens (to portion for number of guests/diners)
Ripe Avocado (sliced)
Red Onion (sliced thin & halved)
Olive Oil
Fresh Juice of 1 Lemon
Himalayan Sea Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper

Kinnikinnick Garlic Toast

Pre-Heat Oven to Broil

1 Package Kinnikinnick English Muffins
1 C. Olive Oil
4 cloves Garlic
¼ C. Organic Earth balance Buttery Spread
I Tblsp. Himalayan Sea Salt (if you are a salt junkie like me-otherwise cut it to ½)

Blend Olive oil, Garlic, Butter & Sea Salt in your favorite blender until smooth.

Slice English Muffins in half, and place on covered cookie sheet. Spread olive oil mixture on top of each until coated and soaked. Place cookie sheet in oven and watch carefully!!!! Bread should come out toasty and not burnt

Almond Bliss

Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss DARK CHOCOLATE Ice Cream
Organic (Crunchy) Almond Butter
Sea Salt

Place Ice Cream in individual bowls
Top with warmed Almond Butter
Sprinkle with Sea Salt (very important!!!)

Aloha & Peace,

Annie Nelson

Maui News: Best of Maui 2009

Best Health Food
Mana Foods
For the best prices and selection, shoppers head to Mana Foods. "We buy in volume and pass on every discount we get to the customers," said Theresa Thielk who helped brother Ed Thielk get the business started 26 years ago. A lot of credit for pricing and selection also goes to Purchasing Director and co-owner Sunette Fenn.
"We appreciate all the support in the community," said Sunette. "A lot of Paia people come here. They can get stuff cheaper."
Mana Foods employs over 100 people. "Most are full time," said Sunette. They need that many people to operate a vitamin room, produce department, bakery, deli & more.
In addition to vegan and vegetarian items, Mana Foods has a wide range of natural poultry, fish and beef, whole grains, and even natural cleaning products.

Gluten Freedom: September 2009

So here we are again…Gluten Freedom-Part Deux. In this article I will give you three recipes, which will include a vegetarian, meat and desert dish.

White Bean Hummus
2 Cups White Beans
2 Cloves Garlic
½ Cup Olive Oil (good olive oil-1st Cold Pressed &Extra Virgin)
1 Lemon (juice only) Use local and support your community!!!!
Salt

***Soak White Beans overnight in water (cover beans with water then a bit more)***
This recipe works best with my prized and coveted Vita-Mix, but works fine in a food processor, blender, or even a Magic Bullet blender.

Add soaked white beans to bender/food processor/Vita-Mix. Add olive oil. Whir it up to a paste (add oil if needed). Drop in cleaned Garlic Cloves. Add juice of 1 Lemon, & salt to taste.

This can be served with celery stalks, carrots, Edward & Sons Brown Rice Snaps crackers, or Lydia’s Organics Raw crackers.

Wild Salmon with Wasabi
This one is so easy & makes you look really good!

2 Fresh Mana Wild Salmon fillets
Course Grind Sea/Mineral Salt
Sushi Sonic Wasabi Powder
Water

Preheat broiler to 500 degrees. Mix your wasabi paste to desired burn factor and let sit. Take your beautiful fresh Mana Wild Salmon fillets (with skin side down), and set them on a parchment covered baking sheet. Generously sprinkle a crust of sea/mineral salt on top of salmon fillets. Broil for 10-15 minutes or until crust as browned. Remove from oven. Remove bottom skin of Salmon fillets while plating. Add “dollup” ( I think that’s a word?) of wasabi paste to plate. Serve with a local greens salad & you’ve got a whole gluten free meal!

GF Blissful Sundae

1 Pint Luna & Larry’s Vanilla Coconut Bliss Ice Cream
2 Cups Raw Organic Almonds
Fresh Local Berries from Produce Department

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Put Organic Raw Almonds on cookie sheet & place in oven for no more than 15 minutes (check them after 10). When Almonds are finished roasting remove from cookie sheet and place on cool surface for about 20 minutes (this can all be done ahead of time & with more almonds if you like…they make great GF snacks). In a bowl add Vanilla Coco Bliss ice cream, top with almonds (can be crushed 1st for added effect) and then add berries to that.

Additions:
GF Chocolate Chips
GFAlaska Chocolate Syrup
Anything GF your mind can imagine!

Aloha & Peace,

Annie Nelson

Gluten Freedom: August 2009

So here it finally is, the first of a series of Gluten Free recipes born from one very long conversation (and some killah brownies that were snaked before she could try ‘em) between me, and Sunette Fenn.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Annie Nelson and I have been a patron of Mana Foods for about 24 years. I travel a great deal, and because I have Celiac Disease ( which I will go into in a moment ), I have had the good fortune to discover just about every health food store in the US, plus much of the rest of the world. I can honestly say, without reservation that Mana is Da Best! We are very lucky Maui…let’s all keep Mana Foods going!

As I said I have Celiac Disease. It is not an allergy, it is an autoimmune disease in which people who have the DQ2 & or DQ8 Celiac gene markers cannot handle gluten proteins from Wheat, Barely, Rye & some Oats. It’s commonly defined as an autoimmune digestive disease that damages the villi of the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. What does this mean? Essentially the body is attacking itself every time a person with celiac consumes gluten.

Here is the Mayo Clinic definition:

“Celiac disease is a digestive condition triggered by consumption of the protein gluten, which is found in bread, pasta, cookies, pizza crust and many other foods containing wheat, barley or rye (my note: including anything made with grain alcohol, vinegars, soy sauce…you get the picture right?). If you have celiac disease and eat foods containing gluten, an immune reaction occurs in your small intestine, causing damage to the surface of your small intestine and an inability to absorb certain nutrients.
Eventually, the decreased absorption of nutrients (malabsorption) that occurs with celiac disease can cause vitamin deficiencies that deprive your brain, peripheral nervous system, bones, liver and other organs of vital nourishment. This can lead to other illnesses and stunted growth in children.
No treatment can cure celiac disease. However, you can effectively manage celiac disease through changing your diet.”

Depressing huh? Well believe it or not, it’s not so bad. It used to suck to have this disease, but there are now places like Mana Foods, and some really amazing restaurants, that provide a wide variety of gluten free alternatives to your usual foods. For more information about Celiac Disease here are some websites you can visit which are helpful:
www.celiac.org
www.celiac.com
www.celiaccentral.org

So…back to the point. I will be providing from 1-4 recipes each week or month (not sure that’s been worked out yet), for you to try at home. Since many people with Celiac Disease are sensitive to other known food irritants, I will not be using dairy, which is da usual bad boy, even though it is gluten free. I will use foods that can be found while shopping at Mana. There’s more to say but let’s get started!

Since I took up most of the space for this first article with the alohas, I will give just one recipe to get you started, but be warned…these are really decadent! They are also full of chocolate, so no eat befoa bed eh?...unless you are immune to caffiene’s effects.

Pam & Annie’s “Killah” Gluten Free & Vegan Brownies (VEGAN-DESSERT)
I package Pamela’s Chocolate Brownie Mix
1 Individual Cup from a Packet of Santa Cruz or other PLAIN Applesauce
SAVE THE CUP!
1 Applesauce Cup of Apple Juice (Martinellis is best)
1 Applesauce Cup of Grapeseed or Canola Oil
½ Bag Tropical Source Dark Chocolate Chips ( 10 oz)

Options:
Walnuts
Almonds
Marshmallows
Let your imagination run Gluten Free!

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium mixing bowl add entire contents from Brownie Mix. Make a well in the center of the mix. Open Applesauce individual cup and add applesauce. Use the applesauce cup to measure and add Apple Juice to top, and then with same applesauce cup add oil to top. Cut open package of Chocolate Chips, then add ½ of the bag.

Mix the ingredients until blended but do not over mix. Pour into a greased 8” or 9” pan (shape doesn’t matter). Bake for 25-30 minutes (do the toothpick check).

Aloha & Peace,

Annie Nelson

Maui Time Weekly Best of Maui 2009

BEST HEALTH FOOD STORE
Mana Foods Shopping at most natural food stores is not too different from spending the weekend in Waikiki, in that you might as well just turn your wallet upside down an pour its contents into the ocean. This is not so with Mana Foods. Numerous times, I have exited this mecca for the health conscious rather surprised at the comparatively low sum I had to fork over for my B complex, sprouted tofu and Molokai papayas. While price is a major factor in the place's appeal, the variety they feature in all departments—especially produce and supplements—are also a draw. This is the only place on-island where you'll find Indian dhoop, which are these tiny incense sticks that smell the way honey wishes it tasted—and at around 30 cents a box. 49 Baldwin Ave., Paia, 808-579-8078. [KB] www.manafoodsmaui.com