Cooking with Aloha

Chef Todd Dacey, who resides in Waimea, finds a wide variety of locally and sustainably-grown produce at the local farmers markets he visits each week in Hawi, Waikoloa Village, Waikoloa Resort and Waimea. He will explore the newest market in Honokaa, later this month.

This week, Chef Todd visited the Waimea Midweek Farmers Market at the Pukalani Stables in Waimea, open each Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Here’s any easy, delicious kale salad recipe that highlights the local farms at the market who grow the key ingredients, known for their nutritional value and beautiful colors (phytonutrients) with major health benefits. The deep green kale and parsley are accented with the vivid red colors in the beets, radishes and cherry tomatoes that surround the salad on the plate. The yakon tuber is known as the garden apple for its light, slightly sweet flavor and crispy texture. Its sweetness is a pre-biotic helpful in feeding healthy gut bacteria. Along with their phytonutrient colors, raw vegetables contribute to good digestion by supplying enzymes, excellent fiber and water content.

Raw Kale and Radish Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, Beets and Jicama

Makes 4 to 6 servings

½ lb. green dinosaur kale leaves, destemmed and finely chopped (Honopua Farm)

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Juice of one large Tahitian lime (Hawaiian Rainbow farms)

4 sprigs green onion, finely chopped (Honopua Farm)

1/3 bunch Italian parsley, destemmed and finely chopped (Honopua Farm)

2 tablespoons organic extra virgin olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, finely grated

½ medium cucumber, chopped (Kahua Aina Farm)

4 small red radishes, halved and thinly sliced (Honopua farm)

2 red beets, peeled and finely grated (Kahua Aina Farm)

3 cherry tomatoes, halved (Hamakua Ag Coop ‘Ano ‘Ano organic farm)

½ large yakon, peeled and sliced (Earthy Stuff Farm)

For the salad, add the first seven ingredients to a mixing bowl, reserving one radish for garnishing. Thoroughly combine them, massaging and kneading for one minute to soften the kale. Note: ½ lb. kale makes four cups of chopped destemmed kale and shrinks to two cups after kneading.

Move mixture to a serving bowl, to form a mound and decorate the middle with radishes. Create a ring around the dish using the grated beet, and garnish with cherry tomatoes, cucmber and yakon slices.

To find more healthy recipes from Chef Todd, check out his new cookbook, “The Longevity Source: The quintessential guide to living and thriving in today’s world!,” available locally and on Amazon.com.