my favorite Ulu recipes

Current song, “The River” by Cat Clyde.

Last night I led my second cooking demo that was in front of a very large crowd. If you know me personally, you know I am soft spoken, very much an introvert, and absolutely NOT someone to jump at opportunities that put me in the spotlight. Well, I have never been one to turn down opportunities – even the ones that make me anxiously uncomfortable, but it doesn’t mean I’m not wishing to hide behind my 8 quart soup pot the entire time I am trying to talk my way through recipes I have spent hours on perfecting.

Starting a business, which initially happened away from any and all family on a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean, taught me that each moment should be a little uncomfortable. Each opportunity that finds you or that you seek should make you want to hide a little bit. When you say yes, when you truly make yourself uncomfortable – like in the way that is a test to all your weaknesses – that’s growth. Those moments are where I have learned the most about myself, tested my myself, proved myself, and whilst there’s always imperfections to happen, you are continually bettering it all.

I have learned to be a little bolder each time in the uncomfortable. And when things feel easy, when I wake every morning saying, “I got this, I have it mastered.” Then I know I am in an eddy. If I am not questioning what I got myself into then I am not learning or pushing or growing. I am just chillin in the calm protective waters. So, I just recognize it, then seek an opportunity that seems far out of my capabilities. Only to (most often) find that I am capable of stepping up to it. And if it doesn’t go as planned, there’s always tomorrow to do it again perfectly.

Which leads me to sharing a few of my absolute favorite recipes – that were complied into a recipe booklet for last night’s cooking demo. These recipes were created with this magical fruit that looks like a dinosaur egg and grows on trees here in Hawaii. Ulu, otherwise known as breadfruit.

Since my time here in Hawaii, it has become one of my favorite ingredients to cook with. It’s stinky and odd to taste when ripe (personal opinion), but its freakin awesome when it’s bright green and not ripe. Like so awesome it can turn into pizza dough.

or hummus.

or soup.

You can also find my Vegan Laulau Dip (which I believe was deemed the favorite last night) using breadfruit like artichoke hearts.

I hope you enjoy these recipes. Leave a comment for me if you tried them, what you thought or questions you might have. I’d love to read them and answer what I can.

And, “like the river, I roam along.”

Happy breadfruit cookin.