 everyone, and welcome to Lillian's Vegan World. I'm your host, Lillian Cumick, with ThinkTech Hawaii, coming to you live from gorgeous downtown Honolulu. Today's episode of the show is 2021 A Plant Forward Revolution. I was almost going to say getting down and dirty, but it's getting down to earth. One of my favorite stores in Hawaii, and I have the beautiful Amber Brennan, who is part of the community outreach team over at Down to Earth, and she's going to be my guest on the show. Welcome, Amber Aloha. Aloha. Hi, Lillian. Hi, Amber. It is so, oh my gosh, I was just going to say, so great to see you. I used to work over with Amber and the team at Down to Earth, did some cooking classes there back in the good old days. Good old days. No, they're always good old days. We just have to adjust and keep moving forward. Amber, so great to have you on the show. How's everything going over at Down to Earth since COVID and the changing times? Yeah, we're adapting, I like to say, because everyone's changing how they do business nowadays. So once COVID hit and we were like, first of all, we're like, oh my gosh, we all had to take a breath and be like, what are we going to do? But then we thought, actually it could be a blessing because now we have all these new ways and new technologies to get plant-based foods out to our community. So we offer a lot of online shopping. We have delivery. We have in-store contactless pickup. And I think it's actually been really cool for us to find different ways to do business and keep everyone still happy and healthy. That is the main thing. And I did notice that during the lockdown and a lot of stores had to close last year, Down to Earth was one of the ones that stayed open. Thank you so much for doing that. You can't imagine what a great help it really was to the community. Not to mention that it's everyone's favorite store, especially if you happen to be into taking care of your health. You don't have to be vegan or vegetarian to be able to enjoy anything at Down to Earth. And it's also a fantastic place to start if in fact you are interested in starting a plant-based diet or a journey. So Amber, what's going on? What's happening in 2021 for you personally? I named the show A Plant Forward Revolution because I think that people are honestly starting to really reconsider their health and what they've been eating. And I'm hoping, I'm predicting that this year is going to be the year that sees the biggest increase in people going plant-based. What are your thoughts? I think so. I think a lot of people are re-evaluating their whole life honestly, myself included. I've been vegan personally for six years now, but even I'm thinking of like, oh, I should try to experiment with new superfoods or incorporate more fruit into my diet. So honestly, and then this is not just product placement, but with the help of being connected with Down to Earth, I can do that. And we have all these different tracks of if you're trying to keto or you're trying to be fruitarian or whatever it is. There's a lot of different avenues you can take. So yeah, we'd like to support the journey of everyone. Absolutely. Amber, before we continue on just for people outside of Hawaii, can you explain exactly what kind of store Down to Earth is? Sure. So Down to Earth is a natural foods retailer, kind of like a health food store. So we like to be not just a place to get plant-based groceries because we are 100% vegetarian. We do have a lot of vegan options and we do sell dairy and some honey, but that's the only animal products that we sell. And so we have groceries, we have produce, a wellness department with knowledgeable staff. You can ask them about all kinds of natural wellness options. But my favorite part is the deli because we have a huge spread of a hot bar, a salad bar. Some of our delis have sushi, Asian wok bowls. Our smoothie bowls are amazing. Just pretty much anything that you want that you thought couldn't be plant-based, we definitely have it for you. And for our friends in Hawaii, we definitely have the local flavors. We're constantly updating our menu to make it more local friendly, if you will. So we have a lot of local favorites which includes a lot of Asian fusion. We always experiment with a little bit of Hawaiian food and all kind of cultures in between. That is interesting that you pointed that out because Amber, you have actually prepared some slides for us of some of the food available down to earth. And this first one, speaking of fruit, just I'm sure that the viewers looking at this are going to be confused as to what it is because it literally looks like ahi poke. What is it? In fact, it's not. So the slides that I sent you are recipes that we've created. They're not available at our stores, but they're on our website. We found a recipe and we kind of tweaked it to make it like just we use our poke, a standard poke recipe that probably we got from grandma or auntie or uncle or what have you. But we just roasted watermelon and then we just substituted that instead of the fish and it was that easy. And just like ahi poke, it's best when you let it marinate over for a day. Yes, if you can't wait. That looks amazing. I do want to mention, this is a great tip for anyone who enjoys the Hawaiian flavors of poke. Watermelon actually you should roast it in the oven, as Amber said, or you can just dry bake it off in the fry pan. No oil. Just let it release its liquids and then marinate it. You can also marinate it first, then roast it or dry it off in a in a skillet or a fry pan. And I tell you, this stuff is crazy because it really does take on that not fishy texture, but it doesn't. It loses its watermelon nest. That's eating fruit. You know, it's such a delicious thing. I love watermelon poke. I actually tried to poke a apple the other day, which was interesting. And it kind of came out almost like a a daikon or a radish consistency, which was interesting. Yeah, you should give it a try the apple. I'm considering, I'm thinking pear might work as well. But anyway, poke is just one of those, you know, just a loved recipe or dish in Hawaii and something you should definitely try. Amber, you did mention that the recipes are all available on your website, which is sitdowntoearth.org. And then our recipes section on the top will and then you can search all the recipes or I think you have the links that will be available down below. Yes, they will be. Let's have a look at another slide. This is the tofu musubi. Yeah, these are so this is my version of the tofu musubi. You know, back when we had gatherings those good old days, I would have to prepare a lot of musubi for my family and friends. So what I did was I just put a baking sheet with rice, and then I would just get my musubi, not musubi, but the tofu slices and marinate them and fry them up and then just place them onto the baking sheet and cut them so that you can make a lot of musubis that way. So such a great idea. I was just looking at your photo and how beautiful, beautifully fitted the rice is to the musubi. You can actually, you know, buy the musubi containers or, yeah, that you can make them with, but that's a great idea if you are making a lot. Amber, you do a lot of cooking. Is your husband vegan as well? He is, yes. Oh, do you want to swap husbands with mine? You veganize mine and then send him back and I'll send yours back. How long has your husband been vegan? You mentioned you have been for six years or so. I think he may be coming up on four years. Okay, so you were first. Yeah. Okay. And was it his choice to go vegan? I'm sure because of the cooking like that would have definitely helped push him in that direction because you cook so well. Was it hard for him? Was it hard for him to give up the regular American diet or Hawaiian diet? So I actually feel like it was really easy for him because when I went vegan, he was very supportive and he said, you know, I'm okay with not having any animal products in the house. So I was like, yes, great. But now I just, you know, I have all these things prepared for him and you know, I'm cooking all the time in the house. So he was like, yeah, this is easy. I can do this. So I kind of set him up real good. Yeah, I was going to say, I think he could be spoiled in a very wonderful way. My husband is not vegan, but our home is 100% vegan. We don't have any leather or anything in our home. And he loves it. He actually enjoys being vegan here. And you know, when he needs whatever the fix is, he'll go out and do that. But who knows, I always keep my fingers crossed that maybe someday he'll wake up and just realize that he doesn't need it anymore. We shall see. We shall. And with a lovely cook like you, I'm sure he'll see the light someday. Well, I know you would think by now he'd be, you know, totally on the vegan wagon, but he's getting there. He's very good though. Let's take a look at another. I know that this is true. We, you know, crazier things have happened. Are you able to see this slide? Yeah. Awesome. Tell us a little bit about it. My mouth is watering right now. I know. It's about that time too. Yeah. So this is our garlic shrimp or my gochum recipe that I kind of adapted. It's inspired by the North Shore shrimp trucks. I've never had shrimp from the trucks before, but I've seen a lot of recipes and my friends have shared their recipes with me. So I kind of frankenstein them all together. And then I use this beautiful vegan shrimp that we sell in our frozen department to create this dish. So it's pretty much just fried garlic with a little bit of vegan butter. And you just put the shrimp in there. It's a konnyaku base, which is kind of like a Japanese potato kind of starchy kind of situation. And then you just squeeze a little lemon, got your rice, and you have a beautiful meal. That is incredible. That dish, that would really fool anyone, wouldn't it? And using the konnyaku is such a brilliant idea because it does take on that kind of, not rubbery, but it does have that consistency that you see with shrimp. In Japan, we call it putty-putty. Ah, yes. And that is sold in the frozen section down to earth. Yeah. Awesome. We're going to take a quick break, Amber, so I can just wipe the dribble from my mouth and listen to a few messages and be back after the break. Stay tuned. Welcome back, everyone, to Lillian's Vegan World. I'm your host, Lillian Kumi, a vegan chef and author of my newly released vegan cookbook, Hawaii, a Vegan Paradise. If I may ask to pull up the slide of my book, it's available in stores all over Hawaii. Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, with free shipping for members. It's also available at the Kakako Down to Earth store. Hawaii Vegan Paradise, over 120 plant-based recipes from the islands. So definitely pick up a copy. I'll also be at the Kakako Farmers Market here in Honolulu. I'm there about two or three times every month on a Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. So I do book signings there if you would like to stop by and say hi and get your book signed. Please come on over. The Kakako Farmers Market is amazing. And Amber also has news of the pop-up that Down to Earth will be also participating on, which is Saturday, February 13th. I'll let you explain that, Amber. Sure, thank you. So, yes, our Kakako store is having a pop-up market, which we've been, the goal for these events are to really lift up local artisans that may have been impacted by the 2020-ness of the world. So we have once again succulents, which I don't know if you've seen them, Lillian, but they do a beautiful succulence grown locally in Waimanalo. And then we also have Ada Swim, and she is amazing. Her bathing suits are made of 100% sustainable and recycled materials. So those are two local vendors that we really align with, and we're excited to be able to have them in our Kakako dining area. Like Lillian mentioned, it's going to be on February 13th, so the day before Valentine's Day. You can get all your gifts in. So we hope to see you there from 2 to 6 p.m. That's awesome. There's the slide of the succulent. That is really pretty. Are they easy to take care of, Amber? I'm a bad person to ask this because I'm really bad at keeping plants alive, although I shouldn't talk because they're all going to hear me now. But once again, staff actually provides plant support, so you can always reach out to them if you have issues. If your succulents are looking a little wonky, they're very friendly and they're willing to help you with any issues that arise. Wonderful. Definitely stop by and check that out and pick up some other fun stuff. And what a great day to have this pop up on the day before Valentine's Day. I know there's going to be a lot of people like myself who are leaving it till the last minute, so definitely do stop on by. Amber, let's have a look at another one of the slides that you've provided. Ooh. A gorgeous pataya bowl. A lot of people don't realize that pataya is actually dragon fruit. Yes. And it's a superfood too, so we try to make healthy options available in the form of things that people actually want to eat. So we have a lot of different smoothie bowls and the pataya bowl is just one of our most popular ones. That is gorgeous. Look at the color. One thing about the smoothies and the smoothie bowls down to earth, they are so gorgeous to look at. Thank you. You know, they're not only super healthy for you, but this is another one. Let's take another look at it, that vibrant color. Are you using the frozen pataya for this or is it fresh? I believe that it's frozen. I'm not 100% sure, but yeah, our deli is very, very picky about their ingredients, so I trust them 100% that it's very good quality. No, absolutely. That looks amazing. What kind of toppings are the toppings or vegan or is it you have a vegan, you have vegan options for the toppings? How does that work? We do have vegan options. So we have the granola and the banana and I think there's some different options you can choose if you're ordering online. You can add different kind of, I think you can do coconut cream, you can do different kind of nut butters, maybe some hemp seeds. You can get fancy if you like. Definitely. That's the whole point of the smoothie bowl. You just concoct your own version of it and go as crazy as possible. In my opinion, that is the point of the smoothie bowl. When I make it here, I might end up being big enough to feed four people, but I somehow managed to get it down just by myself. So that's another gorgeous one. Do you still have the blue-colored smoothies over it down to earth? I used to love them last year with the smoothie bowls. Yeah, we do. Those are the ones that are inspired by Hawaiian landscapes. So we have our lehua bowl which is made with goji berries, the mauka bowl which is inspired by the mountains. So we have green spirulina and then we have maukaibou which is inspired by the ocean, like this beautiful ocean behind me. So that's blue spirulina base. Gorgeous. Don't rub in the island thing Amber, you know, not everyone is able to live here in paradise. So okay, I actually rub it in all the time. Are you originally from Hawaii? Yeah, I was born and raised in Kaneohe on the east side. So when you think of Hawaii, this might be a difficult question given that you were born and raised here. Do you find Hawaii to be a vegan paradise? Is this somewhere you could say to people come to Hawaii if you're vegan? I think absolutely. Well, I think a vegan paradise actually is like a state of mind. It's kind of like if you have something that you really love to eat, you can find a way to make it vegan. But speaking of Hawaii, there's so much fruit and different kind of produce and I might be biased but I feel like our land is just so nice and fertile that the food, the produce just tastes better. So yeah, I think it is a paradise for sure. I love what you said just now that vegan paradise is a state of mind. It truly is because you can live in any country on planet Earth and if you are aligning with your morals and beliefs and truly, truly want to live a compassionate, healthy, positive lifestyle, then you can do it from any country in the world. But Hawaii just happens to be one of those places where, as you pointed out, we are lucky to have fresh produce all year round. So that's one thing I love about Hawaii. I've only been here for two years and I wrote a book and named it Hawaii, a Vegan Paradise. It seems like you've been here longer. That point across. I know it does. It's gone very quickly but I think magical things happen when you find that right place for you. Definitely. Let's have a look at another one of your pictures, Amber. Amber, please talk about your staff because I do want to say every time I go to Down to Earth, I always end up having a conversation with at least someone just standing by. The people that work at Down to Earth are so friendly and so willing to help. So please tell us about this slide. Yeah, absolutely. I'm glad you brought that up because our staff loves to share their knowledge, their wealth of information. They're all very passionate about health and wellness. This slide here is our produce manager from Kahului. This is Alex and he is here giving samples. He loves to just cut up fruit and just let people try it for themselves. He will talk your ear off about the different farms. They all have really great relationships with local farms, because we try to source local when possible and support our local economy. So he'll tell you, oh yeah, brother man just brought in some really good bananas. Here you should try some. It's just a really great community and our staff will love to talk. So definitely ask them questions. They're there for you and they love to talk stories. So yeah. Absolutely. It looks like all of you are having a good time working there and I think that's what makes it so much more enjoyable as a shopper going there. It's just a really good vibe. I have to say I'm very biased when it comes to down to earth and if I can find all of the ingredients that I'm looking for, I will buy from there. I'm also a huge fan of the farmers market. The farmers markets I think are incredible as well. And what new products have you got in down to earth that you'd like to mention before we close the show? Oh boy, we have a lot of new products coming in every day. I would say the most exciting thing recently is we're going to roll out a value menu on our deli app. So kind of lower it's I think it's $6 and below. So it's it's like a veggie value menu. So that's coming soon. We're really excited to roll that out because we again, we want to make it accessible for everyone to eat, you know, plant based but still have that awesome flavor. So just a little teaser, but it will be coming out soon. What a great idea. That's awesome. I must say, though, down to earth is priced very, very reasonably for what it is. It's good quality produce that you use in all of your dishes. So I've never thought that down to earth was pricey in any way. There's another slide I do want to show Amber. There's this one. This mega, oh my god, burger. I showed this to my husband and he agrees like this is something that anyone could get excited about. Oh, definitely. So what we're looking at is our exclusive to Kapolei deli barbecue bacon burger. So we make all of our buns in house. So that's a housemade bun, fresh produce, lettuce, tomato, onion, sprouts. And then we have the crispy vegan bacon on top with some melted vegan cheese, your choice of one of our either housemade earthenburger or black bean patties or you can use beyond burger, which is kind of more widely known. And then we have our housemade barbecue sauce, which is like the perfect like sweet and sour, but savory. You just have to try it for yourself. So that burger is available at our Kapolei deli exclusively. Okay. Do you sell burgers at any of the other stores? We do. Yeah. Some stores just have, you know, made their own kind of special burgers. So at Kailua we have our double mushroom Swiss burger. Kakaako has a different version of their bacon burger. So yeah, we got a lot of things going on. I think the moral of the story is go to down to earth and check out their deli because you're going to find some really amazing things. I'm going to, I'm going to go as far as say and say, I think down to earth sells or some of the food that they're banging out in the deli is better than food in some restaurants. Thank you so much. Yeah, I truly mean it. It's amazing. Amber, it's been lovely talking and chatting with you again. Good luck with the 13th, the pop up. I'll definitely try and stop by and pick up some prezzies for Valentine's Day. Stay safe and before you go, a quick message to anyone, to the viewers. Oh, just stay safe out there. Come visit us and stay healthy. Perfectly said. Thank you so much, everyone, for watching another episode of Billions Vegan World. Thank you to Amber, our gorgeous host today, and I look forward to seeing you at the store. Stay safe, everyone, and until next time, aloha.