We have been in Hawaii a little over a month now, and boy has it been a roller coaster. Finding a car and a place to live was stressful and crazy. For days I dragged the kids from one place to the next with no success. My husband started working right away, so it was just me and the kids trying to figure things out. It took me 2 weeks to find a place, but we really like it. It even has a little backyard! Our stuff miraculously got here pretty quickly, instead of the 4 weeks they said it was going to take. I’m not going to lie, it hasn’t been easy, but amidst all the stressfulness of moving, we have spent hours playing in the sand and swimming in the cristal clear water of Oahu. We have also been to the Dole pineapple plantation, the north shore, Waikiki, Honolulu, and we still have so much more to explore. The beaches here are amazing, the people are so friendly, and the culture is truly unique. I have so much to learn.
The one thing that has been truly shocking is how incredibly expensive groceries are. Of course, we had heard this before, but I was still shocked at the price difference. Some items are 3 to 4 times as expensive as on the mainland. To help with this I subscribed to a CSA at Aloun farms, which is a really good deal. We are definitely going to have to stick to a meal plan to try and save some money.
Before coming here, I was unsure whether I would be able to get the Mexican ingredients I would need to continue posting vegan Mexican recipes, but I have been pleasantly surprised. Hawaii grows chayote and jicama locally. I quickly found my favorite hot sauce and chili powder. There’s a local tortilla factory which is a good tortilla option, but they are not as good as my favorite Tortilla Land uncooked corn tortillas that I found at a Safeway! There’s one thing though, salsa is expensive. One quart of fresh salsa is $6 -8 and the canned stuff is a little bit cheaper than that. This has me thinking I should start selling my own homemade salsa.
I am still unsure about what we are going to do about school in the fall. You hear pretty bad things about the level of education in the public schools and the private schools are expensive. I can’t believe I am going to say this, but I’m considering homeschooling. The only problem with that is that I’m so scared of doing it. I have a very active 6 year old boy and 2 year old girl, I don’t know if I have the patience and the stamina to homeschool. I’m afraid there will be more bad days than good days. Homeschooling mamas help me! How do you do it?
I will keep you posted on our new Hawaiian adventures and in the near future incorporate a little Hawaiian flair into the recipes.
Mexican Vegan “Tuna” Salad
When I was a new vegan I kept seeing recipes for vegan “tuna” salad. I was never a big tuna salad fan so I wasn't really interested in trying it, until finally I gave in and boy was I missing out! I first tried Post Punk’s Kitchen Chickpea Salad Sammiches and I loved it. For my version I smashed chickpeas, tossed them with tomatoes, onion, and serrano chile, a splash of lime juice and a dollop of vegan mayo to make an easy protein packed lunch. Instead of lime juice though I like to use the liquid from the jalapeños en escabeche, and that takes me straight back to my mom’s kitchen. This salad is best served in a sandwich or on tostadas topped with avocado slices. Enjoy!
Mexican Vegan "Tuna" Salad
Ingredients
- 1 (14.5 oz) can Chickpeas drained, rinsed
- 1 cup Diced tomatoes fresh
- ¼ cup White onion finely chopped
- 1 Serrano chile finely chopped
- 1 tsp. Vegan mayo *
- ½ - 1 tbsp. Pickled jalapeño liquid or lime juice
Instructions
- Place chickpeas in a shallow bowl and use a fork to mash them up.
- Add tomatoes. onion, serrano and mix well.
- Add the vegan mayo and 1/2 tbsp. of pickled jalapeño liquid or lime juice. Mix well.
- Season and taste. If necessary add remaining 1/2 tbsp. of pickled jalapeño liquid or lime juice.
- Place salad in fridge for 15 to 20 min. (optional)
- Serve on a sandwich or on tostadas.
Notes
Nutrition
Why would that happen? Lately I have been having a super strong tuna salad craving! My aunty used to made it with chipotles, cream, red onion and sweet corn and it's been in my head for long now. I am going to have to give in this time. I still have some tuna cans that were left in my transition and I think I better eat them before they just expire in my pantry. But I will give your recipe a shot as well it looks flavoursome and with the "escabeche" from the jalapenos must be wondeful. Thank you for sharing :) All the best for you and your family!
I also used to have my tuna salad with sweet corn, but I thought maybe it was something we only did in our household. Thanks for the good wishes Yessy.
I can't wait to hear more about your adventures in Hawaii! I started buying the Tortilla Land uncooked Tortillas after you mentioned them in an earlier blog post. They are definitely my new go-to tortilla!
Your Vegan Tuna Salad looks so good and perfect for the summer. I love the idea of adding the juice from the pickled jalapeños!
Hi Jeni, I am so glad you tried the TortillaLand tortillas. I think they are a great option here in the States where you can't just walk to a tortilleria.
My niece and nephew had all their kids in the public school system there and have no complaints at all. I had my kids in several schools (not in Hawaii but elsewhere - we moved a LOT - that people said were terrible schools but you know what? My kids seemed to get more out of those schools than all the others. I think they had more liberal attitudes in those schools which a lot of parents don't like but what I found is they taught my kids how to think rather than how to score on a test. Those schools taught my kids more of the arts whether it was acting in a play or trying out musical instruments or drawing on a classroom mural. They taught my kids there are different people in the world and how to interact better with them, how to do their own learning when school is out and done by knowing how to look things up in encyclopedias (this was before the Internet) and using the library plus they taught my kids that learning has value beyond testing and making a certain grade. Try out the schools would be my suggestion. If you monitor what your kids are doing you'll be ahead of the game no matter what.
I'm going to save your sandwich recipe to try out on my vegan son. He didn't like the ones I made with more mayo and subbed avocado. I bet he'll love it with the hot pepper juice! The hotter the better for him - he was disappointed when I said I'd tweaked my tortilla soup recipe so it wasn't too hot for me but still smoky and spicy as he wouldn't get the leftovers to put in his freezer lol.
Hi Timaree. Thank you for your advice. It really helped. I hope your son likes this version of the tuna salad!