Recipes from Tropics Hawaii!

Recipes

Tropics 98 Recipe Contest Winners Announced

Nine Hawai'i people have been awarded prizes for the best recipes using any of the Tropics seasonings on salads, entrees and pupus. Winners included a grilled shrimp using Tropics Oriental dressing; a Reuben chicken, with Tropics Thousand Island dressing; and a taro salad, using Tropics Somen dressing.

These prize winning chefs - and hundreds of others! - took part in the first Tropics Dream-a-Dish recipe contest. The competition was designed to highlight the growing popularity of Tropics dressings as seasoning for a wide variety of dishes. Contestants competed in three categories; pupus, salads, and entrees.

The three judges for the contest were:

Chef Eric Faivre, chef of the Village Steak and Seafood Restaurant at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Tom Moffat, of FM107.9 6am-9am weekdays.

Gladis Sato, Instructor at KCC's food service program.

Grand Prize winners were:

    Jeanne Hosaka of Hilo, for best pupu
    Janet Yoda of Honolulu, for best salad
    Judy Barreca of Kailua, for best entree

Other winners included M. Christine Marrows, Ardis Tanaka, E. Shan Correa, Ana Char, Iris Uehara, and Annie Usui.

The three grand prize winners won a two-night stay at the Hilton. Other winners won dinner for two at the Village Steak and Seafood Restaurant.

Hawaii's Sesame Seed Salad Featuring Tropics Fat Free Oriental Dressing 2nd Place Winner: Salad Category By Iris Uehara, Kaneohe, HI	It's more than a dressing...It's Tropics!
DRESSING 1 tbsp Tropics Fat Free Oriental Dressing 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1 tsp handashi 1/4 tsp diced onion, either green or round 1/2 to 1 tsp white pepper (to taste) 1/2 tsp roasted, ground white sesame seeds Dash of sugar Combine all ingredients and blend well. It is best to refrigerate overnight for the handashi to melt into the mixture. Makes 1/3 cup. SALAD 1/2 cup cooked and drained soba (buckwheat noodles) or long rice chilled 1 cup romaine lettuce, cut into strips 3/4 cup tomato, cut into strips 3 water chestnuts, thinly sliced	3 inch length Japanese Cucumber 1/2 cup imitation crab, broken into bite size pieces (not shredded) 1/4 teaspoon black sesame seedss (optional) Place chilled soba onto white dinner plate. Top noodles with romaine lettuce to create a small mountain. Mix some of the above dressing with the tomato and water chestnuts to taste. Place this on top of the lettuce. First slice cucumber diagonally into ovals, then in half lengthwise. Stand the cucumber lengthwise around and onto the lettuce mound. Place imitation crab on top of everything. Sprinkle with whole black sesame seeds to decorate. Accompany with the above dressing. Makes 1 serving

Tropics Oriental Pasta Salad Featuring Tropics Oriental Dressing 3nd Place Winner: Salad Category By Anne H. Usui, Honolulu HI	It's more than a dressing...It's Tropics!
1 pkg. Radiatore or rotini pasta 2 carrots 1/4 cup Chinese parsley 1 large tomato 2 cups Chinese snow peas 1 pkg. Wun tun strips 2 bottles of Tropics Oriental Dressing Allow three days to prepare for this delicious salad. Day 1: Cook pasta according to package directions;drain. Cool thoroughly by rinsing with cold water; drain well. Place pasta in a large container. Pour 1 bottle of Tropics Oriental Dressing into pasta; toss well. Marinate for 2 to 3 days. Very important step for desired flavor. Day 2: Gently shake the pasta container throughout the day and night to finely mix the marinade and pasta.	Day 3: Three hours prior to mixing finely julienne the carrots. Mince the Chinese parsley and eliminate the stems. Cut tomatos into small cubes. Lightly cook the snow peas, cool, then slice in half. Mix all the ingredients with the pasta, except the tomatoes and wun tun strips. Add more dressing to the salad according to personal taste and to add moistness. Prior to serving toss the pasta salad and add tomatoes. Transfer to serving bowl. Rim the wun tun strips on top of the salad. Makes 8 to 10 servings

Tapestry Chicken Featuring Tropics Oriental Dressing 3rd Place Winner: Pupu Category By Ardis Tanaka, Honolulu, HI	It's more than a dressing...It's Tropics!
4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken 1 bottle tropics Oriental Dressing 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 eggs 3/4 cup milk 8 ounces panko (Japanese bread crumbs) 3 tablespoons nori fuikake 2 cups flour Oil for deep frying Marinade chicken overnight in Tropics Oriental Dressing and soy sauce; then drain. Beat together eggs and milk to make egg wash. Combine panko and furikake to make coating. Dredge chicken	in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg wash and then coat with panko mixture. Deep fry until golden brown. Cut into pieces for a pupu or serve as an entree.

"The Kids Will Eat It" Meatloaf Featuring Tropics Maui Dressing 3rd Place Winner: Entree Category By Ana Char, Honolulu, HI	It's more than a dressing...It's Tropics!
2 pounds lean hamburger (ground beef) 1 cup Progresso Italian style bread crumbs 1 can (4oz) sliced mushrooms 1 cup Tropics Maui Dressing 1 can (6oz) tomato paste 2 eggs, beaten well 1/2 cup finely chopped Maui onion 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 cup crushed cocktail style peanuts (salted or unsalted) Preheat oven to 350°f. In a large bowl combine hamburger, bread crumbs, mushrooms, 1/2 cup or Tropics Maui Dressing, tomato paste, eggs, Maui Onion, salt and pepper; blend well. Press into	a shallow baking pan such as a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan or of equal size sufficient for the mixture to be 1/2 inch below the top edge. Mix the remaining 1/2 cup of Tropics Maui Dressing with peanuts. Spread on top of hamburger mixture, cover loosely with foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before cutting. Makes 6 to 8 servings

"Almost Asian" Roast Chicken Featuring Tropics Oriental Dressing 2nd Place Winner: Entree Category By E. Shan Correa, Honolulu, HI	It's more than a dressing...It's Tropics!
1 cup Tropics Oriental Dressing 3/4 cup bottled plum sauce* 1/4 cup dry white wine 1 teaspoon sesame seeds 1 stalk green onion, finely chopped 1 tablespoon chopped Chinese parsley Freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 split chicken broiler halves (3 to 4 pounds total) Combine Tropics Oriental Dressing, plum sauce, wine, sesame seeds, green onion, Chinese parsley and black pepper; blend well. Brush about 1/3 cup of sauce over chicken halves. Reserve remaining sauce. Marinade chicken in refrigerator for several hours or overnight.	Preheat oven to 325°f. Place chicken, skin side down, in a roasting pan and roast for 40 minutes. Turn chicken over, baste with some reserved sauce, and continue roasting for approximately 15 to 25 minutes (or until juices run clear when the chicken is pierced and the skin is golden brown). Skim fat from pan juices and add juices to reserved sauce. Spoon sauce onto warm serving plates, cut chicken pieces in half and serve on sauce. Garnish with additional Chinese parsley and chopped green onion, if desired. Makes 4 servings

Oriental Grilled Shrimp Featuring Tropics Somen Dressing 1st Place Winner: Pupu Category By Jeanne Hosaka, Hilo, HI	It's more than a dressing...It's Tropics!
2 pounds shrimp (31-35 count) 2 cups Tropics Oriental Dressing 1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 Tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger 5 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon sesame oil Peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails on. Combine Tropics Oriental Dressing, mayonnaise, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and sesame oil; mix well. Stir in shrimp. Marinade at least 3 hours. Grill or broil until done, about 2 minutes each side.	Makes 12 servings

James' Tropics Tako Featuring Tropics Somen Dressing 2nd Place Winner: Pupu Category By M. Christine Marrows, Lihue, HI	It's more than a dressing...It's Tropics!
1/2 pound cooked tako, thinly sliced 1/4 cup prepared miso 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional) 1/2 cup Tropics Somen Dressing 3 stalks green onion, minced Combine all ingredients; blend well. Makes 6 servings

Reuben Chicken Featuring Tropics Thousand Island Dressing 1st Place Winner: Entree Category By Judy Barreca, Kailua, HI	It's more than a dressing...It's Tropics!
1/4 Tropics Thousand Island Dressing 4 chicken breasts with skin 1-1/3 cups sauerkraut 4 slices Swiss cheese 1/8 cup melted butter or margarine for basting Preheat oven to 375°F. From wide end of chicken, carefully separate skin from meat leaving skin attached at one side. Spread 1 tablespoon of Tropics Thousand Island Dressing onto the meat. Top with 1/3 cup sauerkraut and cover with slice of Swiss cheese. Carefully replace skin over ingredients gently covering the chicken. Coat skin with melted butter. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove cover; baste chicken with drippings and bake until done, about 20 to 30 minutes longer.	Makes 4 servings

Tutu's Tropics Taro Salad Featuring Tropics Fat Free Somen Dressing 1st Place Winner: Salad Category By Janet Yoda, Honolulu, HI	It's more than a dressing...It's Tropics!
2 cups cubed cooked taro 1 cup cubed cooked purple Okinawan sweet potato 1 cup cubed cooked fish or chicken 1 Japanese cucumber, sliced 1 large tomato, cut into wedges 1/2 cup broccoli florets 1/2 cup round onion, thinly sliced 1/2 cup or more Tropics fat free Somen Dressing In a large bowl layer all ingredients, except dressing, in the above order. Just before serving, pour dressing over all and toss completely. Serve by itself or on a bed of lettuce or pasta.	Makes 4 to 5 servings

SOMEN SALAD
1 Pkg Fern noodles 1/4 Bunch parsley 1 Head lettuce 4 Slices thin sliced ham 1 Tbl. spoon olive oil	Green onions to taste 1/4 Bunch cilantro 4 Chicken tenders Pinch of salt 1 Bottle Tropics Somen	1 Cucumber 1 Carrot 2 Eggs Space Dressing
Cut and sauté chicken in olive oil & salt. Cut veggies & ham in strips. Scramble eggs, cool and cut into strips. Bring water to a boil, add noodles, & boil until tender like thin spaghetti 3 to 5 min. Drain, rinse and with a folk, twirl into balls and line plate. Mix cut lettuce and cilantro in middle of plate and garnish with egg, chicken, ham, cucumber, carrots, green onions, and parsley. Add Tropics Somen Dressing to taste. SERVES 4

It's more than a dressing ... It's Tropics!