Da Kine: Morsels

WHAT’S COOKING

Avocado, yogurt make healthier sour cream

Kapiolani Community College student culinarians Davis Rasmussen and Christian Rae Wong won the Kahala Nui Healthy Cooking Contest with their baked chi­mi­changa dish, which they demonstrate on this week’s installment of "What’s Cooking Hawaii?" (7 p.m. Wednesday on KFVE).

The dish is served with avocado sour cream, a healthier version of sour cream that includes avocado and yogurt. The recipe follows.

Note: The coconut cake recipe in last week’s column calls for an 11-inch round or 9-by-13-inch pan at least 2 inches deep. The instructions for that recipe did not include pan size.

AVOCADO SOUR CREAM

» 1 ripe medium avocado, diced
» 1 lime, juiced and zested
» 1/2 cup sour cream
» 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
» Agave nectar syrup, to taste
» Salt, to taste
» Cayenne pepper, to taste

In bowl, mash avocado and lime juice to desired texture. Add zest, sour cream and yogurt, and stir or whisk until combined.

Season with agave, salt and cayenne, and reserve in refrigerator with plastic wrap pressed against cream. Makes about 2-1/4 cups.

Nutritional information unavailable.

MORSELS

Dinner event to benefit KCC

Ho‘okipa is back.

The annual fundraiser for Kapiolani Community College’s culinary arts program will offer dishes by guest chefs including Raphael Lunetta of JiRaffe Restaurant in Santa Monica, Calif., and Culinary Institute of the Pacific alumna Yuhi Fuji­naga of Sea Grill, in New York’s Rockefeller Center.

The event starts with grazing stations, then guests are seated for a five-course plated menu.

Honorees this year are broadcasters Pamela Young and Gary Sprinkle, whose continued support of the college’s programs includes providing "Mixed Plate" scholarships since 2001.

"Ho‘okipa Night 2015" kicks off at 5:30 p.m. March 12 at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. Tickets are $250; and $3,000, $5,000 and $10,000 for tables of 10. Call 734-9544 by Monday.

Farm-to-table to be discussed

The farm-to-table trend will be the topic of a panel discussion featuring a chef, a farmer and a farmers market owner at the Hawaii Society of Business Professionals’ meeting Feb. 26.

The event will spotlight panelists Russell Siu, chef and co-owner of 3660 on the Rise; Wai­lea Agriculture Group co-owner Lesley Hill; and Pamela Boyer, director of development for Farm­Lovers Farmers’ Markets. Moderator will be Patti Chang, chief executive officer of Feed the Hunger Foundation.

The discussion will be held at noon in the Hawaii Prince Hotel’s Mauna Kea Ballroom. Check-in begins at 11:30 a.m. Cost before Monday is $45, $55 thereafter. Go to hsbp.biz.

Speakers focus on bee issues

Learn about the challenges of beekeeping in Hawaii while partaking of a meal made with honey at a Decolonizing Our Diets dinner Feb. 25 at Roots Cafe.

Speakers: beekeepers Howard McGinnis of Nalo Meli Honey, Ken Har­meyer of Hawaii Bee Hotline, and Justin Duny; and Melissa Yee, acupuncturist who uses honey for therapy and has developed an antidote for bee stings. Yee is a beekeeper as well.

Their topics of discussion will include climate change, lost foraging areas and chemical pollution.

The gathering is part of a meeting of the Hawaii Alliance for Community Based Economic Development.

Dinner starts at 5:30 p.m.; cost is $10. The lecture starts at 6:30 p.m.

The cafe is at 2229 N. School St. Limited seats remain. RSVP required; email kodom@kkv.net.

Shidler College gala set for March 5

The 15th annual fundraiser for the University of Hawaii’s Shidler College of Business includes a wine tasting, craft beer station and food from restaurants including Hy’s Steak House, Morimoto Waikiki and MW Restaurant.

The event runs 6 to 9 p.m. March 5 in the Royal Hawaiian Hotel’s Monarch Room. Tickets are $100 if purchased before Feb. 28, $125 thereafter. Call 956-3263 or visit shidler.hawaii.edu/ExecutiveVineyards.

Get your event in our Easter, spring guide

Spring into action with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser Today section, which will publish a special guide to spring and Easter activities and events March 23 (date subject to change).

Submit free listings for egg hunts, Easter Bunny photo ops, craft workshops, keiki activities, plant and rummage sales, holiday displays, craft fairs, Sunday brunches and similar events happening on Oahu. Email details and contact information to features@staradvertiser.com by March 17.

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CORRECTION: Broadcasters Pamela Young and Gary Sprinkle have been providing the “Mixed Plate” scholarships for Kapiolani Community College culinary arts students since 2001, not 2011, as was reported in an earlier version of this story.