With any event, food is generally the main staple ingredient to spicing up festivities, a good time and bringing people together.  In our last entry we gave you ideas for what to do this coming Labor Day.  To compliment that, here are some fantastic food ideas to help transform your typical Labor Day BBQ into that tropical island getaway for you and your guests. 

Ahi Poke

Seafood is a big part of Hawaiian food items and Ahi Poke is the perfect tuna dish for a pupu or as part of a sampler dish.

Ingredients:
- 3.5-4 cups of Ahi (fresh and sashimi grade)
- 1 cup of soy sauce ( try the reduced sodium)
- 2 tbsp of sesame oil.
- 3/4 cup of onion (diced or chopped)
- 1/2 cup of green onion (scallions)
- Salt ( Sea salt or Kosher), and Pepper (lemon pepper adds much flavor)

Directions:
Clean the Ahi tuna and slice to bite size pieces.  Make sure the fish is fresh and is a Sashimi grade, as you will be eating it raw.  Put the soy sauce in a bowl and mix in the sesame oil, onion and green onion.  Pour the sauce over the Ahi tuna, then season with the salt and lemon pepper to taste. 

Pineapple

Pineapple is one of the most signature and versatile fruits when it comes to tropical eats.  Just slicing some pineapple and mixing with other fruits makes for a fresh and delicious dish.  

- Skewer pineapple with mushrooms, taro, and sliced ham to grill for a mouth watering ka-bob. 

- Another great mixture is coconut milk with sliced pineapple for a refreshing dessert. 

- Purree sliced pinapple and mix in sugar and a little bit of maple syrup for a dipping sauce. 

- Sliced pineapple also adds a lot of flavor to plainer starchy foods such as rice and bread.

Poi

Poi is a complimentary dish similar to grits or mashed potatoes.  Made from the taro root, which is part of the potato family, the natural flavor can be enhanced by simply adding salt and pepper or other herbs and spices. 

Ingredients:
- 2 quarts of water (plus 1 and 1 1/4 separated)
- 2 pounds of taro root (use more or less depending on consistency desired)

Directions
Boil water in a saucepan then add the taro and cook for roughly 30-45 minutes until it softens.  You can add a little bit of salt to the water if desired to enhance flavor.  Once the Taro is cooked, drain and let cool.  By this time the skin should be easy to peel and chop.  Cut the taro to about 1-2 inch pieces and add to a food processor to blend until smoothened.  Add water to the blended Taro until the right consistency is acheived. 

Baked Mahi Mahi

Baked Mahi is one of those dishes that can impress your guests into thinking you slaved away at the stove, when truly the hardest part of the cooking process was seasoning.  Often served at Luaus, the key to a successful baked fish is to not overcook it and to keep the moisture. 

Ingredients
- A Mahi Fillet (roughly 1-2lbs)
- 3 cloves of crushed garlic and 1 minced.
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- salt and lemon pepper to taste
- 1.5 tablespoons of butter for each fillet
- Capers (if desired)
- Flour or crushed croutons/crackers for each side of the fish.

Directions
Heat up the pan on medium with the olive oil and place butter to slowly melt.  Once the butter begins to melt, put in the 3 cloves of crushed garlic to slightly brown.  While the garlic is browing coat each side of the cut Mahi Mahi with croutons, crackers or flour.  Place the Mahi-Mahi to sautee on both sides.  Remember don't flip the fish back and forth, each side should be cooked only once, so during the cooking process lift to check color.   Once the fish is almost done, add capers and let cook wit the capers for about 3 minutes. 

These are just a few of the simple and tastey recipes that you can incorporate this Labor Day.  Keep in mind that you can always improvise with an existing dish, or add your own flavors.  The key is to have fun, and enjoy your island themed getaway.