Before I give you the recipe, I must give you a disclaimer. I have never been to Hawaii. Nope. Not even once. But I have eaten at a few Hawaiian BBQ places here in California. Most serve a scoop of steamed white rice and a scoop of macaroni salad. I have made up my own version which I have tweaked even further to lighten it up a bit and work in some zero-point foods from WW. Even with the tweaking, it can be heavy on the calories. There are just some things that you must splurge on a bit. If the rest of the meal is light so we can afford to. Enjoy it with Hawaiian BBQ Chicken and roasted veg. It makes a perfect meal.
Serves six
Ingredients
- ½ pound elbow macaroni, cooked to al dente (I used whole wheat farfalle cause that’s what I had.)
- 1 small carrot, shredded
- 5 scallions, sliced
- ½ cup light mayonnaise
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup pineapple juice (Substitute 2% milk, if preferred plus a tablespoon of honey, brown sugar, or another sweetener.)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix cooked macaroni, shredded carrot, and sliced scallions plus any mix-ins you desire.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients to create the dressing.
- Pour dressing over macaroni mixture and chill.
Optional mix-ins: imitation crab, frozen peas, pineapple tidbits, or ham. Some people add cilantro. It really depends on your preference. We have always used the imitation crab and peas, but I’m up for trying something new in the future. Maybe, even a little Spam. It is “Hawaiian” after all.
Food may be essential as fuel for the body, but good food is fuel for the soul.