Ohana at Home + Dole Whip Mimosa Recipe
One of our very favorite dining reservations to snag is dinner at Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Resort. In fact, I would wager it’s our most repeated reservation, and we even got it for room service when we stayed at the Polynesian. What makes Ohana so great? The atmosphere really can’t be beat – you’re treated like ohana and waited on by aunts, uncles and cousins, and if you time your dinner right, you can even catch the Magic Kingdom fireworks right at your table. The entertainment is a blast – a character meal during breakfast and a luau style show for kids with dinner. The star of the show, though, is the food. Especially for dinner where you get course after course of Polynesian-inspired dishes served ohana style. I’ve never left a meal there anything less than absolutely stuffed. So when the Disney Parks Blog posted the recipe for Ohana’s famed wings, I decided I wanted to cook up an Ohana-inspired meal for my own ohana. I found several recipes online and made a few changes to make them dairy and gluten free.
Starting with the wings from the Disney Parks Blog. These are super easy, and I found the recipe makes a good deal of extra sauce for dipping! One of the most important features of dinner at Ohana is the NOODLES. Ohana means family, and family means no noodle gets left behind. I found this copycat recipe and used a gluten-free rice noodle instead. I also used coconut sugar and cut the sugar in half – it was still plenty sweet. I kept it simple with frozen veggies I had in my freezer and drizzled them with extra sauce from the noodles, and used these gluten free frozen dumplings I found at Whole Foods. While dinner at Ohana would also included courses of grilled meats, I decided this was more than enough food for me and my husband!
The dumplings got a little deconstructed, but they are still tasty!
Ohana, like most Disney restaurants, does a great job making their feast gluten free, but one thing I don’t normally get to enjoy is the Bananas Foster Bread Pudding so I decided to treat myself and make a gluten and dairy free version! I used this recipe from Inside the Magic, subbing original Nutpods for milk or cream and a gluten free loaf for the bread. I also used coconut sugar and maple syrup in place of the sugars and corn syrup because it’s what I had on hand.
A tiki cocktail is the final key piece to any Ohana meal. I would normally order the fabulous Lapu Lapu, which my husband and I have recreated before, pineapple glass and all, but for this meal, I decided to whip up a Dole Whip Mimosa, inspired by Wine Bar George. Follow the recipe below for bubbly pineapple goodness:
2 cups frozen pineapple
1 cup coconut cream
1 cup pineapple juice (I used frozen concentrate but fresh is great too!)
Bubbly of your choice
Add all ingredients but bubbly to your blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and top off with your desired amount of sparkling wine. Stir to blend and enjoy!