Freshest Fresh Buko!

Some fresh buko stalls/stores out there are selling coconut juice and meat that aren't the freshest possible. Some have bottled the juice and chilled them to last a few days. Then they add a few strips of meat that was already prepared in advance. Buy coconut in its original form and you're sure its fresh! Its the cheapest this way, and you're assured of the best nutrients and cleanest product from the best source - nature!

A few years ago, I posted about coconuts here. The coconuts used to be P25. each (in the city), now its P35. each. But its still much cheaper than buying it in commercial stalls or ordering it from restaurants.
I buy coconut at a neighborhood street vendor, he already knows that I want the young coconut, with the outer shell chopped, but with the meat and juice still intact. I take it home and chop it open myself, to make sure its perfectly clean.
Each coconut is good for two servings.

I heart cardamom pods!

I have just discovered cardamom pods as a spice, and for aromatherapy. The smell of it really makes me smile :)

Cardamom pods

Tesco grocery items at SM Hypermart!

I usually get excited at seeing new international products at the supermarket...mostly because I am looking for healthy ingredients and treats to add to my favorites. I am glad that SM now has some products from Tesco, UK. I was delighted to see among the spices there, cardamom pods! I have been seeing it in recipes, but don't know what it is so I decided to try. When I opened the bottle and took a sniff, it was a heavenly scent! Then I tried using it in soups and fried rice, it added a very nice citrusy and minty taste.

I will be posting some more products as I try them. :)

Healthy no-fuss breakfast

When I'm lazy to make anything else, and I want to make sure I have a nutritious breakfast...this is what I usually prepare:

Breakfast

Half an orange, and half a mango, sliced
A cup of herbal tea
A cup of quick-cooked oatmeal flavored with cocoa and topped with crushed nuts Quick and yummy!

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

Sounds like an exotic dish...this is really simple to make. Its 2 hrs before lunch, and I'm quite hungry, so I thought a chunky soup would be just right...

I had leftover steamed black rice, which I didn't really like as substitute for white rice for lunch or dinner, since it was quite dense and heavy on the stomach. So its a good idea to cook it again in a soup. I saw a recipe before using wild rice in a mushroom soup...this is what I came up with.

The fresh shitake mushroom is sometimes expensive, but this time I bought it at S&R, it really doesn't cost much per piece. I only used one big shitake, since I'm making only 1 serving of soup.

I also love spinach and its cheap this time of the year. One pack goes a long way...

So yummy and filling!

Alukon or Himbabao vegetarian dish

Would you eat this? This is actually a very tasty veggie dish - one of my favorites! Most Pinoys would eat this with fried fish, but I'd rather eat and enjoy it only with rice. The worm-like green vegetable is actually the flower spikes of the Himbabao tree. It is usually called alukon, but has different names among different provinces. It is suitable for most dishes especially good with other native vegetables. It taste like leafy greens with a certain woody taste.

Easy Pinoy Style Hummus

This is an easier recipe since it doesn't call for Tahini paste, which I haven't found anywhere. The main ingredient is garbanzos, and I've found the best local canned garbanzos brand is Gina. (I also buy their canned green peas and its also good!). You may also substitute calamansi juice for the lemon (I've tried it and didn't notice much difference in taste.) For the oil, you may use corn oil.
I used to make this in a blender, then I tried mashing and blending it using fork and spoon, and its just as good...besides, I hate messy clean-ups :p
As for peeling the skin off the garbanzos, its optional. I usually don't since I'm in a hurry, and I like the added fiber. I don't notice a difference in taste and don't mind if the texture is not so creamy.

Easy Pinoy Style Hummus

Ingredients:
1 can (about 1 cup) garbanzos (Gina or Ram brand), drained and mashed with fork (reserve some of the liquid to add to the mixture if you like it creamier)
4-6 T Extra-virgin Olive Oil (you may use more liquid and lesser oil)
2-3 T Lemon juice or calamansi juice
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4-1/2 tsp. sea salt, ground
dash of paprika
olives, for topping

Procedure:
Add all the ingredients (except paprika and olives) to the mashed garbanzos. Put in a blender and blend until smooth, adding more liquid or adjusting seasonings as desired. Transfer to a small bowl.
Serve with a dash of paprika, some olives and a drizzle of olive oil.
This is especially good eaten with crisp vegetables cut into sticks - cucumber, carrot, celery, and turnips are delicious and healthy! Originally enjoyed with Pita bread or crackers, it is a delicious treat but not as healthy ;)

Easy Pinoy Style Hummus

Fruitful Rambutan tree

As I mentioned in my previous post (almost a year ago), we have a Rambutan tree just outside our balcony. This time it bore fruit much earlier than last year. And the best thing about it is that it continued to grow more fruits after I thought it already had bore a lot for this season.

This pic shows the second batch of ripened rambutan, which we already ate...and now the little green ones are growing and maybe in two weeks they are ready for picking. I wonder if the tree would still have lots of fruit next year ;)

Picking fruits from the tree...

I always can't resist picking fruits from a tree. I remember those times in my childhood when I looked forward to visiting grandfather on his farm in Bulacan. Usually he has some native fruit ready for picking and he'd invite us to pick. He has a variety of fruit trees (indian mango, santol, star apple, sampaloc, balimbing, aratilis, guava, atis, mabolo), but only a few of each. My favorite is the aratilis.

It may look like cherries, but isn't really similar in nature and its like the size of small grapes. Its very sweet when its ripe. I also love that its tree is not so tall so its easy to pick the fruits by just reaching out to it.

Most of the fruit trees there are sour-tasting though, like indian mango and most of all the santol, but its those trees that bear the most fruits. Those were also the big trees, but just for fun we tried to climb it (only the lower branches) or jump high to get some of the fruits. We also did some picking using sungkit (an improvised wooden stick with a hook  used to pick fruits). After all our energies were exhausted and we have a handful of fruits, he'd then ask his handyman to pick some more. Said handyman is like Tarzan, who can hang around every tree...in no time he has filled a basket with fruits for us to take home ;)

Back here at home, the only tree left that I can get some fruits to eat from is the Rambutan. Picking time is about July/August. Its a big tree, but luckily its near our second floor balcony where I can handpick some fruits, or use a sungkit to get some more. Our sungkit is quite heavy, and I think I used up more energy than what I can get eating the rambutan fruits that I picked. Nevertheless, its one of those natural activities that can be beneficial in some ways, though most people don't care much to do. 

A well-stocked pantry...

I used to think I can get by without stocking so much goods, since there are now so many supermarkets nearby our place. But in anyone's kitchen nothing beats a well-stocked pantry. There's no harm in stocking items that have a long shelflife, and at the same time we always have to be prepared for emergencies, even minor ones.
Its about time I review the items that my family needs. My list will be far different from yours...
My ideal pantry would include the following:

1. Canned goods - as always, its the best emergency food. My canned goods would definitely exclude SPAM and similar processed meats. It would also exclude spicy hot-flavored anything. I would definitely stock up on good-quality Tuna, sardines, mushrooms, garbanzos, corn, baked beans, chili con carne and other canned fish or meat for variety.
2. Vegetable oils - Extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, corn oil, sesame oil and coconut oil
3. Bottled items - Spaghetti sauce, Black olives, green olives, marinades
4. Tetra-packed - Soymilk, almond milk, cow's milk (used only occasionally and mostly to add to recipes)
5. Grains - rice (different varieties, including glutinous rice), quick-cooking oatmeal, spaghetti
6. Dry beans, peas and nuts - kidney, white beans, lentils, green peas, peanuts, pistachios, almonds
7. Beverages - Coffee (mostly 3-in-1), Green tea, other herbal teas, distilled water
8. Spices and condiments - Sea salt, black pepper, Kikkoman soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, white wine for cooking
9. Flour products including hotcake mix, used occasionally.
10. Sweets and desserts - brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, agave, cooking chocolate, dark chocolate bar
11. Fresh produce - green leafy vegetables (esp. malunggay, kamote tops, leeks), tomatoes,  cucumbers, lettuce, lemongrass, lemons, oranges, bananas, mangoes, other fruits and vegetables in season.
12. Meat, poultry, eggs, some lean ground beef, chicken for soup stock
13. Butter, Cheese - Parmesan, cottage cheese, cheddar and others to try.

I read some good tips here on how to have a well-stocked pantry.
I better start stocking up, and maybe I can also show you a photo of my pantry :)

Simply Coconut!

I really love eating coconuts and drinking the fresh juice. It is the most refreshing and energizing drink you can find, for a very affordable price. (Here in the city its about P25., in the provinces, much cheaper.) However, it took me a long while to get accustomed to buying coconuts and most of all in cutting it up by myself. The shell looks intimidating, but in young coconuts it really is easy to cut and slice. If I can do it, you can do it. Just make sure you got young coconuts. It is full of juice (even up to two glasses), and its meat is soft and sweet. 

Coconut Fruit Salad

Here's an all-year-round delicious, nutritious, natural food treat you can make yourself! If you order this at a restaurant it would probably cost at least 2 times more. I got inspired to make this when I saw the guy at the Buko (coconut) kiosk at the mall making one. They sell it at P69., not including the coconut juice which they sell separately at P35. At home, it will only cost you around P50., (and you get to drink the juice)... lower if you buy ingredients at the big wet markets. This can be shared by 2 persons as a snack. If you're hungry, finish this all by yourself and it can substitute for a breakfast meal.

Coconuts cost around P25. here in metromanila. Choose one that has a lot of juice and with coconut meat that is still soft but firm and fleshy. (The coconut man knows how to pick this). For the other fruits, choose those that are in season.

Here's what I included in my fruit salad:

1 whole coconut (pour the coconut juice in a tall glass), cut the top off and put in slices of:
1/4 watermelon, sliced into cubes
1 kiat-kiat orange, sectioned
1 ripe banana, sliced
1/2 mango, sliced into cubes

Enjoy!!

Gluten-free baking mix!

I was pleased to see gluten-free baking mix available in our local supermarket. It is a bit pricey, but I got it at 30% discount. Sale is up to Sept. 7, at Shopwise, so I had to try it now to know if its worth buying more. I made a small batch of pancakes...it tasted different - but definitely better! Here it is served with butter and raspberry jam.

That was yesterday ;)

Now I made a single serving of blueberry pancake...I just added a spoonful of frozen blueberries to the batter. It had to be served with blueberry jam of course, but I wasn't able to get if from the grocery yet. I'll surely make this again for the family next time!

Egg, more nutritious and delicious

Interested in serving egg in a simple and delicious way? I've found one, inspired by Kopi Roti a Singapore franchise coffee shop. They serve soft-boiled eggs with black soya sauce. Their sauce might be a secret recipe, but I googled and found that it can be substituted with 1 part soy sauce and 1 part molasses. Of course, its good to have the best ingredients you can find. I used Kikkoman premium soy sauce and Brer Rabbit mild molasses. Its not really expensive since I only use 1 teaspoon each, for every egg. Its enough to give it that delicious taste...my sons love it, though I have to work on a better presentation.
Btw, I used only boiling water to cook the egg, the yolk is still soft inside, which we prefer.

Barley Vegetarian Soup

This is definitely a good tasting soup! I wonder why I haven't tried it sooner, I love the taste and texture of barley. Its not locally available though, and I got to try this with the pack of barley from my dear SIL in Australia.

We here at home are into vegetarian soups, which are easy and quick to make, tasty and nutritious. And we can only be sure of this by using mostly fresh ingredients. I only use canned veggies when fresh is not available or the price is too high.
My basic recipe for soup: don't follow a recipe!
Just make sure the following ingredients is in the soup and is fresh: onions, celery stalk, tomatoes, carrots, green or red bell pepper
Optional ingredients: garlic, beans, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, corn, potato, and many more
Seasonings: salt and pepper; (optional) bay leaf, basil

Homemade Roasted Peanuts

Peanuts are popular as snacks or ingredient in some dishes. Most of us love its nutty, delicious taste and crunchy texture, though it is actually a legume and not a true nut. It is usually substituted in dessert and meal dishes that require nuts, since it is much cheaper and more available. What I noticed though, as with most healthy ingredient, manufacturers add sugar, salt, oil, spice and whatever flavoring they think would make it more tasty and addictive! On the contrary, I think the delicious flavor of the nut is lost and you end up unhealthy too because of the additives. I'm so glad I'm able to buy raw shelled nuts in the supermarket. 

It costs a lot less, and I can easily roast it in the toaster and just add a little salt. 

The first time I roasted peanuts in the oven toaster, I used the higher setting of 800W. After just 5 mins. it got burned! 

So I tried again and used the lower setting of 400W, and after 7 mins. it looked just right :) Now I have another healthful snack that I can eat regularly and enjoy.

A handful of naturally prepared peanuts is really much better in taste and has loads of benefits. Here are just some:

Health benefits of Peanuts

• Peanuts are rich in energy and contain many health benefiting nutrients, minerals, antioxidants and vitamins that are essential for optimum health.
• These nuts are good source of dietary proteins with fine quality amino acids that are essential for growth and optimum health.
• These nuts are an excellent source of vitamin E, alpha tocopherol; contain about 8 g per100 g. vitamin E is a powerful lipid soluble antioxidant which helps maintain the integrity of cell membrane of mucus membranes and skin by protecting from harmful oxygen free radicals.
• Peanuts are packed with many important B-complex groups of vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-6, and folates. 100 g of peanuts provide about 85% of RDI ofniacin which contribute to brain health and blood flow to brain.
• The nuts are rich source of minerals like copper, manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and selenium.
• Just a hand full of peanuts a day provides enough recommended levels of phenolic anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins and protein.
  All these - except if you're allergic to peanuts! I don't know anyone who is...but I've read that this condition can be fatal.
• 
  Consequently, if you get all these benefits then you most likely will prevent diseases from taking over your body.

Tapol malagkit rice Champorado

This might seem like weird food to most of you, but champorado is a popular Filipino breakfast (at least its one of my faves). This is basically glutinous rice, made into a porridge. Chocolate powder or tablets is a must to flavor this porridge. But this time I made the dish healthier by using wild glutinous rice called Tapol. I'm so glad this is available in my favorite supermarket.

Champorado is usually served with sugar and milk and eaten with fried dried fish like dilis or tuyo.

Looks weird, huh?

Strawberry, Papaya and Dalandan fresh fruit shake

Here's another healthy recipe using  only natural ingredients. Remember to consume only on an empty stomach and don't combine with other foods. This will be digested in about 30 mins., and you'll feel energized!

These fruits are locally available and are in season at this time of the year. I buy the strawberries at the U.P. shopping center, priced at P35. to P45. for 250gms. Dalandan and papaya can be bought at any fruit store. Dalandan is about P25. per kilo, and papaya is P30.-P40. per kilo.

Strawberry, Papaya and Dalandan fruit shake
Ingredients:
A cup of fresh strawberries, approx. 200gms
A cup of sliced papaya, approx. 200gms
Freshly squeezed juice from 1/2 kilo dalandan
1 cup ice
1 Tablespoon honey and/or natural sugar

To make: just toss everything in the blender and process for a few seconds.
Yield: approx. 1 liter (serves 4)

Simple salad side dish

Here's a simple side dish you can prepare in a few minutes if you have cucumber, tomato and white onion. Just chop up the ingredients and add your own favorite dressing. Mine is just a little olive oil, lemon, salt and oregano.
This is very economical and nutritious as well. Btw, did you know that cucumber is good for your hair and nails? This is because of its silicon and sulphur content. You can find other ways to use cucumber, but this side dish could be a regular part of your meals ;)

Food Combining Principles

Food combining has to do with eating certain foods together so as to optimize the digestive process. Eating a large variety of foods at one sitting forces the digestive system to try to accommodate for the different types of nutrients. As a result certain foods don't get digested well, experience fermentation and can cause discomfort or even ailments.
For instance, it is unwise to eat heavy proteins (acidic) and heavy carbohydrates (alkaline) together. Beans are an interesting example, since many people experience great discomfort after eating them. Beans are about 25% protein and 50% carbohydrate, providing an awkward combination for the digestive system since the conditions required for digestion of acidic nutrients are quite different from those of alkaline substances. While it is possible to 'help out' with digestive enzymes, it is best to minimize consumption of foods and food combinations that are difficult.

Enumerated below are the foods which should and should not be eaten together.
The topic of Food combining is not that complicated, though sometimes there are differing opinions found in books and articles. The bottom line is, use these principles as a guide, be aware of food characteristics and experiment with your own food choices to see what works for you.

Miscellaneous notes

tomatoes eat with green and non-starchy vegetables and protein
avocadoes best with salad
melons eat alone

Food-combining is a new science; it is the result of modern civilization and of the food-industry that developed concomitantly with the advent of the Industrial Revolution. If we were living off the land -- as the human race has done throughout most of its history -- this science would not exist today.

Food-Combining Principles
The principles of food-combining include the following:

1. Foods are chemicals. Our bodies are similar to test tubes in a chemistry-laboratory. As in other chemical-experiments, so in our bodies, depending upon the combination of elements, reactions ranging from sedative to explosive can be created. And, the more ingredients there are in a man-made supermarket-product, the greater the chance of a digestive explosion.

2. We digest food at various rates in various acid/alkaline environments, like automobiles that have varying levels of acceleration and speed. If you put a slow vehicle in front of a faster one on a one-lane road, the faster one must proceed more slowly in order to prevent an accident. With food in the digestive system, the faster food crashes into the slow food and causes an accident in the forms of indigestion, bloating, and poor assimilation. These accidents happen especially when you eat such foods during any one given meal.

The Basic Food-Combining Groups
The previously mentioned two observations logically-lead to the development of the following basic food- combining groups. Following each group is a list of the best examples of raw foods in each group:

1. Proteins - (average digestion-time: 4 hours):
Seeds: Pumpkin, sesame, sunflower.
Nuts: Almonds, Brazil nuts, pecans, pine nuts, walnuts
(no peanuts or cashews).

2. Starches - (average digestion-time: 3 hours):
Sprouted grains: Amaranth, barley, millet, quinoa, rye, teff.
Sprouted legumes: Chickpeas, lentils, peas.
Winter squashes: Acorn, hubbard, kabocha, spaghetti.
Sweet potatoes & yams

3. Vegetables - (average digestion-time: 2 'A hours):
Sprouted greens: Alfalfa, arugula, buckwhet mustard, radish.
Fruit vegetables: Cucumber, red bell-pepper, summer squash,
zucchini.
Leafy greens: Arugula, asparagus, broccoli, bok choy,
cabbage, cauliflower, celery,chard, collard
greens, fresh corn, kale, lettuce, mizuna,
mustard greens, scallions, spinach, watercress.
Low-starch root vegetables: Beets, burdock, carrots,
parsnips, radishes, turnips.

4. Fruits:average digestion time: 2 hours
for melons 15-30 minutes
Acid: Grapefruits, lemons, oranges, pomegranates,
strawberries.
Sub-acid: Apples, apricots, most berrie, grapes,kiwis, mango,
pears, peaches.
Sweet: Bananas, all dried fruit, persimmons.
Melons: Canary, cantaloupe, crenshaw, honeydew, Persian,
Santa Claus, watermelon.


Two Excellent Mono-Diet Foods
When eaten alone, the following two vine-ripened fruits provide great benefits:

• Vine-ripened tomatoes cleanse the liver of deposited fats.
• Vine-ripened strawberries cleanse muscle and fat cells of waste-
material.


Three Examples of Daily Food-Combining Mismatches

• "Healthy" granola usually contains rolled oats (starch), nuts (protein), and honey and dried fruits (sweet fruit) in a disastrous-albeit-tasty combination. The combination of protein and starch creates various gasses, including sulfur. The combination of starch and sweet fruit creates fermentation and alcohol.
• There are 28 ingredients in the "average" store-bought cake-mix.
• The conventional "holiday-meal" in North America includes more than 100 ingredients in
various combinations!