We had this treat Thursday and Friday of the holy week.   Some are asking how did we cook this, so let me try to enumerate here the ingredients and the how to:

INGREDIENTS:

::sticky rice (according to how many people will eat)
::half kilo sugar (brown)
:: grated coconut

::banana (diced)
::sweet potato (diced)
::taro (diced – small size)
::jackfruit (strips)
::sago (colored or non-colored will do)
::ube (optional) (diced)

Steps in cooking:

1.   Put  2 cups of warm water in the grated coconut and press.  Set aside the milk.  (do it 2 times)  The second washing, put in 4 cups.  Set aside the second washing.

2.  Put the grains of sticky rice (or you can use the powdered sticky rice) with the local ingredient called “landang”  into a big kettle.  Put enough water to cook it.  Boil.

3.  After some 20 minutes, put in the coconut milk (the first wash) with the sugar, taro, sweet potato, and the colorless sago.  Stir constantly.  Let it boil again.

4.  When the sticky rice is fully cooked, add in the banana,  jackfruit and the colored sago.  Put in the second wash of coconut milk.  Let it boil with constant stirring.  Add sugar if needed.

5.  Remove the kettle from fire when all the later ingredients are cooked.

6.  Serve in a regular size  serving bowl.

Ginataan is great merienda for young and old.

I already knew about vege burger or any meat substitute as a burger, but i never heard about coconut burger.  This afternoon, i come across a book entitlled “Livelihood Made Simple” by Dr. Indrasena P.  Wijeneyake and read ‘COCONUT BURGER”.  I then read through and found out that it is very easy to follow.  So am gonna try this on Saturday.

If you wanna try it yourself, then here is the what to and how to:

Ingredients:

2 cups coconut grated meat (sapal)
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
5 teaspoons soy sauce
1 piece egg
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vetsin (MSG) – optional
Tomatoes
Cheese – optional

Procedure:

1.  Steam the grated meat for 10-15 minutes.
2.  Mix with the other ingredients except for the last two.
3.  Form into patties and fry.
4.  Serve in hamburger bread, garnished with fresh, sliced tomatoes and cheese.

So easy to follow. right?  So if you will try to do it – please drop me a line here.

a moderate serving or two of these foods can help us maintain our ideal weight.  We had these foods last December during the year-end Departmental leadership seminar held at the MSH Conference Room.

Am cooking now and am trying to think on how to cook without giving it the right taste but just put in moderate amount of salt rock.  Luckily i found this on magazine last night, entitled HERBS FOR SALT.  It tells that there are herbs that will give a natural salty taste to the food we are going to cool.  So by doing so we can be able to have a betetr health. 

According to diet health professionals, they encourage the use of hers instead of salt.  Seasoning with herbs is very important skill for the health-conscious cook to master.  Here aer some suggestions on how to spice up your meals:

• Use no more than one-fourth teaspoon of dried herbs, or three fourths teaspoon of fresh herbs, for a dish that serves for people. 
• To soups and stews that are cooked a long time, add herbs during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
• Whe cooking vegetables or making sauces and gravies, cook herbs along with them.
• To cold foods, such as tomato juice, salad dressings, and cottage cheese, add herbs serveral hours before serving.  Storing these foods in the refrigerator for three to four hours deepens the flavor.
• Remember thatt the correct combination of herbs and spices is the one that tastes best to you.
• A very versatile seasoning is Mrs. Dash.  Use the one witout salt and low in pepper.
• Don’t over season.  Vegetables have wonderful flavors in their own right.

SALT “BOMBS”

Condiments                                  – Amount                           – Salt (mg)

Ketchup                                       3 tsp                                  1,100
Italian dressing                           3 tsp                                   2,500
Soy Sauce                                     1 tsp                                  2,500
Dill pickle                                     1 large                               3,000
Garlic Saslt                                    1 tsp                                 4,500
SAlt                                               1 tsp                                  5.000

source: Health and Home 2006

If you are a vegetarian in your lifetime you will spare the suffering of
six cows,
22 pigs,
30 sheep,
800 chickens,
50 turkeys,
15 ducks,
13 geese,
seven rabbits,
and one half ton of fish.

Imagine?  That’s a lot of animals!  And that is a lot of animals for each for a billion people in this plannet.  But how come it will never ran out of supplies of chicken and fish. hehehe

Oh well, the holidays are coming but you will never find any meat product in our ingredients comes Christmas dinner and the new year dinner.  And together with our pasta, we will also be preparing enough green salads and maybe also a bowl of thickly sliced cucumber.   We would still be cooking common Filipino holiday dishes but we would not use meat instead we will use meat substitute.

Yeah we are.  Beginning last week, the fresh veggies we are eating at home are very crunchy.  We are always vegetable eaters (cooked or fresH) but not as crunchy as we are having them now.  I asked my mom how is she preparing it?  She said, she soaked the veggies in a brine (i think it’s of salt and water).  Then to make the spray toxins washed off, before soaking it in brine, it has to be soaked too in water that has charcoal.  I love the way am eating fresh veggies at home now.

Another good news, for more than 3 weeks now my mom is not into any medication.  At first it was due to financial reasons but she continued eating fresh fruits and vegetables.  The other night when she took the meds, she felt weak and nauseous and decided she will stop taking meds altogether.

Hmm that’s yummy!  We had that for lunch yesterday and i think i ate 4 pieces of the regular size.  Ate it with the peelings on as my mom cleaned it thoroughly before having it boiled.  What can we get eating sweet potatoes?  According to the Health and Home magazine Jul-Aug edition:

” Sweet potatoes contain – ounce for ounce – more iron, vitamin A, vitamin E than white potatoes.  They’re full of fiber and antioxidants like betacarotene.  Sweet potatoes are great baked, with a little orange juice and cinnamon flavoring, or peeled, or cut into sticks, lightly coated with olive oil, and roasted for about 20 minutes in a 400 degrees Farenheit over.

photo source: internet

Hey cold time is here and there are some food that we can scarcely eat during the cold season but there are also foods that are of good supply.  Fit Sugar featured the 7 winter foods rich in antioxidants.  So Holidays does not only mean feasting on sumptious fatty foods, but you can also have a choice of healthy foods to kip you fit.

Artichokes Hearts - Artichokes are good for the liver.  They are low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals.   Although they are great fresh, you can find canned artichoke hearts packed in water in any season. Add them to your homemade pizza to make it equal parts gourmet and healthy!

Beans – they are high in fiber and protein and also high in antioxidants.   Kidney and pinto beans are higher in antioxidant levels compared to blacks beans.  We cooked at home dried ones but during the winter if supply is low they are available canned but try to pick those are low in sodium.   I love chilli baked beans.

Cranberries - Cranberries are powerhouses of antioxidant.   They are in good supply this cold season so you can eat lots of them.  They can boost your immune system during the change of climate and weather.   These cranberries protect our heart from disease and can also prevent cancer.

Pecans – They are considered on par with antioxidant superstars cherries and cranberries.  They enchance your antioxidant intake along with other berries.  Naturally sweet, eating a moderate amount of nuts weekly lowers the risk of gaining weight.

Prunes – Being dried fruits, prunes are available all year long. They are high in oxidants that fights off fats and cholesterol.  I love prunes in bits with my oats and porridge.

Granny Smith Apples – I call them “green winter apples”  This type of apple is actually high in antioxidants and provides just slightly less than strawberries. Don’t peel off the skin.  Eat the skin!  Antioxidants give color to foods, and the color of the apple is in the skin. Plus, not every apple provides the same amount of antioxidants.

Cloves – Spices add flavor as well as antioxidants to many dishes and cloves are no exception. They are high in antioxidants and you can use them in most of your winter dishes and desserts.  They also have an anti-inflammatory effect and can help relieve dental pain.

source: www.fitsugar.com

I am craving for a mash potato now like a pregnant woman craves for food.  hahaha.  Maybe will make one later in the day if i still like to eat.  So let me just share with you the mashed potato my style recipe:

Ingredients:

potatoes
carrots
mayonnaise
salt
pepper

Procedure:

1. Boil the potatoes. Skinned and mashed.

2. Peeled carrots and shred (the fine size)

3. Add 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise into the potatoes and mixed well.

4.  Then slowly add the shredded carrots and mixed until evenly blended.

5.  Add a dash of ground pepper and then salt to taste.

6.  Chill for an hour or two.

It’s been awhile since my last post.  Am trying to find health or lifestyle related articles and even think and think for any to compose – bt did not come up for some days though i’ve got something to be shared to you but still waiting for the authors approval.  So am gonna post it after this post.

I have this blog open to the world or the public last October 1 by putting up the link in my Friendster page and yea i can see that there are visits and the incoming links are from there. Thank you, guys!  I will be adding this blog to my list of personal blogs hopefully today or some days then i hope more visitors will come.

For now, let me share with you this vege choplets in a delicious recipe.  I love to eat this when i can have the chance of dining at the hospital dietary/cafeteria.  Vegetarian!  They may look meaty as in meat but these are foods minus animal fats.

photo by sunshine2008