Friday, August 17, 2012

GINISANG MAIS



It's rainy season once again and therefore corn season, so it's time for me to cook 'ginisang mais' (sauteed shredded corn) using the traditional lagkitan (white glutinous open-pollinated) corn variety, sometimes called 'mais na puti' (white corn). In it I put malunggay (moringa) leaves and pieces of sliced tofu or tokwa.

Sometimes instead of malunggay, I use talbos ng sili, (chili leaves) talbos ng ampalaya (bitter melon leaves) or talbos ng kalabasa (squash young shoots). A delicious meal specially when served hot, just perfect on a stormy day. Yellow corn is also just as good tasting for boiling and snacking.

Next to rice, corn is the second most important staple food of Filipinos. It is a richer source of Vitamin A than polished rice. It has high amounts of calcium, phosphorus, carbohydrates and fiber.

Filipinos had their first taste of corn from Mexico during the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade (1564-1815). In return, the Mexican people had their first taste of tamarind, Philippine mango and lakatan. The earliest form of corn Filipinos tasted was mainly in the form tortilla and tamales (both made from corn flour). These were part of the ancient traditional Mexican diet long before European
influence. This diet was called 'comida prehispanica'.

'Comida prehispanica' was really quite simple and healthy. And it was vegetarian! - - mainly corn, pinto beans, tomatoes, squash, squash flowers, sweet potatoes, peanuts, avocados, papayas, pineapple, chilis, chili peppers, herbs and mushrooms.

After learning how to cultivate corn, the Filipinos learned how to cook them in ways adaptable to their own taste and cooking method. Thus, today we have traditional Filipino corn recipes such as suam na mais (also called sopaz de mais or sabaw na mais), ginataang mais, picadillo de mais, maja blanca, kalamay na mais, mais con yelo, binatog and many more.



In response to requests, here's my recipe of ginisang mais.

Ingredients:

6 pcs fresh corn (preferably lagkitan variety)
1/2 block tofu (125g) or 2 pcs tokwa (cubed)
1/4 c tomatoes (chopped)
2 Tbsp leeks or spring onions
1 c dahon (greens), either malunggay (moringa), ampalaya (bitter melon) or kalabasa (squash)
salt, seasoning, pepper

1. Shred corn thinly with a sharp knife or peeler. Set aside.

2. Put a little salt to cubed tofu or tokwa. Fry till half-brown (malasado).

3. Saute leeks or spring onions. Add tomatoes. Cook well. Add corn, salt, seasoning and enough water. Cover and cook. Add leafy greens. Simmer for a few minutes. Sprinkle a dash of pepper. Remove from heat. Serve hot.

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Saturday, August 11, 2012

GOURMET


A vegetarian is very discriminating in the food that he eats. He doesn’t eat just anything. He doesn’t eat any form of animal flesh because he understands and is sensitive about the subtleties of material nature. He eats for optimum health. He eats only foods that are natural and rich sources of protein, vitamins and minerals.

In the farm where we used to live when our children were growing up, our typical daily vegetarian fare consisted of rice, soy pulp burger with a variety of freshly-picked vegetables such as sweet corn, okra, sitaw, kamote leaves, eggplant, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, radish, peanuts and many more. I cooked them in very simple yet tasty dishes that my husband and children enjoyed. We had fresh fruits like papayas, avocados, bananas and others. For drinks, we had home-made soy milk, fresh buko juice (young coconut), fresh passion fruit juice or some other fruit juice.

So I would tell the kids, “Look, our food may be considered poor man’s food but IT IS gourmet food!” It was so because such meals were of the highest standard of health, nutrition, freshness and taste. These we enjoyed in just the right amount.


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Monday, August 6, 2012

CHOLESTEROL IN YOUR MEAT DIET


In my cooking classes and lectures, I have been asked many times about cholesterol - - the most common question being, ‘how can I lower my cholesterol level?’.

I tell them that if you want to lower your cholesterol level, the most important ‘food group' you have to eliminate in your diet are all types of meat, fish, poultry and eggs. If you do this, in one hit you will cut out a major portion of cholesterol and saturated fat in your blood system. 

Cholesterol is produced in the liver, so a food must have had a liver to produce cholesterol. In other words, only animal flesh (including fish and seafoods) and animal products (dairy and eggs) contain cholesterol. Plants and products made from plants contain no cholesterol. 

The human body DOES need cholesterol to function properly, but it manufactures its own. The body produces 500 to 1,000 miligrams of cholesterol a day and doesn't need to get any through foods eaten. The average count for a healthy person is about 150 miligrams of cholesterol per 100 millimeter of blood serum. If you regularly eat too much meat and eggs, cholesterol count gets as high as 250 milligrams per 100 millimeters of blood serum. When it gets this high, that's when fat deposits form in the arterial lining. 

There are two kinds of cholesterol in the human body -- the bad kind and the good kind. When bad cholesterol circulates in your blood, it forms deposits on the arteries that supply blood to the heart and brain. This will gradually form a hard plaque on the arterial walls making them thick and inflexible. If this build up becomes so great that there is blockage in the arteries, one could get a heart attack and stroke. 

When we speak of bad cholesterol, we also speak of saturated fat. It is interesting to know that if you eat meat, fish and eggs, you also consume saturated fat. What has saturated fat got to do with cholesterol? Saturated fat increases the cholesterol level. 

If you eat animal food, not only do you increase your cholesterol count by the cholesterol already contained in it, but it's 'other bad friend'- -saturated fat- -rides along with it to increase the count even higher! So by refraining from eating food in the animal kingdom, cholesterol and saturated fat are automatically eliminated.

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Wednesday, August 1, 2012

GETTING TO KNOW PROTEIN



When I became a vegetarian many years ago, I became aware of protein. Before that, protein was just something that I came across in elementary science class. I guess it automatically follows that when you are changing to a non-meat diet, ‘protein’ begins to have an important meaning to you. So now that I hope you are considering a possible change of diet too, it will help to know a little bit about protein.

What is protein? Protein is a large molecule compound made up of 22 amino acids linked together. There are more than 50,000 different proteins in our bodies. Each one is made up of 22 amino acids arranged in a certain sequence according to that protein's function. The most important function of protein is to build up, keep up and replace tissues in our body. Our body uses protein to build just about everything: skin, hair, muscles and organs. Protein helps in the transfer of messages in our brain. Many of our hormones are made up of protein.

Our body is able to produce 14 of the 22 amino acids needed for each protein to be complete. But the body cannot produce the remaining 8. They are called the ''8 essential amino acids''. We have to get them from the food we eat.

Generally, meat food is considered the only source of protein, that therefore we have to eat meat in order to get complete protein. The fact is, even if a diet is exclusively vegetarian, it can provide all the 8 essential amino acids you need for maximum health. There is no need for meat, fish or egg food. Vegetable food is complete. It is enough simply to have a combination of fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains and seeds in your meals everyday.

Throughout history, whole grains combined with legumes are the most important source of nutritious protein in ancient civilizations. In India it's rice, wheat and beans. In China, Japan and the Orient, it's rice, soy beans and millet. In the Mediterranean, it's lentils, couscous and wheat. In Mexico and South America, it's pinto beans and corn. In the Middle East, it's fava or garbanzos with wheat.

When choosing protein-rich food, pay attention to what comes along with the protein. With animal sources of protein such as meat and eggs, what comes along are cholesterol and saturated fat. With vegetable sources of protein such as beans, nuts and whole grains, what comes along are healthy fiber, vitamins and minerals. 


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