It’s not easy to find your go-to low carb recipe that’s easy, cheap, and tasty. I get it. It’s had enough to stay on your course for a healthier you. It’s all the preparation that really gets me off track.
So today I’m sharing this mushroom omelette recipe for a healthy breakfast that can stand on its own as a low carb, keto-friendly, but can also be eaten by the kids and hubby who are not on the low carb plan. You can cook this for the long term, long after the low carb diet phase has passed your When I’m feeling lazy to prepare anything, much less go through the whole rigmarole of meal planning, I just cook this one. The best thing is, you can cook it for breakfast, lunch, and my, my, even dinner! Lol.
Fluffy Cheese Mushroom Omelette
Category:
Breakfast
Cuisine:
American
Ingredients
3 eggs
1 tbsp water
salt and pepper + seasoning as optional
30 g butter / 1.1 oz (for frying)
30 g cheese (shredded) / 1.1 oz
20 g / 4 teaspoons chopped white onion
1 can mushrooms
Instructions
Add half the butter on a large skillet and saute the onions until translucent (about 3 minutes). Add the mushrooms and cook over medium heat. Set aside.
Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add water. Whisk the eggs with a fork until smooth and frothy. Add salt and spices to taste.
Melt butter in a frying pan. Once the butter has melted, pour in half of the egg mixture and tilt the pan until base is coated. Add the rest of the whisked eggs.
When the omelet begins to cook and the eggs set and firm, but still has a little raw egg on top, sprinkle shredded cheese, add the mushrooms, and onion on top.
Using a spatula, carefully ease around the edges of the omelet, and then fold it over in half. When it starts to turn golden brown underneath, remove the pan from the heat and tilt the pan to slide the omelet on to a plate.
Top with some greens (maybe some parsley or spring onions) and a sprinkling of freshly turned black pepper. Feel free to use some other seasoning as well. (Sriracha works great!)
Notes
If you're not in a low carb diet, this is great to serve with toast.
Chicken Tinola is all things the American chicken soup must be for the Filipino soul. During rainy days or cold nights, this is the perfect soup to cure loneliness, common colds, and existential angst.
The tinola or chicken tinola soup is a traditional chicken Filipino soup cooked in ginger. Added with chunks of papaya and greens such as sili or malunngay leaves, it is a healthy and delicious chicken meal that is perfect to cook for the family. Serve it with rice and a dip of patis and calamansi and you’d be cured of whatever it is that is ailing you.
Traditionally, they serve this dish to new moms who have just given birth as the malunggay (rich in calcium) is supposed to aid in making milk for the baby. Personally, I prefer to top it with the sili leaves because the smell is just heavenly. Either way, you and your family members will be sure to enjoy this chicken tinola recipe during the colds of December to February.
How to Cook Tinolang Manok
Save this quick and easy chicken meal by clicking the print button below!
Chicken Tinola Recipe
Category:
Chicken
Cuisine:
Filipino
Ingredients
1 TBSP cooking oil
1 red onion, small -sized, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 thumb sized ginger, cut into strips
2 TBSP patis (fish sauce)
1/2 kilo chicken, cut into pieces
1 liter water
1 small -sized green papaya, sliced
2 stalks dahon ng sili (sili leaves)
Instructions
Saute the onion, ginger, and garlic in cooking oil.
Add chicken and patis (fish sauce). let cook for a few minutes until chicken renders a bit of oil.
Add water and let boil.
When boiling, add papaya simmer until cooked.
Add dahon ng sili at the last minute and turn off heat.
My son, who happened to have a chicken allergy when he was young, is super sensitive to chicken(y) smell. What we call as “malansa” or ‘fishy”, only this time, it’s related to chicken and not fish. Weird, I know. Some people can smell it but my hubby who eats any kind of chicken, swears that he doesnt smell anything at all.
That’s why, for me, it is really important to saute the chicken in lots of garlic and ginger for at least 5 minutes or so to remove this smell. Around this part, it’s a step in cooking called “sangkutsa” where you render a bit of fat first and let the meat absorb the flavors of garlic and ginger.
If I skip on this step in cooking the tinolang manok, I notice that he doesn’t eat a lot and its not as satisfying for the cook. In any case, make sure not to skip that “sangkutsa” step even if you’re rushing. This is doubly important if you got the chicken fro the grocery and its not as fresh as you would like.
Options:
If you’re lacking in ingredients, you can mix and match. Papaya can be replaced with Sayote. For the greens, as I mentioned, either Sili leaves or malungay leaves will do. If you’re using malunggay (moringa) leaves, they take a bit more time to cook so add those in along with the papaya. I’ve seen some versions with cabbage too -like beef nilaga. When I’m in Manila, I get the leaves from my neighbors. They have malunggay too! But any market or big grocery store have them. If you don’t have ginger, lemongrass can be a good substitute too!
For my lazy low-carb followers and readers, you can tweak this recipe to your liking (less salt or patis) and eat it on its own without rice. The papaya is very filling and can provide enough satiety so you don’t feel deprived. If you’re into Pinoy low carb diet, check out my practical low carb weekly meal plan too!
Making Spam Musubi – using the ultimate Spam or really, Maling would do just as fine, is really easy and simple. Only 5 ingredients and you’d be all set for a great kiddie lunch or baon for work!
It must be the season -Im so into Hawaiian food these days. You know sometimes I go off tangent with a particular kind of food and recently, it’s Hawaiian food I’m crazy about. Only recently I blogged about Simple Poke Poke Recipe, and now I’m writing about Spam Musubi. So technically, musubi is Japanese in origin. It came from omusubi which is Japanese rice balls. but the addition of Spam made it Hawaiian.
A long time ago, there was this Japanese mom in Hawaii who thought than she can fuse Spam and omusubi together and the snack was born.
Spam is a Hawaiian local favorite, becoming popular after World War II. Spam was brought over from the mainland US for the troops during the war, and the large military presence in Hawaii led to Spam’s widespread local adoption.
Spam musubi is only made of 5 ingredients and so easy to do! And you dont really need a spam musubi maker in order to do this. Just reserve your Spam can, open both sides and use it as your DIY musubi molder. Make sure to be careful with the edge of the can though! If you’re a bit on the budget, there’s also a Purefoods luncheon meat version that has a square can. The trick really is to find a luncheon meat that has the same shape as the Spam.
Also, in this recipe, I used coke, but you can just as easily use a mixure of sugar, water, and soy sauce. Oyster sauce should be fine to use too! There are no hard rules with Spam Musubi.
The Hawaiian version has furikake, and sometimes, at our local local grocery store there’s this version. Its not really required but its great to sprinkle on top of the spam musubi..
Spam Musubi
Category:
Food, Meat
spam musubi
Ingredients
4 cups cooked rice (Japanese rice or those that are a bit sticky will do)
Spam
1/2 cup Coke
1 TBSP soy sauce
Nori Sheets cut to size
Instructions
Slice the Spam as thick or as thin as you like.
Mix the soy sauce and coke. Start with 1 TBSP and add as you like. Some like it sweet, some like it salty.
Using a non stick pan, fry the Spam in batches and add some of the coke/soy sauce mixture. Wait until it caramelizes and the liquid is absorbed then transfer to plate. Do this for all the Spam. Use medium fire and make sure it doesnt burn. (Because of the propensity for burning, sometimes I just marinate the Spam instead of cooking it with the liquid, either way is cool and the kids love it)
Lay the nori at the bottom. Add the prepared can at the top and carefully add rice. You can do 2 designs. One with the Spam halfway in between the rice and one with the Spam on top.
Remove the can and wrap the nori around the rice. Use a few grains of rice to make sure that the nori is firmly stuck together.
Recently, I’ve been having these strange cravings. I happened to pass by this Poke store near us and was curious -because we dont have Poke Poke here. It looked so summery and cool, the color of mango popping up. Just looking at the photos made me salivate and imagine the taste. I have not had the opportunity to taste it before.
I know it came from Hawaii and I know that several decades ago, there was a mass migration of Ilocanos there. Does it have any relation to the Ilocano Poqui Poqui then? Poqui Poqui is a vegetarian dish of grilled eggplant, mashed and mixed with garlic, eggs, and onions.
So I did some digging, and it turns out, it is the other way around. The Ilocanos who came back from Hawaii named the dish. Our Poqui Poqui came from the Hawaian word “poki” which means to cut up or mash. Which is also where Poke Poke got its name.
The price per bowl was really shocking. About P300 or P400 per bowl would really ruin my daily budget. Then I met a friend from High School and Poke is one among her new offering at her food stands in weekend markets.
She said poke is really easy to make -like our own Kinilaw but with soy sauce or mayonnaise as base. Thankfully, she share her easy tuna poke poke recipe.
Rowena’s Tuna Poke Poke Bowl
Ingredients:
-cooked Japanese rice
-tuna -washed, cleaned, and cut into small squares
-Toppings – (Choose at least 3)
Kani
Mango
Kimchi
Avocado
Grapes
Bacon
-Japanese Mayo
-Wasabi Mayo
-Nori Strips
-Black Sesame Seeds
Instructions:
Prepare everything.
Layer everything starting with rice, toppings, mayo, then the nori strips and black sesame seeds.
That’s it! You can prepare everything, have a poke party and get your visitors to make their own version. Enjoy!
PS: My favorite is the one with mango. Its like eating California Maki in a bowl.
Pursuing an organic healthy lifestyle for your family and for your children is a challenge nowadays. With the proliferation of easy fast food take outs and ready made food products, the modern mom finds that we really need to be conscious when shifting to a healthier organic lifestyle.
In the Philippines, there is a growing movement of people who are becoming more conscious and choosing organically grown food as the source of their sustenance. Organic food (as opposed to natural food) are produced without toxic synthetic pesticides, toxic synthetic herbicides, or chemical NPK fertilizers are used in production, and no antibiotics or growth hormones are given to animals.
It’s no surprise that going organic may have multiple benefits that help us lead more healthy lives.
In a recent talk by Wyeth Nutrition Medical Director Dr Neva Luna Batayola, advocates of organic milk for babies, at the Promil Organic launch at the Palazzo Verde in Las Pinas, she shared several tips on teaching and encouraging our children to eat healthy.
Wyeth Nutrition Medical Director Dr Neva Luna Batayola on encouraging your children to eat healthy
She says that it is important to get the children involved. Take them to the market. Have them pick out organic fruits and vegetables. Go to the source. If possible show your kids how foods grow from farms to the market. It’s no surprise that lots of city kids don’t know what food looks like before they are processed and packed for the grocery. I know it’s hard to take your kids, but make a plan to once in a while show them what whole foods look like.
Another tip is to make healthy snacks available. I make fried plantains and sweet potato chips, homemade french fries to name a few. You can prepare fruits and vegetables into juices that can be easily grabbed as they do their daily tasks and chores or when they’re glued to their gadgets. My kids don’t like eating fruits but when they’re turned into juices, they drink them without complaints. Careful with too much sugar too! Trust me, kids go hungry all the time! If there are no chocolates or junk food in the refrigerator, they will gradually shift to nutritious snacks that are not full of MSG and other food additives. (This works for adults too!)
Which brings me to this point. Be a role model. Kids mimic and copy what they see. If they see you eating unhealthy food in the refrigerator, they will acquire this habit even when you force them to eat healthy food.
According to a study shared by Dr Batayola, the things they eat at the first five years of their life are most likely the same food that they will eat for the rest of their life. So we have to teach healthy eating habits early. But when things don’t go as planned, don’t give up! They will probably not eat healthy and organic food the first few times you try it but they will adapt to it sooner or later.
Introducing the Promil Organic Milk
And with the recent launch of the Promil Organic milk brand in the market, Filipino moms now have the option to provide their children with better nutrition. The latest Promil Organic Milk in the Philippines is an innovation from the leading nutrition firm that is made from the best of nature and expertly designed to nurture children’s gifts. Promil Organic is designed for preschoolers to help them get ready – an organic milk that will help develop their minds and bodies.
Why Organic Milk
“Promil, moms’ trusted partner for the past 30 years, recognizes the growing needs of moms to provide a healthier foundation for their child through the organic lifestyle. And it’s never too early to start.
“We developed Promil®Organic to address the growing demand for organic milk products. It is made from 100% organic dairy milk from certified organic European farms,” says Theresa Chong, Marketing Director, Wyeth Philippines Inc.
Proud moms Andi Manzano, Cat Ledesma, and Hindy Weber Tantoco hosted the event, sharing their own inspiring stories about motherhood to encourage parents to try an organic lifestyle.
Cat Juan Ledesma, Andi Manzano Reyes, and Hindi Weber share insights about being a mom and tips on parenting
“We are proud to be joined by these women who pursue a healthy lifestyle,” says Patricia Cuna, Brand Manager for Promil® Organic. “They are dedicated mothers and organic milk proponents who only want the best for their children. We hope that their support could help us to inspire more parents to try a healthier lifestyle for their family, starting with Promil® Organic.”
The Chinese New Year is coming up again and if you’re like me, who have generous Filipino-Chinese friends, bosses, or colleagues, you’ll have dozens of Tikoy in the refrigerator before the end of February. They love giving away this sticky and sweet glutinous rice as a symbol of prosperity and abundance.
We usually have them traditionally on the Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) but we always have so much leftover and we have found new ways of enjoying the Tikoy.
Today, I’m sharing a really simple Tikoy Recipe, adapted to the Filipino taste buds. This is best for your leftover tikoy. It’s called Tikoy sa Latik, patterned after Kalamay sa Latik, a specialty glutinous dessert in the Southern Tagalog regions. The kalamay (or in this case, the tikoy) is drenched in sugar syrup then topped with latik and sweet langka. Unfortunately, I have no Langka today, but it’s okay. The tikoy recipe can stand on its own. Maybe you can also add those colored sago for a more festive look.
I learned this Tikoy recipe last year when I was looking for what to do with leftovers Chinese food at the Ifoodala Food Group in Facebook and its been a hit at home so I’m making them again this year. You can have a choice of different colors and flavors. Eng Bee Tin has several. There’s also ube, pandan, sweet corn, and even munggo flavored tikoy.
It’s really good and super easy! The smell of the latik was super awesome as I was making this. My little one, who is not feeling so good today mustered the strength to ask what I was cooking, thank goodness. In reverse, you can also use this recipe for Kalamay sa Latik!
Tikoy sa Latik Recipe
Category:
Dessert, Food
Ingredients
2 small box of Tikoy cut in small squares
Latik
2 cups Coconut Cream
Arnibal
2 cups dark brown sugar
2 cups water
Instructions
Prepare the latik by gently simmering the coconut cream. Latik is created when oil is separated from the cream and the cream becomes curds. Watch it when it begins to boil so your latik will not burn. I tried creating this using canned coconut cream before but it did not have as many latik as I expected. Set the latik aside.
Prepare your arnibal or sugar syrup by mixing water and sugar in a pan. Allow to boil till syrupy.
Add the Tikoy to the boiling arnibal and stir for about 3 minutes or until TIkoy is done. Do not overcook or the Tikoy will melt.
Prepare the latik by gently simmering the coconut cream. Latik is created when oil is separated from the cream and the cream becomes curds. Watch it when it begins to boil so your latik will not burn. I tried creating this using canned coconut cream before but it did not have as many latik as I expected. Set the latik aside.
Prepare your arnibal or sugar syrup by mixing water and sugar in a pan. Allow to boil till syrupy.
Add the Tikoy to the boiling arnibal and stir for about 3 minutes or until TIkoy is done. Do not overcook or the Tikoy will melt.
