Planting Kangkong in your back yard

Kangkong is super rich in protein, calcium, phosporous and iron. I shared a couple recipes with you (Adobong Kangkong and the Cripy Kangkong) on how you can enjoy it. I hope you like them. They are also popular in the dish, Sinigang, which you can still just get rid of the meat.

Kangkong can be planted throughout the year, either as a seed, or through vine cutting, shoots or root stocks. It's very easy to plant Kangkong too. You can't plant it close to wet areas, like near the fish pond or lake. If you don't have that around you, just make sure the soil is constantly watered. Plant 25 cm kangkong shoots or stem vines at a distance of 30 to 50cm each. You have to weed it from time to time so that it can grow healthy. It should be ready for harvest in about one and half month after. Enjoy planting! Then you can pick them out right from your garden.

Crispy Kangkong

Here's another pinoy kangkong treat that you will surely enjoy. This dish is kinda semi-healthy because the leaves are battered and deep fried basically. Crispy kangkong is super good as appetizers in parties with people who are less weary about deep fried things.

Ingredients:

• 1 bundle of kangkong
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• salt and pepper
• cooking oil for deep frying

Make sure you wash the kangkong thoroughly and let the leaves dry before you begin. Just use the kangkong leaves for this recipe. Make a batter by mixing the egg, cornstarch, flour, salt and pepper together. Dip the kangkong leaves in the batter and fry. It should just take a couple of minutes. You can serve this with mayo. I personally just like dipping this in vinegar with garlic and some salt.

Adobong Kangkong

One of the more popular Filipino dish is the Adobong Kangkong. It's super easy to make and may take you just 15 minutes. More commonly known cooked as chicken or pork, Adobong Kangkong is the most nutritious of the adobo family!

Ingredients:

a bundle of kangkong leaves
1/2 cup of diced fried tofu
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
5 cloves of minced garlic
2 pcs of bay leaves
1 diced onion
pepper

Saute garlic and onions in a pan then add the tofu. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add soy sauce, vinegar and laurel or bay leaves. Add a pinch of pepper. Add the kangkong leaves. Make sure you don't over cook it. Served perfect with rice.

green leafy power

Green leafy veggies are super good and high in anti-oxidants and vitamins A, C and K, not to mention folate, iron and calcium. It also has chlorophyll that keeps the stuff in between your teeth from decomposing. So it protects you teeth and your stomach from accumulating unhealthy particles that it may have accumulated. This week I will be featuring locally found greens that are extremely good for our bodies!

Some of the most common types of greens in the local market (palengke) are kangkong, alugbati, saluyut, malunggay, pechay, and dahon ng kamote. You can find all these in almost all palengke anywhere. Contrary to what most people think that you cannot be vegetarian in the Philippines "because there is not enough veggies happening around," there is actually so much. You just have to actually look around and you'll be surprise.

malunggay

Malunggay, for example is eaten as food, is an effective flocculant or water treatment, antibiotic, source of oil, and coagulant for turbid waters. I commonly see this in my neighbor's backyard.
Not to mention it has medicinal properties, the alugbati for example can be used for acne eruptions to reduce inflammations, it has mild laxative effects, and to hasten the discharge of boils and ulcers while Kangkong is super rich in vitamins A and C, minerals and iron. It's perfect for people who are anemic.

Vipassana One Day Course

For those who have already completed the 10-day Vipassana course with Goenka or any of his assistant teachers. You are invited to a One-day Vipassana course that will be held at 41-AM Layug St. San Miguel Village, Makati City on October 15, Sunday. This course will be simultaneous with the One-day course at the Global Vipassana Pagoda where Goenka will be present (if his health permits.)

TIMETABLE:
1:00 - 1:30 Assembly/Setup
1:30 - 2:30 Anapana Meditation (Individual Sitting)
2:30 - 3:30 Anapana/Vipassana Meditation (Individual Sitting)
3:30 - 4:30 Vipassana Meditation (Group Sitting 1)
4:30 - 5:30 Vipassana Meditation (Group Sitting 2)
6:00 - 6:30 Discourse
6:30- Course Ends

PLEASE OBSERVE NOBLE SILENCE DURING THE COURSE.

Vegetarian pot luck follows after the course.

Boracay Yoga brings you Clayton Horton on December!!!

ASHTANGA YOGA in Boracay!!!

Boracay Yoga is bring Clayton Horton to the Philippines.

Clayton Horton has been a practitioner of yoga for the past 20+ years and began teaching in 1996. He is the director and founder of Greenpath Yoga in San Fran-
cisco, CA, www.greenpathyoga.org. His practice is rooted in the Ashtanga tradition and Greenpath meditation. He is a student of Sri Pattabhi K.Jois and the Green-
sufi. He has been conducting workshops and Teacher Trainings worldwide for years.

On December 26-January 3, he will be conducting workshops in Boracay!

Also, watch out for the Teacher Training on May 2010. This will be brought to you Boracay Yoga and Greenpath Yoga .

Vegetarian Food Fair Part 2

Vegetarian Food Fair Part 2: Vegetarian Food to Go! This coming Saturday, October 31, 2009, 11AM-6PM, 222 Wilson St. San Juan Metro Manila.


MENU

Delicious Vegetarian Snacks:
Veggie-Shawarma
Veggie-Burger
Veggie-Palabok

Eggless & Tasteful:
Eggless Cakes
Eggless Cookies
Eggless Empanadas
Caramel Bars
Sansrival
Leche Flan
and a lot more!!

Dips & Spreads:
Bagoong
Soyanaise
Mock Chicken Spread

Party at 2PM and a whole day Art Bazaar!

Vegetarian Bagoong

One of my Filipino Dish is the Kare-kare, it's combination of vegetables cooked in peanuts sauce. It's super delicious! I will post the recipe here in a bit.

Anyway, I've had vegetarian bagoong which is a in its normal state, a shrimp paste. The kind that is used for Kare-kare is the sauteed with garlic and onion with some sugar to give it that salty sweet taste. I've had veggie bagoong though in Likha Diwa in UP and always wondered how they make the bagoong. They sell them in little bottles but I can't travel all the way to Quezon City from Taguig just for a little bottle of Bagoong. So I met Rose at the Vipassana retreat and she shared her wonderful recipe of the bagoong. It's super easy.

Veggie Bagoong

1/2 Kilo of Carrots
A small can of black salted Tausi beans
A small can of yellow salted Tausi beans
half a garlic
1 onion

Mash the yellow and black Tausi beans and saute it with the chopped garlic and onions. Grate the carrots. Make sure to make fine because what you want to do is imitate the texture of Bagoong. Add the carrots in the pan and wallah! You're done.

You can use the bagoong with all sorts of Filipino dishes like, Pinakbet, Binagoongang Eggplant/ maybe tofu, or of course my favorite! Kare kare

Vegetarian Friendly Restaurants in Manila

All Veg!!!

Greens. The best time to make that trip is during their vegetarian food festivals and make sure to try their vegetarian isaw, fried shitake, tofu kebabs, and cap your meal with their non dairy chocolate or apple walnut cake. Celphone#09185687649

Bodhi in the SM Malls and Evergreen in Glorietta 4 Food Court --- if you miss Pinoy food, you can get veggie versions of kare kare, menudo, afritada, etc. Try their Bopis! Take some home and make a yummy bopis fried rice! Upside: Fastfood.

Downside: Uses corn oil which is not the best oil to use for cooking

Has a Separate Vegetarian Menu

New Bombay. The flavorful Indian food is matched by the graciousness of the owners. This Indian restaurant has its humble beginnings along Buendia near the “riles.” Now they have 3 branches, open til midnight. Dela Costa St, Makati # 8192892 / 893750; Wilson St. # 7270737 /
7234135; Columns, Gil Puyat # 9013275

Red Kimono. If you and your girlfriends are craving for modern Japanese cuisine, then this is the place to go. I highly recommend their Kyuri Kani salad and their Crunch Veggy Maki as starters and their Vegetable Katsu curry for your entrée. For their mouth watering menu, visit
www.redkimono.com.ph/veg_menu.htm Tiendesitas # 7061464 and The Fort Strip # 816-6642

Queens. Craving for variety? This is a good place for you. They serve Indian, Malaysian, Indonesian, and Pinoy fusion. At the end of the meal, have their homemade Indian style ice cream. My personal fave is the pistachio. 146-B Jupiter Street, Makati # 8951316

With Vegetarian Options

Alba’s Spanish Restaurant. I highly recommend their Paella Verde. Call them in advance if you want other vegetarian food like plain potato croquettes and artichokes in olive oil without the jamon. Makati # 896-6950 Tomas Morato # 925-1912

Som’s Noodle House. Feast on their Thai curries! Their vegetarian red curry and tofu in yellow curry is to die for! Pair these dishes with the vegetarian red curry rice. You can also request patis-free Som Tam (papaya salad) to add an ultra fresh dimension to your meal. Algiers St, parallel to Rockwell Drive, # 7578079

Lai Lai. They can make a vegetarian version of your much loved Chinese dishes. Just tell the manager and they’ll prepare it for you. Request them to skip the MSG. I highly recommend this place for your weekend family gatherings. It’s worth the trip. 839-843 Ongpin Street, Binondo,
Manila.

Sonya’s Garden. When you go to Tagaytay, this is the place to go. They have a fantastic dressing for their freshly picked salad. And don’t forget to ask for the tarragon tea in the end. Before you leave, get chocolate cake from their bakery. (with eggs though!) # 09175329097,
09175335140 for reservations.

Likha Diwa. The restaurant opened after I graduated from the UP, Diliman. Located at the former Gulod, Likha Diwa serves creative Pinoy vegetarian alternatives like kare kare and tofu in coconut milk. For people on the go, try the vegetarian wraps, similar to burritos. If you like
Durian, they have a yummy durian milkshake. 1 Lot J. Francisco St. Brgy. Krus na Ligas, UP Diliman Quezon City # 925-5522

Zaifu. Request for vegetarian miso ramen with lots of vegetables – definitely a spot hitter. Powerplant Mall, Rockwell

Isshin. If you miss dumplings, they can serve vegetarian gyoza! You can also request for vegetarian miso ramen. 1024 Arnaiz Ave, Makati., # 844-1512

Zong. Order the vegetable fried rice and the steamed broccoli with garlic. Ask for some ginger in oil on the side. You can also request them to make vegetarian fried string beans without the Malaysian shrimp paste. Great for family style dining. The Fort Strip · Any Italian Restaurant should be able to prepare a vegetarian pasta dish. My favorite is the angel hair Pomodoro
with mascarpone cheese in Pasto at the Fort and the spicy Contadina with fresh homemade pasta in Bellini’s at the Marikina Shoe Expo in Cubao, # 9132550

[Taken From www.artofliving.org.ph]

Finding my center in food

Yesterday, I signed up for yoga classes in Pulse Yoga Makati. My New Year attempt in getting back on track with a healthy life style. I've been eating so much junk these days.

I know I need to lose the five pounds I've gained from eating all things creamy and fattening sweet goodies during the holidays. No regrets though, food and getting to spend time with my family eating is always something worth dieting after for.

While Lisette tells me she's going on this Buko (Coconut) fast which i think made her sick yesterday.

A friend suggested a low starch diet.

I've been pretty lenient with food these days. I know I should be paying more attention. I'm thinking I should go on a fast to cleanse all the toxins that I've taken in from the holidays. Fasting is a good way to start the year. Start clean, lean and healthy (In my case, not so lean, since I gained five pounds hanging out with my niece nephew eating donuts, cakes and ice cream.) Not minding our 20 year metabolism age difference.

One Bean Gone Green

When I was in NYC, I opted to work in vegetarian place because I wanted work that will support the lifestyle that I am creating. Something that is very challenging to do when you are living in Manila. I also wanted to explore possibilities of creating beautiful tasty food.

So I got a job at The Green Bean Cafe in NYC, located at the upper east side. It's a tiny vegetarian joint in this side of town serving tasty pasta dishes, casseroles, salads (galore!), cakes, cookies, cupcakes (that I used to ice! I am the best cupcake icer!) Icing beautiful vegan cupcakes is one of the highlights of my day at Green Bean.

Luis is one of my favorite human beings in Green Bean. He used to make me some amazing salads!

When I started, I asked Barabara, Darrel's (the owner) mom if I could work in the kitchen but they needed someone to be in the counter and so I stayed in the counter and so I did. Where I got to learn making dark green juices and enjoy too. We get all the extras that we make. I felt my skin to be really radiant while I was working in that place.

Pasta with Creamy Brocolli Sauce

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil
1 carrot, sliced
1/4 cup garlic
2-3 cups broth
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups cream, whipped
1/4 kilo tomatoes, quartered
1 big broccoli, cut into flowerettes, blanched
Salt and pepper to taste

How to cook Pasta with Creamy Brocolli Sauce:

• Cook 1/2 kilo pasta of your choice according to package directions. Toss with olive oil. Saute garlic, onion, carrots, tomatoes and broccoli. Set aside.

• In the same pan, stir in whipped cream and broth. Season to taste. Return sauteed vegetables and let cook for a few seconds before tossing in cooked pasta.

• Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.

COOKING AND HEALTH TIPS:
Crisper Veggies
Line the bottom of crisper with a paper towel to absorb liquids that make veggies wilt.

Frozen Vegetables
A quick way to separate vegetables is to pour boiling water over them in a colander and then add them to your casserole or stove-top dish to finish cooking.

[Taken from Filipino Vegetarian Recipe.com]

Have a Vegetarian Christmas!!!

With Christmas just around the corner and preparations in full swing, you might be starting to think of meal planning for the big day. It can often be challenging for vegetarians and those catering for them to get a meat-free Christmas dinner just right, especially since not all vegetarians will be happy with just roast potatoes and vegetables. Even for non-vegetarians, a meat-free dinner can be a heart-healthier option and can eliminate the pressure of finding oven space and waiting for the turkey to cook.

Meat-free mycoprotein roasts or fillets with stuffing and all the trimmings make a delightful dinner and you can marinade them with garlic and red chillies for an extra kick.

Serve up veggie burgers made with beans and lentils for a tasty fibre fix.

A nut roast made with walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts can be a delicious way to get a heart-healthy omega-3 boost.

Stuff large mushrooms and peppers with a mixture of couscous, onions, sliced peppers, carrots, almonds and fresh herbs. Mushrooms are a good source of potassium, which is great for a healthy blood pressure Butternut squash is low in fat and full of fibre and can be roasted and served with quinoa, spinach, courgettes and tomatoes.

Although roasted vegetables are traditional accompaniments to a Christmas dinner, why not go for something fresh and different such as a salad with spinach, red onion and pomegranate. Avocados can be a heart-healthy addition to a salad as they may help lower cholesterol.

A homemade tomato, basil and oregano sauce can be a heart friendly alternative to the high fat, high salt gravy. If you're feeling really adventurous why not try a tomato, cucumber and onion relish.

It doesn't matter if you're having a vegetarian dinner or not, remember to include a wide variety of vegetables and use herbs instead of salt to help keep your heart healthy this Christmas.

[From Medical News Today 10 Dec]

Spiced Coconut Sweet Potato

Spiced Coconut Sweet Potato

(Serves 4)

Ingredients
1 Onion, chopped
3 Garlic Cloves, crushed
2 Large Chillies, finely chopped
1 teasp Ground Turmeric
1 teasp freshly grated Root Ginger
Salt and Black Pepper
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
240ml/8fl.oz. Coconut Milk
360ml/12fl.oz. Water
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
450g/1lb Sweet Potato, peeled and sliced

Directions

1. Place all the ingredients, except the sweet potatoes, in a large saucepan, bring to a boil while stirring, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Add the sweet potato, mix well and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Serve hot.

Banana Blossom Ginataan

Banana Blossom Ginataan

2 banana blossoms (I just used the ones in the can, 10 oz drained)
1 cup pure coconut milk
2 tbsp vinegar (if using 5% acidity vinegar, try 1:1 vinegar/water)
1/4 cup sliced tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp veg oil
2 dried red chillies (optional if you want this slightly spicy)
salt and pepper to taste

If using fresh puso ng saging (banana blossoms): remove the tough covering of the blossoms. Slice thin crosswise. Add 2 tbsp salt and squeeze off bitter juice. Rinse in water and squeeze dry. Set aside.

If using canned puso ng saging: drain, rinse then drain again. Slice thin crosswise. Set aside.

Heat oil in skillet, if using dried red chillies, add them when the oil is hot but not smoking and let the skins darken somewhat before you add the garlic. Saute garlic until light brown. Add onion, fry till translucent, then add tomatoes. Cook for around 3 minutes. Add banana blossoms and vinegar/water mixture and then bring to boil without stirring. Simmer for around 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir. Continue to cook until banana blossom is tender. Add pure coconut cream and remove from heat. Let stand for a few minutes to help develop the flavours.