Agriculture Business Week

Here’s something light and healthy to start your Noche Buena feast.

The problem with the traditional Noche Buena dinners is that they are so rich. While it is true that hams, lechon (pork or chicken) and embutido are truly yummy and mouthwatering, they are also full of fat and bad cholesterol, which to the hypertensive and diabetic lot, spell danger. For people with dietary problems or even for the plain health conscious, we recommend this healthy Ensalada de noche Buena to start their delicious Christmas meal.

Ensalada comes from the Latin word salata which means salty. Of Spanish origin, ensalada is an appetizer which is actually a medley of vegetables, fruits, nuts, croutons, fish, cheese, etc. served with salad dressing. Through the years, culinary experts have created various versions of ensalada using different ingredients and dressings. We recommend this healthy salad to perk up your traditional Christmas family dinner.

Yield:
8 servings (serving size: about 1 2/3 cups salad and about 1 tablespoon dressing)

Ingredients :
4 large navel oranges
large red grapefruit
3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled jicama (about 1 pound)
3/4 cup slivered red radishes (about 6 medium)
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime rind
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons plain fat-free yogurt
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1 1/ 2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of salt
4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
cup pomegranate seeds
3 tablespoons unsalted pumpkinseed kernels, toasted 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation
Peel and section oranges and grapefruit over a large bowl, reserving juice; add sections to juice. Add jicama and radishes to orange mixture; toss gently. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Combine rind and next six ingredients (through salt) in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Arrange lettuce in a large bowl. Using a slotted spoon, place the orange mixture over lettuce; drizzle evenly with yogurt mixture. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seed kernels, and cilantro.

Nutritional information:
Calories 133 (22% from fat)
Fat      3.3 g (sat. 3.3 g mono. 1.6 g poly. 1.2 g)
Protein    2.2 g
Carbohydrate 26.2 g
Fiber    5.7 g
Cholesterol    2.6 mg
Iron    0.9 mg
Sodium    58 mg
Calcium    65 mg

Posted on November 5th, 2010 under Income Booster. Tags: Ensalada, Noche Buena, Recipes. Comments: None

There are a lot of variations of this Ilocano dish but nothing compares to the version of the great Ilocano cooks.

In the Northern part of the country, some people I say pinakbet tastes different from the ones served in the restaurants of Manila, or even from the Southern part of the Philippines. The ampalaya tastes more bitter, the bagoong, saltier and the rest of the ingredients, a little bit crispier.

Pinakbet is the contracted form of the Ilocano word pinakebbet, meaning “shrunk” or shriveled.” In Ilocos province, people use bagoong as the main flavor of this all-Filipino dish, while in the South, alamang is preferred. Other ingredients include eggplant, tomatoes, ginger, squash, lima beans, winged beans, etc. But through the years, pinakbet has evolved into various forms. Let’s try to learn the classic way of preparing this great Ilocano dish.

(more…)

Posted on June 27th, 2010 under Income Booster. Tags: Pinakbet, Recipes, Veggies. Comments: None

Learn how to make this famous Pinoy sandwich spread.

Ingredients
• grated coconut
• brown sugar
• glucose (corn syrup)

Utensils
• expeller or press
• stainless steel cooking vessel
• stainless steel spoon or ladle
• stove

Packaging material
Sterilized glass jars with new PVC caps

(more…)

Posted on August 6th, 2009 under Income Booster. Tags: Coco Jam, Panucha, Recipes, Spread. Comments: 1

Make your own sawsawan at home!

The native vinegar has gone a long way, from being a home- consumption product to an export commodity. Common raw materials for making vinegar are cane sugar juice, coconut water or nipa sap. Aside from these pineapples, bananas, oranges, potatoes and sweet potatoes can also be fermented into vinegar. Waste peels and fruit cores can be put to good use as starting materials for vinegar.

Grid or crush the fruit, then boil in water of the same amount as ground flesh, peels and cores. Boil until soft, then strain the juice though a cheese cloth.

Add 1/4 (one fourth) pound of sugar for every liter of juice extracted from fruit peels and cores. Do not add sugar when using ripe fruit.

(more…)

Posted on May 8th, 2009 under Income Booster. Tags: Recipes, Vinegar. Comments: 2

Learn how to cook this well-loved merienda!

Lomi or pancit lomi is a Chinese-Filipino dish made with a variety of thick fresh egg noodles of about a quarter of an inch in diameter. Because of its popularity at least in the eastern part of Batangas, there are as many styles of cooking lomi as there are eateries, panciterias or restaurants offering the dish. Variations in recipes and quality are therefore very common.

Magic meat is added in hydrated form to lessen the pork content and the addition of soy protein increases the volume and nutritional value of the recipe.

(more…)

Posted on April 30th, 2009 under Income Booster. Tags: Lomi, Magic Meat, Merienda, Pancit, Recipes. Comments: 2

Here are some useful recipes for ampalaya :

Ampalaya con carne

Ingredients:
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 medium (50 g) onion, sliced
• 200 g beef round, cut into strips
• 3/4 cup water
• 1-1/2 tbsp tausi (salted black beans)
• 1 can (140 g) Tomato Sauce
• 1 bunch (200 g) sitao (string beans), cut into 1-1/2″ long PCs.
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 large (300 g) ampalaya (bitter melon), seeded and thinly sliced

(more…)

Posted on April 8th, 2009 under Income Booster, Vegetables. Tags: Ampalaya, Bitter Gourd, Recipes, Veggies. Comments: 2

Probiotics are dietary supplements and live microorganisms containing potentially beneficial bacteria or yeasts. According to the currently adopted definition by FAO/WHO, probiotics are: ‘Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host’.

Materials:
1/4 kg broken rice (binlud)
1 kg brown sugar or molasses

Equipment:
Cooking pot Shallow tray Old newspapers Straws for tying
Wide mouth bottles (for storing)

Procedure:
1. Cook porridge out of broken rice. Cool and spread on shallow tray about 1 inch thick.
2. Cover the tray with newspaper and lightly tie it with straw to prevent insects from crawling in.

(more…)

Posted on February 7th, 2009 under Livestock, Plant, Poultry. Tags: Cattle, Chicken, Duck, Goat, Pigs/Hogs, Plants, Probiotics, Recipes, Sheep, Turkey. Comments: 56

Here are the ingredients you will be needing to make a delicious squash soup :

Ingredients:
Squash
Veggie ham, diced
Button mushroom
Soya bean paste

Seasoning :
Salt
Ground Pepper
Margarine

Procedures:
1. Slice squash thinly and steam, then add margarine.
2. Osterize steamed squash with blender.
3. Dice veggie ham and button mushroom.
4. Add 1 cup water into the wok. Add squash, veggie ham and button mushroom. Boil and thicken with starch. Season with salt.
5. Put ground pepper or oregano or basil powder before serving.

Posted on January 28th, 2009 under Income Booster, Vegetables. Tags: Recipes, Squash, Veggies. Comments: 1

When people think of milk, they usually associate it with goats, cows, or carabaos. Seldom will anyone think of plants as a source of alternative milk like soya milk.

Soya milk is cheaper than dairy or animal milk. It is also low in fat or lactose, whereas cow’s milk can have as much as 4%-5% saturated fat. What’s fantastic about soya milk is that it is high in protein and free from cholesterol.

According to the book Tofu & Soya, soya milk has the same protein content as goat’s milk and the same level of calcium as cow’s milk. A 100 ml of soya milk contains 0.63 mg riboflavin, 3.2 mcg vitamin B, and 1.5 mcg vitamin D, and has a total energy of 430 kilocalories.

(more…)

Posted on January 24th, 2009 under Income Booster, Livestock. Tags: Dairy, Milk, Recipes, Soya. Comments: 2

Here are some other fast and easy ways to enjoy strawberries:

1. Strawberries and Cream – Slice them in half (or whole if desired), put them in a mixture of whipped all-purpose cream and confectioner’s sugar (regular white sugar will do) to taste. Put them in a bowl, chill for an hour before serving.

2. Strawberries and Condensed Milk – Dip whole strawberries in condensed milk and pop them in your mouth.

(more…)

Posted on January 16th, 2009 under Fruits, Income Booster. Tags: Recipes, Strawberry. Comments: None

Kare-kare is a Philippine stew. It is made from peanut sauce with a variety of vegetables, stewed oxtail, beef, and occasionally offal or tripe. Meat variants may include goat meat or (rarely) chicken. It is often eaten with bagoong (shrimp paste), sometimes spiced with chili, and sprinkled with calamansi lime juice. Any Filipino fiesta, particularly in the Tagalog region, is not complete without kare-kare.

For homemakers, food establishments and carinderia owners we would like to introduce “Magic Meat” which is processed from soybeans.

Meat magic cutlets is a healthy meat alternative, an all natural food containing no cholesterol. It is high in soy protein, complete with all the essential amino acids.

(more…)

Posted on December 4th, 2008 under Income Booster. Tags: Chicken, Recipes. Comments: 1

Ingredients used in the making of puto bumbong:
• 1K malagkit/galopong (glutinous) rice, mixed with 125 grams ordinary rice
• 1 pc shredded mature coconut
• butter or margarine
• 1/5 tsp. Lilac or violet food coloring
• banana leaves
• pandan leaves
• water
• salt
• sugar

(more…)

Posted on December 4th, 2008 under Income Booster. Tags: Puto Bumbong, Recipes. Comments: 2

This special Spanish treat can surely liven up your meals.

Chicken relleno or Stuffed chicken comes from the Spanish word “Rellenar” which means “to stuff. The chicken is stuffed with ground pork, vegetables, hard boiled egg, chorizo or ham, and then baked. Dressed chicken should weigh 1.4 kilograms to come up with a chicken relleno of 2.0 kilograms cooked weight. Cooking can be done in an oven or turbo at 160 °F for 1 1/2 hours.

One piece of Chicken relleno costs Php800.00). This is a good give away for special occasions like the coming Christmas season.

(more…)

Posted on November 14th, 2008 under Income Booster. Tags: Chicken, Recipes. Comments: 1

Yogart is regarded as a health food because it contains beneficial bacteria. However, yogurt is quite expensive. Locally-made yogurt costs about P31, while imported brands (125 to 150 ml serving sizes) range from P45 to P65.

But hey, one doesn’t have to spend much for yogurt. With basic kitchen equipment, thick wad of newspaper, and unflavored yogurt, one can easily make it at home. Here’s how.

MATERIALS:
You will need fresh milk (if you own a dairy cow) or instant powdered whole milk, and unflavored yogurt. This will serve as a yogurt starter, and its shelf life should be six months from the time of purchase.

(more…)

Posted on October 24th, 2008 under Income Booster. Tags: Recipes, Yogurt. Comments: 1