How sweet tooth diabetics can celebrate sweet Valentine's

Chocolate has always been a staple Valentine's gift, but not a chocolate drink perhaps, but then since if it is for diabetic, and most chocolates out there that are for diabetic would be the dark one or sweetened artificially, why not try Glow Coconut Sugar's best seller, CHOCOCO, it's formulated from Bacolod by Casa Carmela exclusively for SNMCorporation, and was launched during the Ultimate Taste Test by OAP. It's a hit, but unfortunately wasn't able to get that UTT 5.0 title, but nonetheless it was a consistent crowd pleaser, as it received a good feedback from the past World Bazaar 2010.

Home-baked or made goodies, are the best gift for Valentine's if you ask me. They're sweet plus they're labor of love, and if you would also give it a thought--- you can customized every bit of it. I met a mom in a bazaar, where she studied baking in United Kingdom for her hubby, and she didn't just study, she focused her expertise in making diabetic-friendly deserts, as her husband's been diabetic all his life but then he has a sweet tooth, and deprived of goodies we all enjoy--- like cakes, cupcakes. She's baking her cakes with natural sweeteners that she found here in the Philippines, Coconut Sugar. A little bit of experimentation is needed to get used to using Coconut Sugar in your baking, because it has a different moisture content, but then it can be 1:1 proportion, just like the regular sugar. What's good is that, at any amount you use, the Glycemic Index is at 35 joining on the lowest bracket of the index. So now, the mom's hubby an indulge himself, with the sweetest cake her lovely wife specially baked for him. The gesture of baking it yourself, makes it even sweeter.

*By the way, the photos on both posters are not mine.

Budgeted Dinner Date for Valentine's (with a bit of Chinese New Year)

Well, as you all know Valentine's day is coming, so as the Chinese New Year--- eating holidays yet again. We are here in the search for the cheapest but yet romantic dinner or well lunch, if there's no other choice, to throw in the 'date'.

I have found one on my Facebook for Valentine's date:
1. Chef Robert at Banawe: Valentine's Meal Set at PhP750.00 (He had the most horrendous poster so I did my version, but you can visit his newly installed website here and view the poster)

You would all remember the Salad Rolls from the first of my many visits there. The Boneless Crispy Pata--- is a new addition to his menu, and I tell you it is good--- you would also remember that I told you, I am not a pork eater, but I ate Chef Robert's Pork Cutlet--- this time I ate (some) Boneless Crispy Pata--- it is good for your senior citizen folks. My parents' loved the pata and of course their all time favorite -- the Salad Rolls--- mom is the only who told me it is a unique dish that she would always love to have, no 'sawa' factor.

Cool at PhP750.00 for all that plus a gift for her, who would not go with this promo, but to impress her you could order some more (but I bet the girl would be a bit shy to eat heavy). So reserve now at 740 9330 or 413 0674

More of the Valentine's Dinner Date search, next time. Still looking. I have a budget constraint of PhP1500 (for two). LOL. Challenge!
I found another one, but it was last year's rate and it's a little over the budget LOL, but hey, it's a hotel:
Hyatt Hotel and Casino's Lili's Valentine's meal last year was on at PhP1,950.00 nett per person (okay not little bit). Search again.

I also found one for the Chinese New Year celebration:
1. If you're tired of eating the same dimsum you always eat (even if it's not Chinese New Year) you can always try Aquaknox Viet Kitchen, were in they serve modern Vietnamese cuisine. You would also remember my visit there during our GFAPY's Dinner in their Makati branch, where it was closed for a few for the renovation, and they're opening this coming February 3, yes Chinese New Year with Chef Danny's new dishes.

The new menu would start at PhP99.00 and now buffet lunch are served daily, you can catch what's latest for Aquaknox at their Facebook account.

Go Gogi Gui! Meating the Stars

We all know (well if you have read my blog) about my meat issues, the cube cuts, especially. The last meat quest was Coco Adobo--- pork stew. And then my aunt prepared a taste drive for her Korean grill recipes--- Korean grill which suggest lots of marinated meat (like beef, pork and chicken), hmm, well I can tell you it’s worth the cheat (or no not cheat because I am not vegan, just of sort).

Most of the dishes were out, prepared on the table; Kong-Kongs were eating already (and heard that they never left the table) and from my first glimpse of the food prepared--- I thought to myself--- I am a dead meat. LOL. Not in that bad sense okay, it’s just because there’s so much food, it was overwhelming.

When we were all rested in our respective seats, our first course (which was not appetizer, the taste drive only goes straight to main, and we love main dish) were placed for us to devour. I refrain from taking the pork and instead took the chicken barbeque---

The chicken is the better version of that one in Mang Inasal Bacolod, maybe because the chicken wasn’t commercial--- a choice cut. It doesn’t have those annoying little bones and litid that interrupts your juicy munch of the mix dulcet taste and smoke from the burnt marinade. I enjoyed one and left the other so I can stuff myself with other delectable.

Okay, here’s a very revealing thing--- okay not revealing (I am doing the advertising copywriting again), but yeah, I guess this made me see beef in a new perspective (but I highly doubt that it would be a staple to my un-healthy-healthy-diet)

Meet the Korean beef stew--- hmm, sweet killers, sweet with little kick, but I’ll tell you about the MEAT, meat the beef, soft that with every bite it melts (figuratively and literally) and as it does you can taste its sweet and spicy mix, with the sesame aroma to add to your appetite.

It’s rich in taste but doesn’t really make you that full--- more of still light because of the pressurized beef that made it luscious and the blissful smell.

Talking about blissful, here’s my bliss. LOL. Squid Chopsuey, it’s light, fresh, easy to eat, savoury flavours of soy, and sesame.

I think squids are tricky, I’ve had squids that are gummy and they really mess the dish. This one just had the right bite for the squid and crunch for the veggies.

The last dish that we have devoured was the Sukiyaki--- YATA!

---Supposed to be, but no, it needs a little hmm, editing with the butter gisa or sauté, but nevertheless the beef with it is a munch, it looks healthy, and it supposed to taste light but with that butter mass and of course the egg adds up to the saltiness (emulsifier).

Coco Adobo

Adobo (Pork Stew) Filipino all-time favorite.

I am not really a fan of Adobo, or any dish with cubed pork/ beef meat (I prefer thin sliced meat) but I occasionally do eat, if I have no choice (either to cook another dish or settle). Of course, I have requests on how they should cook my Adobo, I like my aunt's Adobo. There's nothing really special about her Adobo, she even puts really cheap ingredients in, but she pressure cooks it and let it cook in its marinade, until dry, and then add up the same mix of sauce again. Today the Adobo was prepared with coco sugar instead of the regular sugar, or muscovado. We are testing if the taste will be altered when coco sugar is used instead of the regular sugar.

And the verdict, hmm, nothing has changed not even a slight taste of coconut, maybe even made it tastier?!
I don't know, reaction of the vinegar to the coco sugar? or maybe because of the way it was cooked. Okay I'll let you try this one and taste it yourself, be the judge but I say to you, it has still the same aroma of the garlic, uhmm, you can even taste it just by smelling. Hits your every senses.

Ingredients:

6 cloves garlic

1 tbsp oil

½ kilo Pork kasim (cubed)

4 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp red cane vinegar

½ cup water

3-4 tbsp coco sugar (according to your taste)

Freshly ground black pepper

Garnish:

Scrambled egg

Asparagus

Procedure:

1.       In medium heat, sauté garlic in oil.

2.       Sear pork in garlic oil.

3.       Add soy sauce and vinegar. Don’t mix. Let it boil first before covering.

4.       Check it from time to time.

5.       Once it dries up, add water and coco sugar.

6.       Cook until tender.

7.       Serve HOT with rice and scrambled egg.

Serves 3 to 4 persons. Okay unless you liked it--- will be for single serving only.

I don't know if the nutrition facts would still be the same added the cocosugar instead the sugar (regular) but if you want to know, here's the NF of the Pork Adobo:

NF credit: mydailyplate.com

I have to take note that adding vinegar to dishes lowers the Glycemic Index plus mixing high and low GI carbohydrates produces moderate GI values.

Adding coco sugar to your favorite dishes would make it even healthier, because it has more nutritious than that of the regular sugar.

Coco Adobo recipe by chef Chris, and cocosugar by SNMC inquire thru sweetnothingscorp@gmail.com

Join our group Healthy Me and know the latest news about being and staying healthy.

Egg-ster Sunday: Happy Easter

Did you know that before Easter Sunday, during the fasting period and before lent starts eggs are prohibited, thus they consume all of it--- making it into pancake--- establishing the Pancake Day. And when some eggs are laid over the period, they are either boiled or preserved. Read more about the Easter Egg tradition.

Haw Flakes are Heart-thy

I didn't even know that munching this stuff when I was young could save me from heart diseases. These Haw Flakes came from Chinese Hawthorn fruits 山楂餅 which are believed and I think proven to help people with heart problems. Read some hawthorn benefits here.


Chinese are really good food developer, don't you think, they always think of what's good, or beneficial for ones health, not just developing a product that would sell because it is delicious--- I remember the story of Jang Geum of Korea--- she incorporates medicine with cooking.

Gumbo: Jambalaya!

Gumbo is just a big party atmosphere! It's all fun there, Jambalaya! Wuhoo! Whenever there's a Jambalaya order, the staff in the kitchen chorus-ly shouts JAMBALAYA! It's a taste of New Orleans' fresh seafood.

Jambalaya, a paella style rice dish, it's buy one take one with the non spicy version for PhP375.00+

Bourbon Ribs with fries and corn PhP495.00+

This would be short, the rice Jambalaya is a tasteful yet refreshing dish, basta sobrang sarap, I can't find a food adjective to explain the taste, it's spicy but everything complements, really great mix of flavor.

The Bourbon ribs' was not marinated well, but it's already flavorful. (I can't really describe it well, because I ate just the corn and fries)

I think it's the great experience, the fun atmosphere they are good at. Making the customer feel important, and happy. Looky looky.

It's my mom's birthday, she was presented by the Mardi gras girls with her birthday ice cream.