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Quarantine cooking: Healthy recipe by Lechon Diva

Dedet De La Fuente - Philstar.com

April 30, 2020 | 5:24pm

Quarantine cooking: Healthy recipe by Lechon Diva

Healthy Filipino food prepared by Lechon Diva during the quarantine.

Dedet De La Fuente

The lockdown due to COVID-19 has changed the way we live. For me, the first week felt like it was a very long weekend.

On the second week of lockdown, the need to get back to our normal routine started kicking in. I wanted to get back to the gym — I had a goal and this lockdown would surely delay if not ruin altogether my plans of getting rid of the so many baby fat (extra weight) I have accumulated over the years. Now, more than ever, being healthy is top priority. Some of my friends are able to continue their cardio programs.

Then I looked around our house. My playground was my kitchen. There was no other way for me to exercise during lockdown. So I bought a treadmill so I can get back to my daily morning routine of working out.

My youngest daughter, Liyora, has been asking for healthy meals since day 1 of lockdown. My idea of healthy food is different from hers. Her classes continue despite the lockdown so it has been a struggle for me to come up with healthier meals on a daily basis.

Every evening, Liyora would text me her “wish list of healthy dishes” that she likes to be prepared. Some I tried with success. It’s not too often that she would complement my cooking (yes, my youngest is the food critic in the family), so when she does, I know its as good as having a Michelin star rating.

Lileya, my older daughter who is studying abroad had a change of lifestyle a little over a year ago. She now enjoys cooking her own food instead of ordering from different food deliveries. She keeps reminding me the importance of counting the calories of the food I eat. So now I have a food diary. And she kept reminding me to go back to the gym to exercise.

And I did, then COVID-19 happened a few weeks after. But the pandemic should not stop us from doing what is important to us. So far, Lileya has lost 97 pounds. I would be happy to lose even just 1/3 of the weight she lost.

Because of my two daughters, I am now more inspired to live a healthier lifestyle. I am now putting together recipes of healthy Filipino food (the Lechon Diva way) and my pepitas healthy food for young adults and teenagers.

I see so many of my friends enjoying cooking and baking from their own homes. Hope we find the things to be thankful in these very uncertain days. And may always find happiness in the simplest of things.

Please let me know how your cooking went on the recipes I shared below.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with hummus or yogurt sauce

Ingredients:

Big cauliflower head
1 teaspoon each of:
- Powdered garlic
- Lemon pepper
- Smoked paprika
- Turmeric powder
- Cayenne pepper
- Cumin
- Olive oil
- Hummus
- Tahini
Toppings or on the side :
- Cashew nuts
- Walnuts
- Rocket arugula
- Micro greens

A similar recipe was sent to me by Liyora. Now we always make sure we have at least two cauliflowers dishes per week.

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven.
2. Wash cauliflower and pat dry.
3. Take out all leaves and cut the stem nearest to the bulb making sure all the bulbs stay together and the cauliflower can “sit” on the baking dish.
4. Steam the head of the cauliflower
5. Let the cauliflower cool down
6. Mix together in a bowl.:

Powdered garlic
Lemon pepper
Smoked paprika
Turmeric
Cayenne pepper
Cumin

7. Drizzle the cauliflower head generously with olive oil
8. Rub dry spices all over the cauliflower making sure to put in between each florets.
9. Put the cauliflower into the baking dish.
10. Put garlic cloves, cut up sweet potatoes, marble potatoes and any other vegetables you want to roast with the cauliflower around the cauliflower.
11. Put inside the pre heated oven.
12. Baking time will vary depending on how big the cauliflower is.
13. Once a fork or knife slides thru the cauliflower, you can take it out from the oven.
14. Just make sure the cauliflower is brownish on the outside.
15. You can pour the yogurt or hummus or tahini sauce over the baked cauliflower or serve the sauces on the side.
16. You can sprinkle on top of the cauliflower or serve on the side the following:

Cashew nuts
Walnuts
Rocket arugula
Micro greens

Guinataang Tilapia

Ingredients:

2 pieces of 400 grams tilapia
2 medium-sized onion cut into strips
5 cloves of garlic minced
Ginger sliced
1 teaspoon turmeric or 2 finger sized turmeric
3-4 whole green siling pang sigang (green long chilli)
3 teaspoon of fish sauce - just add more according to taste
4 tablespoons of cooking oil
3-4 cups of gata (prefer more gata because I love the sauce!)
Malungay or bokchoy or pechay or mustasa
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Have the tilapia cleaned and make sure scales are removed.
2. Heat oil and sauté onion, garlic and ginger.
3. Add the coconut milk and 1 cup of water.

4. Add 2 siling pang sigang and fish sauce
5. Mix everything in the pan and wait until it starts to simmer.
6. Add fresh ground turmeric or powdered turmeric.
7. Add freshly ground pepper and a pinch of salt.
8. Make sure all ingredients are mixed very well.
9. Add the tilapia after a few minutes. Gata sauce should cover at least a little over half of the tilapia.
10. Put some of the gata sauce over the tilapia for the first 3 minutes
11. Put the 2 remaining siling pang sigang on top of the fish and cover the pan and adjust heat to LOW fire
12. Lift the cover every 5 minutes. Fish should be cooked in 25 to 30 minutes. If fish is still undercooked, leave in pan and check every 5-7 minutes until fish is cooked
13. Once the flesh is tender, you may add spinach or malunggay or bokchoy or pechay or mustasa
14. You may add 1 or 2 whole siling labuyo at this stage if you want more kick to the sauce
15. Cover for 3-5 more minutes and put heat to MEDIUM until it starts to simmer. Turn off the heat once it starts to simmer
16. Enjoy!

I always try to under salt in most of my recipes. Just add salt according to taste. You can also wrap the tilapia with pechay leaves before putting it on the pan and use fillet tilapia.