One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned during quarantine is that our meals also have a big impact on our environment. By adopting eating habits that incorporate plant-based products like whole grains, legumes and vegetables, we develop more sustainable eating habits and reduce food waste along the supply chain.
[READ: Beginner’s guide to a plant-based diet, as told by a Mediterranean chef]
Aside from eating more plant-based foods, it also helps to source your food from local markets. This is an aspect that healthy eating advocate Juana Manahan-Yupangco hopes to promote through Mesa ni Misis, a nonprofit organization that promotes the health benefits of local vegetables by sharing healthy and affordable recipes.
She recently released a cookbook of the same name, which features 40 plant-based recipes available at Shopee and Lazada. Here are some of the recipes you can find:
Monggo Kare-Kare
Ingredients
2 cups dry monggo
1 cup peanut butter
2 cloves garlic
1/2 onion
1 tbsp bagoong or vegan bagoong
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup chopped greens of choice
Preparation
- Soak the monggo beans for at least two hours. Boil the monggo.
- In a little oil, saute the onions and garlic.
- Add the cooked monggo and stir fry for around 1 minute.
- Add the peanut butter and mix.
- Add the vegetable broth. Stir until mixture thickens.
- Season with bagoong. You can start with half a tablespoon and add more to your liking.
- Throw in the greens of your choice and cook till tender.
- Serve over hot rice.
Sayote Crumble
Ingredients
Filling
3 sayote, cubed
1/4 cup brown sugar
6 kalamansi, juices squeezed
Cinnamon
Crumble
1 cup flour
1 tbsp oats
1/2 cup cold butter plus 1 tbsp to cook with
3 tbsp brown sugar
Preparation
Filling
- Mix the sayote, sugar, cinnamon and kalamansi together
- Put 1 tbsp of oats in the pan and add the sayote mixture. Cook for 20-25 minutes until the sayote softens.
Crumble
- Put the butter, oats, flour, and sugar in a bowl.
- Mix this with your hands until small balls of crumble form.
- If you have an oven, this crumble goes on top of the sayote mixture in the pie dish. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees until the crumble turns golden.
- If there is no oven, this can be put in a dish and cooked in a toaster oven, or tossed in a pan with no butter or oil.
- Place the cooked sayote in a pie or serving dish, and top with the crumble mixture. Serve and enjoy!
Kangkong Pesto
Ingredients
2 bunches of kangkong, washed and chopped- include the stems!
1 to 2 cups olive oil- adjust consistency to your liking by adding more
5 cloves garlic
1/4 cup cashews, soaked
2 tbsp nutritional yeast- adjust to give a cheesy taste to your liking
Salt to taste
Preparation
- Place all ingredients in a blender.
- You can adjust the amount of olive oil to your liking, as well as the salt and nutritional yeast.
Header photo courtesy of Mesa ni Misis
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Read more:
Healthy eating habits that could change your life
Long-lasting vegetables you should consider on your next grocery run
9 online markets where you can get produce straight from the farmers
Writer: ANGELA PATRICIA SUACILLO
