3 recipes to elevate your favorite instant food

Admit it, more often than not, what you have in your pantry would be hassle-free instant food. As any person who’s lived independently (ahem, alone) knows, they’re pretty painless and require minimal to no cooking, which means not only do you get to eat faster, but also lessen the potential damage you can inflict on your kitchen. 

But hey, eating shouldn’t just be about filling your stomach, good food can work wonders for the soul – and your ego – since you’re actually going to do this. A quick scan through The Maya Kitchen’s trove of recipes has provided these 3 simple ways to transform your instant meals into tastier, healthier, and over-all, fancier dishes. Let’s get down to business.     

From canned tuna to Italian sandwich! This Chili Corned Tuna Salad in Panini Toast provides a yummy twist to your canned staple. And you can do this in just 3 steps! Start by mixing drained corned canned tuna with celery, onion, pickle relish, mayonnaise, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Lay thin cuts of cucumber and red onion on top of a slice of toasted batard bread. Lastly, spread the tuna salad mixture onto the bread. Enjoy it by yourself or share the hefty servings!

Instant noodles to Thai stir-fry! Your favorite pack of instant noodles is filled with endless possibilities far beyond the instructions on the back. Use it to whip up this Thai Chicken and Peanut Stir-Fry Noodles recipe, a great (and healthier!) option to your usual instant fare. Pan fry pieces of chicken until lightly browned, then add in carrots, onion, garlic, mushroom, bell pepper, and oyster sauce. Cook the noodles together with peanut butter sauce for 5 minutes. Place noodles on a platter, then top it with the stir-fried chicken, vegetable mixture, wansoy leeks, and roasted peanuts. And voila, you’ve added a Thai dish to your menu! 

Cake mix to delectable dessert! Store-bought dessert? Nope, but it’ll definitely look like it. Stock up on MAYA Happy Mug Cake Mix’s two flavors, chocolate cake with caramel sauce or caramel cake with chocolate sauce. Just follow the instructions on the back to prepare your base. Now, here’s the exciting part: upgrade your mug cakes by adding mashed bananas (best with chocolate cake), sweet matcha powder, ube jam, strawberry jam, or cookie butter into the mixture. Pop these little treats in the microwave for 2 minutes, then drizzle the sauce over the top as you add fresh fruits and whipped cream before digging in—the same way your fave pastry chefs do. 

Nothing beats quick, easy-to-follow recipes from The Maya Kitchen to help you turn your instant meals into everyday gourmet dishes. Learn more uncomplicated ways to eat well at www.themayakitchen.com. 

Like and follow The Maya Kitchen on Facebook and Instagram @TheMayaKitchen1 and follow us on Twitter @TheMayaKitchen.

Learn great recipes at www.themayakitchen.com. If you want to take your baking and cooking skills up a notch check out Maya Kitchen’s course offerings at the website, e-mail contactus@themayakitchen.com, or visit The Maya Kitchen Culinary Center every Tuesday to Saturday at 8F Liberty Building, 835 A. Arnaiz Avenue (Pasay Road), Makati City or call 8921185 or 892-5011 local 108 or +63929 679 6102.

ENJOY ALL YOU CAN AT OGETSU HIME

If you’re on a quest for delicious Japanese fare, Ogetsu Hime has a trove of stellar beef dishes, sushi, and premium menu favorites right here in the city. Named after Ogetsu Hime, the food goddess of Japan, the restaurant offers only the best from the Land of the Rising Sun, with premium ingredients you won’t find elsewhere.

A cut above all other run-of-the-mill Japanese restaurants, Ogetsu Hime brings the freshest and most authentic seafood from the famous Tsukiji Market regularly. It follows the Japanese food philosophy and delivers only high-quality delights at reasonable prices to its customers. This includes the world’s rarest, most tender cut of marbled beef from Japan’s Mie prefecture.

And if you thought that was all, there’s another mouthwatering reason to go to Ogetsu Hime. You can enjoy a premium, top quality selection of the best delicious Japanese fare at an order-all-you-can price! Sample an array of high-grade, authentic dishes made with ingredients imported from Japan now. Indulge in the ultimate Japanese buffet experience with the Oget and Enjoy All-You-Can!

You can also enjoy unlimited US Angus Tenderloin, premium sushi, and more than 100 specialties on the clean plate price when you dine in at any of the restaurant’s two branches. Pay only Php 988 for lunch Monday to Friday; Php 1,088 for dinner from Monday to Friday; and Php 1,088 Lunch and Dinner during holidays and weekends throughout the year. Check out Ogetsu Hime’s Facebook page for the full details, and avail of the Oget and Enjoy All-You-Can at SM Megamall and SM Aura Premier!

MOMO TERI MAKI

TOKOBETSU CALIFORNIA ROLL

US BEEF SUKIYAKI

EBI SHITAKE TEMPURA

MAGURO TATAKI

Enjoy the US Angus Tenderloin (and other meat and seafood you choose) as a tasty teppan, cooked by a Master Teppan Chef over a Japanese flat iron grill right in front of you. The teppanyaki is a popular cooking method as it brings out the natural goodness of the meat with the vegetables, but also because the chef’s culinary gymnastics with their steel spatulas are so fun to watch! 

Make the most of the awesome eat-all-you-can deal and feast on limitless sushi, from the best selection of sashimi and makimono to Ogetsu Hime’s signature specialty rolls like the Ogetsu Hime Roll, Goma Ebi Tempura Roll, the Kaisen Fried Roll, Tokubetsu California Roll and the Momo Teri Maki. 

Don’t forget to sample as much yakitori, kushiyaki, tempura, tonkatsu, ebi furai, and other Japanese favorites as you wish! Even appetizers, gyoza, nabemono (Japanese dishes cooked in a hot pot like sukiyaki), udon, and ju-mono (rice box dishes) are included in the wide range of delicacies you can choose from.

Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or just enjoying a dinner with family or friends, head over at Ogetsu Hime to experience the unique artistry of culinary Japan.

For updates and promos, like facebook.com/OgetsuHime and @ogetsuhime on Instagram or click-on the VI hashtag #ogetsuallyoucan.

For inquiries and reservations call the following Ogetsu Hime branches: SM Aura Premier 519-9840 or 0917-8096585 / SM Megamall 470-8241 or 0917-5762377. 

Join Doraemon and Nobita in their next adventure showing Exclusively at SM Cinema!

Rejoice, Doraemon fans! To celebrate the classic anime’s 20^th anniversary, SM Cinema is exclusively showing Doraemon The Movie: Chronicle of the Moon Exploration this July.

In Doraemon’s latest adventure, he sees the moon turn yellow while casting a white shadow and uses his “History Explorers Club Badge” to prove it to his friends. When he discovers a girl living on the far side of the moon, he and his friends go on a moon exploration journey but is stopped by Diablo and his subordinate Goddard.

As a treat to Doraemon fans, SM Cinema, together with SM Supermalls, is hosting the first ever Doraemon’s Gadget Park Mall Tour in the country! Bringing the reel into real life, the Gadget Park features 20 life-size Doraemon 3D and gadget spots for you to take awesome photos in. Make your way to Nobita’s trick eye room and take a photo with your very own invisible cape. You can also join Doraemon and travel with him to the future in his Time Machine. Plus, you can get your hands on the coolest limited-edition Doraemon merchandise. Experience a throwback to your childhood with Doraemon at the SM Mall of Asia from July 19-30, SM City Dasmarinas from August 16-25 and SM City Cebu from October 11-20.

Catch Doraemon the Movie: Nobita's Chronicle of the Moon Exploration starting July 24 exclusively at SM Cinema branches nationwide. Book your tickets through the website, www.smcinema.com or download the SM Cinema mobile app.  You may also follow /SMCinema on Facebook and @SM_Cinema on Instagram for updates. Satisfy your cravings at Snack Time, the official food concessionaire of SM Cinema, which offers a wide array of snacks like popcorn, hotdogs and burgers to complement your movie watching experience. Follow /SnackTimeOfficial on Facebook for more information.

World Vision’s Social Innovation Challenge aims to address community problems in the Philippines

Mr. Jun Godornes, Resource Development Director of World Vision in the Philippines, Mr. Rommel Fuerte, Executive Director of World Vision in the Philippines, Ms. Gretchen Ho, World Vision Ambassador for Social Innovation Challenge, Ms. Diane Romero, Executive Director of J. Amado Araneta Foundation, and Mr. John Aguila, Executive Producer and Host of CNN Philippines’ The Final Pitch.

World Vision is seeking out creative Filipinos to create the most meaningful solutions to some of the country’s overlooked community challenges.

The child-focused organization’s latest project, the Social Innovation Challenge, is allowing innovators all over the country the opportunity to compete for seed capital to fund ideas that address obstacles faced by Filipino communities.

For this year’s edition of the challenge, World Vision is putting the focus on two community problems: (Challenge #1) climate change effects on soil that hurt the livelihood of almost 1,000 farming households in Sogod, Cebu¸ a small upland barangay where almost 50% of the population depends on agriculture; and (Challenge #2) 500 out-of-school youth in Brgy. Bucana, Davao City due to their families' lack of sustainable livelihood.

These challenges were identified using the human-centered approach that focuses on the families and communities, through various in-depth interviews, focused group discussions, user journey mapping, secondary studies, and other research and validation tools.

The finalists of the challenge, composed of students and professionals from the developmental sector, will vie to have their ideas implemented. Three teams will compete for each challenge.

For the agriculture-focused Challenge #1, the participating teams are: Ato Ani (represented by Maria Wilvenna Añora, Venecia Añora, and Kent Vincent Añora), a Bohol-based social enterprise that makes and distributes organic fresh produce and processed organic food products; agribusiness Plantsville (represented by November "Tina" Canieso-Yeo), which seeks to engage the Cabalawan youth in natural farming and entrepreneurship, teaching them ways of lessor-tiller land use to improve agriculture image, link to social media and leverage on ICT in agriculture; and Tagani (represented by Kevin Cuevas and Josin Macastac), an online application that connects farmers with buyers for the direct sale of their produce. Its extension, the Tagani Plus, serves as a farm management and analytics mobile app.

The participating teams who will be ideating solutions for out-of-school youths in Brgy. Bucana, Davao for Challenge #2 are: Edukasyon.ph (represented by Patricia Matias, Ria Tagle, Jose Soberano, Pam Suanco, Cristina Batalla), an organization that aims to develop an online portal specifically tailored for OSY (out-of-shool youths) providing information on both job and skills training opportunities; Quatro (represented by Daniel Galang, Sophia Salen, Aljay Bermejo, and Paul Dela, all students from De La Salle College of St. Benilde), a group seeking to create  both livelihood and scholarship opportunities for out-of-school youth; and lastly, Sora (represented by Juan Dalisay and Jan Matthew Rafol), a social apprenticeship training program designed to give out-of-school youth basic education, useful skills, apprenticeship, and possible hiring.

The finalists underwent a three-day long bootcamp, facilitated by British Council Active Citizens to ensure their ideas are well-formed and pertinent for eventual application to the communities of Sogod, Cebu and Brgy. Bucana, Davao. Aside from a seed money for implementation, the winning entry will win a cash prize.

Aside from ideation, the finalists want to encourage more people to take action in advocacies for environment and education.

“It’s a personal advocacy so we’re highly involved in organic culture and, as much as possible, we wanted more people to be involved in agriculture,” Maria Wilvenna Añora of Ato Ani, finalist for Challenge #1, said.

“We want to make education accessible for everyone because there are people left behind. And, with this challenge, it’s specific to out-of-school youth in Davao, we can really do that and learn how to scale it up in other communities as well,” said Pam Suanco of Edukasyon.ph, finalist for Challenge #2.

A panel of multi-sectoral experts will evaluate the entries to choose proposals that have positive social and economic consequences, financial sustainability and an environment-friendly purpose. These esteemed judges are Ms. Gretchen Ho, World Vision Ambassador for Social Innovation Challenge, Mr. John Aguilar of CNN Philippines' The Final Pitch, Ms. Abigail Mapua-Cabanilla of the Hub of Innovation for Inclusion, and Ms. Christine Diane Romero of J. Amado Araneta Foundation among others.

“I believe that each one of us can make a change in our own ways. World Vision’s Social Innovation Challenge is a welcome platform for Filipinos in creating a difference through their innovative solutions”, said Mr. Rommel V. Fuerte, Executive Director of World Vision in the Philippines.

“With the help of our exceptional list of partners and mentors, our finalists are honed to help the residents of Sogod, Cebu, and Brgy. Bucana, Davao. I am amazed to see this competition transform into a collaborative project, a fitting representation of what we are always pushing for at World Vision.”

About World Vision

World Vision is a global Christian relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.

Creative and easy ways to eat more green

While we all know that eating more veggies is good for our health, finding fresh ways to incorporate it in our meals isn’t easy. That is why Swedish appliance brand Electrolux is here to share some creative and flavorful ways to add more greens to your diet. 

                                                                                        

Grow and glow with Green Smoothies

Green smoothies are ideal for breakfast as blended vegetables retain more of their fiber content, making you feel full for longer.

Kickstart your day with Kimberly Snyder’s Glowing Green Smoothie, packed with lots of greens, and fruit to help balance that “green taste”. First, core and slice the apple and pear. Combine the romaine lettuce with the cold, filtered water and begin processing on low. Next, add the apple and pear slices, celery, fresh spinach, and banana. Lastly, add the juice of the lemon, ice, and blend until smooth. Enjoy! 

Spiralized veggies

Enjoy your pasta days the healthier way by swapping out your traditional noodles to veggie noodles. Try this Raw Vegan Creamy Zoodle recipe - start by soaking 1 cup of the dry roasted peanuts in water for 30 mins the  then drain it and bring it to a blend until creamy with the coconut milk and extra-virgin olive oil. Season it with Himalayan rock salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Then with a spiralizer, shred your zucchini into noodles. Chop up the remaining dry roasted peanuts. Toss your zoodles into a large bowl and dress it with the sauce. Add cherry tomatoes, top it off with the chopped peanuts, then stir it all together. You can refrigerate it until ready to serve or you can enjoy it immediately!

Bring in the Indian twist

From cauliflower rice to cauliflower crust pizzas, this versatile and palatable produce seems to have no limit to its culinary potential. Another way to enjoy this powerhouse vegetable is to use it in a curry – bring an Indian flavor to your table this Cauliflower Mushroom Curry.

For the masala, sauté the medium slices of onions, tomato, garlic, and the ginger for 5 minutes. Allow it to cool and take it in a blender and add salt, granulated sugar, and chili powder. Blend until it reaches its paste-like consistency. For the curry, sauté the remaining onion. Once cooked, add mushroom and cauliflower and sauté for 10mins. Add the sauce and simmer for 10-15 mins until the curry reaches the desire consistency.

Healthy Sides

Macaroni salad is a typical deli side dish served in potlucks, picnics and other get togethers. Give it a healthier twist by dishing up a Vegan Macaroni Salad.

For the dressing, whisk together the vegan mayo and unsweetened almond milk, dill pickle, pickle juice, fresh dill, lemon juice, granulated sugar, nutritional yeast, yellow mustard, sriracha, sea salt, paprika, garlic powder, ground black pepper, and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to use. Then in a large bowl, combine cooled elbow macaroni with the dressing. Add the broccoli florets, carrot, celery, scallion, red bell pepper, and smoked tofu, and stir well. For bbest flavor, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until chilled, before serving. Serve and enjoy!

Healthy meals start with fresh ingredients and to help keep your produce fresh, Electrolux has also recently launched its latest line of NutriFresh refrigerators.The new Electrolux NutriFresh™ Inverter French Door Refrigerator with FlexFresh (EHE6879A-BPH) has a feature that allows you to go from chilling meat and fish to cooking them in minutes, along with other features to keep food fresh.. 

To keep meat and fish fresh many people resort to deep freezing but this Electrolux refrigerator comes with the UltraChill setting at -2C which keeps items very cold but not frozen. This helps to preserve the texture of your food for longer and reduces the need to defrost.

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Different food types require unique storage conditions to stay fresh. This fridge comes with the FlexFresh drawer, an optimal storage compartment with five temperature settings (-23°C to +7°C), that enables you to store a wide array of food – from deli meats to seafood - at the right temperature to help them stay fresh. It also comes with the TasteLock Crisper with AutoHumidity Control, which automatically adjusts humidity levels depending on the contents of the drawer and releases excess moisture from the compartment to help keep fruits and vegetables fresh for up to 7 days.

A TwinTech Cooling System cools the fridge and freezer compartments separately, so food stays fresher and odors don't mix.

Another refrigerator designed to keep produce fresh for up to 7 days is the Electrolux NutriFresh® Inverter Top Mount Fridge (ETB5400B-A-RPH). It comes with the TasteLock Crisper with NutriPlus™ filter, which creates a humid environment with optimal Vitamin C levels to lock in nutrients for longer, keeping your fruit and vegetables bursting with vitamins. It also has a 360 Cooling which cools each individual shelf to maintain a stable temperature throughout the entire fridge. It not just prolongs your food’s freshness but also makes it tastier.

For keeping your meat and fish delicious, it has an enclosed Chill Room shelf that maintains optimal temperature in prime condition for longer. This fridge also comes with TasteGuard that eliminates 99.8% of bacteria for a cleaner, more hygienic fridge, and free from unwanted odour.

To get the full recipes of these dishes, download the Electrolux Life app on the App Store or Google Play store and click the ‘Recipe Finder Powered by SideChef’ within the app to access thousands of global recipes from SideChef’s database. Get a chance to take home an Electrolux appliance at the Electrolux Summer Ready Sale, promo runs from April 1 until June 30, 2019.

Electrolux Life App Healthy Recipes

www.electrolux.com.ph    l   facebook.com/ElectroluxPhilippines

Kimberly Snyder’s Glowing Green Smoothie

5 mins | Serves 2

Ingredients:

355 mL Water

1 head Romaine Lettuce

30 g Fresh Spinach

3 stalks Celery

1 Apple

1 Pear

1 Banana

1 Lemon

140 g Ice

Step 1: Core and slice the apple and pear. Add cold, filtered water and romaine lettuce to the jar.

Step 2: Add apple and pear slices, celery, fresh spinach, and banana.

Step 3: Add the juice of the lemon, ice, and secure the lid.

Step 4: Blend until smooth

Step 5: All done! Enjoy!

Raw Vegan Creamy Zoodles

35 mins | Serves 2

Ingredients:

182 g Dry Roasted Peanuts

237 mL Coconut Milk

15 mL Extra-virgin olive oil

2 Washed Zucchini

8 Diced Cherry Tomatoes

To taste Himalayan Rock Salt

To taste Ground Black Pepper

Step 1: Soak 1 cup of the dry roasted peanuts in water for 30 mins.

Step 2: Drain the peanuts and add them to a blender with the coconut milk and extra-virgin olive oil. Blend until creamy. Season with Himalayan rock salt and ground black pepper.

Step 3: Using a spiralizer, shred your zucchini into noodles.

Step 4: Chop up the remaining dry roasted peanuts.

Step 5: Place your zoodles into a large bowl and dress them with sauce. Add the cherry tomatoes and top it off with the chopped peanuts. Stir all the ingredients together.

Step 6: Refrigerate until ready to serve or enjoy immediately!

Cauliflower Mushroom Curry

30 mins | Serves 2

Ingredients:

44 mL Oil

150 g Onions

12 g Fresh Ginger

225 g Tomatoes

5 Cloves garlic

1g Chili Powder

To taste Salt

2 g Granulated sugar

250 g Mushrooms

160 g Cauliflowers

3 Scallions

Step 1: Peel and slice the onion into medium slices

Step 2: Finely slice the Scallion.

Step 3: Wash and slice the mushrooms into quarters.

Step 4: Chop the cauliflower into medium sized florets.

Step 5: Heat a third of the oil, the onion, the tomato, the garlic, and the fresh ginger for 5 minutes

Step 6: Allow to cool and blend with salt (to taste), granulated sugar, and chili powder.

Step 7: Heat the remaining oil and sauté onion until cooked.

Step 8: Next add mushroom and cauliflower and sauté for 10 mins.

Step 9: Add the sauce and simmer for 10-15 mins until the curry reaches the desired consistency.

Step 10: Serve with rotis (flatbread).

Vegan Macaroni Salad

1 hr | Serves 6

Ingredients:

174 g Vegan Mayo

59 mL Unsweetened almond milk

29 g Finely chopped dill pickle

44 mL Pickle juice

30 mL Lemon juice

2 g Finely chopped fresh dill

25 g Granulated sugar

3 g Nutritional yeast

10 g Yellow mustard

7 g Sriracha

1 g Paprika

To taste Garlic powder

3 g Sea salt

To taste Ground black pepper

450 g Cooked elbow macaroni

87 g Broccoli florets

50 g Grated carrot

37 g Chopped celery

25 g Chopped scallion

37 g Chopped red bell pepper

230 g cubed smoked tofu.

Step 1: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the vegan mayo and unsweetened almond milk. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Step 2: Add dill pickle, pickle juice, fresh dill, lemon juice, granulated sugar, nutritional yeast, yellow mustard, sriracha, sea salt, paprika, garlic powder, ground black pepper, and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Step 3: In a large bowl, combine cooled elbow macaroni with the dressing. At first, the pasta will be a little sticky from the starch. Once the dressing coats the noodles they’ll be easier to stir.

Step 4: Add the broccoli florets, carrot, celery, scallion, red bell pepper, and smoked tofu, and stir well. For bbest flavor, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until chilled, before serving.

Step 5: Serve and enjoy!

For more information on Electrolux and its products, please visit www.electrolux.com.ph and follow @ElectroluxPhilippines on Facebook and Instagram.

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