Rochelle Rivera: Recipes

Kids nowadays are fast thinkers that moms are even rendered speechless with their wittiness.

Another school year has begun and moms will most probably encounter again half-eaten – or worse, untouched – lunchboxes. But kids now are more expressive of their opinion about food. “I don’t like the food,” “It does not look delicious,” “My seatmate’s lunchbox is better,” and so on goes the kids without batting an eyelash when asked about their uneaten, untouched food. Thus, Moms are left with the challenge to look for new ideas to make their kids’ snacks more meaningful, relevant and tasty.

But don’t fret. Moms can now get their hands on a delightful chocolate spread that will magically turn their kids’ mealtime into something they will look forward to every day.

Gardenia Delicia chocolate spread is now available in the market and seriously, it is the stuff dreams are made of! It uses only premium-quality cocoa with unique flavors coming from trusted suppliers from all over the world, which makes Delicia’s flavor truly rich and delectable. Its milkiness makes it a delicious and delightful spread that even kids with discriminating palates will truly love.

Every bite is definitely heavenly and outstandingly delightful. And here’s a better news: Gardenia Delicia is available in two exciting flavors: Hazelnut, which adds an extra nutty twist, or the classic and well-loved Milky Chocolate.

Best of all, Gardenia Delicia Chocolate Spread is reasonably-priced at only P99 for every 200-gram bottle. This makes it a preferred choice for Moms since it won’t put a large dent in their budget. Gardenia Delicia Chocolate Spread is definitely made more affordable compared to other brands in the market.

With Gardenia Delicia, moms now have another option to give more delight to their kids, by spreading delightfully delicious goodness on everything they could get their hands on — bread, pancakes, fruits, oats, and simply whatever their kids wish to munch on. The more creative the meal is, the greater the variety of foods kids eats. Anything with a spread of Gardenia Delicia will always be a hit!

To give Moms an idea on how to creatively use Gardenia Delicia chocolate spreads, here is a nice, simple recipe that kids will love to eat, bring to school and share!

So when kids are being witty for their own good and moms are lost for words, it’s time to delight the household anew and bring out the newest delightfully delicious partner, Gardenia Delicia! Now available in leading supermarkets, groceries and convenience stores near you.

For more information about Gardenia Delicia Chocolate Spread, like @DeliciaPhilippines in Facebook or visit www.gardenia.com.ph/delicia.

People today have a wider range of food choices available. In reality, many families are still unable to meet their daily nutrient requirements which help prevent chronic diseases.

According to research, the percentage of Filipino households that do not fulfill their dietary energy requirements has been increasing. On the latest Food Consumption Survey by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology in 2013, it was revealed that 69.3% did not fulfill their dietary energy requirements – higher by 2.4% than the previous survey in 2008.

In addition, research says Filipinos are only able to meet 39% of the daily 400 grams of fruits and vegetables suggested by the World Health Organization. With less of the important naturally occurring nutrients from fruits – such as polyphenols from grapes that help the heart – individuals are exposed to risks of lifestyle diseases such as cardiovascular disorders.

Discover What’s Good

The good news is that Filipinos can find convenient, nutritious and delicious ways to stay healthy that match their busy lifestyle.

Experts recommend 100% fruit juices as healthy complements to whole fruits. While whole fruits are a great source of fiber, 100% fruit juices also carry essential vitamins and minerals needed by the body to function well and prevent many chronic diseases. For instance, 8 ounces of pure fruit juice such as Welch’s 100% grape juice are equivalent to serving a whole cup of fruit.

In fact, drinking 100% fruit juice from grapes may actually provide you with more polyphenols than eating the fruit, without causing weight gain. Making a pure grape juice involves crushing the fruit, including seeds and dark purple skin, which releases more of these nutrients. In addition, pure fruit juice only uses naturally occurring fruit sugars, without any added sugars. More than a decade’s worth of research suggests that 100% grape juice can help support a healthy heart.

An advocate of better nutritional choice for Filipino families, Welch’s provides a wide range of healthy juice products that are refreshing to the palate and good for the body in the long term.

At Welch's, we value what's REAL, we value family, we value health and wellness and we value in sharing what's good. For over 140 years, Welch’s has been providing families around the world with products that bring a happy balance of goodness and deliciousness-Erika Evaristo Rodriguez, VP Marketing of Welch's Philippines.

Here are some of the recipes that you could also try making at home. 🍇💜

Grape Berry Crunch Muffins

Ingredients:

½ cup low-fat granola

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

¾ cup Welch’s 100% Grape Juice

1 large egg

¼ cup canola oil

⅔ cup light brown sugar

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1 ½ cups Welch’s Frozen Blueberries

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Coat a muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper cups.

2. Place the granola in a heavy-duty plastic bag and crush it lightly with a rolling pin or other heavy object to break up any large clumps. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until blended.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grape juice, egg, oil, sugar and lemon zest until incorporated. Add this wet mixture to the dry ingredients, blend and stir with a rubber spatula until homogenized. Fold in the blueberries.

5. Fill the prepared muffin cups about two-thirds with batter. Sprinkle with the granola and pat it in lightly so that it adheres.

6. Cool muffins in wire rack. Serve warm or in room temperature

Grape Salsa with Goat Cheese Crostini

Yield: 20 crostini

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

½ cup Welch’s 100% Grape Juice

1 cups seedless grapes, quartered (red, green or a mix)

1 cup tomatoes, diced

1 Tbsp jalapeño, chopped

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

½ cup red onions

1 TBSP lime juice

tt salt and pepper

8 oz goat cheese

225 grams cream cheese

¼ cup heavy cream

tt salt and pepper

1 pc baguette

cilantro

Procedure:

1. In a sauce pan, pour in the balsamic vinegar and the WELCH 100% GRAPE JUICE and reduce in half or until coats the back of the spoon. Cool down and set aside.

2. In a mixer (using a paddle) or bowl, mix the goat cheese, cream cheese, Heavy cream together until light and fluffy. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside in the refrigerator.

3. In a bowl, add the quartered grapes, tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, red onions, lime juice, and the reduced grape juice. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside in a refrigerator.

4. Slice the baguette by ¼” and arrange in a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Flip and repeat the process. Bake in a 350 F oven until golden about 5-8 minutes.

5. To assemble, spread the goat cheese on the crostini. Add a spoon of grape salsa and garnish with cilantro.

Grape Banana Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 small banana, peeled and sliced

1 cup seedless red grapes, washed, stems removed

1 cup Cabot Vanilla Bean Lowfat Greek-Style Yogurt

1 cup Welch’s 100% Grape Juice

1 pinch ground cinnamon

Procedure:

1. Place banana and grapes in freezer until firmly frozen (in plastic bag if not using soon).

2. Combine frozen fruits, yogurt, grape juice and cinnamon in blender and blend until smooth. Divide between 2 large glasses and enjoy cold.

Welch’s 100% juice drinks are widely available in retail outlets nationwide.

San Marino Tuna Paella Sushi

This Holy Week, my family and I are doing our traditional Visita Iglesia. On Lent, we go on pilgrimage to visit different churches near and far. It is my favorite part of Lent ever since I was a little kid. I want my kids to love going on Visita Iglesia too because I want them to feel closer to God the way I feel closer to God when I do this. That’s why I always say that on Lent, we remember the sacrifices Christ has done for us and in doing so, we offer some sacrifices ourselves.

Visita Iglesia is a spiritual activity I get to enjoy with my family but going to different churches can be tiring, especially for my high-energy kids! After visiting so many churches, we’re all usually so tired from all the walking and the driving that we end up eating an unsatisfying meal.

As a mom, I always make it a point to make a checklist of all the things my kids will need when we go out and one thing that’s always on top of my checklist is a baon that they can eat. My kids can never go on road trips without their baon! It gets harder though looking for food that they’ll like but won’t spoil easily. I want them to eat something healthy as well as delicious too!

Good thing there’s San Marino Tuna Paella that’s so easy to prepare especially for someone who has to plan the entire family trip! The best thing about this is San Marino Tuna Paella is already a complete meal that has protein, vegetables, and Spanish paella rice that can easily satisfy my kids’ cravings and hunger right after a day spent going to different churches. You can turn this into a different recipe as well.

For example, I make Tuna Paella Sushi using this. And it’s so fun and easy to make.

You'll need a few essential tools for making sushi:

Bamboo rolling mat (makisu)
Sharp knife

Ingredients:

1 can of San Marino Tuna Paella
Nori sushi sheets

1 cucumber, cut into thin spears
1 carrots, cut into thin spears
1 mango, cut into thin spears (you can also use avocado)
Lettuce
Imitation crabmeat

1) Place the bamboo rolling mat on a cutting board so the bamboo strips are running horizontally to you. Then place a sheet (or a half sheet) of nori.

2) Spread a thin layer of San Marino Tuna Paella over the nori. Leaving a small space at the top edge of the nori so you can seal up the roll.

3) Add your ingredients toward the center of the San Marino Tuna Paella-covered nori. Don't overpack it. If you're making a roll with the rice on the outside, simply turn the nori over, placing it rice-side down on the rolling mat. Then add your ingredients to the top of the nori.

4) Gently lift the bottom of the mat up and over the sushi. Press and shape the ingredients into a tube. Roll with pressure so you get a firm roll.

5) Roll until just an inch of nori shows at the top. Seal the edge of the nori with a little cold water. Firm it up by squeezing the mat around the roll until it feels uniformly snug. Be careful not to squeeze so hard that the ingredients are smashed or come oozing out the sides. It's a fine line; with practice you'll get the feel of it.

6) Slice the sushi roll in half with a sharp knife on a cutting board. Then cut each half into thirds -- so you have 8 pieces of sushi. To get a nice clean cut, wet the knife with water each time you make a slice.

7) Line the slices of sushi up on platters or sushi plates. Enjoy!

San Marino Tuna Paella Sushi

It’s a great meal to share with the whole family! Now, I don’t have to worry about bringing baon for our outings.

San Marino Tuna Paella comes in a 180 gram can! You can never have enough of it! So just in case my kids are extra hungry, I’ll bring one or two extra cans of San Marino Tuna Paella with our baon for Visita Iglesia.

If you want to know more about San Marino, you can check them out at www.facebook.com/SanMarinoCornedTuna/

Spent the last two days in Bangkok, Thailand 🇹🇭 learning and trying out “superfoods” aka pulses (such as dry peas, lentils, red beans, and chickpeas). I’m really grateful to be a part of this event because it is in line with my goal this year to live healthy. 💪🏻 I will share my experience on the blog soon www.rochellerivera.com Also, thank you to everyone who joined my giveaway. 🎁I’ll announce the winners once I get back to the PH. 🇵🇭📸 @mjdeleonblogs 👉🏻 with @ruthilicious @iamacesome @aci_girl . @pulsesph .

A post shared by 👩🏻‍💻rochellerivera.com (@rochellemiko) on Jan 26, 2018 at 3:23am PST

WHAT ARE PULSES, THE SUPERFOOD?

When I first heard about pulses, I thought it has something to do with veins, blood and heartbeat- our lifeline, basically. In a sense, they are.

After attending the event in Bangkok, I learned that we actually eat pulses! They are part of the legume family and sometimes coined interchangeably with beans. Dried peas, edible beans, lentils, soybeans, peanuts and chickpeas are the most common pulses.

They are grain legumes that are very high in protein and fiber, and are low in fat, compared to most other plant foods. On top of that, they are environment-friendly because they consume less water, and they help fight obesity and certain diseases. I know that’s a mouthful of info coming to you like thunder. No wonder they are called “superfoods”!

I had an incredible and very informative experience about pulses last January 24-26, 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand. I, together with other media personalities and influencers, learned a lot about its health and environmental benefits through various activities in preparing and incorporating pulses in our meals.

Pulse consumption was first observed to be increasing in the USA in the last couple of years, but Southeast Asia is said to be following this upward trend, starting with Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia. Yes, this is nothing new to us Asians. Although, we lack awareness and perhaps the real appreciation of what good they bring.

We stayed in the amazing Conrad Bangkok for the duration of our 2-day series of exciting activities highlighting pulses. I never thought I could have it anytime of the day!

Lentil Soup Shooter

Sweet Potato and Chickepea Hummus with Salsa Verde Chicken

Black Eyed Bean Cucumber Mint Salad

Panseared Salmon with Green Pea Mash

Lamb Chili Con Carne with Kidney Beans

Nutella Stuffed Poached Pear

with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

As soon as we arrived, we were treated for an orientation dinner at Indulge Asian fusion restaurant, top-rated in Bangkok. It is known for its ever-evolving dishes, high-quality ingredients, truly thirst-quenching drinks, and very accommodating staff. Their dishes have been carefully created to cater to all tastes - from conventional, much-loved dishes, to new flavor combinations. It’s super satisfying to try their exquisite pulse-based specials. What a welcome!

To cap our day, we had our Happy Hour Refreshment Pairing bustle at CRAFT.

Our pulse snacks and drinks were interestingly perfect combination. It was a night full of chit chat, fun and pulses, of course!

As much as I wanted to stay up late to bond some more with the other guests and my blogger friends, I had to get some rest for our second day. I’ve been actually looking forward to our Pulses Cooking Class as soon as I saw our itinerary because I wanted to acquire techniques and expand my knowledge on how to prepare different dishes with pulses.

I’d love to share my key learnings from the one and only Chef Norbert Ehrbar who has been cooking since he was 16. His passion is highly commendable, and his years of experience in the food industry working in various restaurants are definitely an inspiration.

Team Philippines with Chef Norbert Ehrbar
rochellerivera.com, lifestylehub.net, ruthdelacruz.com, iamacesome.com, acigirl.com

With Dee Richmond, PhD, Senior Project Manager of Agrisource

Dee Richmond, PhD, Senior Project Manager of Agrisource

We spent most of our day at the UFM Cooking School in Phrom Phong. We were introduced to pulses and the different tips on preparing them.

Pulses can be incorporated to every meal - from soups to deserts, snacks to main courses, and even smoothies! Meat, veggies, and fruits surprisingly go very well with different kinds of pulses. Just imagine how nutritious every dish can be. 😊

Rice Noodle Bowl

Chickenpea and Mussel Asian Soup

Korean Style US Bean Stew

US Navy Bean Smoothie

Aside from the demos, we were immersed in hands-on cooking and some more engaging discussions.

Cooked Chinese Style U.S Pulses and Chicken Soup with different kinds of pulses

I really enjoyed cooking with bloggers from Thailand. The best part of this day was our super delicious and flavorful lunch! Haha! I must get some serious exercise after this trip.

Catered Lunch by Radisson

Bloggers from the Philippines with Aaron Henry and Robert Woodrich of Paper & Page

Our last night in Bangkok was bitter-sweet, I didn’t realize we’re about to go back home already. The program was absolutely packed with information, which is its main objective. Goal unlocked!

Four kinds of Hot and Cold Hor D'oeuvres

Barbecued Peking Duck

Stewed Fish Maw

black mushroom in oyster sauce

Sauteed Scallops

X.O. chili sauce and black beans

Duet of Vegetables

topped with conpoy sauce and pinto beans

Deep Fried Bamboo Fish

soy sauce

Fried Rice

seafood and lentils

Ginkgo Nuts

hot syrup and red beans

The 4-course dinner prepared by Liu at Conrad Bangkok was more relaxed and one of a kind. The Liu menu takes most of its influence from Cantonese cuisine, leveraging the great knowledge and influence Chef Jacky brings from different part of China as well as Thailand. There’s no better way to wrap up this whole experience.

Truly, what I have learned about pulses are eye-opening. Sometimes we think too much of our diet, and sacrifice taste over the nutrients we can get out of the food we eat. Delicious does not mean unhealthy, and we can stop being guilty with our intake of the best-tasting dishes. There are a lot of options to go green and be healthy at the same time. Pulses is one superfood you must add to your daily consumption.

Hope to share a recipe with you soon! Comment a pulse-meal we can all try.

You can find more information about PULSES at: https://www.facebook.com/ThailandPulses/ and
https://www.facebook.com/PulseAssociationPhilippines/

Gardenia spreads a NEW delightfully delicious goodness

Discover an easy way to stay healthy with 100% grape juice #discoverwhatsreal

Here’s an out-of-town baon you just might want this Holy Week

Saving the World by Eating Pulses

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