by Penny Angeles-Tan | Feb 23, 2021 | Food & Beverage
It’s a generally accepted notion that eating healthy means skipping great-tasting food. Not anymore. Now it’s completely possible to enjoy the best of both worlds as Century Pacific Food Inc. (CNPF), one of the largest branded food companies in the Philippines, unveils its newest brand: unMEAT, a 100% plant-based meat, made tasty from simple ingredients.
“One of the biggest concerns about plant-based foods is that they are not delicious or as pleasing to the palate as real meat,” notes Nikki Dizon, a Senior Executive at CNPF. “But our Nutrition Science team took that as a challenge, and completely delivered by coming up with a meat alternative that unbelievably and undeniably looks, feels, and tastes like meat. Moreover, they made unMEAT using simple ingredients and extracted the nutrients from real food rather than synthetic compounds so it’s healthier and more affordable.”
It’s not meat, it’s UnMEAT
The launch of unMEAT was driven by growing consumer demand to incorporate healthier food options into their diet, especially given the ongoing pandemic. This is evident in the shift of food trends on social media. Whereas in the past, food aficionados across the globe constantly debated on the best burgers, social media is now filled with discussions on which plant-based burger looks, tastes, smells, and even bleeds like real meat.
With unMEAT, the taste is never compromised! It is as delicious as a regular meat patty, with a similar mouth-feel, making it the best meat alternative for those who are planning to make the switch to a healthier, more sustainable diet. Even better, unMEAT is packed with simple but nutritious ingredients. It is a good source of fiber and protein. It’s also cholesterol-free, trans-fat-free, egg-free, and dairy-free.
It comes in four variants: Nuggets, Hungarian Sausages, Minced Meat and Burger Patty. CNPF aims to market the range as close to the price of real meat counterparts in keeping with its goal of providing affordable nutrition.
Even the experts like it
Chef Sau del Rosario
During the launch, Michelin star chef Sau del Rosario who was among the first to sample unMEAT described it as “the taste is like you got it from the oven. It’s tasty, it’s clean, and it’s very delicious. I would put this in my menu!”
Partnerships
In the Philippines, unMEAT was first introduced through Shakey’s Pizza’s newest offering, the Goood Burger. It has since attracted a small cult following in the few weeks it has top-billed Shakey’s Pizza chain’s foray to burgers.
Now, as the plant-based food mania continues to sweep the world over, Century Pacific Food Inc. is giving consumers easy access to healthy and tasty 100% plant-based food options as unMEAT is now available via online shopping platforms, and increasingly in supermarkets and specialty stores nationwide.
Following unMEAT’s successful initial rollout as Shakey’s Goood Burger, CNFP will also be partnering with more restaurants in the country. Additionally, the company’s Global Brands Team has started offering the product to customers across a network of 80 countries such as the USA, Singapore, China, and the Middle East giving consumers in many parts of the world easy access to tasty, healthy, and affordable 100% plant-based meat alternative.
“This newest addition to our product portfolio further strengthens our company’s mission to provide affordable nutrition for all. UnMEAT is both very affordable and delicious!” added Dizon.
Now it’s possible to be healthy while enjoying what you eat with the 100% plant-based unMEAT.
To know more, follow on:
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Feb 22, 2021 | Bon Appetit
I love eating spicy food. So do my daughter and sister. When I showed them the Purefoods Ready to Eat Bicol Express they were excited to try it.
Purefoods Ready to Eat Bicol Express
But that is just half the household. The other half has a low tolerance for spice but were still willing to try it. This gave me a challenge – how do I prepare this so that it is not so spicy but it will still be delicious?
Home Foodie PH suggestion
Home Foodie PH suggested Bicol Express Pizza so I looked over the recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 pieces store-bought pizza crust
- 1 (450g pack) Purefoods Ready to Eat Bicol Express thawed out in the chiller
- 2 cups mozzarella
- 1 (165 gms) Magnolia Quickmelt cheese
- 1 (100 g) red bell pepper, cut into strips
- 1 (100 g) green bell pepper, cut into strips
For chili honey
- 1 tbsp. chili flakes
- 1/4 cup honey
Procedure:
- Preheat oven to 450o
- Assemble pizza by spreading Bicol express sauce on each pizza crust surface.
- Add mozzarella and Quickmelt cheese to each crust. Top with Bicol express meat and bell peppers.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese has melted.
Makes 16 slices
(Yield: 2 pc 12-inch pizza/1-2 slices per serving)
Sounds simple enough, right? And pizza is a great idea because that much cheese would partially neutralize the spiciness so that the rest of the family can enjoy the pizza, too. Unfortunately, not all the ingredients are readily available in my kitchen. One small piece of bell pepper costs ₱48. Mozzarella cheese is not only expensive but is not readily available in nearby groceries.
What I ended up doing
Substitution is key! 🙂
- I did away with the mozzarella and used cheddar cheese all the way instead.
- Goodbye, bell peppers, I can’t afford you.
- chili honey – I didn’t need to make it or use it as the pizza was flavorful in itself.
- pizza crust – seeing as how I used to work in Shakey’s many years ago, I actually do know how to make a pizza from scratch so I decided to make my own pizza crust.
Below is my recipe for Bicol Express Pizza
Bicol Express Pizza
This is a very simple, easy-to-follow recipe for making a pizza at home from scratch. The crust will turn out soft and pillowy and a pleasure to chew.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time25 minutes mins
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: pizza
Servings: 16 slices
Calories: 153kcal
Author: Penny Angeles-Tan
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp instant yeast
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus a little extra for dusting later
- 1 pack Purefoods Ready to Eat Viands Bicol Express frozen
- 1 tbsp oil for oiling the pan
- 165 grams cheese or enough to cover the pizza twice
Mix the sugar and the warm water in a mixing bowl until the sugar is melted. Make sure that the water is not too hot then add the yeast. If your water is too hot the yeast will die. Tip: The water should be warm to the touch but won't burn you. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to ferment and form bubbles. If this does not happen that means that your water is too hot and your yeast died so you will have to start again. Add the melted butter (make sure it isn't hot!) and mix.
Sift the flour and salt into the bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the wet ingredients and mix. Keep mixing, this will form into a sticky/tacky dough ball.
Take the dough out of the bowl and put it on the rolling mat and knead for a few minutes. Don't worry about your muscles getting sore because this recipe does not need a lot of kneading. You just need to look at the dough and knead until you see that all the ingredients are well incorporated. From my personal experience, it just takes 10 to 15 times to fold and knead and you are good. It is just like playing with Playdoh.
If you are making a round pizza crust then roll it into a circle with a rolling pin. Take note, though, this recipe makes either two standard size crusts or 1 big crust.
Oil your baking pan/tray on all sides and transfer the dough onto the pan/tray and let it rest. This will still expand. In the meantime, turn on the heat in the oven and wait until it hits around 400F.
While waiting, open your frozen package of Purefoods Ready to Eat Viands Bicol Express and cut it up into several strips. and put the strips in the pot (or pan) with 1 to 2 tbsps of water for thawing and simmering. I like to put it on low to medium heat and simmer it for 8 minutes. Turn off the stove after.
If you want to make a rectangular or square pizza you can use your roller to stretch it down and out more. Don't worry that it is too thin, like I said, it is still expanding. if you decide to make your crust into a rectangle then there is no need to make 2 small pieces as you already have one big one.
Once the oven has hit the desired temperature, place the baking tray on the lowest rack of your oven and bake for 5 minutes.
Take it out of the tray and use a fork to pop and bubbles that formed. Scoop the sauce of the Bicol express onto the crust and spread it. Sprinkle a thin layer of cheese on top of the sauce.
Put the Bicol express meat over the cheese and any other topping you want to put on the pizza such as mushrooms, bell pepper, onions, etc.(3)
Top everything with cheese(4) again then put the pizza back in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Turn the tray and bake for another 10 minutes.(5)
Your pizza is done and ready to eat.
See the notes after this recipe
Pizza Crust nutrition facts
One slice of the pizza crust is 68 calories.
Purefoods Ready to Eat Bicol Express nutrition facts
As per the packaging, the calories in one serving is 296 calories, but that is assuming 4 servings. Since this is a 16 slice pizza, each slice has 74 calories.
165 grams of cheese divided by 16 = 11.25 calories.
This means that each slice of Bicol Express Pizza = 153.25 calories Notes:
This recipe makes a pizza that is FILLED with ingredients. You can make another crust and split the filling to make 2 pizzas.
- Most cookbooks will tell you to preheat the oven before doing anything else. Personally, I find that a waste of gas so I would recommend not turning on the oven until you actually need it. After all, it doesn’t take too long to heat up.
- Some prefer to thaw first and then cut up but personally, I’ve found that it is easier to cut up meat, especially those with sauces like these ready-to-eat meals when they are frozen. It helps, of course, that I use a cleaver. Since there are so many of us here at home this is my way of making cut-up meat stretch out so that everyone gets to eat.
- Only 3 things are limiting you – budget, available ingredients, and imagination
- I didn’t have any mozzarella so I used cheddar all the way
- If you are using a gas oven this is one way of ensuring that the pizza is cooked evenly. We used to do this, too, at Shakey’s.
The amount of cheese to put is really up to you. I can’t recall the exact weight anymore after all these years but a handful of grated cheese is usually enough to cover a large pizza so for this recipe, you will need 2 handfuls. I think that it would approximately be 165 grams or a small block of cheese.
You can also use cheese squares if you like, but you will likely end up using more cheese if you do. But, as I said, the amount of cheese is completely up to you. 🙂
How did it turn out?
The crust is soft and chewy and delicious and the Bicol express made me very happy. The spice level was just right and the meat was soft and juicy and oh so delicious! My sister even tells me that I could reduce the Bicol express toppings when I add veggies so I could make two rectangular pizzas. Next time I do this I will cut the pieces smaller so that it will be easier to split into more pizzas. 🙂
Try this recipe or make your own. Or, just eat it the Bicol express as is! It is your choice. When I decide to eat this with rice you can be sure it will be over a bowlful of steaming hot rice and probably an egg on top. Breakfast rice toppings, yes! Now I’m hungry again, lol!
Purefoods Ready-to-Eat is available at all leading groceries and supermarkets nationwide. Follow Purefoods on Facebook and Instagram.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Feb 21, 2021 | Product and Service Review
Before the quarantine of 2020, my last haircut was September 2019 (I think). After more than a year with me just pulling my hair back in a bun when I didn’t want to be bothered with it my hair looked as tired as I was – dry, turning gray, frizzy, and simply out of control. I was also experiencing hair fall already because my hair was just too long and too heavy. I contemplated just cutting my hair myself, but I didn’t want to get upset if my hair got messed up because of it.
At my friend, Janjan’s recommendation, I traveled almost 15 kilometers to try out Salon-O. I was iffy, at first because my hair is curly/wavy, and my personal experience is that very few people know how to cut curly/wavy hair properly. When the hairdresser does not know what he/she is doing my hair misbehaves afterward by getting split ends, becoming stringy, etc.
The Salon
Salon-O at Padre Faura, Manila
This is what Salon-O looks like from the outside. The right side, starting from the doors, is the reception area, on the left is where the magic happens. At the back of the salon is the shampooing station. The main color scheme of the salon is black and white – the chairs are black and everything else is white, except for the products. They do not have their own parking spaces but street parking is allowed. We were able to park right in front of the store.
Hair assessment
After the initial “hi and hello” and a little “getting to know you” Ms. O (as Ms. Olive is often referred to) sat me down on a station and assessed my hair.
My hair before the treatment and cut. It is curly and dry and the color is uneven. Then to add insult to injury … gray hair!
Uncontrollable curls, dry ends (but thankfully no split ends), uneven color, gray strands scattered here and there … oh, the horror! Hence, my often pulling my hair into a bun (to hide my shame, j/k!)
Verdict, I need …
- coverage to hide the random gray hair.
- treatment to put moisture back into my hair.
- color, to even out my hair color. Ms. O chose a natural brown for me to match my roots.
- hairstyling to make my hair more manageable.
Disposables
disposable smock and face shield
Before any of the treatments were started I was provided with a couple of disposable items – a plastic smock that is worn over your clothes and under their standard smock, and a face shield that is attached to your forehead after they wipe any sweat or oil off your forehead first. 🙂 A minimal fee of ₱50 is charged for these items.
These items are provided in an effort to comply with the minimum requirement of the IATF to minimize the possibility of spreading illness (like COVID-19). If the client does not want to pay for these items they can just go ahead and wear the one that they brought themselves, but it might get in the way of the haircut as most face shields are attached to glasses frames and hooked over the ears.
Service
Fernan of Salon-O
As with most hair treatments, it starts with a shampoo which I find very relaxing. Ms. O. did my gray coverage herself. My random gray hairs were not completely covered but most of them were, which was good enough for me. 🙂
Afterward, I was put in the very capable hands of their resident hairstylist, Fernan. A snip here, a snip there, several inches of my hair fell to the ground by my feet. He did a wonderful job cutting my hair! No wonder so many of their clients ask for him specifically. I am happy to find another hairstylist who knows what to do with curly hair aside from telling me to have it rebonded or straightened.
The entire process – from assessment, gray coverage, treatment, color, to final blowdry – only took a couple of hours. This is what my hair looked like after all that.
Transformation
Who would have thought I could go from this to this?
I thought the transformation was amazing! Definitely a big improvement for me. In addition, it is very easy to maintain with an ionic brush. Blowdrying my hair has always been hit and miss for me, especially when my hair was extra long. Purchasing an ionic brush was one of my best hair care purchases. 🙂
Thank you, Ms. O and Sir Fernan, for my new ‘do. Salon-O is owned by Ms. Olive Akatsu, a Filipino entrepreneur who is married to a Japanese national.
Their rates are competitive with other salons. A haircut, their most basic service costs ₱400. Just like other salons they also offer mani-pedi, color, hair straightening, rebond, curl, styling, microblading (for shaping your eyebrows), and makeup.
I entered Salon-O feeling okay and left feeling awesome (or should I say, O-some!) You should get a chance to feel that way, too.
Follow Salon-O on Facebook and Instagram and their website. Send them a message, they are highly responsive! In addition, they have ongoing promos you may want to avail of.
Salon-O is located on Padre Faura just a block away from Roxas Boulevard.
Here is a list of their services for your reference:
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Feb 15, 2021 | Business, Discounts, Sales, and Giveaways
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – FEBRUARY 15, 2021 — Grab, the Philippines’ leading super app is excited to announce that it will be working with one of the Philippines’ most popular and influential celebrities, Sarah Geronimo – as its brand ambassador. Known for her strong sense of practicality, Sarah and Grab Philippines will work on a series of campaigns and initiatives to delight and bring everyday value to Filipinos nationwide.
“As someone who came from a humble background, alam ko kung gaano kahalaga to make the most out of every peso. Mas lalo pa ngayon na I started my journey into married life. Kaya I am very much excited to be working with Grab! May mga campaigns and initiatives kaming inihanda para sa lahat, and I am sure that kung sino ka man, ano man ang iyong budget – may mga makikita kang sulit na deals and exciting promos sa Grab na para sayo,” says Sarah Geronimo.
“We are excited to be working with Sarah Geronimo and we believe that we both share our dedication to delight and provide value to our kababayans. Grab has constantly innovated to be the Philippines’ super app – providing everyday value and delight to our customers and communities. Similarly, Sarah has successfully built her career from being a singer to becoming the country’s most admired total performer – bringing joy and excitement to millions of Filipinos. We are confident that by working together, we will continue to delight and provide everyday value to many Filipinos,” said Grace Vera Cruz, Country Head of Grab Philippines.
Kilo-Kilometrong Pa-Promo
To kickstart the partnership, Grab and Sarah have designed a Kilo-Kilometrong Pa-promo campaign that will unload great discounts and perks across the different services and verticals. From February 15 to March 7, Grab users can unlock irresistible deals* across all services on the Grab platform when they use the promo code:
GRABWITHSARAHG
- GREAT MEALS, UNLIMITED FREE DELIVERY. GrabFood customers can have their favorite meals delivered for free within Metro Manila, with every minimum order of P400. For those outside the metro, they can have their meals delivered free of charge for a minimum purchase of P250.
- RIDE FOR LESS. Enjoy up to P40 off your fares from GrabCar rides in the next three (3) weeks with the promo code. Passengers can use the code for a maximum of two rides during the promotion period.
The latest promo code is also applicable across the following deals:
- EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS LESS THE FEES! Get your everyday essentials from Grab within 60 minutes less the booking fees, every time you spend a minimum of PHP 500 and use the promo code. The promo is available to all Grab users in Metro Manila and Cebu.
- Sending gifts or documents to your loved ones? Enjoy PHP 1.00 booking fee with Grab. Applicable to all first-time users nationwide.
- CASHBACK WITH GRAB. Don’t miss out on a one-time PHP 50 cashback when you pay cashless for your Grab services during the promotion period.
To catch your first glimpse of Sarah G on Grab, follow Grab Philippines on Facebook and check out the Grab app.
*Terms and Conditions Apply
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Feb 14, 2021 | Medical
Take my word for it, you DON’T want to get sick with COVID-19. I am one of the lucky ones who can say that I survived COVID-19. I was also lucky enough that my case was relatively mild because I was allowed to isolate and quarantine at home. It was mild in that I didn’t need hospitalization, and I could still smell and taste but since then I have had to endure constant headaches and I have had difficulty sleeping.
I read somewhere several years ago that when you have a headache you should grab fistfuls of your hair and tug and release. This massages the scalp and eases the headache. You can just imagine how often I have done just that to ease the pain.
It has been several months now, and I still get headaches every day. I don’t like taking meds so when that happens, I just take a nap in hopes that it will go away when I do. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. An ice bag or cold compress on my nape or on my head sometimes works.
It didn’t occur to me that those were COVID-related until my sister told me earlier that in COVID survivor support groups many have mentioned that they are still experiencing those symptoms today.
How it began
On June 19, 2020, I had to bring one of the carpenters working on our house to East Ave. Medical Center because one of our dogs playfully nipped him. It wasn’t a bad scratch, but he was scared of getting rabies and no matter how much we assured him (and showed him the records) that all the vaccinations of our dogs are complete, nothing would appease him, so I felt I had no choice, I had to bring him to the animal bite center. The additional expense and high-risk exposure to COVID-19 but I didn’t feel that I had any choice.
We were at the hospital for at least two hours and I even had to walk a couple of blocks to BPI sometime in between because the hospital did not accept debit card payments. The whole time we were there I tried not to think about the possibility of catching COVID-19, but I knew it was a possibility. Even before the pandemic I didn’t really step out of the house unless it was absolutely necessary, which was twice a month grocery and medicine runs, occasional convenience store and bakery run, and going to work (twice a week) or events (occasionally).
Since the pandemic started and everyone was in quarantine, going to work and events were no longer necessary, and I rarely went out. We even had supplies delivered whenever possible.
The following day I had a general feeling of malaise and thought I was just tired. The day after that I couldn’t get up at all. I had chills, a very bad headache, a raging fever, and the sniffles. For fear that it could be COVID, I decided right then and there to isolate myself. My family would occasionally peep into my room and check in on me. They would also bring me food. I don’t recall losing my sense of smell or taste, but I do recall that I ate everything given to me. In my head, all I could think of was that I needed to eat so that I would recover quickly.
I took an RT-PCR test
One week later I decided to go to St. Luke’s to get swabbed. Two days later and the results came out.
Upon receiving the results, I immediately informed our barangay, and they scheduled a visit from QCESU (Quezon City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit) so that everyone here at home could get tested, too. Thankfully, they all tested negative.
Even before I got the results, at the recommendation of my doctor I isolated myself for two weeks. Since I am the household kusinera this meant that I had stopped cooking for them since June 21, but I continued to prepare my own food. Isolation was not so difficult to do since I have my own space in the house, and we made sure to sanitize often and not work around the kitchen at the same time. It was lonely but I was ok.
I was still experiencing chills, weakness, and headaches and had to rest often, but I didn’t allow this to stop me from working. Thankfully, working from home means that I could pace myself so long as I go things done on time.
I took a second RT-PCR test
At this point, I had already been in isolation and quarantine for three weeks. I was required to do another swab test and to my dismay, this is what it said.
Another two weeks in isolation for me. Sigh. Afterward, I took the antigen test and was cleared of the virus and was positive for the antibodies. I wanted to donate but couldn’t as I am anemic.
In the five weeks that we were in quarantine I don’t know how we would have survived if not for the kindness and generosity of our neighbors and our BHERT (Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams). My cousin a few houses down offered to do our grocery shopping for us. The owner of the carinderia a few houses closer would message me the menu and then would bring over food on credit so that we wouldn’t have to cook and worry about payment. Our next-door neighbor would bring over food in trays for dinner or snacks, particularly those that she felt my mom would enjoy. Even dog food was delivered to us by the nearby pet shop. They don’t normally deliver, but they did for us. We got through this all with their help and the prayers of our family and friends.
I count myself blessed for surviving this pandemic and I pray every day that my family and friends stay safe and are spared.
In the Philippines, unMEAT was first introduced through Shakey’s Pizza’s newest offering, the Goood Burger. It has since attracted a small cult following in the few weeks it has top-billed Shakey’s Pizza chain’s foray to burgers.
Thank you, Ms. O and Sir Fernan, for my new ‘do. Salon-O is owned by 
Take my word for it, you DON’T want to get sick with COVID-19. I am one of the lucky ones who can say that I survived COVID-19. I was also lucky enough that my case was relatively mild because I was allowed to isolate and quarantine at home. It was mild in that I didn’t need hospitalization, and I could still smell and taste but since then I have had to endure constant headaches and I have had difficulty sleeping.
You must be logged in to post a comment.