Food for thought: Recipes to get you through a week of fasting and abstinence

Holy Week calls for an entire week of fasting and abstinence. This means that your list of meal choices gets drastically trimmed down. But there are still plenty of meals you can whip up at home that are still scrumptious but guilt-free. Here are some great dishes with their corresponding recipes to try out courtesy of Philips.

Prepare a simple pasta dish with portabello mushrooms for the family this Holy Week and stay true to your fasting and abstinence duties. Usually an extender for meat dishes, the mushroom will surely provide a healthy alternative from the usual meaty pasta. Definitely this will be one of the go-to dishes for an entire week.

But just because you have to abstain from meat, doesn’t mean you have to forego nutrients. Seal in all the nutrients of all the ingredients of the pasta dish as well as every meal you wish to cook with the Philips Induction Cooker HD4932.

By utilizing 2100 W high power for fast heating, the Philips Induction Cooker HD4932 reduces 1/3 of your cooking time, which ultimately results in more nutrients sealed in your food. It quickly starts cooking at the touch of the start key and is also extra safe for children with its cool-to-touch surface.

Another great meal you can’t afford not to cook for the Holy Week is something freshly steamed. If you’re fond of steamed dishes, steamed lapu-lapu (grouper fish) might’ve instantly popped into your head already.

Fish in itself is already a healthy and delicious meal. But for it to be steamed instead of fried only makes it even more mouth-watering and rich with nutrients.

Boost the flavor of your steamed lapu-lapu with your own combination of herbs and spices using the Philips Food Steamer HD9140. Its Flavour Booster improves steamed food with delectable herbs and spices without doing anything more than popping herbs into the booster. The steamer requires little effort to operate with its digital timer and a Keep Warm function to keep food ready for serving all the time.

Finally, what’s a healthy Holy Week meal without the finest fruit juices? Make tasty and fresh fruit juices at home without any hassle using the Philips Juicer HR1871.

The Philips Juicer HR1871 features an extra large feeding tube that allows whole fruits and vegetables to be put in and juiced without pre-cutting or peeling. It is also easy to use and clean, and produces 10% more juice compared to other juicers. It can also juice up to 2.5 liters of juice in one go without having to empty the pulp container. A powerful 800 W motor ensures that you can juice even the toughest ingredients. Try mixing a unique recipe of organic pineapple, ginger and apple juice or mix and match your own fruits and veggies with the family.

Make abstinence and fasting something to look forward to with these healthy yet guilt-free recipes for the entire family. And amid all the vacation plans for the Holy Week, be sure to remind yourself that the Holy Week is also a time dedicated to reflection.

Philips Induction Cooker HD4932 Recipe

Baby Portabello Mushrooms and Conchiglie

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes (including boiling of pasta)

Ingredients

500 grams conchiglie

6 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

500g organic portabello mushrooms

1 red bell pepper, julienne

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Italian parsley, sliced

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated

A cup of baby rocket

Salt and pepper, to taste

Procedure

1. Using Philips Induction Cooker HD4932, cook the pasta in boiling water until al dente. Drain.
2. Sauté garlic, mushrooms, bell pepper until soft.
3. Stir frequently.
4. Stir in red wine vinegar, parsley and parmesan cheese.
5. Toss rocket before serving. Serve with a slice of focaccia.

Philips Food Steamer HD9140 Recipe

Steamed baby lapu-lapu fillets with organic vegetables and sweet potato mashed

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients

4 pcs (150g each) baby lapu-lapu fillets

Salt and Pepper

Few branches of coriander

25g ginger, minced

50g red onions, minced

25g white stalk lemongrass, minced

50ml extra virgin olive oil

Banana leaf

200g sweet potato

Procedure

1. Pre-heat Philips Food Steamer HD9140
2. Season lapu-lapu with salt and pepper; add ginger, lemongrass, coriander, red onions and brush with olive oil
3. Wrap fish with banana leaf
4. Peel and cut potatoes into cube
5. Steam then serve

Philips Juicer HR1871 Recipe

Organic Pineapple, Ginger & Apple Juice

Preparation time: 10 -15minutes

Serves 4 persons

Ingredients

3 apples, cored

Half lime

¼ piece of fresh ginger

1 whole pineapple, cored

6 tbsp organic honey (optional)

4 strands mint leaves

Procedure

1. Extract apples, pineapples and ginger in the Philips Juicer HR1871
2. Add honey, ice and some lime juice
3. Garnish with mint leaves and a slice of lime
4. Add ice
5. Serve