Three family-friendly, healthy, and budget-friendly recipes

To motivate Filipino families to eat healthier this year, registered nutritionist-dietitian Dr. Teddy S. Manansala has listed down several easy recipes for nutritious, budget-friendly and flavorsome dishes.  

The recipes utilize ingredients easily found in the kitchen or purchased from nearby local markets. It features basic vegetables such as malunggay (moringa), okra (ladies’ fingers), munggo (mung beans), and camote (sweet potatoes), which can be grown and harvested from home gardens.

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“The concepts of variety, moderation, and balance were emphasized by including locally available and inexpensive ingredients to ensure that nutrients are obtained,” Manansala added.

Manansala, a resident full-time and associate professor at the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management (SHRIM) of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), likewise highlighted the major nutrients content and numbers of serving per recipe.

Munggo Croquette

Servings: 6  

Nutrients: carbohydrates, fat, protein, iodine, fiber   

Ingredients

2 cups boiled and mashed potato

1 cup boiled and mashed munggo

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 pc fresh egg

2 pcs beaten eggs

1 cup bread crumbs

2 cups vegetable oil

Ground black pepper (to taste)

Iodized salt (to taste)

Mixed mayonnaise-ketchup (optional)

Procedure

1. Separately boil potato and munggo.
2. Once softened, drain and mix the boiled vegetables together. Mash until even texture. You may use the drained liquid as part of the stock for other dishes.
3. Add all-purpose flour in the potato-munggo mixture. Add egg and mix evenly.
4. Season with ground black pepper and iodized salt.
5. Portion using spoon, form round shape, dip in beaten egg, then roll over the bread crumbs.
6. Fry by batch until golden brown.
7. Serve hot with mayonnaise-ketchup dip.

Tortang Okra

Servings: 6  

Nutrients: carbohydrates, fat, protein, iodine, fiber   

Ingredients

1 cup thinly sliced eggplant

1 cup thinly sliced okra

2 pcs fresh egg

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 pc chopped onion

1 cup vegetable oil

Ground black pepper (to taste)

Iodized salt (to taste)

Ketchup or garlic-vinegar (optional)

Procedure

1. Sauté thinly sliced okra until the slimy juice evaporates then add thinly sliced eggplant. Set aside after sautéing.
2. Beat the egg. Add the sauteed mixed okra and eggplant, chopped onions, and all-purpose flour. Mix well until there are no more lumps.
3. Season with ground black pepper and iodized salt.
4. Use measuring cup to portion the batter mixture by batch and fry until golden brown.
5. Serve hot with ketchup or garlic-vinegar.

Turones de Camote-Malunggay

Servings: 24

Nutrients: carbohydrates, fat, calcium, iodine, vitamin A, fiber   

Ingredients

5 cups water

4 cups sliced camote

1/4 cup fresh malunggay leaves

24 pcs lumpia wrapper

2 cups vegetable oil

1/8 tsp iodized salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

Procedures

1. Wash the sliced camote and bring to boil until it softens.
2. Drain the boiled camote and mix it with fresh malunggay leaves.
3. Mash the mix of camote and malunggay leaves using a fork.
4. Roll around three tablespoons of mashed camote-malunggay in a lumpia wrapper. Dampen with water to seal the ends.
5. Bring vegetable oil to boiling temperature and add half of the brown sugar for the first batch
6. Deep-fry the camote-malunggay roll until golden brown.
7. Drain excess oil and serve warm.