On our last visit to Younger Sister in Florida last Thanksgiving, she handed us a tub of Olivio Premium Spread for our toast at breakfast.  I was first intrigued by the packaging because it carried Lee Iacocca’s name on it.  But when she told me that it was made from olive oil, I got even more intrigued.  My first taste convinced me that this was the one product I would always choose to have on my toast.  No matter who makes it, or what it’s made of, IT IS DELICIOUS.  it doesn’t hurt that it is also has 85 percent less saturated fat than butter and is cholesterol-free.

Since I am so impressed by this product and decided to write about it here, I also checked out their website and learned more about the company.  Olivio Premimum Products is owned by Mr. Iacocca with his son-in-law Ned Hentz running the ship.  The company partnered with Unilever to manufacture and distribute their products which include the Olivio Premium Spread and Olivio Buttery Spray.  

Their website also says they are coming out with Olivio mayonnaise, cooking and salad oils soon.  Mr. Iacocca gives ALL his profits to diabetes research.  He has given more than $20-Million to this cause since 1984 which is when his wife died of the disease.

My mother is a diabetic.  People who know me will remember what a horrendous  time I went through five years ago when my mother was hospitalized due to complications of diabetes.  She’s doing a lot better now.  She keeps to her diet and made her doctor very happy on her last visit because all her tests came out normal.  My mother is 76 years old and has only one remaining kidney.  We are all very proud of her for this latest news.  A couple of years ago, my sister was diagnosed with the disease too.  Spouse’s mother was also a diabetic so this is a disease that is constantly at the back of my mind.

If I buy Lee Iacocca’s spread, he will be able to help diabetes researchers do their job better.  Diabetes research can help my mother and sister in their struggle to beat this disease.  Can you blame me if I never look at my buttered toast the same way ever again?

Eatingwell Diabetes Cookbook: 275 Delicious Recipes and 100+ Tips for Simple, Everyday Carbohydrate Control

Not unlike the Super Heroes of our youthful fancy, they are supposed to fight the evil cancer-causing whatever it is that causes cancer by supplying your body with phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals.

Alrighty… I can believe that.  My mother always told me to eat my vegetables when I was a kid.  This kid was smart enough even then that before Momma could shove it down this little carnivore’s throat, I would gulp down a few greens now and again – chewing and tasting it was another thing though.

And so here I still am – a not so rundown forty-something.  Please don’t ask proof of this last statement – just take my word for it.  Please.

But do these Super Foods TASTE good?  Now that is the question we shall seek to answer today.

First of all, what are these foods and what do they do for us?

APPLES.  Yes, the apple that keeps the doctor away.  Did you know they have flavonoids  The same flavonoids we are so used to associating with chocolate. These little mass of molecules actually have the  ability to modify the body’s reaction to other compounds such as allergens, carcinogens and viruses.  Great, huh?  But not only that, they have other phytonutrients (love that word – can you visualize them fighting the evil cancer cells?) and don’t forget the healthy fiber. You really need fiber in your diet, and trust me, the pills just don’t cut it.  So, grab that apple sitting in your fruit bowl the last two weeks before someone beats you to it.  Two weeks you say?  Well, that’s another advantage to these fruit, they have a very long shelf life.

AVOCADO.  In my youth, I always thought avocados were very rich and not at all good for your health. Turns out the same oil avocados have that make it taste so rich is the same kind of healthy oils you will find in olive oil – monounsaturated fatty acids.  This is the good fat, you guys…the one that will even help lower your bad cholesterol levels.  Not only that, somehow the nutrients in avocados help your body absorb nutrients from other foods like tomatoes.  Mmmm….guacamole anyone?   Next time you are handed a bowl of guacamole, don’t pass it up.

BEANS.  “beans, beans, the musical fruit, the more you eat the more you toot… the more you toot the better you feel. “   So it’s not a fruit, but you get it.  It has lots of fiber and protein as we always knew.  But who knew they also had anti-oxidants and Vitamin B and potassium?  It impressed me so much, I cooked up some  beans for dinner tonight.

BLUEBERRIES.  Oprah said she always has a bowl of blueberries on her desk at work because it’s so good for you.  Hey if Oprah said it, it must be true.  In fact, these little blue balls pack a ton of anti-oxidants – three different kinds ’smatter of fact – anthocyanins and other polyphenols, and carotenoids.  I don’t know what on earth they are supposed to do but it all sounds  healthy to me.  Plus, they have Vitamin C and E and the most important thing – they taste good and have very few calories. Just make sure you don’t have any of it stuck between your teeth when you look up from your desk and smile at someone…

DARK CHOCOLATE.  Now, we’re talking… Who knew that something everyone actually loves and feels guilty to eat is good for you?  What – there’s a catch? Yup, dark chocolates only – not milk chocolate or even my favorite white chocolate.  It’s the flavonoids you’re supposed to be after.   These flavonoids help lower your blood pressure and somehow keep your arteries clear.  At last, a good excuse to make my next cup of cocoa extra dark and sinful…..

KIWIS.   Surprise, surprise…this Vitamin C-loaded fruit originally from New Zealand is actually richer in potassium than bananas.  And the skin (minus the fuzz which you can simply rub off) has all the flavonoid oxidants.  Thank goodness kiwis don’t have the same skin as bananas have!

OATS.  Phytonutrients again?  Who knew?  Not just fiber…but also protein, potassium, magnesium and other minerals. I wonder how many people always knew oatmeal lowers your cholesterol and has so much fiber?  My husband and I are one of those countless people who have memories of grandma and oatmeal.  His grandma’s oatmeal was a thick Scottish gruel and ours was a thin porridge with milk and sugar.

SPINACH.  Did you know that boiled spinach makes healthier eating than raw spinach?  So what does spinach have that made Popeye love it so?  Lutein, carotenoids, coenzyme Q (oddly enough, I first heard about this nutrient from Pat Robertson of the 700 CLub), iron and other minerals and something called betaine.  Kale and other dark green, leafy vegetables  also have the same nutrients.  Yep, we’re having Spinach Souffle for lunch tomorrow…with a pie crust made from scratch with the much-maligned but irreplaceable Crisco shortening. *shrinking in shame*

WALNUTS.  I don’t know why they always just cite walnuts in health articles.  What about the other nuts out there?  They can’t be less good for you.  They all have Omega 3 fatty acids, plant sterol and anti-oxidants that walnuts have.  I say here’s to all nuts!

YOGHURT.  Live culture is their claim to fame.  Doesn’t sound very appetizing,  does it? These cultures kill bad bacteria inside of you, aid in digestion, meatbolizes food and tunes up your insides like no other food can.  However, most commercial yoghurts are heated to a point where these live cultures are zapped and aren’t much help to the consumer.  Solution?  Read the label before you reach for that fruit-flavored yoghurt cup in the refrigerated aisle of your grocery store…or make your own yoghurt with blueberries, avocados, apples, walnuts, kiwis, dark chocolate – but please don’t try it with spinach or other  dark green, leafy vegetable…green yoghurt is not as appetizing as you think it could be.

Do these Super Foods taste good? I think so. And here are my suggestions for how you can enjoy them:

Apples – apple dumplings, apple pie, apple betty, apple crumble, apple cider, applesauce.

Avocados – avocado ice cream (everyone has to try this), avocado shake (this one too), guacamole with chips.

Beans – chili, 4-Way Cincinatti Chili, refried beans, chili dogs,

Blueberries – blueberry pies, blueberyy cheesecake, blueberry muffins, blueberry pancakes, bluebery sauce on French vanilla bean ice cream.

Dark Chocolate –  Large, steaming cups of thick, dark cocoa with half and half and Splenda.  Chocolate Tart, chocolate mousse, lava cakes.

Kiwis – in a fruit salad, mixed with a lot of other fruits.

Oats – a warm, thick gruel with some pitted dates or other dried fruits thrown in for flavor.  I prefer mine with milk and sugar, hubby prefers his just lightly salted.

Spinach – Quiche, quiche, quiche… with low fat cottage cheese and low fat swiss cheese so I can have the transfat-laden pie crust.

Nuts – in coffecakes, fruit salads, green salads, or just plain roasted.

Yoghurt – fruit-flavored, BTIC – but the read the labels before you purchase.  Remember, it’s the LIVE cultures you want in your yoghurt – they are no good to you once they’re dead. 

This is a photograph of an ampalaya (bitter melon or bitter gourd) vine grown organically by my newly found cousin, Pito Garcia. We’re second cousins actually and we connected through a website on geneology my maternal relatives have just discovered.  It’s the coolest thing to find relatives online and meet them for the first time in person.  If not for the internet, our paths may not have crossed for a long time.

His farm is located in a beautiful spot surrounded by gentle hills in the Zambales town of San Antonio.  It was a stormy day when Spouse and I went to visit.  You can probably tell by the dark clouds over the hills that more rains were on the way.  The rain and winds came in bursts, strong and surrprising…an amazing display of nature’s power and beauty.  I’m getting all poetic because it was a truly awesome experience.

Pito is currently  experimenting with organic farming. He’s been growing vegetables commercially for about three years now. Going organic is the next logical step. When you’ve lived the life of a farmer, enjoying the clean air, healthy lifestyle, and beautiful, beautiful surroundings that no man can build, going organic is the only way to go.

Watch out in the coming months, the unofficial cook might just turn into the unofficial farmer!

This is a recipe I picked up after coming from a 3-month Bangkok work assignment several years ago.  The photo was taken just before the final stir, aftet I just threw in the scallions, diced tomato and scrambled egg strips. 

The street food of Bangkok fascinated me of course.  The little soi where our office housed their foreign employees was just behind Bumrungrad Hospital, before it became famously world-class.  The street had several little motels, restaurants and several food hawkers selling, fried rice, pork hocks simmering in a sweet brown sauce, grilled seafood, mango salads, fresh fruits with sugar and chili powder…and so much more….which I all tried BTW.

This particular fried rice recipe I call Bangkok Fried Rice because it isn’t your usual Thai Fried Rice with aromatic herbs.  It’s rather plain compared to other Thai recipes, but I love the mix of chili paste and shrimp paste coupled with the fresh tomato thrown in at the last minute of this fried rice.  Tomato is not your usual fried rice ingredient and it worked wonderfully here.

After about a couple of weeks of landing in Bangkok, I had to refrain from my favorite street foods.  A co-woker from Singapore brought me to a restaurant that served clams which I didn’t recognize.  He called it blood clams or something and assured me they were good.  The following day, I was too sick to even see straight.  It was terrible and there’s nothing worse than getting sick in a foreign land all by yourself.

Good thing Bumrungrad Hospital was right across the street so I hauled myself to their emergency room and was told to stay overnight as they stuck needles in my arm.  Somehow reassuringly, my doctor was not surprised I had food poisoning and just told me to take it easy on the street food and gave me some pills and a prescription.  And so my street food bonanza in Bangkok ended.  Errr….well, suspended till further notice anyway.

Before this medical drama unfolded, I was a happy customer of this one lady who stationed herself right by the gate of the condominium where I was staying.  For the first couple of weeks, I ordered my fried rice from her. In fact, I got so addicted to her cooking I had fried rice for lunch almost daily.  I’d have chicken one day, beef the next then pork…but always from this same lady.  I would watch her cooking until it felt like I was making it myself.   When I got home to the Philippines, I tried this on my family and they just loved it. 

So here’s my recipe, using approximate portions:

4 c. cooked cold jasmine rice, tossed and separated with your moistened fingers

1 tbsp. light olive oil

1 lb. ground or thinly-sliced pork tenderloin

1 small onion, diced

1 large garlic clove, crushed and peeled

2 tbsp. fish sauce

4 tbsps. Thai Chili-Garlic Paste

3 tbsps. shrimp paste (Lee Kum Kee is always reliable)

1 tsp. Chinese wine

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. oyster sauce or Indonesian kecap manis

1 small carrot, sliced thin on the diagonal

1 c. shredded cabbage

salt to taste

1/2 c. frozen peas

2 green onions, sliced fine

1 med. tomato, diced

1 scrambled egg, cut in strips

Heat a large wok over high heat.  Add oil and when surface starts rippling after half a minute add the pork and stir fry a minute. 

Add the next 8 ingredients and stir fry till pork is cooked, about 2 to 4 minutes.  Then add the carrots and cabbage, stir fry another 2 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften. 

Add the rice and stir until it’s evenly coated with the pan juices.  Stir fry about 3 minutes, correcting the seasoning as you mix.  Now add the tomatoes, scallions and egg strips and give it one last stir.  Turn off heat and serve immediately while tomatoes are still firm.

I saw the headline, read it out loud to Spouse, who was in front of his computer next to mine and told him jokingly, “What did they come up with…Omega-3 producing pigs?.”

Imagine my surprise when I clicked on the full report and found that indeed, these super pigs do produce Omega-3 fats that we all know is good for our health and is something we get from fish!

Yes, Omega-3 producing pigs!  Pork, baboy, babi, bacon, pancetta, jamon, longganisa, Virginia ham, Italian sausage, pork chops, Inihaw na Baboy…all that and more suddenly becoming health food! This has got to be a dream…

Happy days….happy days….happy days!!!!!!!