November 20, 2024 | 5:55pm
MANILA, Philippines — My college friend Chito Tayag is a certified health buff. Since corporate obligations have constrained his time and energy in pursuit of a sustainable fitness regimen and the carinderias within his office vicinity mostly offer fast-food cloned meal options, he thought of preparing his own baon so he would have more control over what he eats.
“The idea sparked a cupful of excitement that served me well. I got motivated to look for lunch boxes on discount, buy an insulated lunch bag from Divisoria and leisurely navigate the grocery aisles for canned tuna (in brine) and other colorful fresh produce. Initially, I prepared my tuna dish that’s good for five work days. It was a budget-saver,” he explained.
But after a while, he started to crave for the distinct joy that comes from green and leafy fresh salads. He started making fresh garden salads, and this is one of them.
Chito’s Fresh Garden Salad
Ingredients:
For the salad:
Romaine lettuce
Suha (pomelo), peeled and each segment portioned
Tomatoes
Corn kernels
Almond nuts
Raisins
Apple, soaked in Apple Cider Vinegar dressing, or use bottled Asian or Honey Mustard dressing
For the Apple Cider Vinegar dressing:
2 tbsps. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
1 1/2 cups water, or as desired
1 tbsp. sugar
Ground black pepper
Light soy sauce or Knorr liquid seasoning to taste (optional)
Procedure:
1. In a bowl, combine all ingredients for the dressing and whisk well. This dressing is good for soaking in another batch of apples. Use hot water to dissolve sugar with ease. Add pepper and seasoning to taste. Add in the sliced apples and mix well. Chill overnight.
2. Cut fresh Romaine lettuce into bite sizes, wash and pat dry with clean cloth.
3. Peel Suha (pomelo) and break it into bite-sized pieces.
4. Slice the tomatoes.
5. Soak the sliced apples in the ACV dressing. This enhances the apple’s natural sweetness, prevents oxidation, and allows it to retain its color.
6. Make a bed of cut Romaine lettuce. Arrange all other ingredients on top as desired.
7. Serve with dressing on the side.
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