Friday, May 1, 2015

Mood Food is the New Good Food


We are on the second quarter of 2015 and since I last checked I haven't written something about food trends.  Do I need to remind myself I'm writing about food?  Hmm...So let's see, first there was the rise of fusion culinary, then came the hybrids, the farm-to-table concept (one of my fave by far) then the ever increasing popularity of  comfort food indulgence.  However, I'm not going to push for more restaurant trends finding ways to change your dining habits here.  Though being gastro-aware can complement you to be better foodies right?

Enough with the babbling, as I was saying, there is a new culinary term linked to food and it rhymes..Sweet!  

Mood Food.

If at some point, eating out weighs you down, or something bad happened in your life that needed some boosting up without going out the confines of your dwelling, in other words, you're not in the mood for something, but let's face it, you still gotta eat.  Will you, 
A-starve till your bad mood pass away,
B- Open the fridge and eat whatever you find in it, or 
C- do something creatively healthy in the kitchen, dawning that bad mood.

If you answer A or B, you're hopeless and you don't need to read further.  On one hand, if you chose C then you're on the right track, "congrats!"  

Recent studies have discovered that there are certain foods to boost your moods.  Yes, there is a clear connection between mood and food.  I just found that out at the launch of Russell Hobbs Mood Food Cookbook last April 29 at Top Shelf Fully Booked, in BGC.  This cookbook shows the strong tie up between Russell Hobbs and Chef JP Anglo.

Russell Hobbs is a UK brand that is the global leader in stylish small kitchen appliances proven to be kitchen worthy in over 30 countries.  TOCOMS, the exclusive distributor of Russell Hobbs in the Philippines aims to bring the comforts of a modern, compact kitchen to every household.  With the cookbook in mind plus these kitchen appliances, "Everyone can be an expert in the kitchen preparing scrumptious dishes in the comfort of their own homes," says Clarence Cu, President and CEO of TOCOMS.

The cover of the cookbook

Celebrity Chef JP Anglo, co-owner and chef of Sarsa Kitchen and had been one of the judges of Master Chef Philippines is said to be the main man of the book.  His simple recipes are said to change the mood of the cook or the eater of the featured dish.  Comfort food are depicted, tweaked and livened up by Chef JP making them into good happy food.  The cookbook is surely a resource to support inner strength and generate happy cells to manage life's challenges.  Chef JP believes that food does not only provide sustenance, it can also help in triggering the moods and emotions that we have.


During the launch, Chef JP, demoed several recipes from the Mood Food while a good mood music was being played in the background (music were lifted of from Spotify).  Since it was my first time to see Russell Hobbs' kitchen gadgets in action, I was like a kid on a candy store.  I'm a kitchen person, well since I'm a mom, that kinda goes with it.


Of course, with each demo is the taste-testing.  Here are Cheese Longanisa Paninis that Chef made with Russell Hobbs Panini Maker.


He also made power breakfast smoothie, Banana Smoothie with ginger and other spices, which I liked.

After showing some other recipes, all of us, attendees were asked to do our lunch, on our side, tables were filled with ingredients for Spam and Such, and Glorified Tuna Panini, while on the other side were for making smoothies.


I shared the table with Luke and Kat of The Hungry Kat blog and Ruel Umali of ruelumali.com.  Kat made the Spam and Such while I did the Glorified Tuna Panini.  


It was easy preparing the paninis, what I was so giddy about was using the Panini Maker.  I'm such a sandwich junkie, I can probably be the last person on earth who could live on sandwiches alone. Toasts are a no-brainer for me in my kitchen, except I make it the traditional way, with my griddle pan or with a non-stick frying pan.  I find the Panini Maker more efficient and cuts more time toasting both the sides of the panini, and with beautiful grill marks.   As you can see, you can grill more than two sandwiches in one time and it only takes about 5 to 6 minutes.



Tadah!  I didn't only make one Glorified Tuna Sandwich, I made two, it was that quick and easy.
  

This is Kat's Spam and Such Panini


Our creation!  Don't they look like some sandwiches served on gourmet restos?  

Yes, you too can make them in your own kitchen and you can actually mix and match different ingredients for your sandwiches. 

You can either buy the recipe book in any bookstores or you can get one for free whenever you buy Russell Hobbs kitchen equipment.

For more details and updates, follow Russell Hobbs Philippines in Facebook.

You can also follow me in Instagram for my daily feeds of how I re-make the recipes from the Mood Food cookbook or check out #russellhobbsmoodfood. 

I guess now, I have some shopping to do next...



23 comments:

  1. Yum! The banana smoothie sounds interesting. I love bananas and I like ginger. I am trying to imagine the taste when blended together. I'll have to give it a try.

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  2. Hmmm... mood food is something interesting. My happy mood food is bubble tea. Will there be sad food as well?

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  3. Everything looks absolutely amazing! What a fun event! :D

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  4. nice event. my answer is C, but unfortunately, I can't cook except scramble egg and sandwich T---T

    http://beautyasti1.blogspot.com

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  5. People tend to run to food for comfort. Instead of being fat and unhealthy because of it, it’s nice to know that we can choose to live the healthier lifestyle and create scrumptious meals without going overboard on the weight department.

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  6. Oooh, I've always wanted my own Panini press, and Russell Hobbs has a great one. We have been living a healthy lifestyle for almost a decade now, all our food is made from scratch at home from fresh produce we get at the local market. Surprisingly our everyday meals make us happy. Healthy food = perfect happy mood food. :)

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  7. I think I'm going to love that panini maker! YOu know what combo I like? melted cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and pepper! Yummmmy. Yup, no meat.

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  8. P.S. The hybrid trend is also one of my favorites, though, it's so hard to accomplish where I live where organics are either expensive or unavailable.

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  9. Banana smoothie with ginger? I hope it tastes good. :-) paninis are very easy to make. Longanisa panini, thats interesting. Shows that you really had a great time. Coffee soon? Imy

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  10. Haha! I am a type A kinda person, but am glad I read on despite your advise! ;) That smoothie looks great, bet it will be yummy too if i freeze the lot into ice-lollies for desserts.

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  11. Chef JP looks like a very approachable and friendly guy compared to the other celebrity chefs. Was he in person?

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  12. Great event you've attended and yes you know how to make your sandwiches.. I digs paninis, so I must got to have that Panini Maker

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  13. B- Open the fridge and eat whatever you find in it...hahahaha....this is me. If I am in bad mood, and I am tired of dealing with my frenemies >>>> STRESS! hahahahaha...love to open the fridge and eat whatever food I find inside. Hahahaha...

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  14. Haha, I love how your presentation is good to be served in a legit resto! Anyhoo, with food being able to alter moods, I think it really does. I went to a resto before, Van Gogh is Bipolar, where the chef served food which he found balanced his moods, to keep him stable.

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  15. This made me hungry! I'd love to taste those food. Waaah. Good food! Good life! I wish I was there. haha Day dreaming. :D Great food photos. Mouthwatering. :D

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  16. Oh. it is nice to own a panini maker! Then I remember I am avoiding bread in my diet. Do you have a low carb version for me? hehehe

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  17. Great creations and they do look like gourmet meals. It looks easy to do and follow.

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  18. Nice presentations and looks yummy too! Gotta try this once at home :D

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  19. I have heard a bit about mood foods and I think it is true that many can influence your mood, in both positive and negative ways. I think the key is to be mindful of what you eat and try to keep a good balance.

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  20. I like the way they present their food... I like the way they call it: mood food, too! When we eat, our mood gets better perhaps?

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  21. Oh my! All the foods presented here looks so yummy. I love your tuna sandwich :).

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