Savor pizza, pasta, and tiramisu without worrying about cholesterol, dairy, processed sugar, and other high-fat ingredients. For this month’s Green Monday buffet at the Westin, Executive Chef Rej Casanova is serving Italian favorites in collaboration with Mia Sison, an integrative nutrition coach and certified raw vegan. Chef Mia also owns Habits, an online health store that offers plant-based food, ingredients, and pasta sauces.
Habits was inspired by her determination to serve healthy meals at home. “My daughter was diagnosed with severe eczema, and is very sensitive to anything with dairy, gluten, and other inflammatory agents. I started experimenting with different recipes. I cannot make her change her eating habits, so the whole family had to eat healthy,” she said.
Chef Mia trained at Sayuri Healing Food in Bali, Indonesia, and started preparing delectable plant-based food for her family. She gained a lot of followers when she shared her journey on social media. In time, it blossomed into a food delivery service catering to health-conscious individuals around Metro Manila.
Italian food is known for its simplicity and fresh flavor, and healthy versions of pizza and pasta dishes made from plant-based cheeses; meatballs, sausages, and pasta sauces highlight this month’s “One Dish Wonders” live kitchen station. The section is part of the daily buffet at Seasonal Taste restaurant, although each dish is prepared upon order, and guests can have as many servings as they wish.
For starters, the chefs recommend plant-based Italian Meatballs, made from whole food ingredients and served with eggplant marinara and tomato sauce. The sauce is one of the most popular products in Habits, according to Chef Mia. “It’s very versatile and easy to use. It can be served with pasta or toast. For non-vegans, it can be mixed with chicken,” she said.
The menu also includes the “Cashew E Pepe,” a cheese-less version of the Italian classic Cacio E Pepe. “Instead of cheese, we used soaked cashew and almond milk,” explains Chef Reg. Also in the menu is plant-based Burrata served with tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, and basil, and Burrata Pizza with pesto cream and tomato confit.
An Italian menu will not be complete without Bolognese, made from plant-based meat ragu in tomato sauce, and Pepperoni Pizza, plant-based pepperoni sausage, tomato sauce, and vegan cashew mozzarella.
For dessert, the chefs created Tiramisu Affogato, a not-too-sweet note” to cap the interesting meal. It is made from espresso, coconut nectar, coconut evaporated milk, and nut milk.
The “Green Mondays” event at Westin encourages mindful eating, and a good start is to have healthy meals, at least once a week. The dishes are as tasty and flavorful as the regular buffet fare. The plant-based pizza and pasta dishes are available every Monday for the whole month of August.
in line with the hotel’s commitment to holistic, wellness-oriented experience Seasonal Taste restaurant has a daily plant-based spread. Healthy grab-and-go treats are also available at the Eat Well counter at the lobby.
