California Raisins bring natural sweetness, nutritional goodness to daily meals

Press Release

As Filipinos look for convenient and nutritious food options that can keep up with their busy routines, California Raisins is highlighting how a small addition can bring natural sweetness and nutritional goodness to everyday meals.

At its recent “Raisin Everyday Energy w/ California Raisins” event, California Raisins brought together James Beard Awardee Erwan Heussaff and registered nutritionist-dietitian Jo Sebastian to showcase how California Raisins can be added to familiar dishes to enhance their flavor while providing nutritional value.

Small sweetness, big possibilities

California Raisins are naturally sweet and contain no added sugar. A ¼-cup serving provides 26 grams of natural sugar and 32 grams of carbohydrates, making it a great source of energy for the body. The same serving also provides 2 grams of dietary fiber and 298 milligrams of potassium while being naturally low in sodium and free of fat and cholesterol. Together, these nutritional qualities make California Raisins a convenient ingredient to include as part of a balanced diet.

“California Raisins offer more than natural sweetness. They provide important nutrients that can contribute to the energy we need throughout the day,” said Thomas Wee, Regional Director, Lieu Marketing Associates (Raisin Administrative Committee). “Their versatility also makes them easy to incorporate into a variety of everyday meals, from breakfast and snacks to sandwiches and savory dishes.”

Putting this versatility into practice, Erwan showcased two recipes featuring California Raisins: a Raisin Tuna Sandwich, which combines California Raisins with tuna, eggs, mustard, calamansi, celery, onion, and herbs on sourdough; and classic Pininyahang Manok with California Raisins, which pairs chicken with pineapple, bell peppers, cabbage, and California Raisins. Together, the recipes show how California Raisins can complement both everyday sandwiches and familiar Filipino dishes with their subtle sweetness.

Making everyday meals more nourishing

Beyond the recipes, Sebastian shared practical meal-planning tips for building more balanced everyday meals. She highlighted how familiar staples such as bread, eggs, meat, vegetables, and fruit can be combined in different ways to create simple, balanced meals that can be prepared in as little as 10-15 minutes, making them suitable for different parts of the day, without requiring complicated recipes or hard-to-find ingredients.

She highlighted simple ways to include California Raisins across different eating occasions—from breakfast and lunch to merienda and dinner—giving consumers more options when planning nutritious meals around ingredients they already enjoy.

From simple sandwiches to familiar Filipino dishes, California Raisins offer an easy way to bring variety and nutritional goodness to everyday meals. Available at major supermarkets and grocery stores nationwide, they are easy to keep on hand for everyday cooking and meal planning.

Essy recipes:

California Raisin Tuna Sandwich

by Erwan Heussaff

Ingredients:

½ cup California Raisins

2 boiled eggs

1 cup olive oil

2 tbsp mustard

2 calamansi, juiced

1 red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp celery, chopped

1 tbsp fresh dill

1 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp chili flakes

2 cans of tuna

Sour dough

Procedure:

Blend eggs, olive oil, mustard, and calamansi juice until smooth and set aside.
Mix egg mayo, California Raisins, onion, garlic, celery, fresh dill, and tuna well before seasoning to taste with black pepper and chili flakes
Spread tuna mixture on sourdough and grill with olive oil.

Pininyahang Manok with California Raisins

by Erwan Heussaff

Ingredients:

½ cup California Raisins

4-6 pieces bone-in chicken thigh

5 cloves garlic, crushed

2 bell peppers, chopped

½ head of cabbage, chopped

1 cup fresh pineapple, cubed

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup chicken stock

1 tbsp patis, add more as needed