Recorra la ruta del tacu tacu y conozca las distintas
maneras de prepararlo
Fuente: Panamericana TV Perú
Domingo 30 de Setiembre del 2012, 01:32 PM
El tacu tacu es un plato muy popular en las mesas de los hogares
peruanos. A continuación, lo llevaremos por aquellos huariques del sabor, en
donde se preparan diferentes versiones de este plato. Desde un tacu tacu con
lomo saltado hasta un tacu con mariscos y camarones.
Source: Yahoo!7 NewsMelissa Goodwin, Frugal and Thriving March 30, 2012, 2:50 pm
While television shows like My Kitchen Rules may leave you thinking you need quail eggs and truffle oil for an impressive dinner party menu, the truth is you can create a top scoring menu for only a few dollars per person.
So here are five steps to hosting a gourmet dinner party that will pass judgement without breaking the budget.
Before planning your menu, decide on a budget for your dinner party. Your budget doesn’t need to be big – you can save money by being creative with basic ingredients and preparing dishes from scratch rather than using pre-made ingredients.
A theme will help you plan a budget menu and set the mood for the entire party.
When choosing your theme, take into consideration the season - think salads and char-grills in summer and roasts or casseroles in winter, this will save you money.
A great budget theme is a ‘cultural’ theme. For instance, an Indian food theme with homemade curries will stretch a small amount of meat to feed many.
Slow cooked curries also require cheaper cuts of meat to get that melt-in-your-mouth flavour. And as a bonus, a slow cooker will save you time as well! Round out your budget menu with inexpensive but tasty vegetables dishes, homemade dhal and rice.
Finally, create your setting to suit your theme. Raid your cupboards, your garden or explore your local thrift store for a creative table setting. And don’t forget the music; your library is a great place to find free music that sets the mood for your special evening.
Your appetiser, entree, main and dessert selection will depend on your budget and your theme. You can find lots of inspiration on the internet or in the cookbook section of your library.
Here are a few tips to keep your menu within budget:
1. Focus on simple ingredients and turn them into something special with herbs, spices and homemade sauces. You will save money and create a sensational meal by cooking with produce that is local and in season.
2. Add a touch of class without breaking the budget by including one or two special ingredients like a little goat’s cheese crumbled through a salad.
3. The more food you prepare yourself, the more you will save. A hummus dip, for instance, is quick and easy to make at home, can be made ahead of time and is a fraction of the cost of the store bought variety (and will taste better too).
4. Let meat play a secondary role to vegetables and grains: think kebabs for a BBQ, threaded with vegetables or a winter casserole also packed with vegetables.
5. Finally, when you consider the dishes on My Kitchen Rules, the serving sizes are quite modest. Save money and your guests’ stomach by not super-sizing your courses.
Step Four: Saving on the drinks
The best way to save money on drinks is to allow your guests to bring a bottle of wine.
However, if you are providing the wine, don’t think that the cheaper wines will be terrible. Taste a few before your dinner party to help you decide and look for specials, dozen or half dozen discounts and cleanskins.
Another option is to serve a theme appropriate punch or cocktail. For instance, the Spanish Sangria with fruit and soda water will make your wine go further, save you money and impress your guests.
Write a list of ingredients needed and double check your list before shopping. You will save time and stress if you have all your ingredients on hand.
Next, avoid kitchen disasters by writing down all the steps involved in creating your whole menu and when you will do each step. By choosing dishes that you are familiar with and can be prepared in advance, you will spend more time enjoying the company of your guests and less time in the kitchen.
Finally, don’t forget to plan your presentation (plate styling and garnishes) in advance. Good presentation will make all the difference between an everyday meal and a special one. If you've got a garden don't be afraid to use it for table decorations or even small flowers on the plate to dress up the dish - let your guest know if they are eatable or not!.
You don’t need to spend a fortune hosting an impressive dinner party. With a little planning and creativity your next dinner party will be a hit without breaking your budget.
Whether you’re a comfort eater, kilojoule-counter or yo-yo dieter, your attitude towards food is already determined. Here’s how to make it work for you.
If you’ve spent years wondering why your skinny mate always knows when to call it a day with a pack of Tim Tams, while you have an overwhelming desire to scoff the lot, stop. The answer is all in your head – or, more specifically, your brain.
According to US clinical neuroscientist Dr Daniel Amen, our friendship with food is directly related to our personality traits and genetic make-up. Dr Amen claims that by becoming more aware of the link between how we behave and how we think about food, we can control cravings, banish binges and work out how best to lose kilograms.
“Your personality, biology, environment and experiences affect how you relate to food,” says clinical psychologist Karen Nimmo. “Knowing who you are in relation to food helps you identify vulnerabilities and triggers essential for managing your weight.”
Identify which personality type best describes you, and it could help you get a handle on unhealthy habits...
You are...EMOTIONAL
Friends describe you as: fun to be around, anxious, enthusiastic and self-conscious.
Your food attitude: You use food to celebrate. You’re the first to bake a kitchen full of treats for your friends’ birthdays and baby showers, and you can’t think of a better indulgence than a night out at a five-star restaurant. But those kilojoules are also a bit of a crutch. “Eating is a coping mechanism – you believe it will make you feel better when you’re low, but it’s short-term, and then comes guilt,” says Lisa Renn, spokesperson for the Dietitians Association of Australia.
How to take control: The next time you’re feeling a bit stressed out, rather than heading to the freezer for the family-sized tub of ice-cream, try a mood-boosting alternative that will last longer than the sugar high, such as talking things over with a friend, or exercising. “You need structure around eating – without it you run the risk of going into a yo-yo cycle,” warns Nimmo. If you do want to shed some kilograms, seek encouragement and help from programs that feature support groups, such as Weight Watchers.
You are...IMPULSIVE
Friends describe you as: a goodtime girl, lacking self-control, bad at focusing and spontaneous.
Your food attitude: Your fun-loving nature means you happily indulge your cravings, but you aren’t always good at self-monitoring and often eat out of boredom. Psychology professor Tracey Wade, of Adelaide’s Flinders University, says in extreme cases you “don’t believe you can deal with unpleasant stuff, so focus on something you feel you can control: weight. If you feel you’re not achieving in other areas, your weight can become a marker of success.”
How to take control: Ensure your environment is filled with healthy snacks rather than foods that can trigger bad habits - choose hummus and crunchy vegies instead of chips and cookies. And teach yourself to think of food as nourishment, rather than a reward or the enemy. If you need extra help, you'll respond best to clear boundaries that an Accredited Practising Dietician can set for you. Visit the Dietician's Association of Australia at www.daa.asn.au.
You are...COMPULSIVE
Friends describe you as: thoughtful, a perfectionist, prone to obsessions and compassionate.
Your food attitude: You love the ritual of eating and take so much pride in preparing meals that your family and friends get excited about what delights you’ll dish up. But if things aren’t going well, your best frenemy is your scales and you can become hooked on studying food labels, controlling portion sizes and counting kilojoules. “You can let your beliefs around food govern your life,” explains Nimmo.
How to take control: Avoid the type of eating plans that focus on one major food group, such as high-protein diets, because they’ll only increase your obsessive nature. It’s important that you consider a holistic approach when it comes to food. Feel that you need some extra motivation? Consider using the services of a personal trainer, so you can focus on overall fitness and health rather than obsessing solely about your weight.
You are...DISCIPLINED
Friends describe you as: judgemental, pragmatic, confident and happy in your skin.
Your food attitude: Although you can still be body-conscious, you don’t tend to eat unless you’re hungry, are able to leave food on the plate and can have tiramisu in the fridge without getting up at midnight to devour it. “But you need to remind yourself that not everyone is as emotionally stable around food as you are,” points out Nimmo. “Your relaxed approach can make others feel more insecure.”
How to take control: Be aware of others and refrain from handing out treats while saying things like, “One won’t hurt.” When it comes to your own diet, food plans that involve limiting unhealthy choices and reducing portion sizes will result in greatest success if you want to shift a few stubborn kilos or boost healthy eating habits.
Source: Yahoo7! NewsFebruary 17, 2012, 6:18 pmLaura SparkesToday Tonight
BPA is the hidden in chemical in many of our most common food and drink products, and a debate is raging about how harmful it is to our health.
It's so common, it's virtually impossible to avoid, unless you go to countries where it is banned.
There are many of them, but Australia is not one. Now a push is on to have BPA banned here.
BPA is the dangerous chemical hidden in everyday products, include brittle plastic containers, baby bottles, canned foods, and drinks. More stories from Today Tonight
Bisphenol A, better known as BPA, is banned in infant products in Canada, Japan, parts of Europe and the US, but not in Australia.
Some baby product manufacturers like Brother Max and Smart Baby have voluntarily banned BPA in their product, but it can be legally used in anything, including the resin linings of soft drinks, beer cans, and canned foods.
According to anti chemical campaigner Louise McCartney “often people think that's in your baked beans and your soups, and things like that, but let's not forget beer cans, and UDL cans, and there's a whole range of other things that BPA is actually found in.” More stories from reporter Laura Sparkes
McCartney chooses to live can free, and tries to find plastics labelled BPA free. New research indicates the chemical affects adults as well as babies.
Harvard professors have found eating canned soup once a day increases the level of BPA in humans by 1000 per cent.
The US Breast Cancer Fund found a single serving of canned food, like corn, green beans and evaporated milk, had harmful levels of BPA, but Food Standards Australia and New Zealand still refuses to ban the chemical.
GP and Environmental Medicine expert Dr Mark Donohue says three million tonnes of BPA is still produced each year, and studies have shown its constantly in our bodies.
“It’s an endocrine disrupter, so what that means in late pregnancy and childhood is that the hormones critical to brain development, and to the development of the child, are messed around by some foreign material. It just gets in the way, and that disturbs childhood development and brain function,” Dr Donohue said.
“We’re always lagging behind. Australia is halfway between first world and third world as far as the chemical industry is concerned. We always act conservatively and provide a good, rich market for many of these chemicals,” Dr Donohue continued.
“In tiny doses it’s not toxic, but because it’s everywhere, it’s highly toxic, and has a big effect on the population.”
Dr Donohue warns BPA is now linked with adult health problems like obesity, diabetes, heart disease and infertility.
“As the evidence of those things start to accumulate we now have evidence sufficient to say ‘here's the time to move’. Five years ago, maybe three years ago, the evidence was weak, but now it is really strong. Two years have made a big difference here.”
Toxicologist Dr Ian Musgrave disagrees, and thinks our health authorities have made the right decision.
“In cans of soup you would have to drink a hundred cans of soup in one day in order to reach the threshold or safety level that has been mandated by the Australian Food Safety,” he said.
Consumer group Choice found BPA in over 75 per cent of the canned foods it tested, including baby foods.
Because it’s not banned, manufacturers don’t have to disclose BPA in their products, so there's no way of knowing whether cans contain it or not. But the little number on the bottom of plastic goods is a giveaway.
“On the bottom you'll see a little triangle with a number seven in it. I would actually avoid those because it's most likely they've got BPA in them. Number three and number six I would avoid as well. It doesn't mean to say that all plastics are not good, but there are companies choosing to use stabilised plastics,” McCartney said.
Heinz and Simplot use BPA, but are now considering alternatives. Heinz has already phased it out of their canned baby foods.
Campbell's, however, didn't return our calls.
McCartney says there’s one sure-fire way to ensure she avoids any risk. “Anything you can get in a can today you can actually buy fresh. We've got access to good food, we've got access to plenty of fresh food, and I think it's so much more nutritious. We don't have the chemicals added, so back to basics.” Contact details
