We’ll know tomorrow which team has become the American football champion of the 46th Super Bowl. This final is a major event as it is telecast in over 200 countries, making it the second most watched sporting event, after the soccer world cup.

Whether you’re a fan of the New England Patriots or the New York Giants, one thing is pretty certain: you and your friends be glued to the TV, tucking into some good finger licking food and guzzling beer!

To make sure your guests will eat as winners, I’m recommending some dishes, that can be easily prepared in advance and be eaten easily in front of the TV.

Happy watching!

For once, let’s leave aside the traditional chicken wings and spareribs, and try the following yummy recipes:

• Chicken Wiener Sandwiches with Caramelised Onions
• Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms
• Ligurian Mussels
• Shrimp and Melon Salad à la Thai
• Swedish Meatballs

Here’s the mouthwatering menu

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If you do too, we’d like to share with you a few tricks:
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1. Make sure to keep a path to your grill properly shoveled and salted for convenient and safe travel back and forth. Location should be as windproof as possible. But remember: grilling indoor is NOT a good idea. Your garage, shed, house, etc are off-limit too!

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2. Always preheat your barbecue to 205ºC/400ºF – 230ºC/450ºF at minimum, and adjust the temperature from there. Remember, if food doesn’t sizzle when you put it on the grill, it means your barbecue is not hot enough.

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3. Allow for more cooking time than usual, as cold will hinder convection heat (air circulating within the closed hood of your BBQ) and delay your foods from cooking as fast. Also, try your very best to keep from checking — opening and closing the lid. Use an instant read thermometer to ensure that foods are cooked thoroughly.

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4. Set up grilling supplies in a convenient location makes for a much more enjoyable barbecue experience and avoids any untimely slips or falls.

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5. Do not grill in the dark: Some barbecues have built in lighting, otherwise get some add-on handle lights.

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And now invite your friends and get grilling!

Try some of our BBQ recipes:

• Chicken Tikka

• Grilled Salmon with Honey

• Marinated Pork Fillet à la Jacques

• Potato Wedges with Rosemary and Garlic

• Pork and Pineapple Satay

Useful tips:

1. Serving Size:
   This is the 1st thing you want to look at. Indeed, some manufacturers purposely provide the information for serving sizes that are smaller than what most people would eat, to make their product look better. Serving size is shown in cups, pieces, slices, etc. followed by the metric amount (for example, grams).

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2. Calories:
   This tells you how much energy you get from eating one serving of the product.

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3. %DV:
   The column on the right-hand side of the label lists the percentage of the recommended Daily Value (DV) for each nutrient, assuming 2,000 calories a day. Your own recommended DV may be higher or lower, depending on your calorie needs.

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4. Fat:
   This shows the amount of total fat in grams per serving, with two sub-categories for the saturated and trans fats, which are both bad. You may also check the ingredient list for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, which indicate the presence of trans fat.

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5. Cholesterol:
   This one has no DV because cholesterol should be reduced to a minimum. There is, however, a consensus that dietary cholesterol should be limited to 300 mg/day for the general population.

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6. Sodium:
   Health Canada’s DV is 2,300 mg.

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7. Carbohydrate:
   This shows the amount of total carbs in grams per serving, with sub-categories for fibre and sugars. Getting plenty of fibre is very important, so pay close attention to this part of the label. Concerning sugars, be aware that this includes both the sugars that occur naturally in foods, like fructose and lactose, as well as added sugars (corn syrup, dextrose, and honey, to name a few). Look at the ingredients list to check for these added sugars — and avoid products where they appear close to the top of the list.

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8. Protein:
   Total grams per serving.

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9. Vitamins and Minerals:
   Manufacturers are required to list the %DV for Vitamins A and C, Calcium and Iron. Listing other vitamins and minerals is up to them.

Shrimps and prawns refer to about 2,000 different species of small aquatic animals with a flexible body and long antennae, 10 legs and a fan-shaped tail. While in biological terms, shrimps and prawns belong to different types of crustaceans, they are both very similar in appearance. In commercial farming, fisheries, and at fishmongers, these two terms are often used interchangeably, with regional preferences for one or the other term. So the word “prawn” is more commonly heard in the United Kingdom, while in North America, people mostly use the word ‘”shrimp.”

The different kinds of shrimp are usually identified by the appearance of their skin during fishing (the shell is translucent): gray, pink, brown, etc.

Long considered to be a delicacy, shrimp became popular and affordable ever since the time that enormous factory vessels were used for its fishing, and since it was grown on factory farms (about a quarter of the global market share comes from farming).

Shrimp has an excellent nutritional value: it is a very good source of protein, is low in saturated fat and contains omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. However, there are huge differences in the nutritional content of shrimp depending on the species, the area of fishing or farming, and the environmental conditions.

Frozen shrimp may have been treated with sulphites and could contain high levels of sodium. So they should be consumed in moderation. Fresh shrimp don’t have this problem, but they are more expensive.

Try our recipe for Avocado, Mango and Shrimp Salad.

In the study, 41 male students were asked to drink tea from cups marked with red or blue labels. They drank 44 per cent less from cups with red labels.

Another 109 people were given 10 pretzels each on either a red, blue or white plate. Those with a red plate ate fewer pretzels.

And what about you? Would you like to give it a try?

As you will learn by watching this video, poutine apparently originated in the late 1950s. Several communities in Quebec claim to be its birthplace. While the exact origin of the name “poutine” is uncertain, some people say it is simply a French transformation of the English word “pudding”.

In the basic recipe, French fries are topped with fresh cheese curds, and covered with brown gravy or sauce. The French fries are of medium thickness, and fried so that the inside stays soft, while the outside is crunchy. The gravy used is generally a light chicken, veal or turkey gravy, mildly spiced. To maintain the texture of the fries, the cheese curd and gravy is added immediately prior to serving the dish.

As you can understand, this is an extremely rich dish that should be eaten only on very rare occasions, unless you want to fill up with saturated fats, which is not a good idea. If you are looking for a much healthier alternative, you may want to try our own Chic Poutine

Bread is an excellent candidate (1 slice = 1 serving), provided you select breads that are low in fat and sodium, and with no added sugar.

Here are some numeric values to help you make the good choice:

“Whole wheat bread“:  Choose breads made with 100% whole grain or sprouted grain flour. Each slice (30 to 45 g) should contain approximately 4 g of protein and 2 g of fiber, and no more than 3 g of fat and 200 mg of sodium.

“White bread“: In this case, each slice (30 to 45 g) should contain approximately 3 g of protein and 1 g of fiber, and no more than 2 g of fat and about 150 mg of sodium.

So, bread is not a food foe, as it provides high-quality fuel for our brain and muscles. Even people with diabetes can enjoy bread in their diet, provided it is eaten within balanced meals, which is what you get with our weekly Meal Plans!

According to Chinese tradition, when the Dragon is master, all the demons go into hiding. That’s why the Year of the Dragon is generally happy and prosperous, and many couples want to have children during this year.

What’s more, when the element water is present, as in 2012, this also symbolizes strength and flexibility. The year 2012 will therefore be under the aegis of endurance, flexibility and open mindedness. Nurture your taste for action and your ability to cooperate, and you will achieve your goals.

But beware, because everything that is glorious can also turn out to be fleeting and illusory in the year of Dragon, and so you should rely upon your common sense and patience. Happy New Year of the Dragon!

Try one of these Year of the Dragon recipes:

• Chicken Chow Mein
• Chinese-Style Beef with Snow Peas
• Chinese-Style Chicken with Snow Peas
• Five-Spice Ribs
• Oriental Beef and Vegetable Soup

Watch this video and tell us what you think.