Meat and Livestock Australia's Let's Meat Up Program

Filipinos are naturally foodies who love to meet up and eat. It could happen every weekend or on special occasions such as reunions where heirloom family recipes are cooked and culinary secrets are being handed down or passed on to younger generations as they help and work in the kitchen as apprentices. Weekend luncheons and dinners are also avenues where we would often come up with our special dishes. Usually, we stay away with ingredients like beef and lamb thinking that they are time consuming when it comes to preparation. But a recent event I've attended organized by Meat & Livestock Australia called "Let's Meat Up" has helped me to understand that there are easy-to-do recipes using beef and lamb. 

The foodies enjoyed Chef Malou's creations that morning.

The said event also aims to debunk the misconception that beef and lamb are both a bit intimidating as ingredients when it comes to time and complexity of preparation. Meat & Livestock Australia's Country Manager to the Philippines and Vietnam, Mr. Peter Paul Perez wants to revolutionize such notion when he launched Let's Meat Up as consumer-based program. 

One of the awesome dishes which Chef Malou Perez-Nievera's original recipes shared during the event. 

Meat & Livestock Australia has partnered with Filipino food proponent & entrepreneur, culinary teacher and the creative force behind the popular blog called Skip to Malou, Ms. Malou Perez-Nievera on developing recipes of down under beef and lamb that are healthy, delicious and easy-to-prepare. Chef Malou taught us five original recipes including Mango Tango Australia. Beef Tenderloin, Australian Beef Sirloin with Hoisin and Fish Sauce Reduction, Australian Beef Wrapped Shrimp on Chili Gravy, Sesame Meatballs, and Breakfast Tapa Burrito--as proof that there's nothing difficult when it comes to cooking True Aussie Beef. 

Chef and foodie blogger Malou Perez-Nievera

"Beef and lamb meat can really be intimidating to others in terms of cooking and preparation. We’re positive that through Let’s Meat Up we are able to provide practical tips and tricks to moms and share simple recipes that can be used in preparing sumptuous Aussie beef and lamb dishes", said Perez. 

Meat and Livestock Australia's Country Manager Mr. Peter Paul Perez

"Australian beef, lamb and livestock are the cleanest and safest in the world. They are grass-fed and you can be assured they are organic. Plus there have been no reported foot and mouth case or any kind of such disease ever in Australia," Perez added. 

And because it's grass-fed, Australian livestock roam freely in green pastures unlike grain-fed livestock, Australian Beef tends to have less fatty marbling and relatively low cholesterol. Fat from grass-fed beef also contains a richer amount of the essential fatty acid Omega-3. 

Regular servings of Australian beef has been recommended not only for standard diets but also for specialized diets dealing with health issues like heart care, cancer, hypertension, weight control, diabetes and iron deficiency. 

 "The problem with most consumers is that they'd purchase beef regardless of its cut and then cook them later in an appropriate dish that's not fit for the said cut. Then, they'd complain and say that the beef wasn't tender or still tough and there'd be some struggle there," Perez shared. 

The good news for consumers like us is that the team behind Meat and Livestock Australia headed by Perez has made an app (Meat Cuts app) that consumers can rely on in terms of knowing which specific Australian beef/lamb cut is perfect for any particular dish. Say you're about to cook a steak--the said app will teach you whether it's best to get a T-bone or sirloin. It's downloadable for Android and OS users. But it's also posted at meat shops as well. 

The Meat and Livestock Australia's Let's Meat Up event taught us the best practices on how to properly handle meat from grocery shopping all the way to its cooking preparation. I never really knew that there's more to know about meats until I was invited to Let's Meat Up event. From choice meat cuts, to recipes, to cooking methods--all the way to food sanitation and safety--this is one event foodies and mothers shouldn't dare miss! The said enriching event also provided practical tips and tricks to moms and share simple recipes that can be used in preparing sumptuous Aussie beef and lamb dishes + Chef Malou's kitchen secrets as well. 

Here the author is seated along with other bloggers, the MLA team headed by Mr. Peter Paul Perez and Chef Malou Perez-Nievera. 

Met & Livestock Australian Beef and Lamb cuts are available at Rustans Supermarket and Shopwise. 

 To get news, tips and updates about Let’s Meat Up, follow its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/letsmeatup

The awesome recipes shared by Chef Malou Perez-Nievera will be pisted on my food blog, www.angtakawko.blogspot.com.