A nourishing traditional super food packed with love!
When we think of nourishing whole foods that are packed full of nutrients (vitamins, minerals and trace elements) we more often than not think of fruits and vegetables. The reason for this is that this is what conventional dietary wisdom holds true and that the micronutrients we need from foods are most highly concentrated in fruits and vegetables. And yes, it is certainly true that fresh fruits and veggies are loaded with vitamins and minerals, however did you know that their micronutrient content (nutritional load) doesn’t always hold up to what is found in meats and organ meats – particularly liver.
So what makes liver so wonderful? Simply put, it contains more nutrients, gram for gram, than any other food! Yip it really is a super food!
In summary, liver provides:
An excellent source of high-quality protein
Nature’s most concentrated source of vitamin A
All the B vitamins in abundance, particularly vitamin B12
One of our best sources of folate (folic acid)
A highly functional (usable) form of iron
Key trace elements such as copper, zinc and chromium
CoQ10, a nutrient that is especially important for cardio-vascular function and energy production.
A good source of purines, nitrogen-containing compounds that serve as precursors for DNA and RNA.
As we can see from the list above, liver is like a natural multivitamin and is packed with an abundance of health boasting properties in their natural functional state making them highly absorbable in the body and a much superior and safer form than many of the highly processed synthetic multivitamins that many people take today!
A key point to remember, is that it is essential to eat meat and organ meats from animals that have been raised on fresh pasture (Grass fed) without hormones, antibiotics and/or commercial grain feed. Grass fed animal products are much higher in nutrients than grain feed animal products. For example, meat from pasture-raised animals has 2-4 times more omega-3 fatty acids than meat from commercially-raised animals. And free-range pasture-raised eggs have been shown to contain up to 19 times more omega-3 fatty acids than caged eggs! In addition to these key nutritional advantages, pasture-raised animal products also benefit farmers, local communities and the environment.
Nourishing Liver Pate Recipe
Ingredients:
500g free range chicken livers
2-3 cloves of garlic
2cm fresh ginger
1 brown onion
1 handful of green herbs (I used coriander here, but feel free to add what you like)
10 dates (no pits)
100-250ml home-made bone broth
50-100g of grass fed butter or ghee or coconut oil for diary free
Follow the flow below:
- Roughly chop all ingredients and cook in half the butter and half the stock until cooked. The liver should be just past pink when you cut it in half. Tip: If you cook in a saucepan instead of a frying pan, you can puree in the same container, meaning less washing up. Just ensure you stir frequently.
- For safety let the mixture cool slightly and using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. You may need to add more stock or butter depending on the consistency of ingredients and the strength of your blender.
- Empty mixture into small jars, this recipe makes enough for about three 200mL jars and the mixture freezes well.
- Optional: Melt butter and pour over top of pate
- Place in fridge until set, or freezer if storing.
Note: Pate can be made with just stock; butter, ghee and coconut oil can be omitted if necessary.
Happiness and Health
Karl.