With the rise in popularity of the Paleo Diet, organ meats have received more attention than they have in quite some time. However, many people still don’t understand how to best incorporate these vital nutritional powerhouses into their diet.Here are 2 organ meats that are worth trying.
Organic Beef Tongue
Beef tongue is a muscle meat and a great source of iron, choline, vitamin B12, B2, B3, iron, zinc and trace minerals. It also provides a good amount of collagen which is great for your joints and skin.
Tongue is fairly fatty and has almost 70% of its calories coming from fat. This makes tongue quite tender. Many people find tongue quite delicious and palatable as well. For first time organ meat eaters, tongue is a good place to start as it is one of the easiest of all organ meats to cook well.
The best way to prepare this nutritious meat is to clean the tongue well with water and a clean kitchen brush and cover with water in a large stock pot. Add whatever seasoning you would like such as onion, garlic, bay leaves, etc. to the pot. Cook on low heat for a few hours. After removing the tongue from the pot you will need to peel away the outer and second layer before getting to the really good meat.
You can then dice up the meat along with some onions and peppers, tomatoes, sea salt, oregano, paprika, cumin and place it into your slow cooker with some cooking broth. Let the meat and veggies cook for a couple of hours on low or until tender as you wish.
Organic Beef Liver
Liver is probably the most popular of organ meats and contains the highest amount of nutrition per calorie of any other organ meat. It is one of the most nutrient-dense of all foods on earth and also contains nutrients that are hard to get in other sources. Liver contains retinol, the animal form of vitamin A.
In one 3-ounce slice of beef liver you will get 26,973 IU of vitamin A. If you are not supplementing your diet with cod liver oil, you will want to eat liver at least twice a week to be sure you are getting enough vitamin A. Other nutrients found in liver include vitamin B12, folate and choline. In fact, beef liver contains 17 times more B12 as tongue or ground beef.
The only downside with beef liver is that it can take some getting used to. Some people really enjoy the taste but the consistency is a little odd and it is important to find a really good recipe – especially if it is your first time eating it.
Fried liver and onions is one of the easiest ways to fix this organ meat. After rinsing the liver let it set in a bowl with organic milk for about two hours. The milk draws out the bitter taste of the liver.
Cut up some vidalia onions and cook them in butter until tender. Coat your liver piece in gluten-free flour and fry in a pan with butter, adding some salt and pepper to taste. Cook the liver until it is brown on both sides, add the onions and serve.
-The Alternative Daily