Liver McNuggets
My kids ate liver!
For years, I’ve admired the spectacular nutritional profile of liver, but I secretly wondered if my kids would ever really eat it, let alone incorporate it into their regular diet. I thought it was such a shame. That is, until today!
While reading my friend Jordan Dietrich’s unpublished booklet about healthy eating, I zoned in on his Asian Flair Liver and Onions recipe. I was so inspired because in it he promised that freshly grated ginger would “take the yuck out of liver.”
I carefully prepared it making especially sure to get enough fresh grated ginger on it. I diced it up into small bite-sized pieces and mixed some dijon mustard in with some of it. Then I excitedly touted it to my kids. To Isaac, I pumped it up as a “Power Ranger” food. For Anika, it was a “red princess lips” food.
Isaac said “it’s so good! It tastes like chicken!”
Anika seemed to enjoy the first bite well enough. On the second bite, however, she got that all-too-familiar sour face and spit it out.
“Uh-oh,” I thought, “she’s detected the foul liver taste. There goes liver for her.” I was disappointed.
But to my utter delight, she said, “It’s too spicy!”
I was ecstatic because it was the mustard she protested, not the liver! I promptly hurried to get her some more—without the mustard—and she had several more princess-sized pieces. I was bursting with pride.
It’s no prime rib, but the liver was very tasty and much better for you than Chicken McNuggets®.
I got the liver from slow food usa (more about this later)
Recommendations
Only buy organic liver: the liver is a filtering organ. If the cow is exposed to pesticides, antibiotics, or hormones, they’re likely to concentrate in the liver.
Because of the high cholesterol content, liver should not be eaten in large amounts at one sitting, but rather in small amounts regularly, like once or twice a week. And, as with all meats, it’s a good idea to eat it with a healthy dose of vegetables to round things out. I’ve had good luck cooking a pound of liver at a time and then freezing it in 2-ounce portions (8 portions) in baggies within a larger tupperware so I can grab one to reheat for lunch occasionally.