Grass Fed Beef
I was a vegetarian for 11 years of my life before I discovered that meat is just too good to give up, so I decided that I would only buy meat that I felt comfortable about the life of. I was very pleased that cows, chickens and pigs that have had good lives also tend to give me the tastiest meals (and the most praise by my dinner guests). Grass fed beef actually has less fat than a skinless chicken thigh and only marginally more than a skinless chicken breast. And the fat that is there is 2-6 times higher in that ever sought after Omega-3 fat. Omega-3s generally come from grasses and humans (who can’t really eat grass) get them largely from things that eat grass or algae (not corn).
Did you know that cows aren’t supposed to eat corn? We feed them corn because corn is cheap and it makes them fat. Fat cows mean more money for the company that’s growing the cow and it gives your steak that nice marbling that so many of us find so darn tasty. Unfortunately it changes the cow in not so nice ways for us or the cow. Corn turns Bessie’s naturally low acid digestive track into a high acid environment, which in turn causes her to start producing acid-resistant e-coli. That’s the nasty stuff that has made many people ill and killed way too many children. A cow that has been raised, and finished, on grass will have low acid e-coli, which, if it does make it into our food, will be killed upon encountering our super acidic stomachs. Sweet deal, huh?
Make sure that any “grass fed” beef you get is also grass finished. The finishing is where a lot of big companies will sneak in that fattening corn. All of the beef farmers at our farmers market sell grass fed and finished beef. I can’t begin to tell you all I want to tell you about the yumminess and healthfulness of grass fed beef in this limited space, but ask the farmer about it. Get some cooking tips if you’ve never used the stuff before and check out the super tasty recipe below!
Simple Beef & Pepper Stir Fry
1 lb grass fed beef, cut into strips (I like starting with minute steaks for this use)
1.5 lbs peppers (use bell peppers if you want sweet, use anaheims is you want spicy)
1 large yellow onion
1 tsp salt plus more to taste
black pepper
2 tbs olive oil
1) Slice the onions (pole to pole) and peppers into strips
2) Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Toss the beef, peppers, onion, salt and pepper into the pan and cook until the meat is cooked through, stirring regularly. Serve over rice or couscous and enjoy!
Did you know that cows aren’t supposed to eat corn? We feed them corn because corn is cheap and it makes them fat. Fat cows mean more money for the company that’s growing the cow and it gives your steak that nice marbling that so many of us find so darn tasty. Unfortunately it changes the cow in not so nice ways for us or the cow. Corn turns Bessie’s naturally low acid digestive track into a high acid environment, which in turn causes her to start producing acid-resistant e-coli. That’s the nasty stuff that has made many people ill and killed way too many children. A cow that has been raised, and finished, on grass will have low acid e-coli, which, if it does make it into our food, will be killed upon encountering our super acidic stomachs. Sweet deal, huh?
Make sure that any “grass fed” beef you get is also grass finished. The finishing is where a lot of big companies will sneak in that fattening corn. All of the beef farmers at our farmers market sell grass fed and finished beef. I can’t begin to tell you all I want to tell you about the yumminess and healthfulness of grass fed beef in this limited space, but ask the farmer about it. Get some cooking tips if you’ve never used the stuff before and check out the super tasty recipe below!
Simple Beef & Pepper Stir Fry
1 lb grass fed beef, cut into strips (I like starting with minute steaks for this use)
1.5 lbs peppers (use bell peppers if you want sweet, use anaheims is you want spicy)
1 large yellow onion
1 tsp salt plus more to taste
black pepper
2 tbs olive oil
1) Slice the onions (pole to pole) and peppers into strips
2) Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Toss the beef, peppers, onion, salt and pepper into the pan and cook until the meat is cooked through, stirring regularly. Serve over rice or couscous and enjoy!
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