Anticucos

Ingredients:

1 beef heart (cut into chunks)

1 cup red wine vinegar

4 tbsp cumin

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

5 minced garlic cloves

1 tsp parsely

2 tbsp cilantro

4 dried chilies (soaked, deveined and deseeded)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

How to Make It: Combine all the ingredients, except the heart, in a blender until smooth. Pour into a bowl and add the heart chunks, marinade 4 to 6 hours. Put 5-6 heart chucks onto a shewer and place in a glass dish. Pour the marinade overtop and cover the meat. Grill for 1-2 minutes on each side. 

Menudo

Ingredients:
2 lbs beef tripe (cut in squares)
1-1 1/2 beef feet (cut 4 pieces)
1 cup diced onion
3 cloves garlic (crushed)
4 quarts water
Spice Mix:
1 clove garlic
1 large tomato
1 ancho chili (toasted, seeded, soaked overnight)
To Make:
Place foot, tripe, onions, garlic, salt and water in a stockpot. Boil and lower to simmer (for 2 hours or until tender). Combine spice mix in a food processor and run until smooth. When the foot is tender remove it from the pot and strip the meat into the pot. Add spice mix and simmer an addition 2 more hours. Add oregano, salt, and pepper and serve.

Offal Recipes: Bacon Wrapped Liver

Ingredients:

Bacon (cut in 1/2)

Chicken Livers (cut quarters)

Pepper

How to Make It:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Sprinkle the liver with pepper (and salt if you so desire). Wrap each chicken quarter with half a slice of bacon, then secure with a toothpick. Place in a pan and put in the oven. Cook until liver is cooked and the bacon is crispy

Offal not so Awful

Offal is a reference for what consider to be the animal leftovers (organs and such). Examples of offal would be brain, liver, kidneys, spleen, heart, pancreas, stomach, tripe (stomach lining), thymus (sweetbreads), tongue, intestines, blood, intestines, and ox tail. Why would you possibly want to eat any of these things? Like all the other featured foods we've had they have many benefits. They tend to be high in iron (red blood cells deliver oxygen) and this iron provides a source of zinc (important for growth, tissue repair, and for proper reproductive function). Also a good source of B vitamins (like B12 that is vital for the production and function of red blood cells and for an efficient nervous system), selenium (work with antioxidant enzymes), and protein (growth, repair, and energy).  Let's look at some of these individually now:

• 
  
  Liver: concentrated levels of vitamin A (vision and protein digestion), vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, minerals (zinc, manganese, selenium, and iron), B vitamins (B2, B3, B5, biotin, folacin, B12, and choline), vitamin C, number one source of copper, contains CoQ10 (important for cardiovascular function), and essential fatty acids (omega-3). It is rich, dense, and creamy.
• 
  
  Kidneys: good source of protein, fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, iron, all B vitamins and zinc. Strong flavor.
• 
  
  Heart: protein, B vitamins, thiamin, folate, selenium, phosphorus, zinc, CoQ10, amino acids (improve metabolism), compounds (promote production collagen and elastin) and iron
• 
  
  Tripe: enzymes, omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, and phytonutrients.

Tomorrow I'll post some recipes if you want to venture out of your comfort zone and try some different animal parts, there are several options (and you can find all kinds of recipes because there use is more common outside of the US especially in Asian cultures where they use the whole animals, but they're used more in European recipes, especially kidneys and foie gras, or in blood 'puddings' and such). Plus it can be cheaper than eating steak all the time, but still provide you with protein.

B6

We've discussed B12, now let's look at that other B vitamin, B6. B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that comes in three forms: pyridoxine, pyridoxal, pyridoxamine. It is important because it is used by over 100 enzymes involved in protein metabolism. We need B6 to make hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to tissues in the body. Also vital to the immune system. It maintains lymphoid organs health, which make white blood cells. A deficiency of B6 has shown decreased antibody production and suppressed immune responses. Great for blood sugar regulation. B6 converts stored carbohydrates to glucose to maintain blood sugar levels during low caloric intake. It's great for the brain as well. It is needed for the synthesis of serotonin and dopamine (neurotransmitters vital for nerve cell communication). B6 may be used to prevent/treat: cardiovascular conditions (like atherosclerosis and hypertension), nervous system conditions (carpal tunnel syndrome, depression, autism, and epilepsy), skin conditions (acne and eczema), and it's linked to alcoholism, asthma, HIV/AIDS, kidney stones and PMS. Excellent sources of B6 include: spinach, bell peppers, and turnip greens; whereas other good sources include: garlic, tuna, cauliflower, mustard greens, celery, cabbage, asparagus, broccoli, kale, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, cod, and chard.

Park workout

Here is a video from my workout at Deming Park on Sunday. This is Spencer Harlan doing our new move- squat throws with a kettlebell.

Fabulous Flora

Since Friday we'll be talking about animals guts and such, I thought we'd cover the human gut. There are between 300 and 1000 different kinds of bacteria (or flora) that live in the gut. Most people think of bacteria as bad, but these flora play an important part of human health. Let's look at some of the functions of bacteria. Through a fermentation process called saccharolytic fermentation they turn carbs into short chain fatty acids (SCFA). This produces acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid. All of these provide a useful energy source and help to absorb minerals (such as calcium, magnesium, and iron). Acetic acid is used by the muscles. Propionic assists in ATP production. Butyric acid provides energy to gut cells. This fermentation process lowers pH in the colon, which prevents proliferation of harmful bacteria.  Bacteria have also been associated with helping prevent allergies (those with allergies tend to be lacking in a certain bacteria strand). All of this is developed at birth. Flora isn't something your born with, it starts to develop right after birth (by the age of two flora is the same as an adult). It helps with immune function as well by fighting harmful bacteria, but leaving alone healthy bacteria. Foods (such as fiber, fruits, and vegetable skins) encourage growth of flora. Also eating a wide variety of foods and experimenting (not just eating raw but cooking in different styles) will help to expose you to more bacteria and gut flora.

Benefits of Bones

This week I'll be covering the seemingly gross world of bones and offal. Today we'll start with bones. Most of us don't regularly use bones in the kitchen (most actually probably never had), but there are many benefits to eating bone marrow or just by cooking with it.  Bones seem like something you see on the travel channel with Andrew Zimmerman or Anthony Bourdain eating, or that you would see in some exotic Asian country where they use the whole animal. What's great about bones is not only are they good for you, but they're pretty inexpensive as well, so just throw them in a homemade broth! What are these benefits? A summary of The Benefits of Bone Broth are listed here:


1. Promotes healing: Bone broths have been used successfully in treating gastro-intestinal disorders, including hyper-acidity, colitis, Crohn's disease, and infant diarrhea.
2. Digestive aid: Aids in the digestibility of vegetables and meats and is hydrophilic in nature
3. Macro minerals: Contains highly absorbable forms of the calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, sulfur and fluoride as well as trace minerals
4. Gelatin and Collagen: rich in both; promoting bone and joint healing in addition to supporting digestion
5. Protein: adds easily digestible protein to your diet
6. Amino acids: Glycine, proline, hydroxyproline, and lysine are formed, which is important to detoxification and amino acid production in the body
7. Joint support: Glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and hyaluronic acid are produced and present for additional muscle and joint support
8. Immune system: Promotes the assimilation of vitamins and minerals and thus supports the immune system
9. Delicious and nutritious: use as soup, cooking liquid, sauce or as a tea.
10. Synergy: Finally by initially healing the GI tract, broth creates an environment for all of the nutrients being taken in, whether by food or supplementation, to increase their bio-availability to your body.
  Now that you know the benefits, how do you use them? Make a stock with them. or you can eat the bone marrow (made up of osteoblasts, adipocytes, fibroblasts, and osteoclasts). To prepare set the bones upright on foil for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. When they begin to bubble they're ready. Many consider bone marrow a delicacy, but if you're not quite up to it, I'd suggest throwing some bones in your next soup stock.

13 Nutritional Shortcomings of Whole Grains

First off the US government recommends a ridiculous number of grain consumption daily. Most who consider themselves healthy think that they're benefiting by switching from refined grains to whole grains (we know already how grains are for you though). Really though whole grains are not any better. I'm going to list some of the negatives of whole grains that I found in Going Against the Grain.

1. 
   
   Whole grains contain no vitamin C (antioxidant for immunity, and prevention of cataracts, cardiovascular disease, and cancer).
2. 
   
   No vitamin A and vitamin A precursor, beta carotene (reinforces immunity and promotes healthy mucous membranes).
3. 
   
   Not a good source of B vitamins compared to the calories they provide (good for stress and energy production).
4. 
   
   Antinutrients reduce B6 status (strong immunity, female hormonal balance, psychological well-being and prevention of homocysteine)
5. 
   
   Contain no B12 (nerve and brain health)
6. 
   
   Low levels bioavailable biotin (needed for metabolism essential fatty acids)
7. 
   
   Alter the metabolism of vitamin D (bone health and strong immunity)
8. 
   
   low levels calcium and other factors that contribute to poor calcium metabolism (bone and dental health).
9. 
   
   Numerous elements that reduce iron absorption (iron deficiency and fatigue)
10. 
    
    Low in protein (lean mass, normal body repair)
11. 
    
    contain phytate and other factors that impair zinc absorption (strong immunity, proper development, and growth).
12. 
    
    No taurine or carnitine (essential amino acid cardiovascular effects and energy metabolism).
13. 
    
    Low in fat, but contains high Omega-6 to Omega-3 (promotion insulin resistance and pro inflammatory).