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Sautéed Liver with Steamed Broccolini, Roasted Carrots and Onions, and Pesto
If you want to eat more liver but are deterred by the strong metallic taste, then this recipe is for you. In this recipe you will use lemon juice, bacon, and oregano to offset the strong liver taste. Plus I give you a few additional tips to reduce the metallic flavor of your liver. The end result is a tasty nutrient packed dish with lots of flavors and a more mild liver taste.
Liver: Nature’s Vitamin
Organ meats are extremely nutrient rich and liver, especially beef liver, is the most nutrient dense of them all. A 3 oz serving of beef liver contains approximately:
- 534% of your RDA (recommended daily allowance) of Vitamin A
- 168% of your RDA of Vitamin B2
- 54% of your RDA of Folate
- 987% of your RDA of Vitamin B12
- 30% of your RDA of Iron
- 600% of your RDA of Copper
- 42% of your RDA of Selenium
- 30% of your RDA of Zinc
- 357 mg of Choline
These nutrients are known to improve:
- DNA Synthesis
- Eye, Skin, Brain, Liver, and Thyroid Health
- Bone and Tooth Growth
- Immunity
- Energy Production/Metabolism
- Red Blood Cell Formation
- Nerve Function and Cellular Messaging
- Cell Structure
- Iron Absorption
- Reproduction
- Oxygen Transportation
How To Cook Liver Right
Liver is very finicky. Overcook it and it turns grainy and tastes metallic. But cook it just right and add the right seasoning and it’s not too bad. How well you cook liver really makes or breaks it so here are some tips to nail your liver cooking:
- Don’t over cook it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Like I mentioned above, overcooked liver is grainy, metallic tasting, and just bad. Make sure you leave a little pink in the middle for a more pleasant texture and taste.
- Add complementing seasonings. This recipe includes bacon, lemon juice, and oregano which help to offset the strong liver taste.
- Soak the liver first. You can use either lemon juice or milk for this. In this recipe I use milk. Also I rinse it with water both before and after soaking.
Homemade Pesto
This recipe calls for pesto to serve with the roasted veggies. If you would like to make your own, check out my homemade pesto recipe.
Remember that liver is an acquired taste and it may take a little time to be able to tolerate it. This recipe is my favorite liver recipe because it decreases the strong liver taste and makes for a tasty meal. I hope you like it too!
With love from my kitchen to yours,
Kayley
Sautéed Liver With Steamed Broccolini, Roasted Carrots and Onions, and Pesto
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Rinse liver with water and drain. Then cut into 1.5 cm X 1.5 cm X 0.5 cm pieces. Place liver pieces in a bowl and cover with milk. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge to soak for 30 mins. Once done; drain, rinse, and drain the liver again. Then set aside for later
Once the oven is preheated, start the roasted veggies. Place carrots and onions on a baking sheet, coat with oil or fat, and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the veggies are fork tender. Stir occasionally. The thicker you cut your veggies, the longer they will need to cook. Therefore it is very important you cut them evenly to ensure even cooking.
For the sautéed liver, heat 1 tsp of fat in a pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add diced onions. Stir occasionally. After a few minutes when the onions turn translucent (more see through as opposed to solid white), add the bacon and garlic. Continue to stir occasionally. After a few more minutes, when the bacon is lightly browned, add the rinsed and drained liver and season with salt, pepper, and oregano. Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. The liver should be browned on the outside and pink on the inside. Be careful not to cook the liver brown all the way through or it will get rubbery and metallic tasting. Once done, remove from heat and season with lemon juice.
For the broccoli or broccolini, place in a steamer in a pot with an inch of water and the lid on. Bring the pot to a covered boil over high heat. Once the pot begins to boil/steam set a timer for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes or when the broccoli is fork tender, remove from the pot and season with butter, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Then rub the seasoning into broccoli with your hands.
Finally, divide the roasted carrots and onions, sautéed liver, and broccoli/broccolini between two plates. Top carrots and onions with pesto and enjoy!
Ingredients
Nutrition:
| Ingredients | Cals | Fat | Carbs | Protein |
| 3 Tbsp pesto | 176.8 | 18.2g | 1.6g | 3g |
| 3 strips bacon (3.7 oz) | 161.1 | 12g | 0.6g | 12g |
| 1/2 onion (94g) | 41 | 0.2g | 9.5g | 1.3g |
| 6 oz liver | 240 | 6g | 6g | 33g |
| 2 carrots (165g) | 57.6 | 0.3g | 13.7g | 1.3g |
| 2 tsp bacon fat | 78 | 8.6g | 0g | 0g |
| 2 1/2 cups broccoli (175g) | 62.4 | 0.7g | 13g | 4.2g |
| 2 tsp butter | 66.7 | 7.4g | 0g | 0g |
| Total (serves 2) | 883.6 | 53.4g | 50.4g | 54.8g |
| 1 serving | 441.8 | 26.7g | 25.2g | 27.4g |
Notes:
- Nutrition is based on the products I use. I provide a nutrition table so that you can quickly check to see if your food products match or so that you can easily calculate the nutrition for any changes you want to make to the recipe. I think this helps if you have very specific diet goals and/or fitness and/or health goals. I also wanted you to be able to see exactly where I get the numbers for my nutrition facts so that you can see that they are reliable and learn more about macro breakdowns of food.
Works Cited
1. Rowles, Alexandra. “Why Liver Is a Nutrient-Dense Superfood.” Healthline. 7 June 2017. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/why-liver-is-a-superfood
2. Schoenfeldrd, Laura, “Hate Liver? Eat it Anyway with These Tips.” lauraschoenfeldrd.com. 14 January 2015. https://lauraschoenfeldrd.com/hate-liver-eat-it-anyway-with-these-tips-paleo/
3. “Why You Should Eat Organ Meats.” Carnivore Aurelius. 22 March 2020. https://carnivoreaurelius.com/why-you-should-eat-organ-meats/
4. “Vitamins: Their Functions and Sources.” University of Michigan. Accessed 4 September 2020. https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/ta3868
5. Brown, Mary Jane. “What Is Choline? An Essential Nutrient With Many Benefits.” Healthline. 7 December 2018. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-choline#what-it-is
6. Morris, Rebecca. “What Does Vitamin B5 Do?” Healthline. 15 August 2018. https://www.healthline.com/health/vitamin-watch-what-does-b5-do
7. Kubala, Jillian. “7 Science-Based Health Benefits of Selenium.” Healthline. 20 August 2019. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/selenium-benefits#1
8. Shaffer, Catherine. “Iron Functions in the Body.” News Medical. 26 February 2019. https://www.news-medical.net/health/Iron-Functions-in-the-Body.aspx
9. Nutritionix. Gladson. https://www.nutritionix.com/ Accessed 28 September 2020.
10. Calorie King. https://www.calorieking.com/ Accessed 28 September 2020.
11. Eat This Much. https://www.eatthismuch.com/ Accessed 28 September 2020.
About Kayley
Kayley is a certified gut health nutrition coach who helps people to overcome their chronic gut and digestive issues at the root using the principles of ancestral nutrition and holistic health. (Continue Reading Here)
