Healthy Kids First: Grass-Fed Beef & Cheeseburger Pie
By Mandy Curry on January 04, 2014 from Healthy Kids First
This is truly my favorite time of year – an opportunity to start fresh with new goals and in our case, new healthy recipes and higher quality foods. 
One of the greatest trade ups to make with your healthy eating efforts is to buy high quality meats. I don’t mean that we should eat filet mignon every night (although I would love that). I mean to buy a more healthful meat product.
Much of the meat in stores today comes from cows raised in a feedlot, fed a GMO-laced grain diet, fed hormones to make them bigger, and then antibiotics to compensate for the unsanitary conditions. Clearly, this diet will impact the nutritional makeup of the meat and is nothing that we want to ingest.
On the contrary, cows allowed to graze in their natural pasture environment, that solely eat grass, are best.
The best beef to buy is grass-fed beef.
• Grass-fed products are rich in fats that our bodies need for good health.
• Every cell in our body functions better when we eat products raised on grass. On the contrary, cows fed grain run the risk of a diet laced in GMO's- Human consumption of GMO foods can lead to disease and illness.
• Grass-fed beef is naturally leaner than grain-fed beef.
• Grass-fed meat is high in Omega 3's (a great brain booster).
• It's a great source of CLA (conjugated linoleum acid), a fat that reduces the risk of cancer, obesity, diabetes, and a number of immune disorders.
Organic, grass-fed beef is now available at Kroger. This is huge! If buying your meat from a farmers market, be careful not to buy products that are "grass fed, grain finished." I actually saw this at a farmers market in Southern WV a few months ago. Farmers may feed the cow grass, but finish the cow off with grain right before slaughtering to fatten the cow up. I avoid this as it defeats the purpose of the grass fed benefits.
There are a lot of high quality farmers in Bridgeport so finding a local farmer that supplies grass-fed beef should be no problem.
Looking for a new recipe for your grass-fed beef? Give this cheeseburger pie a try. A recipe that we make time and time again, and that we have also recently featured at a kids cooking class is Healthy Cheeseburger Pie.
Traditional cheeseburger pie includes an unhealthy crust topping. The healthy recipe features riced cauliflower.
Healthy Cheeseburger Pie Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooked cauliflower
- 1 tbsp. Panko bread crumbs
- 1 small egg, lightly beaten
- 1 1/4 cups low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded; divided
- 1/2 ounce part-skim mozzarella, shredded (about 1/4 cup)
- 1/4 cup parmesan, shredded
- 1/2 tsp ground oregano
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb grass-fed ground beef
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 pinches salt
- 2 pinches fresh ground black pepper
Directions:
Dough
- Rice, puree, or finely chop the cauliflower adding the Panko bread crumbs to dry out the cauliflower. In a large bowl add the egg, oregano, parsley, a pinch of salt and pepper, the processed cauliflower, mozzarella, Parmesan, and 1⁄4 cup of the cheddar cheese, stir until well combined and it has the consistency of leftover mashed potatoes.
Pie
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, stirring for about 1 – 2 minutes to sweat. Add the ground beef, a pinch of salt and pepper, and brown until the meat is no longer pink on the inside and onions are soft. Remove from heat then drain and strain any liquid from the pan.
- Place the drained meat and onions in the bottom of the pie pan then cover with the remaining cheddar cheese reserving 1 to 2 tablespoons.
- Place the cauliflower dough on top of the cheese then spread evenly, pushing down, with a spatula to cover the entire pie. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top of the cauliflower dough.
- Bake in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes, or until the dough is light brown. Remove and let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
Thank you, Mandy, for reinforcing what the Bridgeport Farmers Market has been preaching for five years now. Grass fed beef is not only better for you but tastes great too. The Market has had two farmers offering local grass fed beef since its inception in 2009. I encourage everyone to come to the Market this Sunday and talk to these farmers. Then buy some of their product and use this recipe. Sounds yummy! And if price is a worry vs the "Big Store" see my price comparison blog on Connect Bridgeport here: http://connect-bridgeport.com/connect.cfm?func=view§ion=Farmers-Market&item=Lets-Get-Fresh-The-Price-is-Right-4946
Bob Workman
Posted by Bob Workman
Jan. 04, 2014 at 2:06 PM EST
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