Herbed Ground Beef
Rich in protein, high quality fat, b vitamins and minerals, local grass-fed ground beef is a weekly staple in my kitchen. Ground beef offers a blank canvas to layer herbs and spices that not only create delicious flavor, but provide additional nutrition. The culinary herbs — rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley, cilantro, basil, chives, and dill are profound - food as medicine - that can be incorporated into just about any dish. Rosemary, thyme and sage are best cooked with — in soups, stews and meat. Parsley, cilantro, basil, chives and dill add a pop of fresh flavor at the end of cooking. I add them on top of roasted or mashed sweet potatoes, on top of cooked ground beef, on blended soups, you get the picture. One primary medicine these herbs provide is a spectrum of antioxidants that support the immune system. It makes sense they have been used for thousands of years to prevent and support the body during acute infections.
Grama Grass and Livestock in my primary source of local grass-fed beef in Boulder. As ruminant animals, cows are designed to consume grasses and other plants found on pasture. In contrast, conventional meat is fed corn and other supplemental feed which creates less nutritious meat. Beyond the nutritional value of beef, it is deeply meaningful to create relationships with the people who raise the food I eat. And to know the meat of this animal is a reflection of the local grasslands where I live. I typically source their beef from the Boulder online Farmers Market, or on Saturdays when I stop by the Boulder Farmers Market. I’ve also ordered directly from their website and picked up at their farm in Niwot.
Ingredients:
1 lb grass-fed ground beef
1 T fresh rosemary - thyme
1 T Italian spices from Natural Grocers
3/4-1 tsp Salt — I use Jacobsen Salt which is harvested from Netarts Bay on the Oregon Coast.
Instructions:
In a skillet or pan, add the ground beef and chop up into pieces using a spatula or spoon. Add the rosemary and thyme, dried spices and salt. Sauté on medium low heat until cooked through.
Enjoy with root vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots and parsnips, winter squash or on top of a blended soup.
Enjoy —-
Dr. Jane Litsey