Chef Selwyn’s Recipes: Here’s Some Ideas That Can Help With Your Iron Intake

It is recommended that females between the ages of 11 and 50 years consume about 50 mg of iron per day; it is even higher for pregnant women, between 30 – 60mg per day.

Surrounded by a lot of lovely women, I can’t help but hear their complaints about low iron, feeling lethargic and unmotivated.

Iron deficiency is a condition where a person has an inadequate amount of iron to meet the body’s demands. It is a decrease in the amount of red cells in the blood caused by having too little iron.

The highest source of iron usually comes from animal products eg. liver and red meat. Many women will not include liver as part of their diet or will only eat meat that is cooked well done.

I suggest that you start ordering your steak medium and stop cooking your liver like shoe leather.  Chicken livers are great for making pate, a nice hors d’oeuvre that is simple to make.

Some foods when eaten raw provide iron that is absorbed more efficiently. So tomorrow for lunch, why not order a spinach salad with a sprinkle of sliced almonds or how about that five bean salad.

Cooking spinach: start with onions, portabella mushroom some diced tomatoes, seasonings, adding spinach for the last 2 minutes.

Next time you’re in the grocery store, grab some collard greens, add green cabbage, red wine vinegar, seasoning and a dash of sugar. It takes getting used to but, watch your energy levels go up.

Start experimenting with all the foods that your mom told you were good for you, but you thought were yucky.

Okay! How about juicing your spinach with carrots, apples or cucumbers? You get the idea! Let your imagination be your guide. You don’t like green bananas? Treat them like they were mashed potatoes with parmesan cheese.

Look at ways to improve your iron diet, and just maybe, you will not have to take a needle from your doctor to increase your iron deficiency.

 

Pan Fried Liver With Sautéed Onions

What you need:

1 lb sliced calf liver

1 large onion, sliced 

Salt and pepper

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

½ cup vegetable oil

How to make it:

In a shallow dish add flour, salt and pepper or a bit of meat seasoning. Dredge sliced liver (not cubed) in flour. In a medium frying pan add vegetable oil. On medium heat add liver, 2 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside. In a small frying pan add 2 tsp of vegetable oil. On medium heat add sliced onions, sautée to golden brown (careful not to burn).  Add salt and pepper to taste with chopped thyme. Place on top of liver, reheat in oven a couple minutes before serving. Great with sautéed spinach and green mashed bananas.

 

Mashed Green Banana Supreme 

What You Need:

6-8 green bananas

1 lime cut in half

2 litres of water

¼ cup butter or margarine

¼ cup milk

½ cup parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

How to Make It:

Think of mashed potatoes, only we’re using green boiled bananas piped into rosettes, or just a casserole dish with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. In a medium pot add water and bring to a boil. Cut ends off bananas, core lengthwise and add to pot. Add lime and salt to taste. Cook for 15 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat, drain and discard the skin of the bananas. In a mixing bowl at medium speed mix the bananas and butter for 2 minutes. Add milk and parmesan cheese. Add in salt and pepper to taste. Spoon mixture in a piping bag and pipe donut sized rosettes on a greased baking sheet. Or spoon mixture into a casserole dish with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Selwyn Richards is an award-winning master chef. He is also the President and Executive Chef at The Art of Catering Inc. and is the author of “The Art of Cooking: Soul of The Caribbean”. Chef Selwyn can be reached at: selwyn@theartofcatering.com or by phone — (905) 619-1059.