Kitchen Essentials – The Tasty Truth

By / Magazine / April 12th, 2012 / 2

Canadians can rest assured their enjoyment of red meat doesn’t need to change anytime soon despite the predictions of a new US study suggesting harm from eating large amounts. The operative words there being “large amounts”, of course. In moderation, red meat can add valuable nutrients and a wonderful diversity of flavour to your everyday diet.

Scientific evidence does tend to support the role of lean beef in a healthy, balanced diet. Research clearly shows choosing lean beef as part of a healthful diet is associated with improved overall nutrient intake, overall diet quality and positive health outcomes. Overall, lifestyle patterns including a healthy diet and physical activity, not consumption of any individual food, have been shown to affect mortality.

In addition to being physically active, the most important thing we can do as Canadians to live healthfully is to choose a balanced diet including a variety of nutrient-rich foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy and protein-rich foods like lean beef.

Since beef is part of a healthy diet as recommended by Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide, let’s indulge in a bit of facts and findings.

Canada’s Food Guide recommends 1 to 3 servings of Meat & Alternatives per day, 75 g per serving, depending on age and gender. Canadians on average are eating 74 grams of red meat a day, about 1 serving. However, many Canadians aren’t eating a balanced diet. They aren’t eating the recommended daily minimum of five servings of vegetables and fruit and are getting 22% of their total calories a day from foods low in nutritional value, like: fats and oils, condiments, candy, chips and beverages – that are not part of the four major food groups in the food guide.

Marinated Steak with Melted Onions
Recipe courtesy of the Make It Beef Club

To maximize the tenderness of marinating steaks, grill them to medium at most and carve them into thin slices across the grain to serve. More Marinating Tips: discard a used marinade or bring it to a boil before using as a dipping sauce. pat steak dry with paper towel and SEASON before grilling to maximize browning.

2 tbsp barbecue sauce
4 tbsp Greek or Italian style vinaigrette salad dressing
4    cloves garlic, minced
Pepper and kosher salt
1 lb     Top Sirloin or Inside Round Marinating Steak (1 inch thick)
1    sweet onion, sliced
4    baguettes or buns, sliced
Arugula

1. Combine barbecue sauce, 2 tbsp of the dressing and garlic in sealable freezer bag.

2. Pierce steak all over with fork; add to bag. Refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.

3. Pat steak dry with paper towel; season with pepper and kosher salt. Discard marinade. Grill over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare.Let rest for 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, pan-fry onion in dressing over medium heat, stirring often until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Serve with thinly sliced steak on baguette. Top with arugula.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Looking at the small things that make life great and the people who create them.

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