When was the last time you felt hungry?
When was the last time that you felt hungry AND had no idea where your next meal would come from, or when?
What if I told you that there are 14 million people that go hungry in South Africa on a daily basis? You would feel terrible right? Now what if I told you that more than half of that 14 million are children? Suddenly we feel much worse. I see my kids happily running around and it breaks my heart that there are children out there who don’t know when they will eat again. I strongly believe that if people can do good then they will but often those good deeds are restricted by monetary constraints. This month though, there is a way that you can help without affecting your budget in any way.
World Hunger Month
28 May is World Hunger Day, but Food Lovers Market has undertaken to support vulnerable people for the duration of May – calling it Food Lovers Market Hunger Month. To both raise awareness and support the cause, Food Lovers Market will be donating 1% of their turnover on 28 May to Food Forward SA. Food Forward SA is a charity partner that provides meals to people in need at a cost of 90c a meal. I know it sounds crazy but its true! This is the third year that Food Lovers is running this campaign and last year they reached almost 750 000 meals. The aim this year is to hit their goal of 1 Million meals and YOU can help by making sure that you do your grocery shopping at Food Lovers on the 28th. If you’re not already a regular shopper there then I’m sure you will be pleasantly surprised by the fantastic specials they have every week.
There will also be certain products on sale throughout the month that will contribute an extra 90c to this goal and it’s really basic items such as:
Purchase any one of the participating products during the month of May, and you will feed one person with a nutritious meal.
TruCape apples – 1.5kg econopak apples or pears.
Rugani carrots – 3kg carrots, 750ml juice (my favourite veggie juice!!!)
Simpl juice – 1.5l juice
Crest Shelf – 7kg potatoes, OR onion pocket.
Don’t feel like cooking? Every burger meal sold at the Market Cafe will be ANOTHER 90c donated so there really are lots of ways that you can help without making a dent in your own pocket.
Waste not want not
The whole Hunger Awareness campaign got me thinking of ways to create nutritious meals using cheap cuts of meat so off I went to investigate the Food Lovers butchery. It was a no brainer (haha, this will be funny later) really because the cheapest cuts of meat that are often overlooked is in fact, offal. Offal is also known as Organ Meat and while it used to be a highly prized part of the meal, now it is seen as off-cuts and often thrown away.
So what is considered Offal?
Liver: Liver is the detox organ. It’s also the nutritional powerhouse of organ meats and sometimes referred to as “nature’s multivitamin.”
Tongue: Tongue is actually more of a muscle. It’s a tender and tasty cut of meat due to its high fat content.
Heart: The role of the heart is to pump blood around the body. It may not look edible, but it’s actually lean and tasty.
Kidneys: Like humans, mammals have two kidneys. Their role is to filter waste and toxins out of the blood.
Brain: Brain is considered a delicacy in many cultures, and it’s a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids.
Sweetbreads: Sweetbreads have a deceiving name, as they are neither sweet nor a type of bread. They are made from the thymus gland and pancreas.
Tripe: Tripe is the lining of animal stomach. Most tripe is from cattle and can have a very chewy texture.
Are you horrified or familiar with these ingredients? Liver, tripe, hearts and gizzards are things I have eaten all my life. (I never could wrap my head around trying brain and tongue though.) Since I was in Durban for a week at my parents place, I asked my mum to cook up these ingredients because you know, mum always makes it best!
Tripe
First up was my favourite, tripe! The tripe is cleaned really well and then boiled – be warned, the smell while it boils is HORRIBLE. It also lingers so make sure you boil it on a day that is warm and preferable windy so that you can leave all the windows open. The tripe is braised with onions and spices then cooked with potatoes and peas. Overall it’s more on the dry side but the meat is flavourful and delicious. The texture is quite chewy. Actually most offal is quite chewy.
Benefits of tripe – Tripe is extremely nutritious and provides benefits to your health. In addition to being a good source of protein, tripe is rich in B vitamins and minerals, including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, manganese and selenium.
Chicken hearts, necks and gizzards
Chicken hearts are little bite size pieces of deliciousness. They’re really dense and chewy but so yummy. I prefer it cooked whole and spicy, the same with the gizzards and chicken necks.
This was served with a savoury rice and fed 4 adults with leftovers. Don’t be misled by the size of the offal. These little organs are incredibly filling.
Benefits of eating hearts – They are particularly rich in B-vitamins, such as vitamin B12 and folate. They are also rich in minerals, including iron, magnesium, selenium and zinc, and important fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A, D, E and K. Furthermore, organ meats are an excellent protein source.
Benefits of gizzards – Gizzard meat is also low in fat, and high in vitamins. Gizzard contains several vitamins including Vitamin B12, which is essential for brain function and forming white blood cells, niacin, which is good for circulation and producing hormones, and riboflavin, which keeps your skin and hair healthy.
Benefits of eating chicken necks – It’s a nice snack, haha!
If you enjoy Nandos livers then try cooking it yourself at home. You braise the livers in onion and tomato then 5 minutes before it’s ready, drop in some Nandos sauce and let it soak in. We replaced the livers with gizzards (which is also sold as a meal at Nandos) and had it with a freshly baked and buttered panini.
That’s it from me. I hope I inspired you to try cooking offal at home but more importantly to shop at Food Lovers this month and help get to that 1 Million meal mark.
Will you be shopping at Food Lovers this month?
x
Nadia
This post is sponsored by Food Lovers Market. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. #FoodLoversCo
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The Cheeky Optimist 