Australian Natural Food Co + My Slow Roasted Beef Cheek Recipe

Australian Natural Food Co, Organic Beef Cheeks

This week I've been trying a variety of Australian Natural Food Co's products, and I must say I'm impressed.

Our little family has converted to consuming organic fruit and vegetables the last 11 or so months, and I'd say we eat about 85% organic. We found a service that delivers to our home once a week and it makes my life so much easier, especially as a busy mum trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle for all the members of our family.

When it came to meat, I looked for organic options, but was usually disappointed. In the two years that I've lived in Brisbane, I had yet to find nitrate free bacon (a household staple in all grocery stores in America where I'm from). The pickings for organic meat are so slim at Coles and Woolworths, that I typically drove over an hour (roundtrip) to Costco in North Lakes to get better quality and value for our money.

Thankfully, Australian Natural Food Co just opened in Brisbane! They are family owned and operated which, as you know, is a huge tick for me. They offer nitrate free, chemical free, organic meat delivered right to your door. But why ANFC? If I'm going to eat an animal product, I prefer to consume a meat that is organic, free of chemicals, hormones and not fed a genetically modified ​diet. 

You can support your heath, support farmers, and support the way in which animals are ethically treated. Why wouldn't you want to make the change to organic meat? 

You can learn more about Australian Natural Food Co at the end of this blog post. So, without further adieu, I'd like to share my recipe that I made night before last. It fed my husband and myself for dinner, and my daughter and I had the left overs for lunch the following day.

6 Hour Slow Cooker Beef Cheeks 
Serves 2 + leftovers 

Ingredients 
1 white onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced 
4 cups of organic beef stock (I like Nature's Own Organic) 
1 tin of crushed organic tomatoes 
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced  
2 stalks of celery 
800 grams of organic beef cheek ( I had 2, 400 gram pieces)

The Mash
3 large, organic white potatoes
2 heaping tablespoons of natural, Greek yogurt 
50 grams butter (eliminate if you're vegan)  
Salt and pepper 
​
Method

1. Take the meat out 30 minutes before cooking 
2. Check for excess fat, cut it away and discard 
3. Pat dry with a paper towel 
4. Season generously with salt and pepper on both sides and pan sear on medium heat in your oil of choice (avocado or ghee are great because the constitution doesn't change at high heat)
5. Seal completely so meat is browned, should take 3-4 mins per side 
6. Remove from heat and set aside
7. In the same hot pan, add the minced garlic, diced onion, carrot and celery and cook until onions are translucent (3-4 minutes per side on medium heat). Add a splash of stock to deglaze the pan and add all these ingredients to the slow cooker. Place the meat on top, as well as the 4 cups of broth.
8. Add the tin of tomatoes and stir through 
9. Cook in the slow cooker on high for 6 hours 

Mash

1. Wash the potatoes and quarter them 
2. Boil until tender, approximately 20 mins 
3. Strain the water away, remove from the heat and mash with a wooden spoon or potato ricer. Add the butter and Greek yogurt, serve warm. (The yogurt is a healthier alternative to sour cream. It helps to make the mash really creamy and a tiny, tiny but tart. I also like that it adds gut healthy bacteria).

TIP: I served the beef cheek and homemade mash with steamed broccoli which was really delicious.

Enjoy
EMK x 

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Using the ANFC is as easy as 1, 2, 3

Want more info on the Australian Natural Food Co?

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