yes, I made that mistake.

Now, I know some of you are just shaking your heads thinking “there’s NO way she could made that mistake” … alas, I did.

After finding a tasty recipe for chicken satay but when I tried to find chicken at the store labeled “tenders” I failed… so I picked up a package of chicken that was equally unfamiliar and figured it could be the same thing…
I also subbed apple sauce for the juice as that’s what I had at the time.

Gizzards are secondary stomachs used by birds to grind their food before digestion. Because birds don’t have teeth, they must fill their gizzards with small stones to achieve the same goal. Gizzards contain a very tough inner membrane, surrounded by a muscular pouch which provides the grinding action. Gizzards are part of the group of foods called offal, which also includes beef tripe, chitlins (pork intestines), and hearts.
Gizzards are definitely chewy, since they are primarily a membrane more than a muscle. The muscle tissue itself has a subtle flavor similar to chicken liver.

Contrary to gizzards, “Chicken tenders” are the same as chicken fingers, or chicken strips. Made from strips of chicken (white meat) usually from chicken breasts, chicken tenders are usually pre-cut and breaded or cut from a breast at home before cooking.

The recipe was awesome, and because we just couldn’t handle the chewiness of the gizzards, I froze the leftover satay sauce.  I will defiantly be making this again, but next time with tenders!

Chicken Satay

(click link above for recipe from the Food Network.com)

As the old saying goes: “You are what you eat”
… so why not eat local, organic, pesticide-free and non-GMO foods?  At least half of your diet should be local and sustainably grown food.

Where to start?
The Ontario Greenbelt Foundation has an extensive list of local farmers markets. This list should help you get started eating fresh, local produce.

Become a Vegitarian!
The Toronto Vegetarian Association has tons of information on eating meatless, recipes, tips, and even an online meal planner.

Start using a co-op
Think about buying all your natural and organic foods and home supplies from a co-op. Become a member and receive discounts and member benefits. Ontario’s Natural Food Co-op can be found here.

Try a 100 mile challenge!
100mileradius.ca is dedicated to helping connect Canadian ‘locavores’ with local sources for produce, dairy products, meat, poultry and more.
http://100milediet.org Is an easy way to start thinking local. A 100-mile radius is large enough to reach beyond a big city and small enough to feel truly local.