Quick & Easy Chicken Liver Pate

Made from a mixture of liver, fat and seasoning, pâté works well as a snack or dinner party hors d'oeuvre, served with crackers or spread on bread. Because it has a relatively small serving size but high calorie count -- 90 calories per ounce -- pâté is easy to overeat, so monitor your portion size when snacking. Adding pâté to your diet boosts your micronutrient intake, which offers some health benefits, but it also increases your intake of fat and cholesterol. Consume pâté in moderation as a treat, but don't make it a daily part of your diet.

Iron and Copper
Pâté offers some health benefits as a result of its copper and iron content. The copper from your diet activates a family of enzymes, called cuproenzymes, that are essential to good health. Some cuproenzymes help your brain cells communicate effectively, while others help you make proteins required for strong tissue. A 1-ounce serving of pâté contains 113 micrograms of copper, or 13 percent of the recommended daily intake. The iron in pâté also makes up a component of enzymes, including enzymes required to make energy. Iron also activates a pair of proteins, called hemoglobin and myoglobin, that help your body transport and store oxygen. A serving of pâté boasts 1.5 milligrams of iron -- 8 percent and 19 percent, respectively, of the daily iron intakes set for women and men.

Selenium and Riboflavin
Snack on pâté and you'll consume more selenium, as well as riboflavin, also called vitamin B-2. Riboflavin plays a key role in metabolic function, and it's required to break nutrients down into energy. Selenium activates proteins that regulate immune function, contribute to sperm development and support thyroid function. A serving of pâté offers 0.17 milligram of riboflavin, which is 13 percent of the recommended daily intake for men and 15 percent for women, as well as 11.8 micrograms of selenium, or 21 percent of your daily requirement.

Vitamins A and B-12
Eating pâté also benefits your health by increasing your vitamin A intake, as well as your consumption of vitamin B-12. Vitamin A contributes to the health of your immune system by guiding the growth of new white blood cells, as well as controlling mature white blood cell function. Vitamin B-12 is essential for the development of new red blood cells, and it supports nervous system health; a B-12 deficiency can cause irreparable nerve damage. A 1-ounce portion of pâté provides 936 international units of vitamin A, which contributes 40 percent toward the recommended daily intake for women and 31 percent for men. Each serving also contains 0.91 microgram of vitamin B-12, which is 38 percent of the recommended daily intake.

Although pâté boosts your mineral and vitamin intake, you should consume it in moderation because it's high in fat and moderately high in cholesterol.

A very easy pate that's big on taste as opposed to those that boil the livers and great on whole-grain crackers.

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken liver
1/4 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 hard-boiled egg (optional)

Directions:

1 Melt butter in heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute until soft.

2 Add cleaned chicken livers and saute until tender, about 6-8 minutes. Cut into quarters and cool.

3 Save pan drippings.

4 In a blender or food processor, combine liver pieces with the reserved pan drippings, onion, salt and pepper.

5 Blend well for about 20 seconds.

6 Optional: Blend in the hard boiled egg for a richer pate.

Enjoy!