My Forty-Second - Chili con Bison - 100 Meals Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer Survivors

My Forty-Second - Chili con Bison

Oh yes I cook with ground Bison.  Chili con Carne was always a favorite growing up with my seven brothers and sisters.  When you have to feed that many you generally have to make a neutral spice so you can please everyone.  Now normally, I assume everyone knows how to make the dish, and I am just adapting it it being pureed.  But today, I'll give you my personal and favorite Chili con Bison recipe.

6 Dec. 2016 Update - about a month ago, my son called me from college to make sure he had the recipe down pat, as he was making it for friend who were coming over - I'll call that a win.

1 lb ground bison ( I've used ground beef, ground chicken, and ground dark turkey meat)
1/2 cup oil
1 Zucchini diced
1 white onion diced
1 green pepper diced
1 small can of tomato paste
1 large can of ground tomatoes (sometimes I substitute a jar of mild salsa)
1 cup cooked rice
1 can of beans (black beans, navy beans, kidney beans - anyone of them work)
1 tablespoon mild chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon spicy chili powder ( chipotle spice works too)
3 Bay leaves
2 teaspoon garlic salt

COOKING
Heat oil on medium heat.  After oil heats up, add onions and cook until is starts to brown.  Then add peppers, and cook for 1 minute.  Add Zucchini diced and cook until in starts to get tender and browns.

Add Bison and mix while cooking until meat is cooked through.  Add all spices and cook for 5 minutes.  Add both cans of tomatoes, lower heat to lowest setting and cook until rice is done

In a separate container cook one cup of rice.  then add to chili.

WHY BISON?
I like a meat with a lot of flavor and low on fat.  Beefaloes might be easier to find in some supermarket. My wife has asked me to cut down the amount of red meat I eat, but I am allowed to get better cuts of meat. I find bison purees very well.  It is second only to ground lamb.

I used to live in Traverse City, Michigan.  Just down hill from the Junior High was the largest buffalo farm east of the Mississippi.  This is how I first learned of Bison meat.  My cousins and uncles are life long deer hunters, and this chili also works with venison.

SPICE
Yes this sounds very spicy, but it is really is more of a flavorful recipe. If you are sensitive to spicy foods, you can easily pare down the spiciness.

VEGETARIAN or in my house CHILI NADA CARNE
Yes I do make two different pots of chili at my house - one with meat and one without. I typically use zucchini only; I have made the recipe with both eggplant and tofu.

OPTIONS
Is you can drink this, you can add shredded cheese.  I generally don't put shredded cheese down my G-tube.

A dollop of Sour cream or plain yogurt are easy to stir in.

TYPICAL MEAL FROM LEFTOVERS
most recently I will take one cup of cold leftover chili from the refrigerator, and one slice of cheddar cheese and two cups of hot water to the blender.  The cold of the chili and the hot of the water negate each other.

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