Bison Chili

It’s been a busy summer. I’ve spent a fair bit of time this year in BC with family and friends and so, despite my conviction that I was going to be blogging and photographing lots of food this summer while the daylight hours were longer, it simply has not happened. I’ve been too busy

tasting wine

eating yummy food

celebrating with family

visiting extraordinary gardens

learning about bees

and um, tasting more wine.

At one point in September we almost literally had my brother and sister in-law follow us back from BC. We spent several days with them, then they came and spent a few days with us. Crazy. Fun though too. These guys are the BEST kind of house guests because unlike me, neither of them can sit still. So, while I was busy doing the client work that I needed to get done, they were busy cleaning up my yard, cleaning my house, doing the laundry…. I’m not kidding. I joke, saying if they ever make that sister wife thing legal here, Nena is my first choice!

We are always forced to eat more veggies when they are here too. Although we eat lots and lots, Steve’s brother is a huge veggie eater so I always enjoy pulling out all the stops to come up with extra healthy and veggie filled food to put on the table. 

However, we are also usually really busy while they are here. There always seems to be extra shopping trips to do and errands to run. They live in Penticton where the shopping is more limited so it feels like we spend a fair bit of our time running about. Simple recipes are needed.

A trip to the Crossroads market on the weekend led to a purchase of ground bison, a meat I knew Dave would appreciate. He loves his game meats and the leanness of bison is a good substitute. So, bison chilli seemed like a natural. Lean, full of veg and quick to prepare. Perfect. This recipe also seemed like the perfect excuse to use the Mayan Chili Powder that I purchased the day before. This particular product mixes chiles with other spices like cinnamon and cocoa to create a warm, slightly sweet chili powder. I used more of it than I would have used regular chili powder because of that. You could simply substitute regular ‘ol chili powder if you don’t have access to a similar mix. I’d start with 2 Tbsp and work up from there.

I sorta figure everyone should know some sort of basic chili recipe so at the last minute I decided I should post this one to share. Only trouble was, I made it quickly – as it should be – and I kinda made it up. But unfortunately I literally didn’t think to take a photo of it until I had already plated mine. No fancy prep shots. No ingredient pics. No set up. Just ‘quick, take a pic’ then – let’s eat!

Chili is just that kind of meal. It’s easy, it’s quick, it’s forgiving, it can feed a rotating time schedule, and it tastes just as good, and usually better, the next day. You don’t need to follow this recipe to the T, but it is a good place to start. Get creative and experiment with different levels of spice. Maybe you like cumin a lot, or you love the smokiness of dried or canned chipotle chilies. Play around to find your own custom chili blend!

Bison Chilli

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Servings: 6

Author: Mia Staysko

A quick and healthy meal for busy family dinners.

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Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 lbs ground bison lean, grass fed beef can be used instead
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 - 6 Tbsp mexican or regular chili powder, to taste.
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 medium onions coarsely chopped
• 2 green bell peppers coarsely chopped
• 1 large stock celery coarsely chopped
• 1 large can best quality chopped tomatoes fire roasted are nice if you can find them
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 15 oz can black beans

Garnish with

• Cubed avocado or guacamole, chopped fresh cilantro

Serve with

• A few corn chips if you eat them

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over med-high heat until hot.
2. Add bison, breaking up into chunks as you are adding it to the pan.
3. Add salt and cook until the meat is no longer pink. The chunks will break up a bit but try not to make them too small, you want to maintain some texture.
4. Add chili powder. Start with 2 Tbsp and work up to the level you like
5. Add cumin, ground coriander, oregano and cayenne pepper. Adjust seasoning to your liking. Stir and cook until fragrant
6. Add chopped onion, peppers and celery to pot and stir, cooking until just softened
7. Add canned tomatoes, tomato paste and black beans
8. Reduce heat to low, partially cover the pot and simmer for 35-40 minutes.
9. Serve with optional toppings

Recipe Notes

Chili is very forgiving so play around with your spices. I sometimes add ancho chili powder, or dried chipotle chili to deepen the flavour. Be creative!