Hearty Bison Stew

It is hard to believe, Thanksgiving is over.  The year has gone by so quickly! 

This is my first blog.  I invite you to join in and share your thoughts and ideas.  Looking forward to blogging with you!

In my search for health alternative proteins, I discovered is Bison/Buffalo.  It is a great alternative protein to beef, and much leaner.  With the winter months ahead, I tend to look towards cooking more hearty meals, such as, soups and stews.  My local grocery store carries bison meat so I thought I would give it a try, especially after researching beef vs. bison.

Just a little research I did on Bison:

USDA/gov/ Factsheet:

• Bison is very lean and lacks fat marbling, so care should be taken to not overcook it.
• In general, bison should be cooked using low heat (325 °F) and longer cooking times.
• Braising or other moist cooking methods are recommended for bison roasts and steaks.
• For thin-sliced bison, use quick cooking methods such as broiling and pan frying.
• Cook raw ground bison to an internal temperature of 160 °F as measured with a food thermometer.
• Cook all raw bison steaks and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.
• Less tender cuts should be braised (roasted or simmered with a small amount of liquid in a tightly covered pan) or stewed.

According to USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS),100 grams of raw bison (separable lean only) contains 109 calories and 1.8 grams fat. The same amount of raw beef (separable lean only, Choice grade) contains 291 calories, and 24 grams fat.
 http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/bison_from_farm_to_table/index.asp

Here is a recipe I altered, creating a leaner, lower sodium meal. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Hearty Bison Stew

• For this recipe I substituted by using All Natural Bison Stew Meat instead of beef stew meat.  Note: Buffalo and Bison are the same animal.  From what I have read it just depends on who is packaging the product whether they call it bison or buffalo.  The buffalo/bison meat has 2 g. fat per 4 oz. serving. 
• I use unsalted beef stock
• I use sodium free beef bouillon
• I use no sodium added frozen mixed vegetables

Favorite products:

• Herb ox Sodium Free Instant Broth and Seasoning- Beef Bouillon
• Kitchen Basic Unsalted Beef Cooking Stock

Makes 6 – 8 Servings
2 pounds All Natural Bison Stew Meat
3 Tbls. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large onion – ½ inch dice
½ tsp. ground pepper – divided
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. garlic powder
3 Tbls. Whole Wheat flour                                                                                           
2 packets sodium free beef bouillon
2-32 oz. containers of unsalted beef stock
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. paprika
1 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. cloves
1 bay leaf
1-16. oz. bag of carrots, peeled and cut in ½ inch pieces
3 stalks celery, peeled and cut in ½ inch pieces
3 medium Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut in 1inch pieces
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1 inch pieces
1-16 oz. bag of frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
Instant mashed potato flakes (optional)
 
In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil; add stew meat and cook for 15 minutes.  Add onion and next three ingredients continue cooking and meat is browned, about 15 minutes.  Add flour and packet bouillon and cook additional three minutes, stirring constantly.

Add beef stock and next five ingredients.  Cover and simmer on low for 1 ¼ hours, or until bison is just tender.  Add carrots and celery; continue to cook for 30 minutes.  Add both the sweet and Idaho potatoes, cook for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.  Add bagged mixed vegetables, cook for another five minutes.  Remove bay leaf.

If stew needs to be thickened further, stir in instant mashed potato flakes (no more than 2 tbls.) and let sit until desired thickness is achieved.

 
Serve with crusty sliced bread, preferably whole wheat.