With great sorrow, I want to let you know that one of my dearest and most beloved friends in the foodie world, Robyn Gleason from Simply Fresh Dinners has passed on but will never be forgotten.
Robyn used to live in Canada and I live essentially on the furthest plane trip away in Hong Kong, China. On a map, it seems like we are a world apart but our values are the same in that we want to be able to eat healthy delicious food that does not take forever to prepare.
Robyn and I met, well in the virtual sense of the word, around 2011 ago when we both first started blogging. I guess I was one of the first persons to leave a comment on her blog and we have been blog buddies ever since. She was always such a kind soul and always helping others. I will miss the way that we used to face challenges together and give each other the support to go on.
Without further ado, please join me on welcoming Robyn, from Simply Fresh Recipes, and her delicious recipe for Bison Chili.
Hello there! I'm Robyn from Simply Fresh Dinners and thrilled to be here for my first guest post for Healthy World Cuisine. I have been a fan of the cooking magic for quite some time now so I jumped at the chance to join her here on the blog today.
First of all, I have a confession to make - I am a chili addict. A happily addicted chili enthusiast who will try almost any kind I come across. I've been pondering a new chili recipe since late summer but nothing original came to mind until I visited a local farm where I came across some bison meat and this dish was born.
Now if you're a little shy of trying bison, no worries, you can easily substitute beef or turkey. Actually, I mixed a little ground turkey with the bison as well but I thought it would make the title even scarier to some!
I've been reading so much about bison meat lately and I was long overdue from giving it a try. Bison meat is a nutritionally superior red meat. It is natural without growth hormones, steroids, drugs or chemical residue. It is also extremely low in fat with ⅓ less fat than beef. A single serving of bison provides much of your daily protein, iron and zinc requirements, plus most of the antioxidant selenium your body needs each day.
Bison are raised and processed without additives, preservation, steroids, growth hormones or drug residues. Bison spend the majority of their life grazing on forage and some producers finish their bison on grass while others finish on grains. It tastes much like beef but slightly sweeter and richer.
Have I made my case yet? Many grocery stores are carrying it now but, depending on where you live, you may have to search a little to find it.
The meatballs are packed with loads of flavor and baking them makes for a healthier dish. I had some meatballs left over that went into the freezer so now its time to think up another recipe where I can use them. I welcome any suggestions. After all, it took me 3 months to come up with this one so I need all the help I can get!
If you are vegetarian or vegan, just omit the meatballs. The chili has a little bit of heat and lip-smacking deliciousness of the Southwest and I added some chipotle peppers in adobe sauce for good measure.
The readers on my blog will tell you that I insist on fresh herbs in my dishes and this is no exception. The fresh oregano in the meatballs made such a difference and you wouldn't want to miss out on that extra bit of flavor.
I hope you enjoyed my Southwestern spin on chili today. It`s been such a pleasure to bring you one of my dishes.
Southwestern Chili with Bison Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 10 pz ground bison
- 6 oz ground turkey extra lean
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 1.5 tablespoon oregano fresh chopped
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1.5 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 dashes hot sauce
- ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
- red pepper flakes pinch
- salt and pepper to taste
Chili
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ onion peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- 2 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoon paprika smoked
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups tomatoes cherry, halved
- 1 chipotle in adobo plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 28 oz tomatoes canned
- 12 oz black beans drained and rinsed well
- 12 oz kidney beans drained and rinsed well
- 10 oz corn frozen corn or can use fresh
Instructions
Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 400 F
- Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in small pan and saute onion, garlic, tomato paste, salt and pepper; about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Mix bison and turkey together well and then add remaining ingredients including cooled onion mixture. Mix well and form meatballs. Do not over-handle the meat. I make golf sized balls but the size is your choice.
- Place meatballs on parchment paper on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
Chili
- Heat olive oil in large pan and saute onion and garlic until soft. About 3 minutes. Add red pepper and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and salt and pepper - cook for 1 minute.
- Add tomatoes, adobe sauce, canned tomatoes, beans and corn; mixing well. Bring to a boil, cover partially and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add meatballs and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
- Options for topping: fresh cilantro, cherry tomatoes, cheddar cheese, spring onions, sour cream.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Yield: 6-8 persons
Chris says
This looks awesome! I'm making this today to serve at the tailgate party before the Hawks game tomorrow! It will be epic.
Robyn says
I hope you enjoyed it, Chris! It's become my favourite chili.
Adri Barr Crocetti says
I have never tried bison meat, but I am certainly curious. It sounds like it would be great. Thanks for the enlightenment!
Robyn Gleason says
I am new to it as well, Adri, but I`ll definitely be cooking it again. Thanks for your comment 🙂
dianeskitchentable says
Great to meet you Robyn - anyone recommended by Bobbi is high on my list of must see blogs...after reading this you can bet that I'm heading over to check out that shrimp with drunken grapes. I have to admit that, at 63 years old i just made my first chili last week. My mother never made it when we were growing up & I had horrible experience with chili at one of those work parties where everyone brings a dish. There was a guy who brought his so called "world famous" chili and thought it was a riot watching people choke & gag because his idea of chili was just a ton of burn your mouth out peppers. I don't mind flavor, but I'm not one to enjoy losing my taste buds so I've stayed away from it until reading some other bloggers who had recipes that sounded great.
This bison meat is interesting & something I've been meaning to try but I just haven't seen it in the markets around here (Massachusetts, suburbs outside of Boston). I sure specialty stores must carry it & will have to keep my eye out for it.
Robyn says
Hi Diane,
A pleasure to meet you as well! Sorry I'm so long in getting back to you but this holiday business kind of takes over, doesn't it?!
I can only imagine that the chili experience was harrowing - I am not a fan of heat just for the sake of heat either! I'm all about wonderful explosions of complementary flavours.
My mother was a terrible cook and made terrible chili but I made it when I grew up and I was sold. Hands down favorite!
I don't think it should be that hard to find it once your start looking. It's been out there for awhile now but I think we bypass it most times assuming it's just beef!
Headed over to visit your blog. Thanks so much for your kind comments 🙂
dianeskitchentable says
My mother was a good cook but very basic, plain cooking so trying new spices and combinations is an adventure. I just have to tell you - I made the Spicy Lime Shrimp with drunken grapes last night as an appetizer and it was AWESOME!!! My husband wants me to make it as the full meal next time. I've got a little jar of drunken grapes left over and I think I'm going to try them tonight with goat cheese balls rolled in crushed pecans.
Michelle De La Cerda says
I love bison meat. I am so happy to see it used in a meatball! This chili looks phenomenal.
Balvinder says
I love a good bowl of chilli with lots of beans, vegetables and a spicy sauce. This looks fantastic, though I have never had bison.
Robyn Gleason says
Thanks so much Natalie and Balvinder. Isn't chili just the best food ever! I'm already plotting a new recipe, lol.
Natalie says
That is one hearty bowl of chili mmmm!
Barbara Bamber | justasmidgen says
I love bison as a healthy and lean alternative to beef. It's so nice to meet you here Robyn! I love chili as well, so I'm quite pleased to have a new recipe with bison to try!!
Robyn Gleason says
Nice to meet you too, Barbara. I'm so glad I finally tried bison because it is so much nicer than beef. Looking forward to visiting your blog 🙂
Robyn - simply fresh dinners says
Hi Margherita, mjskit and ChgoJohn! Lovely to meet you all. I so appreciate your kind words. It's so surprising to me that lots of people have tried bison. I think I'm late to the party! Bobbi has so many fun readers! Thanks, again 🙂
ChgoJohn says
You know how to make an intro, Robyn. This chili looks fantastic and love that you're using bison for the meatballs. I've enjoyed bison burgers but never thought to go further with the meat. I will now, though, thanks to you.
mjskit says
Very nice to meet you Robyn! Your chili looks absolutely delicious and being a fellow bison lover, I'm very excited about giving this a try.
Margherita says
I had a huge brunch today. As soon as I finished eating I said "no more food for today". Looking at your meatballs (I do love meatballs) I'm not sure... maybe just a little bite of something... The photos are amazing, they make your food even more scrumpitious!
Donalyn@TheCreeksideCook says
I imagine that bison makes a particularly tasty chili - I can't wait to give this a try! And Robyn, it is very nice to meet you - I'm headed off to check out your blog now!
gourmetgetaway says
Hi Robyn! What a yummy way to meet you! It's refreshing to meet bloggers from other parts of the world, especially among Bam's friends :). Love the recipe and I love this spicy! Yum!
Gourmet Getaways xx
Margaret Anne @ Natural Chow says
Now this looks like a dish I would really like. I'm a huge fan of chili, however I don't think I've ever had bison before. Oh well, I guess there's a first time for everything! This chili looks so good, Robyn!
Choc Chip Uru says
Lovely to meet you Robyn! This chilli looks so hearty and the bison meatballs must be very fulfilling 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Robyn @ simply fresh dinners says
Thanks Foodie Affair and Choc Chip Uru. A pleasure to meet you both and I truly appreciate your kind words. I'm looking forward to exploring your blogs!