food and cooking blog

American bison are an important part of the prairie ecosystem and after a decline almost to extinction around the end of the 19th century, today there are many ranchers working hard to bring them back. I enjoy cooking and eating bison (sometimes referred to as buffalo). The brands I've tried thus far have all been grass fed, lean, raised in a more sustainable manner and well, delicious. You may be able to find ground bison at your supermarket and it's pretty easy to use in recipes that call for ground beef. Bison steaks however are another story.

Because most bison is grass fed, it's leaner, like grass fed beef. Considered a highly nutrient dense food, it's lower in calories, fat and cholesterol than even chicken, it has 40% more protein than beef and is high in iron, omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin E. Without rich marbling, it needs more tender loving care. Wild Idea Buffalo recently sent me some samples of their products. Their ranch is located in South Dakota between the Black Hills and the Badlands National Park and their herd is raised without the use of antibiotics or hormones. I knew immediately what I wanted to try with the New York strip loin steak. An extremely lean piece of meat, I knew I would cook it quickly, searing to get some nice color and flavor, and serving it very rare. Because it is so lean, it's particularly good paired with something rich, like avocado.

I got my inspiration from a Martha Stewart recipe, Beef Tacos with Avocado and Radish Salsa. My adaptation is very close to the original. Here's what I did differently. I used bison instead of beef and I used a lot less of it! I rubbed the steak with oil and just sprinkled it with both cumin and chile powder. I used fresh jalapenos instead of picked ones and I added scallions. Most importantly I made my own tortillas. Please, do yourself a favor. Buy a tortilla press
and a big bag of masa harina (Maseca is a good and easy to work with brand) and never settle for store bought tortillas ever again.



Bison Tacos with Avocado and Radish (adapted from Everyday Food, Martha Stewart)

Makes 6 tacos

Ingredients

10 ounces bison strip loin steak
vegetable oil
chile powder
ground cumin
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
4 radishes, diced
2 green onions, sliced
2-3 tablespoons cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, diced, more or less as desired
2 limes
pinch salt
6 small corn tortillas, preferably homemade

Instructions

Allow the steak to come to room temperature. Pat it dry with paper towels then rub it with a just enough vegetable oil so it is glossy, but not slick. Sprinkle all sides with chile powder and ground cumin. Heat a cast iron skillet. Sear the meat 3 minutes on the top and bottom and then another 2-3 minutes on the other two sides (loin is almost square shaped). Allow to cool 10 minutes then slice thinly.

Make salsa by combining the diced avocado, radishes, green onions, cilantro and jalapeno. Slice the limes in half and squeeze them over the salsa, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, gently mix then taste. Adjust seasoning as you see fit. Heat the tortillas, top with slices of steak and salsa.

Enjoy!

If you are interested in trying bison, you can receive a 20% discount by using the code Amy-Buffalo20 at Wild Idea Buffalo Store  through July 1st, 2012.


My thanks to Wild Idea Buffalo for sending me samples of their products to try.

Is there anything sadder than guacamole and no chips? And yet, it happens. Instead of stashing the guacamole in the refrigerator, this list of ideas should get the green out of the bowl and onto your plate! Just remember to season to taste before serving your new creation...

1. On a baked potato instead of sour cream or butter
2. On a BLT as a sandwich spread instead of mayo
3. Whisked into a vinaigrette or ranch salad dressing
4. On toast with a fried egg on top
5. Layer on a sandwich with mozzarella and tomatoes (good hot or cold)
6. As a topping on chili
7. Dollop on top of pizza, really!
8. As a pasta sauce, combine with olive oil, season with salt, serve hot or cold
9. On top of crab cakes or potato pancakes
10. Cold guacamole soup, just combine with chicken broth and chill
11. Make chicken salad by combining guacamole with chunks of cooked chicken and chopped scallions
12. Use in place of mayonnaise to make guacamole deviled eggs or guacamole egg salad
13. Combine with canned tuna to make tuna salad
14. Puree with canellini beans to make a hummus like dip
15. Slather it on cornbread or corn muffins instead of butter
16. Make a salad by stirring it into a bowl of black beans, corn, diced tomatoes and peppers

The following ideas are sweet! A highly savory (salty, spicy or oniony) guacamole is not recommended. But a mild guacamole will work just fine. Simply puree the guacamole and use it in place of mashed avocado in the following recipes:

17. Guacamole ice cream try this one from Two Peas their pod or this one from Tabasco or this one from Yum or this one from Alton Brown.
18. Bake a guacamole pound cake or cupcakes
19. Guacamole frosting, combine pureed guacamole and powdered sugar to taste
20. Make a guacamole smoothie

What are your favorite ways to use guacamole when there are no more chips or crudités?

My thanks to the California Avocado Commission. They are sponsoring my attendance to Camp Blogaway 2012 and provided me with a shipment of fresh fruit. Note: They did not pay for this post, although they did inspire it...