Bison Chili

We had a very nice cool afternoon the other day, and immediately I knew I wanted to make a chili. I love the hearty flavours of chili, but so rarely make it in the summer because its hot, and its heavy.. so when I saw the storm clouds rolling in I knew I had to take advantage to make one of my favourite comfort foods. Plus, I had this ground bison in my fridge that needed to be used.. and I thought, what better way to use it?

I love how versatile chili can be, you can use pretty much any ground meat and any veggies you want.. you can ramp up the spice with different hot sauces and top it with pretty much whatever your heart desires. You can also eat it over rice, with toast, biscuits.. you name it, chili can pretty much take it. Another reason I absolutely love chili? Lunch for the week! I always make up a huge batch, freeze half for a rainy day, and keep divvy up the rest for lunches during the week!

Bison Chili

An easy to prepare, easy to make absolutely delicious dinner full of protein, nutrients and bold flavours.

Time:

Prep time: 10 minutes // Cook time: 1 hour // Yields: 8 – 10 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 lb ground bison
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 14 oz cans Heinz chili style beans
• 1 19 oz can black beans, rinsed
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 2 TBSP Chili powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• salt & pepper
• 1 tsp Chili garlic sauce

Directions:

• Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat and cook garlic, onion, peppers and carrots until slightly softened, about 3 – 4 minutes. Add ground bison and cook, breaking up as you go, until meat is cooked through. Stir in diced tomatoes, beans, salsa, spices and chili garlic sauce; bring to a boil on high heat and then reduce to low and let simmer at least 1 hour (I tend to let mine cook for a couple hours to really enhance the flavours, the longer it simmers the better it tastes!)
• Serve over rice topped with grated cheese and Greek yogurt, if desired.