Nothing warms you up on a cold winter day like a big bowl of chili! It’s also perfect for football Sunday! This hearty chili is made with ground bison, and has wonderful smokey and spicy flavors. Grass-fed bison is an excellent protein source that is high in protein, just like ground beef, but is lower in fat, making this chili a healthy alternative. It’s gluten free, grain-free and paleo as well.
Lately I’m into set-it-and-forget it meals. I’m sure many of you out there can relate to just not having enough time in the day, right? I mean, where does it go? I wake up and stumble over the coffee pot to push the “GO-aka COFFEE NOW!!” button (I make sure to set it up the night before because last time I didn’t I brewed some delicious water, sans coffee. I had left out the coffee grounds in my sleepy stupor, lol!). Before I know it it’s lunch time, baby goes down for a nap, dryer chimes indicating a mountain of laundry needs to be folded, sun is setting (ALREADY-GRRR!!!) and then it’s bedtime. Sleep, wake, repeat… You know the drill. So often I don’t have time to plan and cook dinner, nor do I want a load of dishes to scrub. So these days I’m a slow cooker and pressure cooker kinda gal.
I love stews, chilis and soups because they are a complete meal in one bowl. I make sure they are packed with protein, healthy fats and veggies providing a nice balance of nutrition. Better yet, they provide great leftovers, so I don’t have to scramble to make lunch the next day. As you may know, I make my pup Cricket her very own grub, and her chow is all made in the crock pot or pressure cooker as well. Be sure to check out my doggie recipes! Awww- she’s so cute posing with her brother’s safari animals!
I chose to use bison in this particular chili because, first of all, I love the flavor and nutrition it provides, and secondly, I couldn’t find any grass-fed ground beef at the grocery store. I did, however, find grass-fed bison and it made the perfect substitute. You’d never know it’s not beef! It’s very important to consume pasture raised animals because their meat provides much better nutrition (such as more omega 3’s and is lower in fat) as compared to their conventionally-raised counterparts. You can read more about that HERE.
The whole family will love this chili, I promise!
Chipotle Bison Chili
- 2 lbs grass fed ground bison
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 cans diced tomatoes with chilis
- 1 can whole tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons of chili in adobo (chilis and sauce or use about 2 teaspoons of chipotle chili spice, chopped)
- 4 strips natural bacon (diced)
- 1 yellow onion
- 4 garlic cloves (diced)
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos (or Worcestershire sauce)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon coriander
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- Mix the 2 tablespoons of water with the baking soda and mix well.
- Combine the meat with the baking soda water mixture and mix well; let stand 30 minutes. This will help the meat get brown and crispy when you cook it.
- In a large pot heat the oil and add the bacon, onions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes over medium-high heat, then add all the spices and salt and pepper and cook for an additional minute.
- Next add the bison and continue to cook over rmedium-high heat, until the meat is deep brown and crispy.
- (NOTE: If you have a pressure cooker you can brown the meat along with the onions and garlic in the bottom of the pressure cooker, then add liquid ingredients and set to cook- easy and quick!)
- Place this meat mixture into the crockpot, along with the coconut amino, tomato paste, can of whole tomatoes, 2 cans of diced tomatoes, beef broth, and chilis in adobo.
- Set the slow cooker to high for 1 hour, then reduce to low and cook for an additional 2-3 hrs.
- Stir and mash up the tomatoes (once they are broken down from the heat) to blend and thicken the chili.
