Bison Lettuce Wraps

Bison is becoming more accessible in the marketplace.  Bison is a very lean meat with no polyunsaturated fats,  bison contains just 122 calories in a 3 ounce serving and 70 mg of cholesterol.

As far as taste is concerned, Bison was very surprising to me.  I was worried about a gamey taste, but there was none.  It had a rich taste, as though I was eating a prime cut of beef.  Consider this, bison is not corn fed and a lot of bison that is sold in the market actually not 100 percent wild bison.  The bison is genetically testing, those that are not some sort of bovine hybrid, are released to the herd.  The others, are auctioned and become what is known as 'bison'.

It's important to understand where our food comes from and not just to mindlessly eat.

I created a very healthy alternative to beef tacos, simply called a Bison lettuce wrap.

Total calories for this dish is only 201 calories.

The lettuce greens were from my garden.

Here's what you will need.

1 lb of ground bison
15.5 oz of black beans (if canned, rinse thoroughly)
15.5 oz of chickpeas (if canned, rinse thoroughly)
4 oz of corn
15.5 oz of crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon of chipotle pepper
pinch of nutmeg
Chives
1 roasted Jalapeño, diced and deseeded
1 carrot, small dice
1 stalk of celery, small dice
1 clove of garlic, finely minced with a pinch of salt
1 head of Lettuce of your choice, washed gently and separate the leaves
1/2 cup of Asiago Cheese, finely grated

 Here's what to do:

In a medium saucepan, simmer the beans, chickpeas and spices together for about 20 - 30 minutes and add tomatoes, jalapeño and corn to the beans for an additional 5-10 minutes.  Do not add any salt until the end.

While the beans are simmering, in a large skillet, use a small amount of olive oil or canola oil, add the garlic and the celery and carrots.  Crumble in the bison and add dry seasoning of your choice that will mirror the spices that are used in the beans.  When the bison has been browned, make a space on the bottom of the frying pan and add the tomato paste, the color with change to a rust color and incorporate with the bison.   There should be very little fat, drain off any excess.

Add the bison  to the beans, fully incorporate them together.  Season lightly with salt (if desired).
Spoon the mixture into lettuce leaves, sprinkle finely grated Asiago cheese.

Enjoy!