Bison Salisbury Steak Dinner

The past couple weeks have been cold here. So warm comforting foods have been on the menu. A while ago I clipped a Salisbury Steak recipe from a magazine. I finally got around to making it, but when I looked at the recipe again I just wasn't feeling it. So I decided to make my own with ground bison and a nice full flavored sauce. This recipe would also work well with ground beef.

I served the Bison Salisbury Steaks with mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts. Ben and I love Brussels sprouts, so next time I make this I will double the sprouts. 

This is dinner is going to be a winter staple in our house. You would never know that it is a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, food allergy friendly dinner. 

Bison Salisbury Steaks

Patty Ingredients
20 oz ground bison
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 Tbsp coconut flour
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1 Tbsp canola or olive oil

Gravy Ingredients
3 large cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/4 onion, diced
1 Tbsp vegan butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup beef broth
1 Tbsp sherry
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce


1. Combine all the patty ingredients except oil in a large bowl. Form into 5 patties.
2. Heat the 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook 3 of the patties for about 4-5 minutes per side until cooked through. Set the cooked patties aside. I kept my patties warm on a cookie sheet in warm but off oven. Add the remaining oil and cook the last 2 patties. Set those aside when done.
3. Add the vegan butter, salt and onions to the skillet. Saute until the onions are almost clear. Add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes until they're browned but not soft. 
4. Whisk in the beef broth, sherry, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer, stirring up all the browned bits. 
5. In a small bowl, combine the potato starch and cold water. Add to the beef broth mixture, whisking constantly. Stir until thickened. Serve the gravy over the patties.

Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes

2.5 lbs russet potatoes
1/2 cup coconut milk
3 Tbsp vegan butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 tsp granulated onion
1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1. Peel and chop the potatoes. Add to a large pot filled with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain and return to the pot.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and mash until smooth.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

1.25 lb Brussels sprouts
2 slices bacon
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy. Set cooked bacon aside and save the grease.
3. Cut the bottoms off the Brussels sprouts, remove any discolored outer leaves and slice in half or in quarters depending on the size of the sprout.
4. Combine the Brussels sprouts, bacon grease and seasonings in a 9 x 9 glass baking dish.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once.

You Can't Win Them All (Bison Cheeseburger Helper)

We just got back from a great weekend in Denver to celebrate a friend's wedding. Now we're back home and I didn't feel like going grocery shopping. So tonight I made a gluten and dairy free Bison Cheeseburger Helper. I saw a delicious looking recipe for Cheeseburger Macaroni by Kevin and Amanda on Pinterest and decided to make that tonight, with several modifications.

I used ground bison since I had some on hand and all of our ground beef is frozen. Last time I looked I couldn't find a packet of taco seasonings that were safe for Tommy. So I made my own seasoning blend. I'm still perfecting my vegan cheese sauce, but this version is way better than my last attempt. I also doubled the sauce and pasta. This is the first time I have correctly cooked gluten free pasta. It wasn't chewy or mushy. It actually tasted just like regular cooked macaroni. I used a white rice macaroni that I can buy in bulk at the local Winco.

I'm pretty excited about how this whole recipe turned out. It's delicious, hearty and full of flavor. Everything you would want in a bowl of hamburger helper, except made from scratch with no preservatives or questionable ingredients. I'm not thrilled about Tommy's reaction. As soon as I set the bowl in front of him he burst into tears. It's incredibly frustrating when he starts sobbing without actually trying the food. He eventually ate one bite of the meat and one piece of pasta. That was definitely a let down. This recipe is so delicious and easy to make that I was really hoping to add it to our regular rotation. For now I'll just file this recipe away to try again later when hopefully his tastes have matured a bit.

Bison Cheeseburger Helper

20 oz ground bison
2 cups dry gluten free macaroni
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
14.5 oz can chicken broth
1 can full fat coconut milk
1 cup water
4 oz can diced chili peppers, undrained
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1/2 Tbsp potato starch
1 taco seasonings (see below)

1. Brown the bison in a dutch oven sized pot over medium heat. 
2. When the meat is done, add the tomato paste and taco seasoning and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
3. Add the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, diced chili peppers, and water. Bring to a boil.
4. Stir in the macaroni and cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. While the pasta cooks, in a small saucepan combine the coconut milk, nutritional yeast, Frank's and potato starch. Cook over medium heat, whisking continuously until thickened. 
6. After the 7 minutes are done, add the "cheese" sauce to the pasta dish. Stir to combine and cook for another 2 minutes.
7. Take the pot off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Taco Seasoning

2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp granulated onion
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl

Thundersnow and Bison Chili

It's been snowing all day. And we just had thunder and lightening! I'm thankful to be in a warm house with nowhere to go today. 

I made Bison Chili the other day and it turned out great! I'm not real comfortable giving Tommy mystery spice blends, so I made my own chili powder with cumin, garlic powder, cayenne, paprika and oregano. Ben and I loved the chili. Tommy ate a little of the meat, but wouldn't touch most of it. He did of course LOVE the Corn-Free Cornbread.

Bison Chili

Makes 8 cups

20 oz ground bison
1 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 15 oz cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 medium onion, diced
8 sweet mini peppers or 1 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup brown sugar

1. Brown buffalo and minced garlic in a large skillet. Then add the cumin through black pepper. 
2. Add the meat mixture and the remaining ingredients into a slow cooker.
3. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Nutritional Info Per Cup (Calculated from My Fitness Pal)
Calories: 264
Fat: 7 g
Fiber: 6 g
Sugar: 10 g
Sodium: 783 mg
Protein: 21 g

Bison Meatloaf and Squashed Potatoes

Meatloaf is one of my favorite comfort foods. I had been making my meatloaf pretty much the same way for years (1 lb ground beef and 1/2 lb hot Italian sausage), but with Tommy's allergies we usually stay clear of prepared sausages and their mystery spices. So last night's meatloaf was a combination of ground bison and pork. I made a pork and turkey meatloaf a while back, and while it tasted good, the color was way too light for my preference. It just didn't seem right to me. To me, it's not meatloaf unless there's some red meat in there.

My secret to a gluten, egg and dairy free meatloaf is to use dry minced onions in place of the breadcrumbs. I like having onion in there anyway, and this way I don't have to sacrifice homemade bread to make breadcrumbs. And the tablespoon of coconut flour really helps with the binding too. Trust me, you won't end up with coconut flavored meat. This was our favorite Tommy safe meatloaf so far.

I guess I should be glad that my toddler hasn't become addicted to french fries, but at the same time, it's a little annoying sometimes that he won't eat white potatoes. He only likes orange sweet potatoes. It's great for the nutritional value, but I do miss making a big pot of traditional mashed potatoes to go with meatloaf. Last night I made Squashed Potatoes. It's a mixture of boiled russet potatoes and roasted acorn squash. That was a good blend of squash and white potatoes. The mixture was colorful enough for Tommy but still had some of that regular mashed potato flavor. Win-win! 

Bison and Pork Meatloaf

1.25 lb ground bison
1 lb ground pork
1/2 cup dry minced onion
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup apple juice
3 oz tomato paste
1 Tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry basil
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dry rosemary

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 
2. In a small bowl, combine the minced onion and coconut milk. Let sit for 5 minutes.
3. In another small bowl, combine the tomato paste and apple juice
4. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add in the onion mixture and 2/3rds of the tomato mixture. Mix thoroughly with your hands. 
5. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone mat or foil. Form the meat into a loaf. 
6. Spread the remaining tomato mixture over the top of the meatloaf.
7. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until the internal temperature is at least 160°F.
8. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Squashed Potatoes

2 acorn squash
2 russet potatoes
1 Tbsp refined coconut oil
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Slice the squash in half and scrape out the seeds. 
3. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Place the squash cut side down on the baking sheet.
4. Bake for 45 minutes until the squash are soft. Let cool.
5. Remove the squash flesh from the skins and set aside. Note: The squash can be prepared up to this point earlier in the day.
6. Peel and cut the potatoes into big chunks. Place the potatoes in a dutch oven pot with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium high and boil until the potatoes can be broken apart by a fork.
7. Drain the potatoes and return to the pot. 
8. Mash the potatoes and add in the squash and remaining ingredients. 
9. Heat mixture over medium low until warmed.