Sarah’s Rap: As promised, here is recipe #2 in my exploration of beef alternatives. This one uses bison, which is the closest taste to beef that you’ll get. This is one meat that I’ve cooked with often as my family has often preferred it to ground beef.

Recipe #1 in the “Where’s the Beef” series, Elk Burger Extraordinaire yields a rich and satisfying dinner, however I can admit that it requires multiple pans and coordination for all those yummy toppings. That is usually the type of cooking I save for a weekend as my weeknight cooking time is fairly limited if I want to eat dinner at a decent time. My second meal to share with you is therefore an easy one as it can be prepared in a single pan. I steamed vegetables on the side of mine so I used two pans, but there’s no reason you can’t just throw smaller-cut veggies right into the mix with the cauliflower and saute them instead.

This recipe is very flexible. Feel free to add seasonings and greens of your choice. Throw shredded carrots in the mix instead of on the side, add some grated ginger with the garlic or even throw in some diced avocado when it’s all done and you’re ready to plate it up. Mmm, I’m making myself hungry again, so without further ado… here’s my recipe for Bison Stir-fry. I hope you enjoy it!

Weeknight Bison Stir-fry

• 1/4 cup minced shallot
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground bison
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 Tablespoons coconut aminos
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
• 5 ounces organic raw spinach, chopped
• 1 pack frozen or fresh cauliflower rice, or 1 head of cauliflower (to make “rice” from scratch, pulse a head of cauliflower in food processor until small rice-size pieces. I got mine already “riced” and frozen at Trader Joe’s for weeknight convenience. Don’t judge!)

In large frying pan, saute shallots and garlic in olive oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Add ground bison, Italian seasoning and sea salt. Using a spatula, break up and fry until ground bison is browned and cooked through. Set aside in a bowl. In same pan,  melt coconut oil and heat pan to medium-high. Add cauliflower rice and coconut aminos. Stir-fry for 3-5 minutes or until almost soft. (If using frozen, it may need more time). Add cooked bison and raw spinach. Stir to mix. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook 4-5 minutes, until spinach is wilted. Voila!  Serve with steamed veggies or salad and you’re good to go. This is a favorite, even with kids!

Last but  not least, I’m making scrumptious wild boar meatballs over squash noodles tomorrow, so stay tuned for that recipe!

Happy cooking all!

Sarah