Rania's Recipes: Bison Chili & Vegetable Chili

If you love chili, you need to try out these two recipes from Rania Harris!

Bison Chili with Three Beans

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions – chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin (or more to taste)
• 2 pounds ground bison
• ¼ cup chili powder
• (I used 2/3 chili powder and 1/3 chipotle chili powder for the ratio)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 - 28 oz can whole tomatoes
• 3 cups low sodium beef stock
• 1 - 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 - 15 oz can each:
• Small white beans ~ black beans ~ kidney beans

Optional Garnishes:

• Chopped red onion
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Plain low fat yogurt or light sour cream

Heat oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until lightly golden brown. Add oregano and cumin; stir for one minute. Increase heat to medium high. Add bison; stir until no longer pink, breaking up with the back of a spoon. Stir in chili powder, bay leaves, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon. Add tomatoes with their juices, breaking up with the back of a spoon. Mix in stock and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add beans to chili and simmer until flavors blend, about 10 minutes longer. Discard bay leaves.

Ladle chili into bowls. Pass red onion, cilantro and yogurt or sour cream separately as an optional garnish to the chili.

Serves: 8

Vegetable Chili

• Fruity olive oil for sautéing the vegetables
• 1 Vidalia onion, chopped (but not too fine)
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin – or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder – or to taste
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 yellow bell peppers, cut into ½ inch dice
• 2 red bell peppers, cut into ½ inch dice
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into ½ inch dice
• 6 ounce can tomato paste
• 1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (15.5 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes in their own juices
• 2 cups low sodium vegetable stock

Directions:

In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent and garlic is soft, about 4 minutes. Add in the diced peppers and cook just until the peppers start to soften slightly. Add cumin and chili powder, season with salt and pepper, and cook until spices are fragrant, 1 minute.

Add zucchini and tomato paste; cook, stirring frequently, until tomato paste is deep brick red, 3 minutes. Stir in black beans, pinto beans, and both cans diced tomatoes. Add 2 cups low sodium vegetable stock and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce to a medium simmer and cook until zucchini is tender and liquid reduces slightly, 20 minutes. Check seasoning and add in more cumin, salt and pepper, if necessary.