Coffee-Marinated Bison and Beef Chipotle Chili

Making healthy meals that last the week are important given my busy weekday schedule and budget.  Today I decided to try cooking bison for the first time.  I had never tried it before, but appreciate it being higher in protein while lower in calories, fat and cholesterol than beef.  I was originally making beef chili, but decided to combine the two into a new chili bursting with fall flavors and a healthy green spin.

I wanted to marinate the meat so it was extra tender and tasty.  I heard bison meat was sweet and typically use chocolate in my chili, so opted not to include chocolate and instead add some acidity with a coffee bite. I made a marinade primarily with brewed espresso coffee, maple syrup and brown sugar.  I let the meat soak for 2 hours, although the more the tastier.  I then drained it, browned it, and tossed the meat into my pot which already had garlic, green peppers, poblano peppers, chipotle peppers, black beans, golden zucchini, chopped tomatoes, and fresh red kale. I had cooked the veggie base in a little olive oil, then added 1/2 of a beer, a little fresh squeezed orange, and seasoned with chili powder, oregano, cayenne pepper, red pepper, cumin and salt and pepper to taste.  This chili is a bit more meaty than I usually make, so play around with the ingredient proportions until you find a balance that you like best.  Next time around, I'd add another can of beans most likely.


I had to use both cubed bison and ground beef...and wasn't sure how it would look, but even like the variation of the meat textures! 

Ingredients:

Marinade:
1 1/2 cup espresso coffee (brewed and chilled)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
chili powder
salt & pepper


1lb bison (cubed)
1lb 96% lean ground beef
1 green pepper (chopped)
1 poblano pepper (chopped)
3 chipotle chiles (chopped)
1/2 golden zucchini (chopped)
5 large red kale leaves (chopped)
1 can black beans (drained)
1 tomato (chopped)
1/4 orange (juice squeezed in)
1 onion (chopped)
1/2 a bottle of beer
4 scallions (chopped)
salt & pepper 
cayenne pepper
red pepper
cumin
chili powder
oregano


Cook veggies until still crisp and colorful, then add browned meat, simmer at least 35 mins, stirring often.  Don't be stingy with your spices---make the flavor pop!

Top with sour cream, cheddar cheese, scallions, fresh lime juice and dig in!  And remember, chili always tastes best after resting so the flavors are more matured, so give it a few hours or a night.  If you have to dig in immediately to taste--like I always do--you won't be disappointed, go for it!