Spaghetti Squash Dinner

No gluten means no pasta. Good thing there is spaghetti squash to fill in! Here is a new recipe I concocted last night--very tasty, filling, and healthy!

Prepare squash: pierce one end of a small spaghetti squash with a sharp knife. Bake at 375 degrees (I placed it in a loaf pan, but any shallow pan would work) for about 1 hour. Test with a knife to see if it is tender.

While the squash is cooking, prepare the sauce.

1 lb. ground bison

1-3 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1 cup grated zucchini

4-5 chopped fresh mushrooms

1 T olive oil

Brown the meat mixed with the veggies in oil, and add seasonings to taste. (Kosher salt, Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, bay leaf etc.)

Add 1 small (4 oz) jar organic tomato paste and 2 cups distilled water. (the jar is the only way I have ever liked tomato paste as it does not have a tinny flavor to it. If you can find it you will be really pleased with the results.) Stir until well mixed, reduce heat to simmer until the squash is done. The longer it simmers the better the flavor. You can add a little more water if you prefer a runnier sauce, but taste to see if it needs more salt.

When the squash is done, carefully remove it from the pan to a cutting board and slice off the stem end. Cut in half length wise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon; discard seeds. Using a fork, scrape the meat of the squash away from the peeling and place into a bowl. Add a little butter and salt. Serve the sauce over the squash. (serves 4)

Buffalo Chili

Buffalo Chili

3 lbs. ground buffalo (or very lean ground beef)
2 T. chili powder
1 t. sea salt
1/2 t. freshly ground pepper
1 T. ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 t. paprika
3 cans Ro-tel diced tomatoes and green chiles
1-2 cans (12 oz) tomato juice (depending on how thick you want it)
2 cans pinto beans or red or white kidney beans (whatever I have on hand)

Brown the meat with the spices. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 30-60 minutes. Serve with chopped onions and grated cheese, over corn chips, or just plain. Makes about 16 cups of chili. We freeze it in individual serving sized glass storage bowls, and Ornery takes it for lunch.

(For a spicier flavor, substitute with any or all of the following: Replace Ro-tel with Picante medium or hot salsa. Replace tomato juice with spicy V8 juice cocktail. Replace plain beans with seasoned beans containing jalapeno peppers. You can also increase the chili powder, add tobasco, etc. We are not very spicy folk, here!)

Mouthwatering Meatloaf

Mouthwatering Meatloaf

1-1/2 lb. very lean ground beef (or ground Buffalo)
2 eggs
2 T. Worchestershire Sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together and form loaf in loaf pan, making a furrow in the middle and around the edges of the loaf. Cover with topping (below) and bake at 325 degrees for one hour.

Topping:

4 T. brown sugar
1/3 cup catsup
1½ tsp. prepared mustard
¼ tsp. nutmeg
2 T. peach jam

Swiss Steak in the Crock Pot

Swiss Steak in the Crock Pot

(Recently I found some Bison Loin steak on sale, and decided to try this instead of my old beef tenderized steak. I don't know how it will taste, but we like ground bison in everything we used to make with hamburger, so I imagine the results will be acceptable. I asked the butcher to run it through the tenderizer for me, which he happily did.)

1-2 lbs of tenderized steak (however much you need for your family)
1 can stewed tomatoes (two if you are making a lot)
2 russet potatoes, scrubbed and chopped in bite sized pieces

Put all in the crock pot and cook all day on low.