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Why I love buffalo

By Lisa Gosselin, April 17, 2009 - 4:36am

I’m going on a buffalo hunt. No horses or bows and arrows involved. I’m just going to arm myself with the latest issue of EatingWell, which has these amazing bison recipes by meat master chef Bruce Aidells, and head to the market, looking for new ways to cook America’s leanest and greenest meat.

Get the recipe: Greek Bison Burgers

This may sound exotic: it’s not. Now that Americans have discovered buffalo is one of the healthiest meats (only 143 calories and 2 grams of fat per serving), it is becoming common in many markets. Buffalo is leaner than beef, which is why it does so well in recipes like Red Curry Bison Short Ribs with Baby Bok Choy or Guinness-Marinated Bison Steak Sandwiches.

It is also one of the healthiest meats for our landscape. Buffalo are actually helping restore the natural ecology of our prairies, which is why Ted Turner, the largest landowner in the U.S. and a big Nature Conservancy supporter, is raising more than 50,000 bison. Unlike cattle, which are often corn-fed in lots, bison or buffalo move around as they graze, giving their meat that healthy, lean, grass-fed flavor and preventing the landscape from being trampled, explains rancher and convervationist Dan O’Brien in his article in this issue of EatingWell.

So now that buffalo meat is available in most supermarkets, I’m going to switch: no more hamburger, just ground bison in these Greek Bison Burgers.

TAGS: Lisa Gosselin, Food News Blog

Lisa Gosselin is the editorial director of EatingWell Media Group, publisher of the award-winning EatingWell Magazine, books such as EatingWell One-Pot Meals and The Simple Art of EatingWell, and EatingWell.com. She lives in Vermont, near EatingWell’s headquarters and Test Kitchen.