Visited a National Park recently? Maybe you traveled for summer vacation, or perhaps you've enjoyed armchair viewing of the wonderful Ken Burns documentary on National Parks that recently aired on public television channels.
In September, we took a memorable family trip to Yellowstone National Park--a fabulous, other-wordly vacation spot to experience geysers, thermal pools, mud pots, smelly sulphur springs where bison, elk, mule deer, and even bears roam freely amidst the tourists. Check out the bison we came face-to-face with (from the car) in the photo below.
Yellowstone Bison up close! Buffalo Fiesta Salad
It's no surprise that local food sources differ by region. In the west, it's common to see exotic meats on restaurant menus and in grocery stores. So of course, questions about eating exotic meats invariably come up. Just how does bison, for example, stack up nutritionally to beef? A friend raised this very question just weeks ago, and I was curious too, so I did some digging. Here's what I found out:
- Depending upon the cut, bison can actually be leaner than beef. Bison provides about the same amount of protein per serving but fat, saturated fat and calories can vary.
- Comparing a 3-ounce ground grass-fed bison burger (broiled) to a 3-ounce 85% lean beef burger (broiled), the bison burger has 50 fewer calories, 37% less fat, and one-third less saturated fat per serving.
- Evaluating 4-ounces top round (raw) of each meat--which after cooking yields 3-ounce servings, the bison saves you 60 calories and provides 70% less fat and saturated fat per serving. Wow!
Looking for recipes that use bison? Try our Buffalo Fiesta Salad pictured above, for a new twist using this lean exotic meat! And send us your ideas too, if you've gone the exotic meat route in your kitchen or when dining out!
