Bison Tacos with Zesty Avocado Sauce

Why we love these tacos

• 20 minute dinner. Need I say more??
• Lean bison meat is so flavorful. Slightly sweeter than beef, in a subtle way? Not as gamey as venison.
• The leftover avocado sauce is amazing on grilled chicken, sandwiches, as a dip for veggies.
• This recipe is totally versatile. The sauce ingredients can be adjusted to use what you have, the seasonings for the bison can be substituted with a taco seasoning packet for an even easier recipe.
• This is also my go-to recipe for ground beef tacos because the seasonings and the sauce are just so good, so save it to have on hand for taco night!

Ingredients

For the bison meat and tacos:

• 1 pound ground bison (lean is best, if you have a choice)
• ½ yellow onion, finely diced (save a few pieces for garnishing your tacos, if you want)
• ½ tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin (or use a packet of taco seasoning [~2 tablespoons] in place of all the dry ingredients)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoons tomato paste
• tortillas, for serving
• fresh cilantro and other favorite taco toppings, for serving

For the avocado sauce:

• ½ large ripe Hass avocado
• 1 cup cilantro leaves (large stems removed, small soft stems are OK)
• ½-1 fresh jalapeño, seeds and pith removed (start with half or less, if you don't like spice)
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons plain yogurt (Greek or regular, any fat amount)
• 2 tablespoons mayo (or use more yogurt for a tangier, healthier sauce)
• 2 tablespoons cotija cheese (or use feta)
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• salt, to taste (¼-½ teaspoon, or to taste)
• 1-2 tablespoons water, as needed to thin out sauce

Equipment

• Large skillet
• Small food processor or blender
• Medium skillet (to toast the tortillas, or you can clean the skillet used for the meat)
• Tortilla warmer (or clean kitchen towel over a plate)

Instructions

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, diced onion, and bison to the skillet and it cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes to brown the bottom. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring to break up the meat a little (leave it in ½-1 inch chunks instead of tiny crumbles).

Add the dry seasonings (cumin through pepper) and tomato paste. Stir well to season the meat, and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the bison is fully cooked and is a deep red-brown color. Remove from heat.

While the bison is cooking, add all the ingredients for the sauce to a small food processor and process until mostly smooth.It will take a few minutes to break down the cilantro. Taste and add more salt, lime juice, or jalapeño to taste. Add water as needed if you want a thinner sauce that can be poured.

Serve by spooning generous amount of bison taco meat onto each tortilla, drizzling with avocado sauce, and adding your favorite toppings, such as diced onion, crumbled cotija cheese, fresh or pickled jalapeños, fresh cilantro.

Kate's recipe tips

• If the bison meat seems a little dry, add a splash of water or beef broth (or chicken broth). But usually, meat lets out liquid as it cooks, and since I am using lean bison meat I don't need to drain it. I just add tomato paste and this makes the perfect slightly-sauce consistency for the taco meat.
• Instead of all the dry seasonings, you can use 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning.
• You can switch up the ingredients for the sauce based on what you have: mayo, sour cream, and yogurt can all be substituted for each other (more yogurt = tangier sauce, need to add more salt. More mayo = richer sauce, reduce the salt). Cotija can be substituted with feta or skipped. As long as you have some tang from the lime juice, some creaminess, and salt, the sauce will turn out delicious!