Four bean chili

1 lb ground bison

1 lb ground turkey

1 medium onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 (8 oz) can mushrooms, drained

1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes and chiles, do not drain

1 (4 oz) can chopped chiles, do not drain

1 cup bison concentrate (or beef broth) with additional for reheating leftovers

2 cups wet kidney beans (or 1 can), drain and reserve 1/2 c bean juice

2 cups wet black beans , drained

1 cup wet pinto beans, drained

1 (16 oz) can refried beans

2 Tbsp chili seasoning (your favorite, or my recipe below)

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp olive oil

Preferred garnish: crackers, cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, etc

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Add onion and saute 3 minutes, then add garlic for additional 30 seconds until aromatic. Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and add meat. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp chili seasoning over meat. Stir until browned on all sides, about 5-7 minutes. Add back the onion and garlic. Add the mushrooms, tomatoes with chiles, and additional chilies. Stir to combine.

Add beef broth and reserved bean juice.

Add all beans and bring to a boil for a minute, then reduce to simmer for 30-45 minutes. Add remaining 1 Tbsp chili seasoning and red pepper flakes, then simmer additional 15-30 minutes. Serve with preferred garnish.

We store left overs in pint jars to be pulled out of the fridge for easy meals over the next couple of days. I keep some extra broth on hand to use when reheating. Leftovers can also be frozen and used over the next 4-6 months.

Chili Seasoning: 1 Tbsp paprika, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper, 1 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp cumin.

Using dried beans can be a great way to reduce your sodium intake, and lower costs. You can also double the amount of beans you need and freeze half for next time. For every cup of dry beans you will get 2 cups of wet beans.

For all beans, sort and rinse prior to use.

Kidney beans: 1 cup dry bean, 4 cups beef broth (or 4 c water and 3 beef boulion cubes). Put in instapot and pressure cook for 35 minutes.

Black beans: same as above, but for 30 minutes.

Pinto beans: 1/2 cup dry beans, 2 cups beef broth. Pressure cook for 25 mintues.

Alternate ways to rehydrate beans include soaking and simmering on the stove.

A lean ground beef, or 2 pounds of turkey, can be used if you do not have access to ground bison.