Arepas con Bison

Arepas con Bison are rich in flavor, savory, and the perfect bite for any time of the day. With being a traditional Colombian dish, Arepas are round, savory corn cakes. This version is stuffed with Ground Bison and shredded cheese and can be served as a snack or a meal.

The Inspiration

Disney fans are familiar with Encanto, one of Disney’s latest animation films based in Colombia. In Encanto, the Madrigal family has been blessed with gifts, one of which is healing others with Arepas. Mirabel Madrigal’s (the main character) mother is blessed with this gift. Furthermore, anytime someone in the film is sad, hurt, struggling, etc., an Arepa is presented and suddenly all complications are resolved.

Arepas are a cultural dish for Colombians. Furthermore, they can be grilled, fried, stuffed, served plain, savory, sweet, big, small, and more. In conclusion, they are essentially a blank canvas for toppings and fillings. These savory cakes can be served for a snack, meal, or at a large gathering.

My toddler absolutely adores the movie Encanto, including the music, food, and culture. Thus, today, we decided why not try out one of the Family Madrigal’s magical foods, the Arepas. Needless to say, we understand why these scrumptious corn cakes have healing powers in this film.

Allergen Friendly

Arepas con Bison are allergy-friendly and contain ingredients for those who are gluten and dairy intolerant. For instance, Masarepa is pre-cooked, ground corn flour, that is used to make Arepas. Masarepa comes in a yellow or white corn variety and either of these can be used in the making of Arepas con Bison. However, if you have a corn allergy, you can substitute Masarepa for Masa Harina, Coconut Flour, Gluten Free Flour, or Arrowroot Starch.

In addition, Coconut Sugar is substituted for granulated sugar and adds a bit of a golden color to the Arepa dough. Coconut Sugar has a lower glycemic index than granulated sugar and helps balance glucose and energy levels.

Finally, Oat Milk is substituted for dairy, Whole Milk. Oat Milk has an oat taste (hence the name) and is thick like dairy milk. Oat Milk is a wonderful replacement in baking and cooking for dairy milk as the consistency and binding abilities are similar.

In conclusion, Arepas con Bison are allergy-friendly for those who are gluten and dairy intolerant.

Arepas con Bison Ingredients

• Masarepa (Yellow or White)
• Pink Salt
• Coconut Sugar
• Unsalted Butter, Melted
• Oat Milk
• Lukewarm Water
• Shredded Cheese
• Ground Bison
• Kinder’s Fajita Seasoning

Cooking the Ground Bison

1. First, in an All-Clad Non-Stick Skillet over medium heat, add the ground Bison and Kinder’s seasoning. Cook or brown the Ground Bison until cooked through (approximately 10 minutes).
2. Next, using a slotted spoon, put the cooked Bison into a glass bowl to cool. Set aside.

Mixing Up the Arepa Dough

1. First, in a large ceramic or glass mixing bowl, combine the Masarepa, salt, and sugar together.
2. Next, use a fork or whisk to combine the dry ingredients.
3. Then, pour in the melted butter, milk, and water.
4. Using your hands, mix all of the ingredients to combine. (I like to use my hands to mix this as it’s easier to combine everything. However, you can use a whisk to combine the ingredients if you’d prefer).
5. Finally, once the Arepa dough is combined, let it sit for about 5 minutes to let the liquids absorb properly into the dry ingredients.

Cooking the Arepa con Bison

1. After 5 minutes, take a handful of dough (about 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter) and form it into a ball. Place it on a sheet of parchment paper or a cutting board. Repeat this until all the dough has been shaped into balls.
2. Next, using your thumb, make an indentation in the center of the Arepa dough, and then using your pointer fingers, stretch out this indention to make a well.
3. Then, fill the indention with Bison and cheese. Then, reform the dough into a ball. Repeat this process until all Arepas are filled.
4. Next, using your hands, press down on the dough until it’s about 1/2 – inch thick. Alternatively, you can place the Arepa dough between two sheets of parchment paper and use a skillet to press it down.
5. Then, heat a Lodge Cast Iron Skillet over medium heat.
6. Next, in batches, cook the Arepas con Bison for approximately 3-4 minutes on each side.
7. Finally, serve the Arepas con Bison hot or at room temperature. You may choose to serve this with a sauce or plain. Enjoy!

Pictorial Instructions for the Visual Chef

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Arepas con Bison

Yield: 24 Arepas

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Arepas con Bison are rich in flavor, savory, and the perfect bite for any time of the day. With being a traditional Columbian dish, Arepas are round, savory corn cakes. This version is stuffed with Ground Bison and shredded cheese and can be served as a snack or a meal.

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Ingredients

• 4 c. Masarepa
• 3 1/2 tsp. Pink Salt
• 1/4 c. Coconut Sugar
• 4 tbsp. Unsalted Butter, Melted
• 1/4 c. Oat Milk
• 2 1/2 c. Lukewarm Water
• 1/4 c. Shredded Cheese (Mexican, Monterey Jack, or Cheddar Cheese; could also substitute for dairy-free cheese)
• 1/2 lb. Ground Bison
• 1/2 packet Kinder's Fajita Seasoning

Instructions

Cooking the Ground Bison

1. First, in an All-Clad Non-Stick Skillet over medium heat, add the ground Bison and Kinder's seasoning. Cook or brown the Ground Bison until cooked through (approximately 10 minutes).
2. Next, using a slotted spoon, put the cooked Bison into a glass bowl to cool. Set aside.

Mixing Up the Arepa Dough

1. First, in a large ceramic or glass mixing bowl, combine the Masarepa, salt, and sugar together.
2. Next, use a fork or whisk to combine the dry ingredients.
3. Then, pour in the melted butter, milk, and water.
4. Using your hands, mix all of the ingredients to combine. (I like to use my hands to mix this as it's easier to combine everything. However, you can use a whisk to combine the ingredients if you'd prefer).
5. Finally, once the Arepa dough is combined, let it sit for about 5 minutes to let the liquids absorb properly into the dry ingredients.

Cooking the Arepas con Bison

1. After 5 minutes, take a handful of dough (about 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter) and form it into a ball. Place it on a sheet of parchment paper or a cutting board. Repeat this until all the dough has been shaped into balls.
2. Next, using your thumb, make an indentation in the center of the Arepa dough, and then using your pointer fingers, stretch out this indention to make a well.
3. Then, fill the indention with Bison and cheese. Then, reform the dough into a ball. Repeat this process until all Arepas are filled.
4. Next, using your hands, press down on the dough until it's about 1/2 - inch thick. Alternatively, you can place the Arepa dough between two sheets of parchment paper and use a skillet to press it down.
5. Then, heat a Lodge Cast Iron Skillet over medium heat.
6. Next, in batches, cook the Arepas con Bison for approximately 3-4 minutes on each side.
7. Finally, serve the Arepas con Bison hot or at room temperature. You may choose to serve this with a sauce or plain. Enjoy!

Notes

These Arepas are made using ground Bison, but you could also substitute this for any other lean meat or solely fill them with cheese. Arepas can easily be filled with different fillings to meet the needs of all taste buds. Enjoy and be creative!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 2
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 110Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 794mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 5gProtein: 5g