Are you looking for new Native American recipes to whip up for your family, or perhaps entertain with?
Look no further, as these three indigenous-inspired dishes will delight and satisfy. We’ll begin with a starter, continue on with the main dish, and finish things off with a delectable dessert. However, each can be enjoyed a la carte for whatever occasion—the choice is yours!
Let’s get started!
Starter: Ohlone Salad
Whether this salad is used as a starter or a delightful pair to your main dish, the flavors and texture will excite your senses.
This delightful and earthy recipe comes straight from the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. Vincent Medina, the author of the PBS article in which this recipe is featured, owns an indigenous supper club called Cafe Ohlone, which is meant to bring people together to try new Native cuisine while having important conversations surrounding culture.
In the article, he states:
“Our primary goal is always the wellness of our Ohlone communities. We also hope to educate non-Indian people about who we are, as the Indigenous people of the East Bay and Carmel Valley. We hope to dispel negative stereotypes through actively demonstrating the vibrancy and beauty of Ohlone culture, and especially the deep and living connections we have to our homelands.”
Here’s what you need to make this enticing Ohlone salad.
Ingredients
watercress
Sorrell
purslane
pickleweed (also called sea beans)
roasted hazelnuts
piñon nuts
half shell walnuts
gooseberries
blackberries
huckleberries (when available)
popped amaranth
walnut oil
edible, native flowers
elderberry juice
Directions
This recipe is super simple to make!
- Mix together spicy watercress, purslane, and sweet sorrel with juicy blackberries and gooseberries.
- Add fiddleheads and pickleweed sautéed in walnut oil with SF Bay salt, hazelnuts, pinon nuts, walnuts, and popped amaranth.
- Lastly, we dress our greens in walnut oil and elderberry juice.
Eat up! But leave room for the main dish!
Main Dish: Spicy Bison Sweet Potato Skillet
This one-pan/one-skillet bison meal, which reimagines the traditional bison stew, will wake up your taste buds and take you on a ride. There are various textures, flavors, and colors that are incorporated into this dish and you won’t be disappointed once you take a bite.
Bison has been a staple of many Native American tribes for centuries. Not only was bison a primary food source before colonization, but they also represented something more powerful and cultural for many indigenous people—and they still do to this day.
Let’s get cooking!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup pepitas shelled pumpkin seeds
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 pound ground bison
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 large leek cleaned and sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper diced
- 2-3 tabasco peppers finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 cups arugula roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup chicken stock
- sea salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Directions
- Bring a large cast-iron skillet to medium-high heat and add in pepitas. While occasionally stirring, toast pepitas for about 10 minutes until seeds are brown; transfer to a bowl once finished.
- Continue heating the skillet on medium-high and add coconut oil. Take sweet potatoes and spread them out onto the skillet in a single layer for about 5 minutes. Do not stir—allow them to set. After the first 5 minutes, begin stirring for another 5 minutes until potatoes become tender.
- Next, add in with the potatoes the ground bison, leeks, peppers, garlic, and cumin. Cook for about 7 to 8 minutes until the bison meat is no longer pink and the veggies are tender.
- Add the chicken stock and arugula to the skillet and continue cooking for about 5 minutes.
- Lastly, season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle the toasted pepitas on top.
Serve it up!
Dessert: Chia Pudding With Berries and Popped Amaranth
This exquisitely refreshing pudding, which can be enjoyed any time of the day, is both eye-catching and mouth-watering. It is also super quick and simple to make. Wow your friends and family with this berry sweet dish.
Sean Sherman, the founder of The Sioux Chef, is the creator of this indigenous-inspired dessert, which was featured on the New York Times Cooking page for viewers around the world to enjoy.
Based on flavors from the Ohlone Tribe, this tangy, tart, crunchy sweet creation can double as a breakfast and a dessert. Is this description putting you in the mood for something sweet?
Save this recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk, plus more if needed
- ½ cup chia seeds
- ¼ cup light agave nectar
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- ¼ cup amaranth
- 1 to 2 cups fresh mixed berries (any combination of blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries)
- ¼ cup crushed manzanita berries (optional)
- Small fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
Directions
*Note that popped amaranth can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and stored in a lidded container in a cool, dark place.
- In a medium container, whisk together 1 ½ cups almond milk, chia seeds, agave, and salt. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or more to give the mixture the consistency of rice pudding. Add in extra splashes of almond milk if it becomes too thick.
- While the pudding is refrigerated and is soaking, grab a small skillet and heat over medium-high. While carefully shaking the skillet, add in amaranth and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Amaranth seeds should begin to pop and a toasty smell should be in the air. Once popped, transfer to a plate to cool.
- It’s time to serve! Whisk the pudding a few more times and spoon into bowls. Top with fresh berries, popped amaranth, and mint sprigs—or really anything else you’d like to add as a garnish.
Enjoy!
Just like that, you’ve whipped up an impressive three-course Native-inspired meal, and the best part is, you’ve gotten a taste of indigenous culture in the process.