BUFFALO COOKBOOK

After my husband David's heart attack in the late eighties, I became compulsively conscious of what he ate. Fat and cholesterol were as closely monitored as his blood pressure and pulse. Equally concerned about our young son Jordan, who was tested and found to have hereditary high cholesterol, diet and nutrition became my primary focus. After many consultations with hospital dieticians and outside nutritionalists, we were given charts, books, and the clear message, No Red Meat! As a good dietary student frightened by our situation, I diligently followed the dictates of the hospital, making the directives a learning process. We eliminated red meat from our diet and transformed all of the gourmet cooking my family had become accustomed to into healthy and acceptable heart smart cuisine. Challenges always entice me...the bigger the challenges, the more interesting it becomes. We began eating endless quantities of vegetables, fruits, chicken, turkey, and tofu (higher in fat, but still legitimate). Still, we longed for that juicy burger or succulent rare steak. Three years later and tofued into oblivion, David and I were in South Dakota, as David was commissioned to do the painting for Mt. Rushmore's fiftieth anniversary celebration. Numerous local eateries were serving buffalo burgers and other bison specialities - touting this game as a healthy alternative to beef. The claims were accurate; there was virtually no fat present in the meat. Buffalo/bison became the salvation of our dietary dilemma.