Healthy Venison Recipes
Looking to eat healthier in the New Year? You’ve come to the right place. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite healthy venison recipes to help you start off on the right foot.
You might not think of wild game as “health food” but venison and other game meat have a leg up on conventionally produced meat. While domesticated animals are typically fed a diet of grain or corn, deer, elk, antelope, and other wild game eat a diet consisting of grasses, leaves, and other plants.
As a result of this diet rich in green plants, wild game has lower levels of pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids and higher levels of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. Since inflammation is associated with health conditions like obesity, diabetes, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis, increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids with these healthy venison recipes is a good way to support your health.
In addition, venison is a great source of lean protein and minerals, including iron and zinc, which are important for immune system function.
So try out one (or more!) of these healthy venison recipes and enjoy the delicious health benefits of wild game.
Spicy Venison & Black Bean Stir-Fry
With colorful bell peppers and protein-back black beans, this healthy venison recipe is a slightly spicy spin on a traditional Asian stir-fry. Spicy not your thing? Leave out the hot sauce for a tamer version. Serve over cauliflower rice as a low-carb alternative.
Click here to get the recipe for Spicy Venison & Black Bean Stir-Fry.
Lettuce Cups with Smoked Venison
While eating healthy doesn’t have to mean a solid diet of lettuce, it doesn’t hurt to get in some greens when you can, with these smoked venison lettuce cups. This healthy venison recipe calls for two pounds of venison steaks along with lots of flavorful Asian-cuisine ingredients like sesame oil, soy sauce, water chestnuts, pickled ginger, and hoisin sauce. Proof that healthy doesn’t have to mean flavorless.
Click here to get the recipe for Lettuce Cups with Smoked Venison.
Spicy Venison Sausage, Wild Rice and Kale Stew
Chewy, nutty wild rice brings its own slew of nutritional benefits to the table, including antioxidants, vitamins A, C, and E, protein, and an impressive amount of fiber. Try making this on a cold winter weekend to allow plenty of time for cooking the wild rice (it takes about 1 hour).
Get the recipe for Spicy Venison Sausage, Wild Rice and Kale Stew here.
Grilled Venison, Tomato, Pepper and Corn Stew
Fire up the grill! This stew recipe calls for grilling the venison, corn, peppers, onion, and tomatoes first on a white-hot grill for maximum flavor. This means a shorter cook time for the actual stew, so I recommend using better cuts of venison like venison sirloin or top round.
Get the recipe for Grilled Venison, Tomato, Pepper and Corn Stew here.
Warm Venison and Mushroom Salad
Mushrooms are loaded with lots of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, so they’re a no-brainer when it comes to eating healthy. Plus, they pair perfectly with the venison, garlic, and arugula in this salad to make a dish that’s both good to eat and good for you.
Get the recipe for Warm Venison and Mushroom Salad here.
Blackened Backstrap Salad with Romaine, Dried Cranberries and Feta
Chop-house salad made in the comfort of your own home. You can make a meal out of this spicy seared choice cut of venison paired with crisp lettuce, feta cheese, and sweet cranberries.
Word to the wise: burning pepper in a hot skillet to blacken your meat has the same effect as breathing in pepper spray. So make sure to turn on the fan and open up the doors and window, and don’t breathe in the fumes directly over the pan.
Get the recipe for Blackened Backstrap Salad with Romaine, Dried Cranberries and Feta here.
Grilled Venison Fajita-Style Salad
The assertive Southwestern flavors in this dish make it a palate pleaser for those who like a bit of spice but not too much. Plus, the bell peppers and romaine lettuce deliver plenty of vitamin C and beta carotene to round out the nutritional benefits of this healthy venison recipe.