Spicy Beef & Bell Pepper Stir-Fry

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1  tablespoon  canola oil
• 12  ounces  flank steak, cut diagonally across the grain into thin slices
• 1  red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1  yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1/4  cup  less-sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  rice wine vinegar
• 1  tablespoon  minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2  teaspoons  chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)
• 4  green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2  teaspoons  toasted sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS

 Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.

Add steak to pan; cook 2 minutes, searing on one side. Add bell peppers; cook 2 minutes or until beef loses its pink color, stirring constantly. Remove beef mixture from pan.

Add soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, and chili garlic sauce to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Add beef mixture and green onions to pan; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

VERDICT

 Fun, tasty recipe.  And very brightly colored too!

 

Ginger Beef Stir fry

 

Six below.  BEFORE windchill.  It is darn cold around here!

Need to warm up?  Try this healthy beef stir-fry! 

   

INGREDIENTS

• 8 ounces beef top round steak
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 to 3 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1-1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 medium carrot, thinly bias sliced
• 3 cups small broccoli florets or 1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 2-inch-long pieces
• 1 small red sweet pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips (1 cup)
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 2 green onions, bias-sliced into 2-inch lengths (1/4 cup)
• 2 cups hot cooked brown rice  

 

DIRECTIONS

1. If desired, partially freeze beef for easier slicing. Trim fat from beef. Thinly slice beef across the grain into bite-size strips. Set aside. For sauce: In a small bowl, stir together beef broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, and ginger; set aside.

2. Lightly coat an unheated wok or large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and carrot; stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add broccoli and sweet pepper; stir-fry about 2 minutes more or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove vegetables from wok.

3. Carefully add oil to wok. Add beef; stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until desired doneness. Push beef from center of wok. Stir sauce. Add sauce to center of wok. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.

4. Return vegetables to wok. Add green onions. Stir all ingredients together to coat with sauce; heat through. Serve immediately over hot cooked rice. Makes 4 servings (1 cup beef mixture with 1/2 cup rice per serving).

VERDICT

 

Delish! And very filling and warming for a cold winter's night!

Source:  Better Homes & Gardens 

Beef and scallion rolls

Dinner tonight courtesty of Martha Stewart, circa 2003.  I've made a few changes to her original recipe from "Everyday Food" including the garlic.  Because everything tastes better with garlic!

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons canola oil 

1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into thin strips 

1 medium carrot- cut into thin strips

2 TBS minced garlic

1/2 pound center-cut beef tenderloin or sirloin, cut into 4 slices (or pre-sliced top round- buying it pre-sliced will save you all kinds of time and trouble!)

Coarse salt and ground pepper 

4 scallions, trimmed, sliced very thinly lengthwise, and cut into 2-inch pieces 

2 tablespoons rice vinegar 

2 teaspoons sugar 

3 tablespoons soy sauce

 

DIRECTIONS

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook the garlic 1-2 minutes until lightly browned.  Add bell pepper & carrot, and cook, shaking skillet often, until pepper blisters, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate; wipe skillet clean.  (Martha is on crack.  Leave your skillet alone.  The bits of garlic that are left will season the steak.)

If you didn't buy your beef pre-sliced... good luck.  Slice it as thin as possible and then pound it with a mallet between two sheets of saran wrap.  If you bought it pre-sliced, just open the package and you're ready for the next step.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Divide bell pepper, carrots and scallions among slices. Roll tightly into bundles; secure each with a toothpick.

Heat remaining tablespoon oil (if you didn't wipe your skillet clean you don't need to add any extra oil here) in same skillet over high heat. Sear rolls until browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate; cover to keep warm. Wipe skillet clean. 

Add 2 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar to skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until sauce is reduced and syrupy, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove toothpicks. Drizzle rolls with sauce.

VERDICT

These are delicious!!!  They're also not too hard to make but they look really fancy.  I also didn't have any fresh scallions so I used the diced ones I had in the freezer from summer.  They worked just fine. 

NUTRITION

Per roll:  

Calories: 130

Carbs: 8g

Protein: 16g

Fat: 5g

Iron: 3g

Sugar: 6g