Beef With Broccoli Stir-Fry

I adore Chinese food, as does B, but we rarely rarely eat it because a) most of it is incredibly bad for you....loaded with calories and fat, and b) I am a total freak about take-out food, and I think take-out Chinese is the worst....the meats and veggies lose all their crispness and get all smushy and the sauces get all gelatinous and gross, and then temperature is all wrong, and the rice loses its stickiness. Ugh. See.....? Total freak.

My solution to this issue is to make my own. That way I can control the fat content and I don't have to deal with all my texture/temperature issues.

This is a quick and relatively easy dinner, perfect for busy weeknights when you are running short on time. When making stir-fries it is important you get all your ingredients cut and ready to go first, before you start cooking, because it comes together so fast. I served this one over brown rice.

Beef with Broccoli Stir-Fry
Makes 6 servings
210 calories / 7g fat / 14g carbs / 25g protein

1 lb lean beef, such as top sirloin or round
4-5 small bunches broccoli (about 4 cups florets)
1 red pepper
3-4 inch chunk ginger root (2 TB minced)
4 cloves garlic
1 bunch green onions
3 1/2 TB cornstarch, divided
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 TB brown sugar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sesame (or canola oil)

1. Trim all the fat from the beef and thinly slice it against the grain, as thin as possible. Toss with 1/2 TB cornstarch to coat. Mince the ginger and the garlic. Thinly slice the green onion. Slice the red pepper into thin strips. Cut the broccoli into florets, discard the stems/stalks.

2. In a small bowl, mix 3 TB cornstarch with chicken broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes until sugar and cornstarch has dissolved.

3. Heat oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the green onions and the beef and cook until beef is browned, about 2-3 minutes. Add the broccoli and red peppers and cook until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Stir in the sauce, bringing it to a boil and cooking until the sauce begins to thicken. Serve over rice or noodles.

I adore Chinese food, as does B, but we rarely rarely eat it because a) most of it is incredibly bad for you....loaded with calories and fat, and b) I am a total freak about take-out food, and I think take-out Chinese is the worst....the meats and veggies lose all their crispness and get all smushy and the sauces get all gelatinous and gross, and then temperature is all wrong, and the rice loses its stickiness. Ugh. See.....? Total freak.

My solution to this issue is to make my own. That way I can control the fat content and I don't have to deal with all my texture/temperature issues.

This is a quick and relatively easy dinner, perfect for busy weeknights when you are running short on time. When making stir-fries it is important you get all your ingredients cut and ready to go first, before you start cooking, because it comes together so fast. I served this one over brown rice.

Beef with Broccoli Stir-Fry
Makes 6 servings
210 calories / 7g fat / 14g carbs / 25g protein

1 lb lean beef, such as top sirloin or round
4-5 small bunches broccoli (about 4 cups florets)
1 red pepper
3-4 inch chunk ginger root (2 TB minced)
4 cloves garlic
1 bunch green onions
3 1/2 TB cornstarch, divided
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 TB brown sugar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sesame (or canola oil)

1. Trim all the fat from the beef and thinly slice it against the grain, as thin as possible. Toss with 1/2 TB cornstarch to coat. Mince the ginger and the garlic. Thinly slice the green onion. Slice the red pepper into thin strips. Cut the broccoli into florets, discard the stems/stalks.

2. In a small bowl, mix 3 TB cornstarch with chicken broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes until sugar and cornstarch has dissolved.

3. Heat oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the green onions and the beef and cook until beef is browned, about 2-3 minutes. Add the broccoli and red peppers and cook until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Stir in the sauce, bringing it to a boil and cooking until the sauce begins to thicken. Serve over rice or noodles.