Mongolian Beef

Recipe Adapted From:
Pink Bites - Pinterest

Ingredients:

1 lb of flank steak, thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 cup of cornstarch
3 teaspoons of canola oil
1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger (about 1/2 inch piece)
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic (about 2 -3 large cloves)
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of soy sauce (I use low sodium)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
3 large green onions, sliced crosswise into thirds

Preparation:

Prepare the meat:

First, make sure the steak slices are dry (pat them dry) and mix them with the corn starch. Using your hands or a spoon, move them around to make sure all pieces are coated. Place beef slices in a strainer and shake off excess corn starch (see picture bellow).

Make the sauce:

Heat half of the oil in a large wok at medium-high and add the garlic and ginger. Immediately add the soy sauce, water, brown sugar and pepper flakes. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes and transfer to a bowl. Don't worry if the sauce doesn't look thick enough at this point. The corn starch in the beef will thicken it up later.

Cook the meat and assemble dish:

Turn the heat up and add the remaining oil to the wok. Add the beef and cook, stirring until it is all browned (this is a quick thing). Pour the sauce back into the wok and let it cook along with the meat. Now you can choose to cook it down and reduce the sauce or leave it thinner. Add the green onions on the last minute so the green parts will stay green and the white parts crunchy.

Serve it hot with rice.

Notes & Tips:
This is one of the best things I've made in a long time. Very easy, inexpensive to make and serves 2, which is great for Mat and I. I found this recipe on Pinterest, and am SO glad I did! I didn't have any fresh ginger, so I used ground and it tasted just fine.

Beef-Broccoli Stir-Fry

Recipe taken from:
Everydayhealth.com

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoon soy sauce, reduced-sodium
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon vinegar, white
• 1/4 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper, red, crushed
• 2 clove(s) garlic, minced, minced
• 12 ounce(s) beef, flank steak
• 1 bunch(es) broccoli , or 1 bag frozen broccoli florets, thawed
• 2 teaspoon oil, cooking *I used sesame oil, it makes it take more like take-out
• 2 medium carrot(s), bias-sliced 1/8 inch thick
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms sliced
• 3/4 cup(s) broth, reduced-sodium beef
• 4 scallion(s) (green onions), bias-sliced
• 2 cup(s) angel hair pasta, cooked

Preparation
1. For marinade, in a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, cornstarch, vinegar, ginger, crushed red pepper, and garlic. Trim fat from meat. Cut meat across the grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Add meat to marinade; toss to coat. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes. Drain meat, discarding marinade.

2. Meanwhile, cut broccoli florets from stems. If desired, peel stems.Cut stems into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Or thaw frozen broccoli florets in colander under room-temp. water.

3. In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add meat; cook and stir in hot oil for 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly pink in center. Remove meat from wok or skillet.

4. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to hot wok or skillet. Add broccoli, mushrooms and carrots; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add beef broth: cook and stir for 5 to 7 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of wok or skillet. Return cooked meat to wok or skillet. Add green onions; heat through. Serve immediately over hot cooked pasta.

Notes & Tips:
The broccoli at the commissary looked kinda iffy this time, so I purchased the frozen broccoli florets, I think it turned out better than if I had used fresh. Mat told me tonight that he thinks this is better than take-out. *yay what a compliment* I served this over angel hair pasta, but it could just as easily be served over rice.

Rating:
A

Nutrition Facts:

4 servings
Calories: 205, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 659mg, Dietary Fiber: 4g, Total Fat: 6g, Carbs: 17g, Cholesterol: 40mg, Protein: 22g