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Beef & Broccoli with Rice

Yes!  A dinner everyone LIKED!

We all love Chinese food, and any take on it, so tonight we tried a recipe for beef and broccoli, and everyone ATE IT.  And LIKED IT.  Whoo-hoo!  Sorry for the less than attractive photo - the family was ready to pounce and I hurried it. 

Beef & Broccoli with Rice

Add the following ingredients into a gallon-size freezer bag, and then "knead" to coat (or mix it up in a bowl).  Marinate in the fridge for at least an hour (I cheated, and only did it for about 30 minutes, and it worked out fine, but longer is better).  You could also toss in the freezer at this point for a freezer meal, so why not make 2 meals - one for tonight, and one for another night or to share?
  • 2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp. water
  • 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. granulated sugar (I've also used honey instead)
  • 1 tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 lb. round steak (or flank steak, strip steak, etc.) sliced thin against the grain 

In a small bowl, combine the following, and set aside (for a freezer meal, I'd put this is a quart-sized freezer bag, and stick it inside the bag of veggies):

  • 1/2 c. low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp. brown sugar (I have also used honey instead)
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp. flour
  • 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp. rice (wine) vinegar (I didn't have sherry like the original recipe called for, so I used rice wine vinegar, and we liked it.  If you DO use sherry, I would not use "cooking sherry" - it's super salty and kind of gross, in my opinion.  Go buy a bottle in the wine/liquor department of a decent (or cheap but drinkable, whatever!) sherry, and use that instead.  The general rule with alcohol and cooking is, "if you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it." I'm not a sherry drinker, but the cooking sherry is not awesome.)

Prep your veggies (you could throw these into a freezer bag, and freeze separately from marinating meat for a freezer meal):

  • 2 broccoli crowns, rinsed and cut into florets (or use pea pods instead - yum!!)
  • 1/2 white onion, diced or sliced super thin (optional - I  just tend to add onion to everything)
  • 1-2 carrots, sliced julienne-style (optional - I didn't have any tonight, but I'd throw them in next time)

Start cooking your rice.  Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large saute pan over medium to medium-high heat.  Add broccoli, onions and carrots, and saute 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Transfer veggies to a plate.  Then heat 1 more tbsp. oil to the pan, and add half of the the marinated meat, browning each side.  Remove to a plate, and then brown the rest of the meat.  When cooked to your liking, reduce heat, add back meat, juices, and veggies to pan.  Mix in the sauce, and cook until heated through.  Serve over rice. 

Note: my husband grabbed the crushed red pepper flakes, and sprinkled on a healthy dose, so feel free to do that if that's your kind of thing. Feel free to bring out the Sriracha, too.
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