Beef Stir Fry with Broccolini and Red Peppers

Like Chinese take-out, but the greasiness and saltiness not so much? Yeah, me too. I like to cook dishes that remind me of all that I love about Chinese take-out but in a healthier way. Like Sriracha Pork Noodles and now this dish, Beef Stir Fry with Broccolini and Red Peppers.

Pleased to report it was a George family crowd pleaser, though one child would have preferred it with broccoli over broccolini. BTW, that would be a fine substitution if you can't get broccolini at your market or if you know it will be met with certain resistance.

XOXO,
Amy

Beef Stir Fry with Broccolini and Red Peppers
1 cup long-grain white rice
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, divided
1 1/4 to 1 3/4 pounds flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
1 pound broccolini, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 bunch of green onions, sliced thin to the dark green parts
1 1/2 cups unsalted beef broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Cook rice according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over high heat. Add beef and cook, tossing often, until only slight pink — about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Note that the beef will continue to cook through after you remove it from the heat, so you don't want to overcook it on the stove. Dump liquid left in the skillet into the sink.

Add broccolini, peppers and remaining 2 tablespoons oil to skillet. Cover and cook, uncovering to toss halfway through, for 4 minutes. Uncover and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and green onions and cook until fragrant — about 1 minute. Transfer to bowl with beef and toss gently to combine.

Whisk together broth, soy sauce, sugar and cornstarch. Add to skillet and bring to a boil; cook until thickened and glossy — about 1 minute. Serve veggies and beef over rice and drizzle sauce on top.

Tasty Thai Noodles

My little lady is 14 months old. She's adorable, hilarious, strong, and full of joie de vivre. Also, she likes to be held. Especially while I'm trying to make dinner.

I've been doing my best to get ready before the dinner time drama begins, and this recipe is a prime candidate for nap-time preparation. You can make the sauce, cook the noodles, prep the chicken, and chop the broccoli earlier in the day or the night before. Then you can stir fry these Tasty Thai Noodles at the last minute while your clingy toddler is distracted by Caillou and the Tupperware drawer.

When it comes to getting hot dinner on the table, you gotta do what you gotta do.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Tasty Thai Noodles
Gently adapted from America's Test Kitchen
Serves: 4

12 ounces chicken breast, sliced crosswise 1/4"
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon baking soda
8 ounces rice noodles (I used pad Thai noodles like this.)
About 12 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1/4 cup oyster sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar (I used red wine vinegar because I was out of rice wine vinegar.)
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
3 eggs, beaten
1 large head broccoli, cut into 1" pieces
Lime wedges for serving

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, water, and baking soda. Set aside on the counter for about 15 minutes. Rinse with cold water, drain, and pat dry.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drizzle with a couple teaspoons oil and toss until noodles are evenly coated so they don't sit together. Set aside.

Next make the sauce. Whisk together oyster sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar. Set aside.

Place your biggest non-stick skillet over high heat and add a couple teaspoons vegetable oil. Add the chicken in a single layer. Allow to cook 2 minutes, until the first side is browned. Flip and cook another 1-2 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in a couple tablespoons of sauce and push the chicken to one side of the skillet.

Add another couple teaspoons of oil to the empty side of the skillet, then add eggs. Use a spatula to gently stir the eggs until they're barely set. Then stir the eggs into the chicken for another minute. Transfer to a bowl and tent with foil to keep warm.

Add another couple teaspoons oil to the now empty skillet. Stir in broccoli and 3 tablespoons sauce. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until sauce is thickened and broccoli is crisp-tender. Add broccoli to the bowl with the chicken.

Yet again, add another couple teaspoons oil to the now empty skillet. Add half of the cooked noodles and 2 tablespoons sauce. Cook for 2 minutes until the noodles start to brown, then stir and continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Remove the noodles to the bowl with the chicken. Repeat with another few teaspoons oil, 2 more tablespoons sauce, and remaining noodles.

Once the final batch of noodles is stir fried, stir in chicken, eggs, broccoli, and remaining noodles. Cook for a couple minutes, until everything is heated through. If desired, stir in extra sauce until the noodles are as "saucy" as you'd like. Serve with lime wedges.

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

I think we can all admit that take-out is fantastic. Dinner on the table with no work? Uh, yes, please!

That said, it's not always the healthiest option. And sometimes I don't feel like leaving the house to pick it up. Can making dinner be lazier than take-out? With quick, easy, and tasty Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry, it sure can.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Adapted from Life Made Sweeter

For the Stir Fry:
1 pound sirloin steak, sliced very thin across the grain
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon sesame oil
Pepper, to taste
1 pound broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

For the Sauce:
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon Mirin
Pepper, to taste

Combine steak, cornstarch, soy sauce, sesame oil, and pepper in a small boil. Set aside to marinate for about 10 minutes.

While the steak marinates, stir together the sauce. In a small bowl, mix broth, oyster sauce, sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce, sesame oil, Mirin, and pepper. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet, bring about 3 cups of water to a boil. Add broccoli and cook until bright green, about 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

In the now-empty skillet, heat vegetable oil over high until it starts to smoke, about 2 minutes. Add beef and spread into a single layer. Allow it to cook until it gets nice and brown, about 2 minutes. Stir the steak around and allow to cook for another 1-2 minutes, being careful not to overcook the meat.

Add sauce to the skillet and bring to a boil. Allow sauce to cook and thicken for 2 minutes. Stir in cooked broccoli. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve.

Healthier Fried Rice

OMG. I am so excited to share this fried rice recipe with you. Here's why:

1. It tastes like take-out! I really don't think I need to elaborate any more, but, seriously, it tastes like you ordered from Chang's Garden. So gooooood.
2. It's healthy...even though it tastes like take-out! I can't even handle how giddy this makes me. You use just over a tablespoon of oil for the whole dish, and it's chock full of vegetables and lean protein. 
3. It uses leftovers so they don't taste like leftovers! That's how I stumbled on this recipe: I had to use up stuff in my fridge. Leftover cooked rice from the Cashew Chicken you made? Maybe a remnant of rotisserie chicken languishing behind the lettuce? Baby carrots that you're sick of packing in your lunch box? Well let's just take care of all of that as deliciously as possible. 

Let's get cookin'...

Healthier Fried Rice
Serves 3-4 as a main dish
Adapted from Food.com

3 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1 shallot (or 1/2 a small onion), peeled and finely diced
2 eggs
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 teaspoons soy sauce, divided
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 cup finely chopped carrots (about 3 large carrots)
2/3 cup frozen peas, thawed
2/3 cup cooked chopped chicken or pork
2 cups cooked and cooled rice
Extra soy sauce and sesame oil for serving (optional)

In a large, non-stick skillet (or a wok, if you have one), heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium high. Add the shallot and cook, stirring often, until it's soft and toasty brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the onion from the skillet and set aside.

Beat the eggs with 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce and sesame oil. Add 1/2 teaspoon oil to the skillet. Pour in the beaten eggs and swirl to coat the skillet. When the bottom of the eggs has cooked, use a spatula to flip them over and cook the other side. (This was a little messy for me, and it still turned out just fine!) Allow the eggs to finish cooking, about 1 minute, and remove them from the skillet. Chop the eggs into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

Heat another 2 teaspoons oil in the skillet. Add carrots, peas, chicken, and cooked onion. Stir fry for 3 minutes. Add rice and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce and chopped cooked egg and cook for 1 more minute. Serve with extra soy sauce and a tiny drizzle of sesame oil on the side if you'd like.

Orange Chicken Stir Fry

When my mom and dad came for a visit recently, we made this stir fry. You know how sometimes when you stir fry chicken it turns really tough? That always makes me feel like I'm gnawing on shoe leather. Nasty. Well, my brother is a fantastic cook, and he taught my mom a technique that ensures juicy stir fried chicken. It requires massaging the chicken. Yes, you read that right: Chicken massage. Sounds strange/gross/crazy-town, but it works!

So, dim the lights, light a eucalyptus-scented candle, bust out your favorite Enya CD, and get cooking!

Orange Chicken Stir Fry
Serves: 4
Adapted from PBS

Sauce:
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon minced pickled ginger*

Stir Fry:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 tablespoon oil
8 ounces snow peas
1 small head broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
Hot cooked rice, for serving

Whisk together sauce ingredients and set aside.

Place chicken in a separate bowl. Add water and use your hands to massage water into the chicken for 1-2 minutes. (Yes, this looks and sounds strange. You're gonna have to trust me.) You'll notice that the chicken has sucked up the water. At this point, add corn starch and massage it into the chicken for another 1-2 minutes.

Meanwhile, place broccoli and 1/2 cup water in a large skillet. Bring water to a boil. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Add snow peas and cook for another 2 minutes. Drain and set vegetables aside.

Add oil to the skillet over medium-high heat and cook the chicken until is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Stir in the vegetables and cook for 1 minute. Add the sauce a few tablespoons at a time to give it a chance to cook down and thicken. Serve over rice.

*Don't have pickled ginger? Don't let that stop you! Try substituting with 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 tablespoon finely chopped crystallized ginger, or 1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Stir Fry

I think all the big birthday celebrations for the husband this week tuckered out my brain, and now I have writer's block. I'm fresh out of interesting anecdotes, funny stories, or even good commentary. I just have a recipe for you today. It's a very tasty recipe, so at least there's that.

Without further ado, Sweet and Spicy Chicken Stir Fry...

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Stir Fry
Serves: 3-4

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger, divided
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups sliced carrots
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1/2-1 tablespoon sriracha chili sauce (depending on your spice tolerance)
1 tablespoon chopped crystallized ginger
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
Hot, cooked rice, for serving

Cut chicken breasts crosswise into thin strips. Place chicken in a Ziploc baggie with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger. Seal the baggie and smoosh chicken around so it's evenly covered with the soy sauce and ginger. Set aside to marinade while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. (And, yes, you'll notice from the photo below that I forgot to slice my chicken before putting it in the marinade. Don't be like me; it's easier if you slice it up first.)

Place broccoli in a steamer basket over 1" of boiling water, cover and cook for 1 minute. Add carrots into steamer basket with broccoli. Cook for an additional 4 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Meanwhile, combine hoisin sauce, chili sauce, crystallized ginger, remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add chicken and saute until it is cooked through, about 7-8 minutes total. Stir in the hoisin sauce mixture until the chicken is evenly coated.

Stir in the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil and allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes, until sauce is slightly reduced.

Stir in cooked vegetables until everything is evenly coated. Serve over rice.

Cashew Chicken

I went through a serious stir fry phase a couple years ago.  I mean, really, I went a bit overboard.  Finally, the husband had to let me down gently and remind me that Asian cuisine, while delicious, is not all life has to offer.

Sigh.

Besides discovering that the husband's taste buds will in fact burn out on soy sauce, I learned a little something from my stir fry phase.  I learned about mise en place.

Mise en place is just the fancy-pants French way to say everything in it's place.  I overcooked A LOT of stir fries before I realized that you must, really must, have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to dump in the skillet before you get started.  Otherwise, you risk loosing a digit due to hyper-speed chopping.  Not good.

Cashew Chicken
From "Great Food Fast"by the good folks at Everyday Food
Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
8 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3/4 cup toasted cashews, chopped coarsely
Cooked white rice, for serving

Toss the chicken with the cornstarch until the chicken is coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat.  Cook half the chicken, stirring regularly, until browned, about 3 minutes.  Transfer chicken to a plate.

Add the remaining oil and chicken to the skillet along with the scallions.  (If you like a bit more onion-y pizzazz, add only the white parts of the scallions here and stir in the green parts with the cashews at the end.)  Cook, stirring often, until browned, about 3 minutes, adding the garlic for the last 30 seconds of cooking.  Return the first batch of chicken to the pan.  Add the vinegar and cook until it's evaporated, about 30 seconds.

Add the hoisin sauce and 1/4 cup water; cook, tossing, until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute.  Remove from the heat and stir in cashews.

Serve over white rice.