Its what’s for dinner

I rarely buy beef (no pun intended). You’ll most often find chicken or ground turkey in my freezer as sources of protein. Lately I’ve been making quite a few vegetarian meals, mostly for easy and affordability, which has challenged me to find other forms of protein such as nuts, beans and quinoa. But every now and then I enjoy a healthy serving of beef.

I recently flipped through my recipes for some inspiration and found two recipes for Beef Stir Fry. Oddly they are from the same magazine, same month even, with a few differences. I pulled the best parts of each recipe to create my own version of Beef Stir Fry. I really liked the simplicity and flavor of the marinade. There was just enough vegetables to make it good and healthy. And like a true carnivore, I enjoyed the beef!


Beef Stir Fry
Prep/cook time: 45 mins Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 pound flank steak, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons oil
¾ pound broccoli, cut into florets.
1 large red bell pepper, halved, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
½ cup matchstick carrots
1 (8 ounce) package fresh sugar snap peas
4 cups cooked brown rice

Directions:
1. Combine beef, soy sauce, garlic and black pepper; toss well. Cover and refrigerate 30 means.
2. Meanwhile, cook rice according to package instructions.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef mixture to skillet; cook 3 minutes or until beef is browned, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Transfer beef mixture to a bowl.
4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon on in pan over medium-high heat. Add broccoli; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add bell peppers; cook 2 mins, stirring constantly. Add carrots and sugar snap peas; cook 2 mins. Return beef mixture to pan and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Cook until thoroughly heated. Serve over rice.

Enjoy!


*Original recipes from Cooking Light magazine, July 2009.