Flank Steak Stir-Fry with Asparagus and Bell Pepper

     This is a delicious dish that you can whip up in no time. It's fast, it's easy, it's STEAK! Those are three things that I think most Americans LOVE together. There's something about tender slices of beef flavored with soy sauce, ginger, and garlic that makes someone fall in love. Not really, but it's more sophisticated than your ordinary redneck BBQ found here in the south, sans beer. I'm sure you could add some alcohol in this dish to add even more depth of flavor, (red wine) but here, I kept it simple stupid. I loved it, Michael loved it, YOU will love it! Seriously, give it a try! What do you have to lose? (Maybe a few eyebrows if you throw in your alcohol without removing from heat first).
I'm done, enjoy your meal!

Flank Steak Stir-Fry with Asparagus and Bell Pepper
Yields: 4 servings

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

½ lb. asparagus, trimmed into ½” pieces, parboiled *SEE NOTES*

½ lb. flank steak, sliced thinly, into ¼” strips

½ bell pepper sliced ¼” strips

2 tsp. cornstarch, dissolved into 2 tbsp. water

 

All-Purpose Stir Fry Sauce

3 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. grated ginger

1 clove garlic, grated

½ tsp. chili oil (for those who like it spicy)

 

 

First, prepare the all-purpose stir fry sauce in a small container and set aside. This will allow the flavors to combine. Next, stir-fry the asparagus in 1 tbsp. oil over high heat for 1-2 minutes until lightly browned.

 Remove and set aside. Using the remaining oil (add more if necessary), stir fry the beef strips just until browned. (The strips should remain pink inside.)

 

Add the bell pepper and stir fry for 2 minutes, or until the strips begin to wilt. The bell pepper adds a great texture to the dish if kept tender-crisp.

 

 

Add the corn starch mixture and the stir fry sauce and stir quickly (liquids will thicken fast). Return the asparagus to the pan and toss to coat thoroughly with sauce. Serve over rice.

 

·         Since the only salt being added here is soy sauce, make sure you taste for seasoning before serving, as my final dish needed additional salt.

Asparagus is a great vegetable to add to dishes because it has a great flavor and keeps a bit of crunch after cooking (provided it’s cooked properly). To prepare the asparagus and to parboil it, you will first need to inspect your asparagus to get rid of any of the unwanted spears. Any spears that have “heads” which are not closely knit should be discarded. Next, you’ll want to remove the woody ends, as they are tough and fibrous—not pleasing to the palate. To do so, hold a spear between both hands and bend it, the spear will snap where it begins to be tender. Repeat this step for all the spears, or simply use the first spear as a guide and cut the same length off the rest of the asparagus. Next, cut the spears on the diagonal about ¼” pieces.

To parboil the asparagus, bring a pot of water to a boil, add the asparagus, and cook for 1 minute, or until the asparagus is a bright green color. If it cooks until it is an olive green color, the asparagus will be mushy and the color isn’t very pretty. Next, drain the asparagus and “shock” it with ice water—this will stop the cooking process, keeping the asparagus tender-crisp and beautiful.

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 4

• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 138.3 
• Total Fat: 7.8 g    
• Cholesterol: 28.4 mg
• Sodium: 493.2 mg
• Total Carbs: 4.5 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.3 g
• Protein: 13.1 g

 

Ye Olde Goulash

     Yesterday morning, I got up, fed Pippy, made the bed, emptied the dishwasher, and took Pippy outside to use the bathroom. Every morning, it's the same; the only thing that changes is the meat I pull from the freezer to thaw for dinner.  Last night, the decision was between chicken breast, ground beef, or top round. We had chicken the night before, so I pulled out the top round and let it begin thawing. Once it was thawed (around 2pm) I put it in the refrigerator and then it hit me. I don't have enough time to make anything with this! 
     See, top round is a tougher cut of meat. This is because the area that this cut comes from is well exercised and contains a lot of connective tissue. It tends to be extremely tough if it isn't braised for a long period of time. So, at this point, I'm trying to figure out what I can cook in a short period of time. I won't be able to utilize my slow cooker unless I want to have dinner ready around 10:30 P.M. I had to improvise a bit and do something on the stove top that could cook low and slow for at least an hour and a half. 
     The recipe that I have written out is meant for ease and convenience (somewhat). I used a packaged rice that had beef seasonings, but you can also cook the rice in a separate 2-quart pot and add either 2 cubes of beef bouillon or 1 tablespoon of it. 

Ye Olde Goulash
Yields: 4 servings

2½ tbsp. butter, unsalted
1 lb. top round, 1" cubes
1 c. onion, chopped
1 lb. waxy potatoes, cubed
1 c. water
1½ c. beef broth
2 tsp. salt
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 package of rice with beef seasonings, if desired

In a soup pot, melt the butter over high heat. Add the steak and onions brown on all sides. Resist the urge to continue stirring the meat! This will allow the meat to develop a nice color and this is where much of the flavor is!

 After about 6 to 8 minutes, add the potatoes, water, beef broth, and salt. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for about 1½hours, stirring occasionally.

At this point, add the tomatoes and the packaged rice (or boil separately), uncovered for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

 

Note: This tastes GREAT the next day as well!

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 713.8

• Total Fat: 25.7 g
• Cholesterol: 84.1 mg
• Sodium: 599.9 mg
• Total Carbs: 53.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 11.0 g
• Protein: 39.6 g

Beef Tips.

     Beef tips served over rice is one of my boyfriend's favorite meals. I happen to think the dish is pretty tasty as well. It's beefy, hearty, and loaded with flavor! I had made a dish similar to this one before, but it was baked in the oven, which I thought was strange. The meat was a little more tough with a lot less flavor. Delicious, nonetheless, just lacking something. This recipe is amazing and I can not wait to have it again! (: We'll just give it a few weeks so I can experiment elsewhere! 

Beef Tips

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

1½ to 2 lbs. stew beef, 1-inch cubes

4 oz. button mushrooms, thinly sliced (optional)

2 c. water

¼ c. soy sauce

¼ c. worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. salt

1 (.75 oz.) packet dry brown gravy mix

1 c. water

Depending on your butcher, you may not have to do this step...I did, however. My stew beef was cut VERY roughly and very large - about 3-inch chunks. I prefer much smaller pieces, due to ease. I cut my meat into approximately 1-inch cubes.

In a large skillet, heat oil over high heat. Sauté the onion until almost translucent. 

    

Once onion has become slightly translucent, add the stew beef and brown on all sides on high heat. For me, this took about 3-4 minutes. At this point, I added about 4 ounces of sliced button mushrooms. I browned them for about 2 minutes. Then, pour 2 cups of water, soy sauce and worcestershire sauce in. Allow to return to a simmer. Once simmering, stir in garlic 

powder, salt, and pepper.

 

Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and let it simmer for approximately 2 hours. During this time, the meat will tenderize and literally begin to fall apart! (: It's delicious! About 5 minutes before the simmering time has completed, whisk together the dry gravy mix and 1 cup water thoroughly. Pour into the skillet and return to the boil. The sauce will thicken slightly. 

If you want the sauce to have a little less movement, you can do one of two things: 1) create a corn starch slurry with 1 tbsp. corn starch and 1-2 tbsp. water or 2) gently simmer and let it reduce down a little. I simply left mine to simmer while I cooked the rice I was serving it with and it worked just fine!

Happy Cooking!