I
love having a lot of recipes that use the ingredients I always have
on hand. Those are the recipes I fall back on regularly and since
they use items I try to have on hand all the time I can make them
whenever the mood strikes.
This
dish takes advantage of a couple of items that are always in my
freezer (steak and frozen veggies) as well as some basic pantry
items. The big bonus this can be a complete meal. Also it is quick
to make, the beef & vegetable mixture cooks while the rice is
cooking so dinner is ready in about 20 minutes to a half hour (unless
you opt for brown rice of course)
Speaking
of the rice let's start there. Rice is something that is always in my
pantry and since I cook it in my rice cooker is super easy. I have
used both brown and white rice for this dish and it is great both
ways. It is really up to your tastes and how much time you have until
you want to eat.
I
said above that I always have steak in the freezer, not so hard to
do. I keep my eye out for sales of steaks year round in the “family”
or “value” packs. Those are the terms I see in my local stores
for the larger packages of meat that are usually on sale for less
than the price of the smaller packages. It only takes a couple of
extra minutes when I get home with a larger package of meat to wrap
each steak individually and them put them all in a gallon size
freezer bag and slip them in the freezer. I try to keep a variety of
meats available in my freezer all the time. This recipe uses one
rather average size petite sirloin steak to make 2 servings.
The
vegetable portion is provided via a bag of frozen vegetables, the
kind that are labeled as “stir fry starter” or “stir fry blend”
or something similar. Most grocery stores will have at least one
variety of these. The bag I used this time was a combination of
asparagus, carrots, green beans, and some other stuff. I sometimes
get one that has snow peas or sugar snap peas in it instead. Use
whatever stir fry blend your store has or the one you like best.
The
other ingredients are just staples in my kitchen and you probably
have most of them hanging around.
Beef
and Vegetable Bowls
1
Tablespoon cornstarch
¼
cup cold water
¼
cup orange juice
1
½ Tablespoons soy sauce
½
teaspoon dark sesame oil (look on the aisle with the Asian foods in
you grocery store)
pinch
of crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
1
boneless petite sirloin steak (about
¼ to
⅓
lb) cut into thin strips
2
teaspoons oil
1
bag (about 12 oz) frozen stir fry vegetable blend
2
cloves garlic, minced
hot
cooked rice
In
a small bowl combine the cornstarch, water, orange juice, soy sauce,
sesame oil, and pepper flakes. Stir until smooth and set aside.
In
a large skillet (or a wok if available) heat 1 teaspoon oil and add
the meat. Stir fry for a few minutes until no longer pink. Remove and
keep warm.
Add
the remaining oil to the pan along with the vegetable blend and the
garlic and cook, stirring until the veggies almost cooked through.
Stir
the cornstarch mixture and add to the pan. Bring to a boil and stir
until thickened. Add the meat back to the pan and cook until heated
through.
Serve
in bowls over hot cooked rice.
Serves
2
