Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry

I have never been a fan of Asian food. When I read in a book and on several websites two years ago that consumption of soy products could worsen Endometriosis pain, I swore it away completely. But recently, I endure pain from my condition almost all the time, so I don't think staying away from soy is worth my effort anymore.I watched an episode of "Hungry Girl" last Sunday that was centered around Asian food. I got a hankering for it, so I decided to try a few recipes. Of the two we made this week, this was the better. It's delicious. It has a nice variety of textures and flavors, it isn't greasy, and it feeds 4-6 people. We ate it for two nights + lunches. I will say though that it is definitely better tasting the first day, so if you don't have to feed so many people, scale back the recipe to feed 2. 

Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry, served with store-bought sushi and rice.
I didn't finish my plate.

This recipe has two things going on: the stir fry and the rice. I'll go over instructions and feedback for each seperately.

For the rice: this is going to be the bulk of the meal. You can learn about the nutritional content of rice here. I chose to use long grain brown rice because a large bag was only 79 cents versus half as much at over $3/box for white Minute Rice. It takes 40-45 minutes to cook, but it's cheaper and healthier. To supplement flavor, I also used a pack of pre-seasoned saffron yellow rice for 75cents. The flavor spread to all the rice and it was a delicious complement to the stir-fry.

1 cup long grain brown rice

1 packet saffron yellow rice

Cook the rice according to the packet instructions.

For the stir fry: protein, fiber, vitamins, flavor. You can use frozen vegetables (not canned!) to cut down on cost. Use the leanest stir fry beef you can locate.

3 Tbsp cornstarch, divided

1/2 c. water + 2 Tbsp water (divided)

1 tsp garlic powder

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1/4 c. reduced sodium soy sauce

1 tsp freshly grated ginger root

1 lb. lean stir fry beef, cut into small strips

4 cups broccoli florets (I used frozen)

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1 small onion, diced

Start by mixing 2 Tbsp cornstarch and 2 tbsp water until smooth. Add garlic powder and pepper. This should be about the texture of school glue. Place beef in a large zipper bag with mixture and manually smush around to coat. The beef should be coated and there should be no excess paste. Heat wok or large skillet with 1 Tbsp of oil (canola or olive); stir-fry beef until browned and fully cooked.

While that is doing its thing, make the stir-fry sauce. Wisk soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and remaining cornstarch and water together until smooth. Set aside.

Once beef is done, remove from pan. Add onions, bell pepper, and broccoli and stir-fry for 5-7 min. Add beef back to pan along with the stir-fry sauce. Simmer about 5 min.

 We added alfalfa sprouts to ours. And picked them out. They're much better raw in my opinion.

Serve over rice.