Jennifer's Week One Recipe: Ginger Beef Stir-Fry

From Better Homes and Gardens Big Book of Healthy Family Dinners - the best $10 bargain book I have ever purchased, it is going on 6 years of faithful service to our family.

Ingredients

8 oz beef top round steak, trimmed of all separable fat
1/2 half cup beef broth

3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (I used ground ginger since I did not have fresh on hand and did not feel like shelling out $5 for the amount needed.)

Nonstick cooking spray

12 oz asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (2 cups)

1 1/2 cups sliced, fresh mushrooms

1 cup small broccoli florets

4 green onions, bias-sliced into 1-inch lengths (1/2 cup)

1 tablespoon cooking oil

2 cups hot, cooked rice


*Assemble and prepare all of the ingredients before you start top stir-fry. If you like, you can even do this up to 24 hours ahead and chill each ingredient separately.

1. If desired, partially freeze meat. Thinly slice meat across the grain into bite-size strips. Set aside. For the sauce, in a small bowl stir together beef broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, and ginger. Set aside.

2. Spray an unheated wok or large skillet with nonstick coating. Preheat over medium-high heat. Add asparagus, mushrooms, broccoli, and green onions. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from wok.

3. Add oil to hot wok. Add the meat; stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until desired doneness. Push meat from center of wok. Stir sauce and add to the center of wok. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.

4. Return vegetables to the wok. Stir all ingredients together to coat with sauce; heat through. Serve immediately with hot, cooked rice.

Makes 4 servings


Would I make this recipe again? Yes. I made a bit more than the recipe above calls for; my attempt made around 6 servings. Since the steak I purchased was close to the full pound, I used all of it and more vegetables, made a bit more sauce, etc. Remember, with cooking you do not need to be precise with measurements (baking is a different animal). Like more vegetables? Add more. Want more meat? Add more.