Broccoli Beef – An Easy Homemade Version of a Take-out Favorite!

Tags

Broccoli Beef, chinese, Easy, Fried Rice, Leftovers, recipe

Earlier this week, I was trying figure out what to make for dinner and I noticed I had about a pound of leftover BBQ tri-tip roast and maybe a 1/4 pound of left over shrimp. I was in the mood for Chinese food, so I decided to put these two leftover meats to good use and make some shrimp fried rice and broccoli beef. I’ve made fried rice several times before. This was my first time taking a stab at broccoli beef. I impressed myself! This dish turned out really good! The meat stayed tender, the broccoli was still firm and not over cooked, and the sauce had a great flavor and texture. These dishes really weren’t difficult to make, but they were certainly delicious and a great way to make use of leftovers.

If you check out my fried rice recipe, you’ll see how you can also use leftover rice to make this dish.

Broccoli Beef

3 tablespoons cornstarch, divided

1⁄2 cup water, plus

2 tablespoons water, divided

1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 lb boneless round steak, cut into 3 inch strips (I used left over BBQ tri-tip roast cut into strips)

3 medium heads off broccoli, cut off stalks and separate florets

1/2 red onion, chopped

1⁄3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water and garlic powder until smooth.

Add beef and toss. This goes for raw or pre-cooked beef.

Spray large skillet with non-stick spray and heat to medium high,  stir-fry beef until beef reaches desired doneness or if using pre-cooked beef until heated through, remove and keep warm.

Give pan another spray on non-stick spray if needed and Stir-fry broccoli and onion for 4-5 minutes.

Return beef to pan.

Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and remaining cornstarch and water until smooth; add to the pan.

Cook and stir for 2 minutes.

Enjoy!

Fried Rice – Making the Most of Your Leftovers!

Tags

Cooking, Food, Fried Rice, healthy, Leftovers, lowfat, Rice

  
I have heard a few times that in the U.S. we throw away a large amount of our edible food. I had heard the number 40 % thrown out. Frankly, that sounds about right, but it’s so very wrong! That really bothered me. So to my family’s annoyance, I have become the leftover nazi! I am on a mission to ensure our family throws away as little food as possible. I try to be mindful with my ingredients and use the items I know will have to be thrown out soon. I also try to make good use of my drop freezer! Freezing leftovers is a great option! Not only do you have convenient meals ready to go when you don’t have the time or energy to cook, but you also have a resource for people in need. We’ve had several occasions lately when friends were going through a hard time and I was able to pull meals out of our freezer and transfer them to theirs, so they have some easy meal resources. I keep lots of those cheap plastic food storage containers around, like the ones that lunch meat comes in. This way I don’t really care if I get the container back or not.
The other night at home, I made a particularly successful dinner out of leftovers. Since my family has been grumbling about having to eat leftovers, I’ve been trying to get creative with them and repurpose them, so maybe the family won’t realize they’re eating leftovers! Never underestimate a resourceful mother!!!

We had some leftover chicken fried rice, from a meal we had purchased at our favorite Chinese restaurant and I also had a big container of cooked, plain brown rice from another dinner. I also had about four slices of SPAM leftover from a breakfast my husband had made. I’m thinking a new batch of fried rice is sounding good! My family never complains about Chinese food. They love it!!!

So here’s what I did…

In a frying pan I added:

• Fried Rice

• Brown Rice

• Frozen peas

• Diced 4 slices of SPAM

• Diced green onions

• Soy Sauce

• Sriacha

• Pepper

• Garlic Powder

• Egg – After all the prior ingredients were well mixed together, I made a well in the center of the pan pushing everything out to the sides. I beat 2 eggs with a little milk, like I would for scrambled eggs and then I did just that in the well I had created in the pan. Once the eggs were good and scrambled, I started mixing them with the other ingredients, breaking up any large pieces.

I didn’t add any additional salt. I figured the SPAM and Soy Sauce would take care of that and it was a good call. Cook until all ingredients are warmed through and voila! A delicious dinner is born!

The great thing about this concoction is you can get creative with it. I could have used just about any leftover meat; chicken, steak, pork. I could have used a variety of vegetables too.

So the challenge is this! Before you bust out all new ingredients to make a meal, peruse your fridge for leftovers and see what you might be able to salvage. Get creative! Go ahead and play with your food! In Kel’s Kitchen that is completely acceptable!!!

Cauliflower Fried Rice: Sneaking Vegetables to Your Family!

Tags

cauliflower, Cooking, Food, Fried Rice, healthy, low-fat, recipe, vegetables

  
When I originally started this blog, one of my promises was tips on how to sneak vegetables to your picky eaters. The dinner I made the other night is an excellent example of how to do this. Does your family like Chinese food? If so, they will likely enjoy this recipe for Cauliflower Fried Rice. And there is absolutely no “rice” in this recipe!
I have a previous blog post about the joys of cauliflower, but I thought I would share this specific recipe with you as it was especially good!

Cauliflower Fried Rice

2 cups Frozen Peas

1 cup water

2 tbsp Sesame Chili Oil (or regular Sesame Oil, but I like the extra heat)

4 cups Boneless, Skinless Chicken (or Pork Loin), cubed

6 Green Onions, Sliced

1 Large Carrot, Diced

2 Cloves of Garlic, Chopped or Pressed

1 Head of Cauliflower, cut up into florets and pulsed in food processor until it reaches a rice-like consistency. Don’t over do it!

1/3 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce

2 Eggs, Beaten

• Stir peas and water together in saucepan. Bring to a boil and the reduce heat to medium-low and cook until peas are tender, about 5 minutes. Drain peas.

• Heat Sesame Oil in a frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add chicken, stirring until lightly browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer meat to a plate.

• Add green onions, carrot and garlic to the frying pan/wok. Saute vegetables until softened, for about 5 minutes. Add cauliflower and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

• Stir peas, chicken and soy sauce into pan. Stir fry mixture until slightly brown and fluid is absorbed, about 3-5 minutes.

• Push mixture in pan out to edges, creating a whole in the middle. Pour in eggs and scramble. Once eggs are cooked, stir entire mixture in pan together making sure to break up any large egg chunks.

This recipe made plenty for our family of 3 to have only this as a main dish. Grab your chop sticks and enjoy!!!