Szechuan Beef Stir Fry

Can you hear that sizzle and smell those steak and veggies??

You might remember back in November and December when I shared all those yummy beef recipes that the Texas Beef Council shared with me.

Well, guess what… The Texas Beef Council has invited me to be a Beef Blogger once again and try out some more recipes to share with you here on MomsToolbox. (Cue Aaron Copland’s Hoe Down.)

This time, over the next four weeks, we’ll go through Nutrient-Rich Sunday Suppers, Main Dish Salads,  and Healthy Family Favorites (all from the Healthy Beef Cookbook) and then, for the last week, I’ll share one selection from my very own recipe file.

So, back to that sizzle and steak…

This week my family enjoyed Szechuan Beef Stir Fry and, not only was it a hit with my three kids and our neighbor’s son, it was a cinch to make.

Seriously, it took me less than thirty minutes to throw this together and it is packed with nutritional goodness… 32 grams of protein per serving!

This is a perfect ‘after evening practice’ dinner for the family or for any night when time is tight, and you don’t want to compromise on nutrition or flavor.

Szechuan Beef Stir Fry

Ingredients:

• 2 beef shoulder center steaks (Ranch Steaks), cut 3/4 inch thick (about 8 ounces each)
• 1 package (10 ounces) fresh vegetable stir-fry blend
• 3 Tbsp. water
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup prepared sesame-ginger stir-fry sauce
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 2 cups hot cooked rice or brown rice, prepared without butter or salt
• 1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts

Instructions

Combine vegetables and water in large nonstick skillet; cover and cook over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove and drain vegetables. Set aside.

Meanwhile cut beef steaks into 1/4-inch thick strips.

Heat same skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1/2 of beef and 1/2 of garlic; stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes or until outside surface of beef is no longer pink. Remove from skillet; keep warm. Repeat with remaining beef and garlic.

Return all beef and vegetables to skillet. Add stir-fry sauce and red pepper; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through. Spoon over rice. Sprinkle with peanuts.

Used with permission from The Healthy Beef Cookbook.

Our family likes a lot of flavor and spice and the stir fry sauce I used, paired with the red pepper, definitely gave it the kick we like. My husband would have preferred more broccoli, which is easily remedied and my kids ate more vegetables than they normally do.

One tip: Go ahead and slice your steak into smaller pieces before serving. I left mine a little too large and then, of course, I spent much of the meal cutting everyone’s food. I’d suggest slicing it thinner right form the start and shortening the cooking time. (Even faster and easier… BONUS!)

I also picked up a pack of fortune cookies and served dinner with chopsticks. I think I scored kid points on both accounts.

Disclosure: I have been compensated to participate in this promotion with the Texas Beef Council. The opinions expressed, however, are my own.