Stir-fry

I subscribe to Prevention Magazine. It is actually quite a good little publication with hints & tips in health, exercise, food, etc. I also receive Everyday Food by Martha Stewart. I am constantly ripping pages out of the magazines that have good tips, recipes, or things to do. I have a collection of these ripped pages sitting in piles in my apartment. The recipes and food tips I keep together with my cookbooks and the others just collect in a file folder. Most of the time all these are never seen or looked at again.

When I am in the mood to cook, I normally stick with things I have already made, that I know is good. Occasionally when I want to try something new, I look for recipes online, completely ignoring my collected pile.

However, this month I decided to actually try one of these recipes that appeared in the July 2010 Prevention Magazine. A stir-fry. I really enjoyed this, so I thought I would share it with you. I did not follow the recipe exactly - I added/removed some of the veggies - but that is what is great about a stir-fry, it is totally customizable.

First, you will want to trim & cut your steak.
3/4 lb flank steak, halved lengthwise, sliced against the grain. You will add the beef to the following mixture and let it marinate for 15 minutes:
1 TB reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 TB dry sherry ( I didn't have this and used white wine instead? I am not sure if that is an acceptable substitute, but it still tasted OK)
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp sugar

Then I started prepping my veggies. The recipe calls for:

4 cup broccoli florets
1 red bell pepper, sliced in 1/4 inch strips
6 oz mushrooms - sliced
3 scallions - chopped
**i used broccoli, red pepper, zucchini, eggplant, baby corn, and an onion & I really didn't measure**

Heat large non-stick skillet or wonk over medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp oil. Swirl to coat. Add half the beef in a single layer and leave until seared, about 1 minute. Stir-fry beef until no longer pink, about 1 minute. Remove. Add 1 tsp oil and repeat with remaining beef.

Add remaining 2 tsp oil to the pan. Add broccoli, bell pepper, and mushrooms, stir-fry 2 minutes. Make a well in center and add white part of scallions, ginger (1TB minced), garlic (1TB minced) and pepper flakes (1/4 - 1/8 tsp crushed flakes). Stir-fry with vegetables 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup water and cover pan until broccoli is just done, about 3 minutes. If cooking in a wok, use a large lid, settling it right down into the wok, if necessary, to cover and steam vegetables.

Return beef to pan and add stir-fry sauce (see further down). Cook until sauce thickens slightly, 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle with scallion greens and serve.

Nutrition per serving (4): 271 calories, 23g protein, 17g carbs, 4g fiber, 12.5g fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 787mg sodium.

Classic stir-fry sauce: Whisk 2 tsp cornstarch into 1/2c reduced-sodium chicken broth, and then add 2 Tbs each oyster sauce and reduced-sodium soy sauce along with 2 tsp each sherry and sugar.

I served this over rice. Other options for creating your own stir-fry would include:

Protein - steak, pork, chicken, shrimp, scallops, fish, tofu
Vegetables - asparagus, peppers, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, celery, zucchini, eggplant, green beans, mushrooms, onions, snow peas, snap peas, spinach, Swiss chard, bok choy
Extras - baby corn, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, cashews/peanuts, Chile pepper, bean sprouts, sesame seeds