Beef and Veggie Stirfry

A big part of me was worried that this week might turn out to be a culinary copout because Q is away in Whistler on business and when it's just me and the kids, all of our food expectations plummet really quickly. Nobody here complains (in fact, they're thrilled) if we resort to basic nursery food... grilled cheese, eggs on toast, baked beans, etc.... But inevitably the veggie quotient also takes a nosedive so I decided that a mid-week vegfest was in order, in the form of a delicious clean-out-the crisper-drawer stirfry.

Mushrooms, green and red peppers, and broccoli were all at-the-ready so what's easier than throwing them all into a wok a bit of protein to boot. Since I desperately needed to get some iron into this old body because I've been feeling lightheaded whenever I go upside-down in yoga, it had to be a beef stirfry for mom and hopefully the troops would understand. They did.

Basically followed this recipe from Epicurious with a few variations (didn't want boozy sauce so substituted broth for the sherry, added other veggies and then tossed some toasted almonds on top for added crunch at the end of cooking).

Beef and Broccoli Stirfry

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup dry Sherry
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon (packed) chopped garlic
2 teaspoons grated orange peel

1 pound flank steak, cut diagonally across grain into thin strips
1 large head broccoli, cut into florets
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch

cooked brown rice

Whisk first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Add meat; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. (I didn't have sherry but substituted beef broth instead.)

Blanch broccoli in large pot of boiling salted water 2 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cold water; drain well. (I skipped this step and just threw all the veggies directly in with the beef after it had cooked for two minutes. I allowed a couple of extra minutes and everything cooked just fine.)

Heat oil in heavy large wok or skillet over high heat. Drain meat well, reserving marinade. Add cornstarch to reserved marinade and mix until smooth; set aside. Add meat to wok and stir-fry until almost cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add broccoli and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add reserved marinade mixture and boil until sauce thickens and coats meat and broccoli, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over rice.

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