Sirloin Steak Stir-Fry

This week has been hectic. I'm expecting guests starting Friday and will be having house guests for the next several weeks. I'm more than excited about this especially since they are some of my favorite people in the whole world. So, besides getting ready to make our home as comfortable as possible for our visitors, we've had early releases, parent teacher conferences, and the start of soccer season for our youngest. In case you are wondering where I'm going with this, it is that dinners need to be quick during busy times while also being fairly nutritious and the family has to approve of them as always.

This is how I found the recipe for this Stir-Fry. Most of the components can be prepared ahead of time, and putting everything together literally takes only 20 minutes, or until your rice is cooked. This is another Cuisine at Home dish that has won everyone in our home over. It is also an extremely versatile dish. I'm thinking that pretty much any vegetable would work in this. I could see this meal prepared  with broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms etc. There are so many options to customize it to your families taste. This recipe makes 6 servings but my kids were fighting over every last scrap in the pan, so there was nothing left over.

The recipe starts by making the sauce. Store bought hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, honey and pineapple juice along with ginger, garlic and salt get mixed together and reduced to about half the amount on the stove. This is something that could easily be done ahead of time and all you would have to do is re-heat it when ready to serve. The sirloin steak gets sliced thinly, then placed in a bowl for a quick toss with some brown sugar,  canola oil and a little kick from red pepper flakes. The vegetables are: shelled edamame, red pepper and scallions, but like I mentioned above, use whatever suits your taste. The vegetables are another component that can easily be cut up ahead of time and refrigerated to alleviate dinner time rush. The marinated steak gets a quick sear in a hot pan for a few minutes, the vegetables are added and quickly sauteed without overcooking them because you still want a bit of crunch. Final touches include a tablespoon of sesame oil and sesame seeds. The stir fry is served over rice and the sauce is drizzled over the top to everyone's liking, this way you can add as much or as little of the sauce as you desire.

A fantastic, quick, healthy dish! I was hoping for leftovers, but my kids obviously had different plans for sure. This is certainly a meal that fits a busy lifestyle and since I will be fairly busy in the next few weeks stay tuned for more "on the fly" dinner ideas. It is certainly not necessary to go the take out route when you can fix a meal this delicious in just about the same time it would take you to order it. This recipe got the thumbs up all the way around and I hope you'll give it a try as well!

Sirloin Steak Stir-Fry

(adapted from Cuisine at Home)

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) jar hoisin sauce
1 cup rice vinegar
1 (6 ounce) can pineapple juice
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 pounds sirloin steak, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2  red bell peppers, thinly sliced
1/2 cup scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Toasted sesame seeds
Cooked rice

Preparation:

Combine hoisin, vinegar, pineapple juice, honey, garlic, ginger, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and reduce to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes.

Toss together sirloin, sugar, canola oil, and pepper flakes in a bowl to coat sirloin. Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat, then stir-fry beef until browned, about 3 minutes.

Add bell pepper, scallion, and edamame; stir-fry a couple of minutes. Take off the heat and stir in the sesame oil.

Serve stir-fry with rice and prepared sauce on the side, then garnish with sesame seeds.

Black Bean, Edamame and Wheat Berry Salad

Let me tell you about my newest favorite salad (be warned, you might hear this statement over and over again this summer). Flipping through the pages of my newest Food Network Magazine I came across this picture of a salad that sparked my interest. Mind you, this wasn't a "normal" recipe for the magazine but rather an advertisement for Pompeian Olive Oil and Vinegar. I got all excited upon closer inspection since this salad had two of my favorite ingredients in it - wheat berries  and Edamame.

I told my husband about my find and he didn't share my enthusiasm. In fact he was kind of reserved when he heard about the wheat berries. Of course though, once I'm determined to try something new there is no stopping me and this was no exception. The salad is very filling and full of protein due to the black beans and Edamame and full of fiber due to the wheat berries* , but by adding the tomatoes and vinaigrette it keeps the recipe light and balanced. This salad has summer BBQ and potluck written all over it and since it is a non-mayo based recipe, this is the perfect side dish to bring to any occasion.

I served this alongside Avocado BLT's which made it a wonderful meal. And in case you're wondering how the salad was received by my husband and kids? They LOVED it, as did I. I kept hearing lots of moaning and "Oh, this is so good, you have to make it again". This salad is going into my regular rotation of summer salads and will be making an appearance again soon.

*I found the wheat berries at my local grocery store in their health food bulk section, but you can also find them at other health food stores or even online from Bob's Red Mill.

Black Bean, Edamame and Wheat Berry Salad

~serves 6-8~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

4 cups water

1/2 cup dry wheat berries

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen shelled Edamame, thawed

1 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon mustard

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine water and wheat berries in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 55 minutes or until wheat berries are tender. Place in a fine mesh strainer, run under cold water to cool quickly, drain.

Combine the wheat berries with remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 8 hours in advance.