I have a full time job, an internship, and a gym schedule that I like to honor (most of the time). If anyone can ever say they don’t have time to cook, it’s me! I work in the city but live in Long Island, and I commute every day.  However, this is not enough to keep me out of the kitchen. I understand the importance of a quick-n-easy meal, especially one that is tasty and plentiful (I love left overs for lunch!) Below is a recipe for a beef stir-fry complete with side dish suggestions. Feel free to ask questions and enjoy your trip to the orient with a Hispanic twist as you put together a take-out meal favorite!

Ingredients:

• 2 Shoulder Top Blade Steaks ** Or any chuck steak with marbling. Lost? Ask your butcher to recommend a good cut of beef that you made in a skillet that won’t get tough once you start cooking it.
• 1 ½ cups of Broccoli Florets
• ¼ of a cup of Soy Sauce (I go for the lite soy sauce)
• 6-8 Garlic cloves (feel free to add more or use less. Just remember that when around others 2 garlics cancel each other out ^_^)
• 1 Lime
• Black Pepper
• Salt
• *1 tsp. of cayenne pepper (Optional. I like a little kick at the end)
• *1 packet of Sazon Goya (Also optional. This Hispanic in me cannot resist)
• 1 Large White Onion
• ½ of Green Bell Pepper
• ½ of Red Bell Pepper
• 2 tsp. of Red Wine Vinegar
• *a small pinch of powdered chicken bouillon cube or ¼ of a cube (also optional. I add this to give the gravy & sauce some body. Gives the soy sauce some substance. If you don’t have bouillon cubes, a pinch of Adobo will suffice)
• 1 tbsp. of Tomato Paste
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Slice your steaks into small thin horizontal pieces and place them in a mixing bowl
2. Peel and mash your garlic in a mortar pestle with a pinch of salt to release its juices or use your knife if you don’t have one. Dicing them into small pieces will also work.
3. Now add garlic paste, ¼ cup of soy sauce, sazon packet, small pinch of bouillon cube, and 1 tsp. of cayenne pepper.
4. Mix the ingredients and beef together and then squeeze the juice of a lime into the batch. Mix some more. (The smell of the garlic and soy sauce should be mouthwatering by now!)

1. Heat your skillet and add some extra virgin olive oil. Once the skillet and oil are HOT add your beef into the pan.
2. Stir the beef and lower the flame if it’s too high. Once all the beef is added and has browned add some water (no more than a ¼ of a cup) so it can cook thoroughly and create some gravy. If you have some leftover marinade in your mixing bowl, set it aside for now. This will not go to waste!
3. Chop your onions and bell peppers into large pieces and set aside in a bowl. Add the 2 tsp. of red wine vinegar to them (or 2 capfuls, which is what I do.)
4. Wash your broccoli florets and set aside as well.
5. Check on your beef and add more water if needed. If it’s not browned enough then sauté them a bit more and then add some water. At this point, feel free to add the water into the leftover marinade first and then add them into the skillet. We don’t want any marinade goodness to go to waste.
6. Once your beef is thoroughly cooked and the water has dried a bit (not completely) add your onion-pepper-vinegar mixture and stir.
7. Continue to add bits of water if your beef is drying up. Remember, we want gravy.
8. Now add your broccoli and stir.
9. Add some more water and a tablespoon of tomato paste to thicken your gravy.
10. Cook low, careful not to overcook your broccoli.
11. Once it’s ready, serve over rice or noodles. Enjoy!

Notes:

• Enjoy this with some white rice and Asian dumplings, which you can easily find at Trader Joes or your local grocery store.
• When making the beef, brown it as much as you can first. Adding water will soften the meat and create that delicious gravy that you can then have over your rice or noodles
• The tomato paste thickens the sauce. A little bit goes a long way. Add enough so that it thickens it but doesn’t turn it into a tomato sauce
• Feel free to add your broccoli at the very end and then cover your skillet, turning off the flame so that the broccoli steams. This assures that your broccoli won’t over cook.
• Lite soy sauce is an insurance against making your dish too salty. Tomato paste also help kill salt in your food if you’ve gone to heavy on the sodium.