Asian Marinated Sirloin Steak Stir-Fry

Green Girl Goodies, November 2012

This tasty stir-fry packs a nutritional punch with the added protein from the tofu and an array of nutrient dense vegetables like broccoli and spinach.  When stir-frying I like to use the entire broccoli, including the stem.  I slice it thin and it adds a nice texture to the dish.  I marinated the steak in a simple Asian marinade comprised of soy, ginger, garlic, onion, sriracha and honey.  I used the same marinade when baking the tofu to give it some added flavor.  I served the dish over brown rice to complete the meal; however, it would be just as delicious over your favorite Asian noodle!  The recipes below come together to create 2 large portions or 4 smaller portions of a tasty yet nutritional dish.

Basic Asian Marinade

Yield approximately 1 cup

¼ c Soy Sauce

1 ½ tb Honey

1 tsp Sriracha

½ c Yellow Onion, roughly chopped

1 tb Ginger, fresh, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tb Garlic, crushed

-     Place the onion, ginger and garlic into a food processor and pulse until minced.

-     Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.  The marinade can be held properly refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.  In addition to being great for steak and tofu, it is also a nice complement to chicken.

FOR THE STEAK:

1 10 oz portion Sirloin Steak, cut into thin strips

-     Pour the marinade over the steak and mix well to make sure the marinade covers all the meat.  Let marinade for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

FOR THE TOFU:

1 16 oz pack Firm Tofu, cut into thin rectangles

-     Use a spoon to cover the tofu with the marinade and let stand for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

 

FOR THE STIR-FRY:

Really any combination of vegetables can be used…I like to use stir-fry’s to clean out my fridge and this time I happened to have garlic, ginger, broccoli, red pepper and onion.  I am a huge fan of the combination of beef and broccoli so the timing worked out well!

2 ½ tb Ginger, minced

2 tb Garlic, minced

2 c Broccoli, florets and stems

¾ c Yellow Onion, medium dice

1 ½ c Red Peppers, medium dice

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:

Additional Ingredients:

½ c Brown Rice, uncooked

2 c Baby Spinach

-     First start the rice and remember:  brown is the healthy, more flavorful option but takes approximately 40 – 45 minutes so plan accordingly!

-     The tofu could be pan seared but this time I chose to bake it at 375 for approximately 7 minutes, rotating the pan halfway thru.  I then placed it under the broiler for approximately 9 minutes to get a nice crispy outer layer.  While the tofu was cooking, I prepared the beef and vegetables on the stove top.

-     I heated a cast iron skillet and added a tablespoon of olive oil to sear the beef.  The key is to get the pan extra hot but not smoking to get a nice color on the meat.  You also need to cook the meat in batches because if you overcrowd the pan the beef will not get the delicious outer crust on the meat and it will steam itself in its own liquid.  After getting a nice sear on one side, flip the beef and add a small amount of broccoli florets so they can soak up some of the beef flavor.

-     After starting the first round of beef, I heated another pan and added a tablespoon of olive oil.  Once the oil was hot I added the onions, garlic and ginger and cooked them for a minute until slightly browned.  I then added the peppers and broccoli stems and tossed to mix.

-   Meanwhile, continue batch cooking your beef and broccoli.  Cook the meat to your desired doneness.  After the first batch, remove the beef and broccoli, set aside and reheat the pan for the second batch.  After the second batch, remove the beef from the pan and set aside, leaving the broccoli and juices in the pan.  Add the broccoli from the first batch back into the pan.  

-     I then added the stir fried vegetables into the cast iron pan with the broccoli and cooked it for an addition 2 – 3 minutes to finish the vegetables.

-     Place the cooked rice on the plate first, and then add the spinach.  Next add the stir fried vegetables and try to cover most of the spinach so it wilts slightly.  Top the vegetables with the beef and tofu and enjoy!

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