It’s good to be back in the kitchen.

Well, truth be told we haven’t really left the kitchen for the past three weeks.  The holidays are a great excuse to try out new and intricate recipes.  It’s always fun to pull out the stops for a meal, but where we do best is our weekday evenings where we just create with what’s in the fridge.  It’s a way to destress and do something fun and creative to end the day.

Last night we took some of our favorite meal items and created something pretty tasty.  The Beef & Veggie Medley was inspired by craving steak kabobs; we took that idea and added some Asian-influenced flavors to spice it up.

We used a new seasoning for the stir fry steak, Chinese Five Space, to create our base.  It was the first time we worked with this spice, but it will definitely not be the last!  It gave the steak (and by default the veggies) this great sweet and smoky flavor.  From that we did some basic garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper to round out the flavors.

You could really do any veggies with this recipe.  We did our usual favorites: green bell pepper, mushroom, onion, broccoli, zucchini, and tomatoes.  We usually keep the veggies pretty simple, especially when we plan to cook the veggies with the protein in the dish like we did with this one.

Whenever we cook veggies and beef together we usually start with the veggies.  Veggies have more potential to be forgiving if they’re overcooked, versus the beef getting tough and chewy.

After about 5 minutes we throw the beef in and continue to saute.  Once the beef starts to brown on both sides we mix it all together so the veggies can continue to absorb the seasonings from the beef.  After we turned down the heat we added a bit of Sriracha and Sweet Chili Sauce to give it some final kick!

The Beef & Veggie Medley paired perfectly with one of our staple sides, Thai Basil Rice.  We do a pilaf method with coconut oil that infuses the oil, thai basil, and some minced garlic into the dry rice before you even start to cook.  It gives your final rice creation just that extra bit of goodness!

Voila!  Our Monday night in the kitchen and first full blog recipe!  Enjoy!

 

Beef & Veggie Medley

Approximate Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients- Steak

1 lb stir fry steak

½ tbsp Chinese Five Spice

1 pinch sea salt

½ tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

Ingredients- Veggie Medley

1 Green Bell Pepper

2 Mushrooms

1 Quarter Yellow Onion

1 Zucchini

1 Small Broccoli Stalk

1 Small Handful Heirloom Tomatoes

1 Clove Garlic

½ tbsp coconut oil

½ tbsp sesame oil

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 tbsp Sriracha, additional for topping

2 tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce, additional for topping

1- Season your stir fry steak with the Chinese Five Spice, sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.  Set aside at room temperature.

2- Chop all of your veggies and mince the garlic.  The veggies can be chopped to your preference, we chose larger pieces.

3- Heat the coconut oil and sesame oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan.  Once heated, add the minced garlic and brown.

4- Add the veggies.  Once in the pan, sprinkle the salt and pepper.  Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5- Push the veggies to one side of the pan and add the steak, seasoned side down.  Allow to cook for 5 minutes, then flip.

6- Once both sides are browned, stir the veggies and beef together and continue to cook. **

7- When the veggies and beef are both done, turn the heat down to low.  Stir in the Sriracha and Sweet Chili Sauce.

** At some point in the cooking process the pan tends to collect excess juice, which keeps the beef and veggies from getting any kind of crisp to them.  If this happens, drain the liquid once and continue to cook.

 

Thai Basil Rice

Approximate Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 Cup Long Grain White Rice

½ Tbsp Coconut Oil

½ Teaspoon Thai Basil

1 Clove Garlic

1 ¾ water

 

1- Heat the coconut oil on medium-low in a saucepan.

2- Mince the garlic and add to the coconut oil once it is heated, then add the Thai Basil.  Allow to heat and brown.

3- Add the cup of rice and stir.  Allow to brown slightly in the oil, 3-4 minutes.

4- Add the water and turn heat up.  Bring water to a boil, then turn down to simmer and cover.  Allow to simmer for 15 minutes while rice absorbs water.

Build your rice bowl by adding the rice, beef & veggie medley, and top with Sriracha and Sweet Chili Sauce.  Enjoy!