Mongolian Beef + Peppers

This recipe is a combination of two - one for the sauce and one for the peppers added in.

I made it quite spicy, so cut back on the chile paste and garlic proportions if you don't like spice.  Also, it calls for some fancy ingredients, but you can find most of them in the token "Asian" aisle in the supermarket.  And they stay good forever, so it's a worthwhile investment.

This definitely only serves two, so double for leftovers.

Ingredients:

2 tsbp Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Cornstarch
2 tsp Sherry
2 tsp Hoisin Sauce
1 tsp Rice Vinegar
1 tsp Chile Paste (like Sambal Oelek)
1 tsp Peanut oil
1 tbsp Ginger, grated
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 package/pound Steak, thinly sliced
16 Green Onion (one bundle), chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped

I added in the bell pepper, to make the recipe more of a one-stop meal.  It's a nice balance to the heaviness of the beef too.

1. Combine first 8 ingredients (through the chile paste) in a small bowl.

2. Chop bell peppers, green onions, and garlic. Peel and grate ginger. Slice beef if necessary.

3. Heat peanut oil in pan, and add beef, garlic and ginger.  Cook for 1 minute on each side, or until beef has browned.  Remove all from pan and set aside.

4. Add bell pepper to pan and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add beef mixture back in, as well as green onions.  Stir together and cook for 1 minute.

5. Pour sauce onto pan and mix.  Remove from heat.

SO GOOD. I ate this over rice - soaks up the sauce well.  Only wish I had made more!

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Original Recipes:

My Recipes - Cooking Light (Mongolian Beef - for Sauce)

My Recipes - Cooking Light (Spicy Beef + Pepper Stir Fry)

Hearty Mushroom Beef + Barley Stew

It's one of the last cool days this spring, so I decided to do one more farewell winter stew before it became inappropriately hot.  Don't get me wrong - I love me some summer, but I do miss warm, filling soups in those months.  

This recipe is a mix of two - one from Alisa Cooks and one from Skinnytaste.  The first looked tastier, the second added in beef and hearty vegetables. 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 Yellow Onion, diced

1 cup Barley

2-3 Garlic cloves

1 tablespoon dried Thyme

8-ounces Mushrooms, Button or Cremini

4 cups Broth OR 4 cups Water + 2 Bouillon Cubes

1 tablespoon Tomato Paster

1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

1 Bay Leaf

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Black Pepper

1-1/2 pound Stew Beef, cubed

3-4 Celery Stalks, chopped

I used Trader Joe's 10-Minute Barley because it cuts down the cooking time enormously.  Trader Joe's for the win.

1. Add oil (1tsp) and beef (cubed stew meat) to large pot and cook for 5 minutes or until beef is brown.

2. Add onion (1 medium, chopped), celery (3-4 stalks, diced), garlic (2-3 cloves, minced), mushrooms (8oz Button or Cremini package), and thyme (1 tbsp). Cook for 1 minute.

As you can see, I forgot to add in the mushrooms until later.  Whoops.

3. Add in bay leaf (1), balsamic vinegar (1 tbsp), broth (4 cups, or 4 cups water + 2 bouillon cubes), salt (1 tsp), black pepper (1 tsp) and tomato paste (1 tbsp).  Bring to boil, then simmer covered for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

4. Add TJ's 10-Minute Barley (1 cup) and simmer for another 10 minutes (or 30 for regular barley). Remove bay leaf.  And done!

Yummy and hearty.  This stew probably won't freeze well because of the mushrooms, though most soups do, so leftovers here I come.

Serving Size:

Prep Time: 10 minutes (cooking time total - 2 hours)

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Original Recipes:

Hearty Mushroom Barley Soup / Stew
Alisa Cooks

Beef Barley Soup
Skinnytaste.com 

Servings: 5 • Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups • Old Points: 7 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 336 • Fat: 11 g • Carbs: 27 g • Fiber: 6 g • Protein: 32 g • Sugar: 1.5 g
Sodium: 453 mg (using 1 tsp kosher salt)