hungry poodle

I may not have my Christmas shopping anywhere near done, but I’m two-for-two in posting recipes from current Weight Watchers publications. For those of you who attend Weight Watchers meetings in the US, the following recipe is in this week’s handout.  It’s a very easy, quickly assembled stir-fry that ramps up the quantity of broccoli so that a mere 3/4 pound of beef serves four, making it both economical and good for you. Who says eating healthfully is prohibitively expensive?

The next time I make this I’m going to add 1 T. of hoisin sauce to the soy sauce/broth mixture, as I found the recipe to lack the hint of sweetness that balances out the heat of the red pepper flakes. If you don’t have hoisin, this is still good.

Stir-fry is easy and fast. It can be made up of a multitude of veggies and protein. Think asparagus and shrimp; bell peppers and chicken breast; pineapple (don’t forget fruit!) and pork tenderloin. And tofu. Don’t hate me for adding that last one. And don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!

I used a filet mignon that I found in the depths of my freezer, which makes me wonder what else is hiding in there behind all those massive bags of Costco chicken, tilapia and shrimp.

2 1/2 T. cornstarch, divided
1/2 t. salt
3/4 lb. lean beef sirloin, thinly sliced against grain
1 T. peanut or canola oil
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
5 cups broccoli florets (about a 12-oz. bag)
1 T. fresh minced ginger
2 t. minced garlic
1/4 t. red pepper flakes, or to taste (I used more!)
1/4 c. low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 c. water

On a plate combine 2 T. cornstarch and salt. Add beef and toss to coat.

Heat oil in a wok or skillet. Add beef and stir-fry until almost cooked though, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Add 1/2 cup broth to the pan and stir to loosen any browned bits. Add broccoli, cover and cook until broccoli is almost crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.

Add ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes and stir-fry until fragrant.

In a cup, combine soy sauce, remaining 1/2 cup broth, remaining 1/2 T. cornstarch and water. Stir into pan and return to a simmer, cooking until sauce is slightly thickened.

Return beef to pan and toss to coat.

Serves 4, each serving yields about 1 1/4 cups

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Whatever-is-in-the-fridge stir-fry

Late Saturday afternoon I pulled a mysterious looking zip-lock bag from the freezer in hopes of finding something to cook for dinner without having to go to the supermarket. I couldn’t make out what was in the bag until it had defrosted for a few minutes in a bowl of water: half of a flank steak, cut down the middle to look like a pork tenderloin.

It quickly became the impromptu stir-fry star of whatever I could find in the fridge. Broccoli? Yes. Red bell pepper? Ditto. Onion? Of course. Garlic? Always.

I looked up several beef stir-fry recipes and settled on the one for which I had the most ingredients. This is adapted from America’s Test Kitchen’s Light and Healthy 2010 Cookbook.

If you don’t have dry sherry or hoisin sauce (although I highly recommend keeping a constant supply of this stuff in your pantry. There’s even an article about it here), just go with what you’ve got. It’ll still be delicious. How can you go wrong quickly sauteing fresh veggies and meat? Again, this is not rocket science, trust me.

Stir Fry Sauce:

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup dry sherry
3 T. hoisin sauce
1 T. low-sodium soy sauce
2 t. cornstarch
1 t. toasted sesame oil

Stir-Fry

12 oz. flank steak, halved lengthwise and sliced into 1/4″ thick slices
2 t. low-sodium soy sauce
2 t. dry sherry
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. grated fresh ginger
3 t. canola or peanut oil
1 red bell pepper, cut into 3/4″ pieces
1 bunch broccoli, florets cut into 1″ pieces
1/2 cup water

Combine sauce ingredients and set aside.

Toss beef with soy sauce and dry sherry. and let marinate for a few minutes.

Heat 1 t. oil in a wok or nonstick skillet over high heat. Add beef and stir fry until lightly browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a clean bowl.

Add another 1 t. oil to skillet and add the bell pepper. Cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the same bowl with beef.

Add broccoli and water to skillet, cover and steam 1 to 2 minutes. Uncover and cook until liquid evaporates and broccoli is crisp-tender, about 2 to 4 minutes longer.

Make a well in the center of the skillet and stir the garlic and ginger into the broccoli. Return the beef/bell pepper mixture to the skillet. Whisk the sauce and add it, stirring constantly until thickened, about 1 minute. Serve with brown rice.

Serves: 4 (Perfect dinner-for-two one night and leftovers for the next)

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Most of the time I prepare brown rice in my Japanese rice cooker. Since it takes longer to cook than white rice, about 40 minutes, I have to plan ahead somewhat. I normally cook more than I need and refrigerate or freeze portions in zip-lock bags for later in the week.

I also now keep Uncle Ben’s new “Ready Rice” on hand for last-minute dinners. This is one processed food that is actually good for you.

In order to make good fried rice, you should start with cooked leftover rice that is cold. It provides the best texture and doesn’t become gummy like freshly cooked hot rice does when fried. This new Uncle Ben’s product perfectly mimics leftover rice. It comes in several varieties, so be sure to look for the plain whole grain brown rice.

If you have leftover grilled chicken breasts, this will go together in less than 15 minutes. You can also make this a vegetarian dish with all vegetables or tofu. Don’t have broccoli? Frozen vegetables will work. This is last-minute, completely gratifying comfort food that’s good for you.

1 T. vegetable oil
1 cup brocolli florets
1 large carrot, chopped
3 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. fresh ginger, grated or minced
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and diced (optional)
1 egg, beaten
1 package Uncle Ben’s Ready Whole Grain Brown Rice (or about 2 cups precooked brown rice)
1 large chicken breast, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 T. reduced-sodium soy sauce or to taste
3 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Heat oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet. Add broccoli and carrot and saute for a minute or two. Add several tablespoons of water and cover the wok to steam the vegetables for another minute.

Uncover and add the green onions, garlic, ginger and chile. Stir-fry until fragrant. Make a well in the center of the wok and add the beaten egg, stirring until it is lightly scrambled. Add the rice and the chicken. Cook, folding everything together, until hot. Add soy sauce, sprinkle with cilantro and optional red pepper flakes, and serve.

There are multiple variations to this, including the addition of sesame oil and/or fish sauce for more pungent flavor. Again, start with the basics and build. Think of it as your culinary palette and don’t be afraid to experiment.

Serves: 2

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Sweet-and-sour stir-fry is a popular Chinese take-out dish, but most often it’s a deep-fried concoction of breaded pork or chicken in an overly sweet, sticky sauce. Too bad. It has such potential: fruit and vegetables combined with either chicken, pork or shrimp in a tangy sauce that you can make spicier with the addition of crushed red pepper flakes (which, as you can see from the photo, is what I did).

Chicken breast, fresh pineapple chunks, red bell pepper and red onion, generously sprinkled with crushed red pepper

This recipe, like the one before it, is adapted from Cooks Illustrated. Their Asian recipes are fairly easy to prepare because they call for fewer out-of-the-ordinary ingredients. This does not mean, however, that they are not authentic.

Each Cooks Illustrated recipe is scrupulously tested, and each one usually provides a lesson or two in how to cook. In this instance, they show us how to add garlic and ginger to a stir-fry without burning it. (Rather than cooking the garlic and ginger in an empty pan before everything else, you add it to the vegetables after they have been cooked. Less time in a hot pan means less chance of scorching.)

3/4 lb. boneless, skinless, chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 t. reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 t. dry sherry
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. grated fresh ginger
2 green onions, white part only, finely minced
4 t. vegetable oil
1/2 red onion, halved and cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2″ pieces
2 cups fresh pineapple, but into 1″ pieces
1 recipe Sweet-and-Sour Sauce (below)
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste

Toss chicken with soy sauce and dry sherry and set aside. In another small bowl, combine garlic, ginger, green onion and 2 t. oil.

Heat 1 t. of the oil in a nonstick skillet or wok until hot. Add chicken and stir-fry until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Place in a clean bowl.

Add the remaining teaspoon of oil to the pan and add the onion and bell pepper. Cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the pineapple and continue to cook until heated through, another minute.

Make a well in the center of the pan and add the garlic/ginger mixture. Allow it to cook until it is fragrant, about 45 seconds, and then stir it into the vegetables. Add the chicken. Whisk the stir-fry sauce to recombine it and add it to the pan. Bring to a simmer, toss all the ingredients to coat with the sauce. Serve immediately.

Sweet-and-Sour sauce

1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup orange or pineapple juice
1/3 cup sugar
3 T. ketchup
1 t. cornstarch
1/2 t. salt
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional, but these make it spicy/sweet/sour)

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate. This sauce can be made ahead and will keep for several days.

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To get us started in the world of stir-fry, here is a simple formula, adapted from Cooks Illustrated, that you can vary according to the vegetables and protein you have on hand. Stir-frying has multiple advantages: it’s an easy and quick method of cooking. It’s also inexpensive if you buy produce that’s in season. And the best part, it’s real food and it’s delicious! No wonder a billion people eat like this every day.

Shrimp, asparagus, zucchini, shiitake mushrooms, green onions and grape tomatoes

A basic stir-fry sauce is included in this recipe, but if you’re pressed for time or an anti-cook (please do your best to get over it), there are a multitude of jarred stir-fry sauces in the ethnic section of any supermarket. I warn you, though: they will not taste as fresh as making your own.

Basic Stir Fry
Serves 4

3/4 lb. protein (boneless, skinless chicken breast, pork tenderloin, flank steak, shrimp), cut into small, bite-sized  pieces
2 t. low-sodium soy sauce
2 t. dry sherry
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. grated fresh ginger
2 green onions, white parts only, finely chopped
5 t. peanut oil
1 1/2 lbs. fresh vegetables, cut into uniform small pieces and divided into batches based on cooking times (see below)
1 recipe Basic Stir-fry Sauce (below)

Toss the protein with the soy sauce and sherry. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, ginger, green onions and 2 t. of the oil.

Heat 1 t. of the remaining oil in a non-stick skillet or wok over high heat until very hot. Add the protein and cook until lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a clean bowl.

Add another teaspoon of oil to the pan and add the longer cooking vegetables. Cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the last teaspoon of oil and the faster cooking vegetables and cook until all the vegetables are crisp-tender, about a minute. If the vegetables do not seem to be sufficiently cooked, cover the skillet for a minute to let them steam.

Make a well in the center of the pan and add the garlic/ginger mixture into the center. Cook until fragrant, about 45 seconds and then stir this mixture into the vegetables. (By adding the garlic and ginger now you avoid scorching it.) Add back the protein and toss to combine.

Whisk the basic stir-fry sauce, add it to the pan and bring everything to a simmer. Toss until the protein and vegetables are coated in the sauce, plate and serve immediately.

Long-cooking Vegetables: Carrots, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, bok choy, eggplant
Short-cooking Vegetables: Spinach, tomatoes, snow peas

Very tough vegetables such as broccoli, green beans or cauliflower need a one-minute blanching in boiling water (or in the microwave) before adding along with the long-cooking vegetables.

Basic Stir-Fry Sauce:
This keeps in the refrigerator for several days, so if you’re cooking for two, simply save any remaining sauce for another day. Be sure to stir the sauce to recombine the cornstarch and other ingredients.

1/3 c. low-sodium soy sauce
1/3 c. low-sodium chicken broth
2 T. dry sherry
1 T. sugar
2 t. cornstarch
1 t. toasted sesame oil

If you want a spicy dish, sprinkle in some crushed red pepper flakes to taste.

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