Beef with Peapods & Mushrooms

Sorry.  It's been a while.  I've been cooking a lot, but haven't had a lot of time to blog about it, what with birthdays and parties and spring cleaning. 

I'm back now.

I made this recipe the other night because I had some peapods and mushrooms to use up - and Matt had three helpings.  Three.  I don't remember the last time he had three helpings of something, so I'm assuming he liked it.  Ben and I sure did.  Also, enjoy the photo - Ben set it up.

Beef with Peapods and Mushrooms

Ingredients:
6 T soy sauce
4 T rice wine vinegar
2 T brown sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 - 1 T hoisin sauce
1 - 2 T vegetable oil
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 T minced fresh ginger root
1 T minced fresh garlic
1 lb. flat iron steak, sliced (or flank steak, or skirt steak - whichever is cheapest & looks the best)
1 package fresh peapods (8 oz. or so)
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
2 C rice, prepared

Assembly:
In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, cornstarch & hoisin sauce.  Set aside.

Heat the vegetable & sesame oils in a wok over medium high heat - add in the ginger and garlic and stir fry for about 30 seconds.  Add the steak and cook until evenly browned on all sides. 

Add the snow peas and mushrooms (and any other vegetables you want) and cook until just softened (about 3 - 5 minutes).  No mushy veggies, you hear?

Add the soy sauce mixture (scrape the bowl well in case the sugar didn't dissolve all the way) and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Lower the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens.

Serve over rice, next to a car.

Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Tofu & Vegetables

I saw this recipe in the September 2009 issue of Real Simple (I'd link the recipe in here, but I can't find it on the website yet). The picture by the recipe was so pretty, I knew I had to try it. I asked Matt if he liked tofu, and he kind of just shrugged, so I figured it'd be a fun little experiment for all of us. Matt must have liked the dish well enough, because he polished off the entire platter in less than 24 hours.

Stir Fried Rice Noodles with Tofu & Vegetables
(sorry for the "meh" picture...but it looks gorge in real life, swear!)

Ingredients:
1 8 oz. package rice noodles
3/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp. lime juice (if it's fresh, great...I used bottled, and no one died)
1 14 oz. package firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
1 tbsp. canola oil
2 carrots, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
2 C bean sprouts
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 C roasted peanuts, roughly chopped (I omitted, because Matt doesn't care for them)
1/2 C fresh cilantro (it's just a garnish, so I used some dried cilantro from my pantry...and again, we all survived)

Assembly:
Boil the noodles according to the package directions. Drain & return to the pot.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, soy sauce and lime juice. Resist the urge to drink this (it's super good). Gently press the tofu between layers of paper towels to remove excess liquid, and then cut into 1/2 inch thick pieces.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over med. high heat. Add the carrots, bell pepper and ginger. Cook for about 2 minutes. Stir frequently.

Add the tofu and bean sprouts. Cook and stir until the veggies are slightly tender (so, about 3-4 minutes).

Toss the noodles with half of the soy sauce mixture and cook over med. high heat until heated thru (1 - 2 minutes). Transfer to a platter, top with the vegetables & the remaining soy sauce mixture. Top with scallions, peanuts (if using) and cilantro.


(This recipe is supposed to serve 4...or Matt for 2 days. Either or.)