Beef and Broccoli with Brown Rice

Try using tamari soy sauce in this dish. Compared to regular soy sauce, it’s made with less or no wheat and tends to be smoother, more complex, and less salty. You’ll find it in the Asian section of large supermarkets.

PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES / TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 20 MINUTES / SERVINGS: 4











Ingredients
1 cup brown rice
1⁄3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced (about 1½ cups)
2 teaspoons canola oil
1¼ pounds sirloin tip steak, top sirloin, or top round, thinly sliced
1 large head broccoli (about 2¼ pounds), trimmed, florets cut into bite-size pieces
1 large orange bell pepper, sliced (about 1¼ cups)
1 tablespoon peeled, chopped fresh ginger (1″ piece)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted

1 BRING 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan on high heat. Stir in the rice, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid is evaporated, about 50 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand 10 minutes.

2 WHISK the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, sesame oil, cornstarch, and 3 tablespoons water together in a small bowl. Set aside.

3 COAT a large skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Add the canola oil to the skillet and raise the heat to medium high. Add the beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Add to the mushrooms.

4 ADD the broccoli and bell pepper to the skillet and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add 2⁄3 cup water and simmer until evaporated, about 2 minutes. (If the skillet is too small to fit all the vegetables at once, cook in two batches, using 1⁄3 cup water per batch. Return all vegetables to the skillet before proceeding.) Add the ginger and garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the soy sauce mixture and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the beef and mushrooms and cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon over the rice, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve.

NUTRITION (per serving: 3⁄4 cup rice and 13⁄4 cups beef mixture) 554 calories, 40 g protein, 56 g carbs, 19 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 629 mg sodium

 

Grass-Fed Beef Burgers with Blue Cheese Sauce

Thick, rich Greek yogurt is a boon to the healthy cook, adding a creamy quality to sauces and dressings. Here it forms the base of a cheese sauce—all you’ll need to top the simply seasoned burgers.













Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, halved lengthwise and sliced
1¼ pounds lean grass-fed ground beef or 90% lean ground beef
1 tablespoon plus
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
5 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
1½ ounces blue cheese, crumbled (about 1⁄3 cup)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 whole wheat hamburger buns
4 leaves green leaf lettuce
1 medium tomato, sliced

1 HEAT the broiler and coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Heat the oil in a medium skillet on medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

2 COMBINE the beef, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, 4 tablespoons of the parsley, ¼ teaspoon salt, and freshly ground black pepper in a large bowl. Form into 4 patties, about 3″ wide and ½″ thick. Place on the prepared baking sheet and broil 6″ from the heat until the patties feel firm and the centers are no longer pink, turning halfway through, about 12 minutes.

3 MIX the yogurt, blue cheese, mustard, and the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley in a small bowl. Spread the top halves of the buns with the yogurt mixture. Top the bottom half of each bun with a patty, lettuce leaf, one-quarter of the onions, and a slice of tomato. Cover with the top halves of the buns and serve.

NUTRITION (per serving) 436 calories, 36 g protein, 31 g carbs, 19 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 661 mg sodium

BEEFY BROTH

 Ingredients

A big splash of vegetable oil, preferably grapeseed

2 pounds (900 g) or more of beef short ribs, oxtails or beef shanks

2 carrots, coarsely chopped

2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped

2 onions, sliced

A 28-ounce (796 mL) can of any type of tomatoes (whole, crushed, diced or puréed)

4 cups (1 L) of water or, if you’re feeling extravagant, 1 bottle of big, beefy good red wine

A bay leaf or two

A handful of fresh thyme or rosemary sprigs

1 teaspoon (5 mL) of salt

A few turns of your pepper grinder

Preheat your oven to 250°F (120°C).

Pour a pool of oil into your favorite heavy ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Dry the beef on paper towels, then use tongs to carefully place pieces in the sizzling oil. Don’t crowd the pan, or the meat won’t brown. Listen to the heat. A simmering pan means nothing. Sizzle is the sound of flavor. Too loud, though, and a sizzling pan becomes a smoking-burning pan. When the beef is deeply browned all over, transfer it to a plate. Repeat with the rest of the beef, 10 to 15 minutes in total. Pour off any excess oil, leaving behind any browned bits of goodness. Toss all the beef and any accumulated juices back in the pot.

To this beefy goodness, add the carrots, celery, onions, tomatoes, water, bay leaves, herb sprigs, salt and pepper. Bring to a slow, steady simmer, then cover tightly. Transfer to the oven and braise for 3 to 4 hours, stirring now and then, tenderizing the meat, releasing the richness and building deep beefy flavor. Pour in some extra water if need be. (Alternatively, you can simmer the pot on your stovetop. You may find that even your lowest heat is still too much, though, so try offsetting your pot a bit from the heat so the liquid doesn’t evaporate too quickly.) Slip out the bones toward the end.

Serve and share exactly as is, or season and garnish any way you care to. Add any flavor theme and its accompanying vegetables, as elaborate as you care to be or as simple as you need to be. Use the broth in a soup, stew or sauce. Store the broth in a tightly sealed jar or container for 7 days in your refrigerator or 1 month in your freezer.