Beef Stir-Fry

The following posts are going to be quite out of order. I haven't blogged in awhile (not feeling well), but everyone has been asking for our recipes. So, here they are!

Beef Chow Fun (Adapted from Eating Well Magazine)

8 oz. wide rice noodles (I just used Pad Thai noodles)
1/2 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
4 tsp black bean-garlic sauce (can be found in the Asian section of your supermarket)
1 T reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp light brown sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
4 tsp peanut oil, divided
1 tsp minced ginger
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 16 oz bag frozen stir-fry veggies
1 cup shredded carrot (or any other fresh veggies you'd like to add...I like the crunch of the carrot and had them on hand)
1/2 cup water, divided
8-12 oz sirloin steak, cut into thin slices (I just bought them pre-sliced....smallest package I could find)

1. Fill a large nonstick skillet with water and bring to a boil. Add noodles and cook, stirring frequently, until just tender, 4-6 minutes. (My package of noodles had me soak them in warm water first, and didn't provide actual cooking instructions. I still boiled them after soaking, and they were fabulous!) Drain, rinse with cold water and transfer to a large bowl.

2. Combine rice wine, black bean-garlic sauce, brown sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl; set aside.

3. Heat 2 T oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Add ginger and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 1 to 3 minutes. Add vegetables and 1/4 cup water; cook until heated through and are tender crisp. (I did not add my carrots until the frozen veggies were cooked through. This allowed them to stay nice and crisp.) Transfer the veggies to the bowl with the noodles. Wipe pan dry.

4. Heat the remaining 2 tsp oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add steak and cook, stirring, until browned, 1 to 3 minutes. Stir the reserved sauce and add to the pan; cook, stirring, until the sauce has thickened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes.

5. Return the noodles and veggies to the pan along with the remaining 1/4 cup water; cook, tossing to coat with the sauce, until heated through, about 2 min more.

Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 381 calories; 8 g fat; 21 mg cholesterol; 57 g carbohydrate; 1 g added sugars; 15 g protein; 3 g fiber; 723 mg sodium; 22 mg potassium