Stir-Fried Beef with Black Beans and Rice Noodles

I find getting back into the swing of things difficult after taking time off! But today the kids are back at school, everything is getting back to normal around me, all the Christmas decorations are packed away, and I’m ready to start writing again.

While enjoying the holidays, we stopped by the LCBO for some wine and picked up the Food & Drink magazine (page 278 of Holiday 2011) – love this edition. In it I found several recipes that can easily be adjusted to a healthier version and I’m including the one I made on Saturday here for you. I’m making another one tonight, and if it works out, I’ll post it too.

We served this dish with lightly steamed bok-choy. In a deep cast-iron pan, I heated a tablespoon of coconut oil and added a minced clove of garlic. Once the garlic was smelling wonderful, I added about a cup of vegetable stock (or water would be fine too) then the coarsely chopped bok choy. I steamed it for about 5 minutes until it was bright green and fragrant, then took it out of the pan with a slotted spoon and squeezed lemon over top and sprinkled with sesame seeds. This is a delicious side dish packed with exceptional sources of iron, vitamins A and C, folic acid and anti-cancer compounds including glucosinolates.

Stir-Fried Beef with Black Beans and Rice Noodles

12 oz (375 g) flank steak
1 tsp honey
2 tsp flour (I used spelt, but arrowroot would also be good – to thicken the sauce)
1 Tbsp tamari
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp water

Seasoning Sauce
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp honey
2 Tbsp tamari
2 Tbsp flour (again for thickening)
1 tsp olive oil

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable stock

Noodles
1 small dried chili, chopped (I used chili flakes – 1/2 tsp)
1 Tbsp finely chopped ginger – you could use more as this was just enough
1 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
3 Tbsp black beans, rinsed and mashed (you could just use the beans and leave out the flank steak for a vegetarian option)
1 cup snow peas, strings removed
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
8 oz (250 g) rice noodles, rinsed (if using dried noodles, just submerge them in boiling water to soften first – otherwise they can’t pick up the delicious sauce)

1 tsp sesame oil

1. Slice the flank steak against the grain into thin slices. In a medium bowl, combine the first set of ingredients and add to meat and marinate for 30 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, combine all seasoning sauce ingredients.

3. Heat wok over medium heat (I don’t have a wok, so used my Le Creuset pot). Add oil and stock. When hot, drain the meat from the marinate and stir-fry until browned (this doesn’t take long – about 30 sec to 1 minute depending on how thinly you cut the steak). Remove meat and reserve.

4. Stir in the chili, ginger, garlic and black beans. Add the vegetables and noodles. Stir-fry for about a minute until the pepper softens and the ginger and garlic become fragrant. Add in the seasoning sauce and bring to a boil, stirring. Return the meat and any juice and mix well. Before serving, add 1 tsp of sesame oil to the wok then pour contents onto a large serving platter.

5. Serve with bok choy for a delicious, nutritious dinner!

Serves 3 to 4 as a main course.
Source: Food & Drink, Holiday 2011, page 278