Thai Beef Stir Fry

One of the benefits of living alone, aside from the fact that I am the absolute queen of everything, is that I only have to please one palate when fixing meals. As a big fan of Thai peanut noodles, and other similar dishes, this week I embraced that love and made a wonderful Thai beef stir fry with peanut-y overtones. It came together in a flash, and tasted incredible. I found a rather sad looking (and probably ancient) chunk of sirloin steak in the freezer, so I used it, easily slicing it on the diagonal while it was still partially frozen. I did most of the prep work early in the day, so at dinnertime just tossed everything together, and had a tasty meal in minutes. I found this recipe online, and cut it in half so that I could enjoy it for two days and no more. It seemed to get better overnight in the fridge, so if it benefits you to make it ahead of time, the dish won't suffer for that.

Thai Beef Stir Fry
As seen on TasteofHome.com

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups beef broth
1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

2 pounds boneless beef sirloin, cut into thin strips diagonally
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 cups fresh cauliflower florets
1-1/2 cups julienne carrots
4 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup peanut butter
Hot cooked spaghetti
1/2 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts

Combine the first eight ingredients in a small bowl, stirring until smooth; set aside. In a large skillet or wok, stir fry beef in 3 tablespoons of the oil until meat is no longer pink. Remove, set aside, and keep warm.

In the same skillet, stir fry cauliflower and carrots in remaining oil for five minutes. Add broccoli, and stir-fry for seven additional minutes. Add mushrooms and stir-fry for 6 to 8 minutes longer, or until the vegetables are tender crisp.

Stir broth mixture to combine, and add to the pan. Bring to a boil, and cook and stir for two minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat and add beef and peanut butter, cooking and stirring over medium heat until peanut butter is incorporated. Serve with spaghetti. Garnish with chopped peanuts.

 

PRINT RECIPE

This post is linked to:

 Celebrate Your Story, Homemaking Party Tuesday, Wow Us Wednesday,  Wine’d Down Wednesday, Wake up Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Share Your Style, Coffee and Conversation, and Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Spicy Thai Noodles

I love Thai food, in particular anything that is peanut-y and noodle-y. So, when I saw this recipe on the Domestic Superhero blog, I knew that I had to try it. I also knew, from reading the list of ingredients, that I would need to alter it a bit because the mere addition of a few chopped peanuts would not make this nearly peanut-y enough for me. Thank goodness for peanut butter! To the sauce I added 1 heaping tablespoon of creamy peanut butter and whisked the daylights out of it to incorporate. Instead of plain peanuts, I used the leftover Spanish peanuts from the Pea Salad that I had made earlier. I chose to add meat, so, to make things excruciatingly easy, I sliced a fried chicken tender from the deli into diagonal strips and stirred it in. Now this dish is perfection. Easy perfection at that, so I'll be making this a lot.

Spicy Thai Noodles

Slightly adapted from Domestic Superhero

 1/2 pound linguine, cooked according to package directions

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2-1/2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon peanut butter

2 teaspoons Sriracha hot sauce, or to taste

1 inch fresh ginger, grated

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 small zucchini, cut in half vertically, then sliced in half circles

4 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup Spanish peanuts, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Cook linguine according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl combine brown sugar, soy sauce, peanut butter, sriracha, and ginger; whisk well to combine; set aside.

In a large stockpot over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, and heat until shimmering. Add beaten eggs and red pepper flakes and stir to scramble the eggs. Once cooked, set aside with pasta.

Return stockpot to stove, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add zucchini, mushrooms, and garlic. Sauté over medium high heat for 5-6 minutes or until veggies are cooked through.

Turn heat down to low, add pasta and eggs back to pot, then pour the sauce mixture over the top. Using a wooden spoon, stir well to coat pasta and vegetables with sauce. Remove from heat, add peanuts, green onions, and cilantro; stir to combine.

Serve immediately. This dish is equally good cold as it is warm.

PRINT RECIPE

This post is linked to: Wow Us Wednesday, Work It Wednesday, Wine’d Down Wednesday, Wake up Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Share Your Style, and Foodie Friday & Everything Else