Quick Beef and Broccoli

I made this super quick make ahead Beef and Broccoli last night for dinner. It fit perfectly into our plans of trick or treating one grandma and going out trick or treating the town. You see one grandma lives right next to the the school our kids attend. It's a quick trip to slip into costume after school and head over to trick or treat her. The kids love it and I'm sure my mom loves it too. Since they have a tricky driveway we're about the only ones who stop by anymore.


 The secret to making this such a quick dinner are the make ahead qualities like, cooking the rice in a rice cooker and leaving it on warm while we were out and slicing and marinating the meat in the morning so it has all day to get tender. All I had to do was sauté the broccoli, then the meat with sauce and cook the two together. The flavor is outstanding and everyone loved it.

The marinade is made with soy sauce which will tenderize any cut of meat you happen to use, so grab a tough cut and save some dough. I happened to have some sirloin, bought in bulk and cut down to family sized packages, so that's what I used but any cut will work. Also I think pork or chicken would be just as delicious as beef and I may add a spicy kick the next time I make it.


 Quick Beef and Broccoli

you will need:
marinade ingredients+several hours to marinate
beef
sauce ingredients-mix up and set aside
a large frying pan
1 large head of broccoli-cleaned, break into bite size florets, clean and peel the stem, chop also
cooking oil
6-8 cups of cooked rice


marinade and beef
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp corn starch
1 tsp cooking oil
2 TBSP water
2 TBSP low salt soy sauce
1 1/4 pound beef--I use a quarter pound for each family member, use less for you family and more rice for the extra sauce

mix the first five ingredients in a shallow pan or like I did right in the freezer bag I had the meat in
slice the beef across the grain and then into bite size pieces
cover or zip closed and marinate for at least one hour but 6-8 is better
turn a couple of times if you can


sauce
1/3 cup soy sauce
pinch of dried ginger
2 tsp sugar or honey
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 TBSP cooking oil
1 teaspoon vinegar
2 TBSP flour

mix all together, whisk if necessary
set aside until ready to use

beef and broccoli 
heat 1 TBSP cooking oil in a large frying pan
when it glistens add the chopped broccoli and the stem also
cook and stir for a few minutes
when its just tender remove from the pan to a bowl, it will go back in the pan soon
add another dollop of oil to the pan
add the marinated meat and half the sauce
cook and stir until the meat is cooked, 3-5 minutes
add the broccoli back and the last of the sauce
cook until the sauce thickens, another minute or so
serve over the hot cooked rice

It looks so blurry, must be from the steam. Anyway good quick eats that won't break the bank.



Peace and love--