MARINATED BEEF STIR FRY

RECIPES FOR ORDINARY DAYS WHEN YOU WANT TO CREATE SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY WITH VERY LITTLE FUSS.

This is one of those handy dandy recipes that you can make ahead, even up to 24 hours ahead if you want, and then take it out at dinnertime and put it together in a flash and it will look like you've been working on it for hours. Thus, it's called a Make Ahead Dish. Something like this really comes in handy if you're working with a deadline or if you've invited company for dinner and you know you won't have time to do much after you get home from wherever you've been and before they arrive. It all consists of three main things: 1) cutting up and marinating the meat, 2) chopping up some vegetables and 3) cooking a pot of rice. See, it's as simple as one, two, three. Now, that's what I would call easy peasy. Those Asians knew what they were doing when they invented Stir Fry. It's one of the simplest of all meals and yet it tastes as good as it looks. There's no real secret to it but there are a few tricks and once you learn those, then you're as good as there. And, to top it all off, not only is it good to look at and to eat, it's also good for you with all those wonderful fresh veggies and a minimum of meat cooked to perfection with whatever kind of rice you choose. If you're a purist, you will probably want some kind of brown rice. My favorite happens to be brown Jasmine rice, but there are plenty of other kinds out there. If you are in a hurry, then Minute Rice will be your best friend. It also comes in the brown rice variety. So you see, this recipe could be one of the best things that has happened to you in a long time. It could save your bacon when you're between a rock and a hard place and need something quick that will both satisfy and impress. And so, without further ado, here is how it is done:

First you make the marinade:

1/2 C. beef broth

4 T. olive oil

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. Spike seasoning

1/4 tsp. pepper

3 T. soy sauce

1/2 lb. beef flank steak cut into 1/8 inch strips

2 limes, juiced

2. Cut up the steak while it is still partially frozen which makes it much easier to cut into small strips.

3. Put the beef into a bowl and pour the marinade over it. Then put it all into a Ziploc bag and put into the refrigerator. Marinate it anywhere from 12 to 24 hours.

4. Then, whenever you have the time, cut up some vegetables. The best ones to use are:

carrots (4)

broccoli (1 crown cut into florettes)

mushrooms (1/2 C.)

onions (1 medium)

zucchini (1)

snow peas (1 C.)

red and green sweet peppers (1/2 of each)

celery (1 C.)

canned sliced water chestnuts are also great to use (1 can)

Put the vegetables into a Ziploc bag and refrigerate until you are ready to use them.

5. When you are ready to start the stir fry, cook a pot of rice, the amount depending on how many people you plan to feed. A good rule of thumb is 1 C. of rice cooked in 2 C. of water for 3-4 people.

6. About 15 minutes before dinner, heat up a large skillet and stir fry the vegetables in 2 T. olive oil until they are crisp-tender. This takes about 7-8 minutes. Remove them from the pan and set aside.

7. Drain the marinade from the beef before frying, then put into the skillet and cook the meat until all the pink is gone.

8. This will take approximately 10 minutes. Before adding the vegetables back to the meat and after it is thoroughly cooked, add:

1/2 C. beef broth

2 T. soy sauce

3 T. corn starch

Bring to a boil to thicken, then add the vegetables back to the skillet.

9. Cook and stir until all the vegetables and meat are thoroughly mixed and the sauce is covering all.
10. Serve over the rice while it is hot. Add more soy sauce to taste. Serves 3-4. Enjoy!