Beef and Broccoli

By Paul Briand

As part of our holiday travels, my wife Jane and I visited Jane's daughter in Richmond, VA, and during a walking tour of one of the neighborhoods we stepped into a Penzeys Spices shop.

I hadn't heard of the store, but there are shops throughout the country, according to the web site.

What I liked about the store was the aroma. You can imagine that a spice shop would be an assault on the sense of smell, but it wasn't overwhelming. Frankly, it made me hungry.

The other thing I liked about the store was the offer of all kinds of recipes to go along with various spices from Penzeys, including some unique blends for specific purposes. This recipe, for example, called for Chicago Steak Seasoning from Penzeys.

I helped myself to the recipes, but didn't buy any spice. I really had enough of what I need in my pantry. So I adapted the recipe without the Penzeys spice.

Ingredients

2 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons of a base Italian dressing of vinegar and oil

1 teaspoons garlic powder

3 cups spinach

3 cups mixed greens

1 red bell pepper thinly sliced

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 pound sirloin steak

Pepper, salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cups chopped broccoli

Directions

1. Put the soy sauce, rice vinegar canola oil, vinegar/oil, and garlic in a cruet or jar with a lid. Shake well and set aside;

2. In a large salad bowl, toss the spinach, mixed greens, pepper and carrot with the dressing (saving 2 tablespoons). Place on a large platter;

3. Season the meat with salt and pepper and cut into thin slices;

4. Add olive oil to a wok or large saucepan to high heat and, when oil it hot, add the steak and cook for 3 minutes until brown, stirring regularly;

5. Add the broccoli and the remaining dressing and cook for 2 or 3 minutes;

6. Top the greens with the prepared beef and broccoli. Serves four.

Print recipe card here.

Cashew Beef with Broccoli and Snow Peas

By Paul Briand

Here's the last, at least for now, of some recipes from the "Flat Belly Diet! For Men," which I've been using less as a diet regimen and more as a guideline for ways to eat better and, with proper attention to exercise, lose some weight.

So far, so good: I've shed five pounds over a stretch of about two weeks that included several days of fat belly eating and drinking with family during a ski vacation in northern New Hampshire.

One thing you'll notice about these meals is that the serving is supposed to be enough to fill that belly you're trying to flatten. This particular beef recipe has 314 calories in a serving. The idea is to have a so-called MUFA (mono-unsaturated fatty acid) included in the recipe to 1) help you feel more full 2) use the properties of the MUFA (in this case cashews) to work its healthy magic.

Ingredients
1 pound extra-lean top round steak, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons of dry sherry
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons black bean sauce
3 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
3 cups broccoli florets
1/3 cup water
4 ounces snow peas
1 carrot, sliced
1/2 cup unsalted roasted cashews

Directions
1. Combine the sliced steak with 1 tablespoon of the sherry and 1 tablespoon soy sauce in a bowl;
2. Combine the remaining sherry and soy sauce along with the honey and black bean sauce in a separate bowl;
3. Heat a tablespoon of sesame oil over medium-high heat and cook the steak, stirring occasionally until no longer pink. Transfer to a plate and reserve;
4. Add remaining sesame oil to skillet and stir in the onion and cook for one minute;
5. Add the ginger and cook about 15 seconds, until fragrant;
6. Add the broccoli and water, cook 2 minutes, stirring often until broccoli is bright green;
7. Stir in snow peas, carrot and cashews and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often;
8. Stir in the beef and sherry mixtures, and cook until mixture is hot and vegetables are crisp-tender.

Note: When I cooked this, I didn't use the water. There was enough liquid and I was concerned the water would just -- well -- water is all down too much. Also, I added 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms and some sliced carrot for texture and color.