Written By: Kaiti George
Each August, I start to get VERY nostalgic. I vividly remember the start of the school year at many stages of my life…my first day of kindergarten (yes…I remember!), receiving the phone call from my 3rd grade teacher telling me I was going to be in her homeroom (and crying after because I didn’t want her as my teacher) and walking across the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus as a new freshman and being totally overwhelmed.
The return of school brings back so many memories, but all in all, the return of a regular routine. I’m sure many of you follow a very loose summer schedule of lounging at a campsite on the weekends, supper at the ballpark or even just staying up WAY too late. I’m guilty of the ladder one right now!
With all of this being said, August reignites the ‘hustle and bustle’ lifestyle. I’m here to help you make the most of your busy schedules and hectic meal times with a simple cooking technique guaranteed to get dinner on the table pronto. No cooking method is faster than stir-frying!
Meet the stir-fry—the dinnertime darling of moms across the country. With only a few simple steps, you’ll have a one-dish meal ready for the whole gang in 30 minutes or less. And because so many of us are visual learners, I’ve broken down our popular Asian Beef and Vegetable Stir-Fry (full recipe below) into easy-reference how-to photos that follow along with the recipe.
- Cut beef steak lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/4-inch thick strips.
2. Combine vegetables and 3 tablespoons water in large nonstick skillet. Cover and cook over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove and drain.
3. Heat same pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1/2 of beef and 1/2 of garlic; stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes or until outside surface of beef is no longer pink. Remove. Repeat with remaining beef and garlic.
4. Return all beef and vegetables to pan. Add stir-fry sauce and red pepper; heat through. Spoon over rice. Sprinkle with peanuts, if desired.
The beauty of the stir-fry is that it can be a one skillet (or wok) meal. Cheers to acing the stir-fry quiz!
Asian Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry (full recipe)
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 pound boneless top sirloin steak, cut 1 inch thick
- 4 cups assorted fresh vegetables, such as sugar snap peas, broccoli florets, bell pepper strips and carrots
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ cup prepared stir fry sauce, preferably sesame ginger flavor
- 1/8 to ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 3 cups hot cooked brown rice
- 2 tablespoons unsalted dry roasted peanuts (optional)
Instructions:
- Cut beef steak lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/4-inch thick strips
- Combine vegetables and 3 Tablespoons water in a large nonstick skillet. Cover and cook over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until crisp tender. Remove and drain.
- Heat same pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1/2 of beef and 1/2 of garlic; stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes or until outside surface of beef is no longer pink. Remove. Repeat with remaining beef and garlic.
- Return all beef and vegetables to pan. Add stir-fry sauce and red pepper; heat through. Spoon over rice. Sprinkle with peanuts, if desired.