Rachael Ray couldn't put dinner on the table this quickly

Spicy Orange Beef
Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2006 Copyright 2005

1 (3 /12-ounce) bag boil-in-bag brown rice I used regular brown rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic I used fresh minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 pound boneless sirloin steak, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
3/4 cup (1-inch) slices green onions

1. Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Combine rice and salt, tossing well.
2. Combine garlic, pepper, and beef, tossing well.
3. Combine rind, juice, cornstarch, and soy sauce, stirring with a whisk.*
4. Heat oil* in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef mixture and onions; sauté 2 minutes. Add juice mixture; cook 2 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring frequently. Serve beef mixture over rice.

*I added the sesame oil to the sauce. It's not usually used for frying, just flavoring, I thought. So I added a small amount of canola oil to the pan.

Serves 4. Per serving: 274 cal, 6.8 g fat, 26.5 g fat, 24.9 g carbs,
2.1 g fiber,69 mg chol, 3.7 mg iron, 627 mg sodium, 25 mg calcium
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This was a little bit confusing (ingredients should be listed in the order they're used!) but still super-simple and personally I loved it. It had just the slightest burn, perfect for me - enough to notice but not enough to distract me from the rest of the flavors. This took no time at all. The night before I sliced the beef and added the minced garlic and crushed pepper to it. I also cooked the rice the night before. After work I just had to slice the onions and mix up the sauce. Grating the orange took the most time and that didn't really take long at all. The dish was completely cooked in under 5 minutes. I nuked the rice and made a simple salad of (English) cucumber sprinkled with rice vinegar and sugar to accompany the dish, as the lead-in to the recipe suggested.

I was always a fan of orange beef but Chinese food is a little risky to order out anymore, due to my son's food allergies. This was much lighter and healthier and did I mention how simple and fast this was? With no prep work and 90-second rice you could have this on the table in 20 minutes.

BTW, we didn't have rice two nights in a row. I made Sweet Jalapeño Mustard Turkey Thighs and an odd-and-ends pasta salad in between. I'm still not sure about that turkey recipe. It may just be the slow-cooked turkey that's so good, regardless of the 'glaze'. Next time, I'm going to try using barbecue sauce and see how that goes.

Last night was the night to plan next week's recipes and I wasn't feeling very inspired but I think I've got the entire week planned. That extra hour I stayed up late to watch Project Runway really helped. This week has been going so well because I planned it out thoroughly ahead of time. My husband is enjoying having the weekly menu posted too. Usually he has no idea what he's eating but now he just checks the menu.

Question of the Day: What is your quickest, cooked meal that you make?