Healthy and delicious--Spinach and Beef Skillet

Spinach and Beef Skillet
The Healthy Beef Cookbook Copyright 2006

1 pound boneless beef top sirloin steak, cut ¾ inch thick
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips I used some red and some yellow
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, divided
2 tablespoons water I left this out - my peppers had been frozen which makes them softer and more watery
3 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach I used baby spinach
½ cup sliced green onions
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 cups hot cooked brown rice, prepared without butter or salt I couldn't find the brown rice I thought I had so I used Uncle Ben's

1. Cut beef steak lengthwise in half, then crosswise into ¼-inch-thick strips. Toss with sesame oil and garlic.
2. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add half of the beef; stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes or until outside surface of beef is no longer pink. Remove from skillet; keep warm. Repeat with remaining beef.
3. In same skillet, add bell pepper, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and water. Cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until pepper is crisp-tender. Add spinach and green onions; cook and stir until spinach is just wilted. Stir in ketchup, remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce and beef; heat through. Serve over rice.

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 361 cal, 9g fat, 62mg chol, 691mg sodium, 30g carbs, 2.8g fiber, 37g protein
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This was another nice little stir fry. I might have liked a few more vegetables in it but beef is the star of the recipes in this cookbook. You could definitely add more vegetables and/or a different variety, if you'd like. The sauce was mellow but quite tasty. I was worried about the spinach but it blended in quite nicely. The last time I made a recipe with cooked greens (baby arugula), it wasn't very pleasant but the baby spinach was much more tender.

I wasn't crazy about the meat - the pieces were a bit thicker than I would have liked. I should have sliced it in the morning when it was still somewhat frozen. It was completely thawed by the time I got home. I picked this beef up in Costco and it was cheap but not the optimal cut for a recipe like this. My son loved it though - he kept asking for more 'steak'.

This is perfect for Sweetnick's ARF 5-A-Day Tuesdays. Bell peppers, green onions and spinach are super healthy. You also get a small kick of lycopene from the ketchup.

I know I promised to be back on track this week but I just got word that my husband is home with a stomach bug. I'm not sure if it will be worth cooking what I had planned tonight. I'm not even sure I want to go home tonight knowing what a big baby he can be when he's sick.

Blast From The Past: Spicy Orange Beef from July 2006. That's one of my other favorite beef stir fries but it's light on vegetables.

Question of the Day: What's a good bland food to feed a sick person?