Moussaka with Whole Grain Rice Pilaf

    
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     So, y'all know by now that my husband and I decided to go vegetarian for the entire month of January (And probably onward, because we are really enjoying the changes in the way we have been feeling)! I will not lie, the first two weeks were rough, because we went through a week long detox period followed by a week of serious bacon and hamburger cravings, but now that all that has passed, we have been feeling phenomenal! This is the first meal that I've made where I've tried to imitate the flavor of a meat dish by substituting the beef found in a traditional moussaka with soy crumbles. My husband took one bite and got on to me for using meat, it was that convincing for him! The texture of the crumbles resembled slowly braised beef, it was tender and delicious. Honestly, I like this better with the soy crumbles than I do with meat! The man was so impressed with it that he actually asked that I make this a common dish on our dinner table! Yay!! :)
      Traditionally, moussaka is made with eggplant. My husband loathes eggplant more than he despises people eating babies, so I used zucchini instead, which has the added bonus of being one of my son's top five favorite vegetables! Yeah, I have a kid who digs veggies, I'll wait a moment while you glare at the screen with envy. ;)
      If you wanted to make this vegan, you could make the bechamel with unsweetened soy or rice milk. I wouldn't do almond or coconut, because I think their flavors are too strong, but play around and find what works for you. I have never cooked with milk alternatives, but will make sure I make an attempt at that soon, just to share what I feel works and doesn't. Don't use vanilla soy milk. I did that when making mac and cheese once. That was awful. Don't do it. You could also sub out the parmesan for nutritional yeast, and use veggie stock in the pilaf.
Here is how I made the moussaka:
1, 12 oz package soy crumbles (I used Morningstar Farms)
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1, 8 oz can low sodium tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry red wine (I used Menage A Trois California Red Wine. Pinot Noir would rock in this, as well!)
2 Tbsp coursely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (About 2 turns of the knob)
2 large zucchini or 1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/2" slices
1 1/2 cups skim milk
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan (If you use the kind in the can, punch yourself in the face for me!)
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup panko (whole wheat if you can find it, I couldn't, but it exists) or dry whole wheat breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp crushed Italian herb blend (Or use 1/4 tsp basil, 1/8 tsp oregano, and 1/8 tsp parsley)

In a large pan lightly sprayed with olive oil, saute soy crumbles, onion, and garlic over medium high heat until crumbles have warmed and onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, wine, and seasonings, bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, broil zucchini or eggplant for 3 to 4 minutes until tender. Remove from oven, and set to 350 degrees.
Multitasking further, while the zucchini broils, whisk together milk and corn starch in an unheated pot until starch is dissolved. Turn the burner to medium high and cook, stirring often, until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan and nutmeg. Remove from heat.
Lightly grease an 8x8 pan and layer half of the zucchini on the bottom. Top with the "meat" filling, the rest of the zucchini, and all of the bechamel. Sprinkle the panko over top, spritz with a little olive oil (to help the panko brown), and bake for 35 minutes until bubbly and delicious!
This recipe serves 4 very hungry people or 6 with a normal appetite!
This is how the pilaf came into existance:
olive oil cooking spray
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 cup brown rice
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup broken whole wheat spaghetti
(Unless you want an epic mess, break them up into a large bowl, or they will fly
EVERYWHERE! Take my word on this one!)
1 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley (Why don't you see it in the picture? I forgot to add it lol!)

In a small saucepan, saute rice and onion until rice is lightly toasted. Add in bay leaf and stock, boil, then simmer until water is hald absorbed, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast spaghetti in a small pan. After rice has partially cooked, add pasta, adding a little more water if necessary, return to a boil, and simmer 15 more minutes until water is absorbed.
Let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and stir in parsley.

Now that I've told you how I made the pilaf for this meal, I'll tell you how I will make it in the future! Next time, I will use 3/4 cup brown rice with 1/4 cup wild rice, just to give it a variation in texture and more color. My husband also suggested I toss a few peas in next time, just for added color and texture, as well, so I might give that a try!
This recipe makes 6, 2/3 cup servings!

Cuban Black Bean Wrap

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This is a recipe I used with some of the leftovers from last night's Cuban Black Beans and Rice. I had saved half of the beans for burgers I will make later in the week, but had some leftover from what was left of the portion I reserved for us to eat, and decided to make a wrap for lunch! This actually made far more filling than fit in my tortilla, so I served myself the extra in a small ramekin and just ate it with a spoon. It was delicious!! If you have rice leftover, you could add that, as well! You could make it vegan, of course, by omitting the sour cream and eggs.

What I used:
3 egg whites, beaten
salt and pepper
1/2 cup beans, drained from liquid
1/4 cup chunky salsa
a few dashes of hot sauce
1 tablespoon low fat sour cream
1 whole wheat tortilla (Mine was also low carb and low fat, only 60 cals per tortilla)
1 wedge lime
1/2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/4 cup shredded green cabbage
1 roma tomato, diced

Beat egg whites with a little salt and pepper to taste and scramble over medium-low heat until cooked but not dry. Add beans and salsa, cover, and cook until warmed through. Remove from heat and stir in hot sauce and sour cream.

Meanwhile, toast tortilla over a gas burner or warm in a large skillet over medium heat. Line the middle with cabbage and tomato, squeeze a little lime juice over, and top with as much bean filling as you can. Squeeze more lime juice over and sprinkle with some hot sauce, cilantro, and more lime juice. fold up the bottom and then the sides. I needed to use a tooth pick through where the tortillas overlapped to hold it together!

Serve any extra beans in a small bowl, garnished with more cilanto and lime, if desired. If you have extra cabbage and tomato, you can make a little salad dressed with a little lime. You could garnish the beans with some of the extra cabbage and tomato, as I did, as well!

This recipe made enough for me, although there was enough extra filling that I could have made 2!

Cuban Black Beans and Brown Rice

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Once upon a time, I worked at a Latin restaurant, and we served Cuban black beans with rice, and served the same beans with the liquid as a soup drizzled with lime juice and sour cream. It was sooo good, I ate it every evening before my shift! With rice, this is a complete protein, and is full of protein and fiber, so really filling! You can do the same thing we did at the restaurant, scoop the beans out with a slotted spoon and serve it over rice like I did this evening, or ladel it out and serve as a soup! If you aren't vegan, I love to add a small dollop (About 1/2 a tablespoon) of low fat sour cream (Don't buy fat free, they pack that version full of chemicals and stabilizers to give it flavor and texture. I'll take a little fat), lime juice, cilantro, and diced tomato! This makes a TON of beans, roughly 8 cups! I reserved 4 cups of the beans to use later this week for black bean burgers, and divided the remaining beans into one cup servings!

Here is how I made it:
Olive oil cooking spray
1 yellow onion, diced medium
2 celery stalks, diced medium
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
26 oz bag black bean soup mix, seasoning packet discarded or saved for later use, soaked overnight
1 dried bay leaf
1 small bunch cilantro, stems and leaves seperated, stems tied with kitchen twine
3/4 cup brown rice
1 roma tomato
1 lime cut into wedges
sour cream

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, saute onion, celery, and garlic and cook until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and cumin and saute until fragrant, about a minute.

Add black beans, 8 cups of water, bay leaf, and cilantro stems, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, tilt lid, and cook until beans are tender and liquid is slightly reduced, 1 1/2 to 2 hours (I like mine still a bit firm, so I stay with 1 1/2 hours, if you like soft beans, aim for 2). Taste for seatoning and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Remove bay leaf and cilantro stems.

Meanwhile, cook rice with 2 cups water, bring to a boil and reduce until tender, 30-45 minutes.

Serve beans over rice, or omit rice and serve as a soup! If you'd like, serve topped with tomato, cilantro leaves, sour cream, and lime wedges to squeeze over top!

Baked Tilapia, Broccoli with Cheese Sauce, Steamed Asparagus, and Rice!

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Husband made dinner the night before last, and even made a pretty presentation! Our son doesn't care for asparagus, so I made some steamed broccoli with cheese sauce so he would eat his freaking vegges! He loves broccoli, won't touch aspara...gus! My husband found this awesome Uncle Ben's 90 second rice blend of wild rice, red rice, and black rice, so all whole grains! I don't usually like buying them, since they're flavored and more expensive, but he wanted them! This didn't have MSG in it, which I was adament about checking for since it swells my sinuses. It was really yummy, so I'm going to go pick up the wild, red, and brown rice blend I saw the other day which was just the rice! The asparagus was frozen, we just popped it in a microwavable container, laid the top over at an angle and nuked for 5 minutes. Simple. The cheese sauce makes more than you really need, but it's delicious on other stuff, too, or folded into a warmed corn tortilla and eaten as a quesadilla. That's what I did with the extra! :)

How Man made the fish:
5 Tilapia fillets
Mrs Dash Italian Medly
flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season fish with the herb blend and sprinkle a little flour over (It gave the fish a little crunchy topping, I would have spritzed some olive oil spray over the top to brown it.). Bake for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.

For the broccoli:
2 crowns of broccoli, crowns cut off
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/8 tsp worchesterchire
1/8 tsp hot sauce

In a steamer basket over boiling water, steam broccoli about 5 minutes until fork tender.

In a small saucepan, whisk together milk and starch, bring to a boil while stirring often. Once it has reached a boil, remove from heat and stir in cheese, hot sauce, and worchestershire until cheese is melted and completely mixed with the milk. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and drizzle over broccoli!

This recipe serves 4!

Vegetable and Tofu Pad Thai

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I love Asian food, particularly Thai and Vietnamese, because their dishes tend to use my favorite ingredients, cilantro, lime, fish sauce, and Siracha! If you're vegan, you can substitute soy sauce for the fish sauce. My husband has never liked me cooking with tofu, and he really liked this! Even my son grabbed some of the seared tofu off my cutting board and ran off with it, singing it's praises! I did change up this recipe just a little bit to lower the fat and boost the protein by using less oil to cook the eggs, veggies, and tofu in, and by using four egg whites instead of two whole eggs. I meant to use wide rice noodles, but forgot to buy them, so I used whole wheat spaghetti, instead. I would have used fetucchini if I'd had it on hand, however.

Here's what I did!
14 oz firm tofu, drained and blotted dry
8oz dried wide, flat rice noodles (Or whole wheat fetucchini or spaghetti)
1/4 cup lime juice (3 normal limes or 1 1/2 of the monster limes I got last week!), plus wedges for serving
3 Tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce)
1 Tbsp Siracha chili sauce
1 Tbsp packed dark brown sugar
vegetable oil cooking spray
4 egg whites lightly beaten
2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions, white and green parts seperated and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp roasted peanuts, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Wrap tofu in a double layer of paper towels and set in a bowl. Top with another bowl and a heavy can or two to press out liquid. Let sit 30 minutes, blot again, cut in half widthwise, then slice thinly along the short side, blot again.

If using rice noodles, soak according to package directions, or cook whole wheat pasta according to package directions.

In a small bowl, combine lime juice, fish or soy sauce, Siracha, and brown sugar. Set aside to let the flavors marry.

In a large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray, cook eggs, swirling to coat the bottom of the pan and cook until set, 1 minute, transfer to a cutting board, lightly roll up, and slice into thin strips (Or, if you fail at this like I did, just scramble the eggs!). Clean out the pan if any egg stuck, re-spray with oil, and cook tofu until golden brown on both sides and crisp, about 7 minutes, flipping halfway through. Transfer to cutting board. I sliced each piece in half, as well, just to make it more fork friendly.

Add carrots, garlic, and scallion whites to skillet and cook until softenend, about 3-5 minutes. Add sauce and bring to a simmer. Add noodles and cook, tossing frequently for about a minute, then toss in eggs and tofu to combine.

Serve topped with scallion greens, cilantro, and chopped peanuts, with lime wedges on the side.

Make Your Own Wild Rice Blend!

Here's something that irks me (One of a laundry list of things I find irksome, I should say), I could not find a wild rice mix that wasn't seasoned anywhere, in any of the three stores I tried! It used to exist, I've seen it before! Every freaking box of wild rice mix was blended with white rice and herbs, seasonings, MSG (Which I'm mildly allergic to, and avoid at all costs.), food dyes, and other delicious chemicals I don't want to feed my family. Even if I didn't mind being mummified at 26, the problem still existed that I needed it for my wild rice stuffing for Christmas and wanted to season it myself, not have Uncle Ben do it for me. Where's the fun in that?

What I did find was a box of just wild rice, so I made my own mix! Wild rice really isn't that good on it's own, so you want to have it with another rice. For the one cup I need for the stuffing I'm making for Christmas, I used 3/4 cup brown rice and 1/4 cup wild! When I figured out the cost, it also came out to be cheaper than if I had bought a box of the stuff made with white rice and seasoned with MSG and a ton of salt! The finished product was awesome, by the way! I'll post that in a bit!

Tacos with Refried Beans and Salsa Rice

Sooo, I kinda really love tacos! Growing up in Texas, I crave Mexican food a lot. Most of my favorites are not the most healthy, so when I'm craving the flavors, I go for tacos! This is another great way to sneak in veggies, you can chop up and saute whatever you like, I like to add mushrooms and zucchini, because they kind of have a similar texture to the beef. It stretches out the meat, too, so you can feed more people on less meat, which we all know is the most expensive thing in the grocery cart! I didn't do that this time, because this was last minute and I didn't have them on hand, but it's really so good!

 For the tacos:
1 Box of taco shells (I don't normally buy packaged stuff, but this I do. Frying my own tortilla shells (Which, honestly, I like more), results in a load more fat, so I buy the shells.
1/2 onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno, minced (optional, I would add more, but my house mates don't like food as hot as I do)
1 pound 97% lean beef
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne (Look! You've made taco seasoning! Now stop buying the expensive salt loaded crap! lol!)
shredded lettuce (Please, don't use iceburg, it has no nutrition. Go with green leaf or romaine for some iron and vitamins.)
chopped tomato
diced onion

Warm shells in oven according to package directions.

In a large pan, saute onion, garlic, and jalapeno until softened, 3-5 minutes. Crumble in ground beef, season with the spices, and cook until brown, draining fat if necessary (The most effective way to do this, I've found, is to line a mesh seive with paper towels, pour the beef in, fold the paper towel over the top to blot, wipe the skillet with another paper towel, and add meat back in the pan to dry off the excess). You can sauce the meat one of two ways, you can make the sauce in the pan with the meat, like I do, or you can make it in a seperate pot to drizzle over your tacos. It's up to you! Top with lettuce, tomato, and onion. If you want, top with a half tablespoon of crated cheese per taco (I add mine on top of the meat so it melts). If you're like me, top with hot sauce! :)

Taco sauce:
1 8oz jar tomato sauce
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne (optional, if you like it with a little heat)
1 1/2 tsp oregano, crushed
1/2 tsp worcestershire

Combine all ingredients into a small saucepan, or in the pan with your cooked meat, and simmer for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.

Refried beans:
3/4 cup dry pinto beans (Or you can use a can of beans. However, it's cheaper and you save sodium cooking dried beans)
1 onion, one half whole, the other chopped
2 cloves garlic, one smashed, the other minced
1/2 jalapeno, minced (Seeds out if you want it milder, leave them if you want it spicy)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
salt
pepper
chicken stock, at least 1/2 cup

Soak beans in enough water to cover overnight. Drain, rinse (Rinse them well, it cuts the gassiness of the beans), and add to a pot with enough water to cover by an inch, along with the whole onion half and smashed garlic clove. Boil beans, reduce heat to simmer, cover with a tilted lid, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until tender. Drain and rinse again.

Saute chopped onion, garlic, and jalapeno until tender, add beans, seasonings, and stock. You can either mash the beans with a potato masher for courser beans, or puree in the food processor (That's what I do, I like them smooth), adding as much stock as necessary to reach desired consistency. Taste for seasoning and adjust as desired. I like to top mine with cotija cheese, which is not always available, so, instead, I'll use fat free feta (This is one of few fat free dairy products I'll use, as they don't add chemicals to compensate, and you can't taste the difference), which is very similar.

Salsa rice:
I don't have a recipe for this, lol! I had about a cup of leftover rice from a stir fry my husband made the night before, so I nuked it in the microwave with a few tablespoons of salsa. Easy, yummy, score!

Husband's Coconut Rum Chicken

This is something my husband made for us the other night! He didn't name it, so I'll call it Coconut Rum Chicken! It was so good! He doesn't usually decide what he wants to make on the nights he wants to cook far enough in advance to marinate, so he speed marinates by boiling the uncooked meat in water and whatever he's using to marinate with before sauteeing the meat, it always comes out really good! He served it simply, over steamed brown rice with mixed veggies! Here is what he did:

 

 

1 package chicken thighs, sliced into strips, fat trimmed as much as possible
Mrs Dash salt free caribbean citrus seasoning (I'm not sure how much he used, he shakes until it looks like enough! I'll say it was probably 1/2 to 1 teaspoon.)
1/4 cup coconut rum
water
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped

Add chicken, seasoning and rum to a large pan and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, cover with a tilted lid, and reduce heat to between rapid bubble and simmer, and cook until liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes. Add onion and bell pepper and saute until chicken has browned and veggies are tender, about 5 minutes. Serve over rice! Easy, fast, yummy!

Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy, Roasted Corn, and Creamy Mushroom Rice

Yay for corn season!!! I love, scratch that, adore corn on the cob when corn is in season and perfectly sweet and juicy! Yummo! So, imagine my delight when I went to the store and saw fresh corn on sale 3 for 99 cents!! I got 8! Lol! I made 4 this night, and two each night for the other two nights for little toot and myself (During the week, husband ate at the chow hall to save us money.)! I'm also a little too in love with mushrooms, and they were also on sale in bulk, so I bought two pounds and had the rest of what I didn't use this night in my eggs for a couple of weeks! Rice a Roni was on super sale as well, so I got a box of chicken rice and doctored it up some, as well!!

Cheapy cheap, tasty, and reasonably healthy!

Win!

For the pork chops with magic mushroomy goodness of love;

This recipe takes about 30 minutes to prep and cook.

4 bone-in pork chops, trimmed of fat

1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed (Fresh is a little too woodsy for this, in my opinion.)

salt

pepper

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz mushrooms, quartered

1/4 cup fat free, low sodium chicken broth

3/4 can condenced 99% fat free, low sodium cream of mushroom soup

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

Heat a large skillet, coated with cooking spray, over medium-high heat. Season pork on both sides with rosemary, salt and pepper. Cook 15-20 minutes on both sides, turning halfway through, until almost cooked through, lowering heat if you need to, and adding more spray to the pan while you have the pork lifted to flip (Off the heat if you're using gas!). Remove from pan, and tent with foil to keep warm. You can cook it all the way if you desire, I take it off a little short so it doesn't over cook during the carry over time, where it will continue to cook as it rests. Do what makes you most comfortable.

Spray the pan with additional cooking spray, if needed, and add onions. Saute until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms and saute 3 to 5 minutes more until mushrooms begin to brown. Add chicken broth to deglaze and scrape up all of the yummy brown bits. Add the mushroom soup and rosemary, bring to a bubble, reduce heat, and simmer until thickened to desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly! Enjoy with mushroom induced extacy!!

This recipe serves 4.

The rice was super easy;

This recipe takes about 30 minutes to cook.

1 package Chicken or Mushroom Rice A Roni

1/4 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

4 oz mushrooms, chopped

1/4 can cream of mushroom soup (the remaining soup from the can you used for the gravy"

chicken broth or milk, if desired

pepper

dried rosemary, crushed

Cook rice according to package instructions.

In a small skillet coated with cooking spray, saute the onions until starting to soften, 2 minutes. Add in garlic and mushrooms and saute until mushrooms start to brown, about 5 minutes.

When rice is ready, stir in soup and mushrooms, adding chicken broth or milk to thin it, if desired, and season with pepper (Don't add salt, the seasonings for the rice contain plenty of salt). Simmer to warm through, and garnish with a little crushed rosemary or chopped parsley or basil.

This recipe serves 4.

If I wanted to, I couldn't make the corn easier:

This takes about 40 minutes to make and serve.

4 ears of corn, unshucked

2 tablespoons butter or margerine, softened

1 teaspoon italian seasonings, crushed (Or any dried herbs or spices you desire.)

pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay corn directly on the oven rack and roast 30 to 40 minutes, until the corn feels slightly soft when you press on it.

Meanwhile, combine butter with seasonings and pepper.

When corn is done, pull back husks (It is much easier to remove the silk now than when the corn is raw.), tying one husk around the others to make a handle, if you like. Rub the corn with a little of the butter. Enjoy!!

This recipe serves 4.

Morrocan Spiced Stuffed Peppers

So, our move to California wasn't terribly cheap, and we, like every other non billionaire in America, are needing to save money. What's cheaper than a dish that is mostly rice and only needs half of a pound of meat, while fitting in proper servings of protein, vegetables, and grains? It would be a little more authentic using ground lamb, but that's expensive, so I used pork, since it was on sale. :)

The red pepper really saved this from being

unattractive! It is delicious, though!!

Here's how to travel to Morocco without a passport:

This recipe takes about an hour to prep and cook.

1/2 cup brown rice

4 bell peppers of any color you desire (I chose red for appearances!), tops removed and cored

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1/2 pound ground pork

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

1/4 cup finely chopped mint

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/8 teaspoon black pepper (any more and it will be too peppery)

Cook rice according to package directions.

In a large saucepan, boil broth and add peppers. Cover and simmer on low 3 to 5 minutes until just starting to soften, turning if need be. Remove peppers, pouring liquid back into pot and reserving liquid. Drain upside down over paper towels.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet sprayed with cooking spray, saute onion until beginning to get tender, about 2 minutes, then add pork and garlic and brown. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon, mint, spices, rice, and 3/4 cup reserved broth. Stuff peppers with mixture.

Add water or more chicken broth to pot, if necessary, to total 1 1/4 cup liquid. Stand stuffed peppers in in the broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes until peppers are just tender. Garnish with additional mint, if desired and enjoy robustly!

This recipe serves 4.

Chuck Steak Stir Fry

This recipe came from my trying to use up the meat we have in the house! We're moving soon, and I hate food waste, so I'm trying to use all I have around! I had two chuck steaks leftover in my freezer from something I made a while back, so I figured I'd stretch the protein with a veggie packed stir fry! This was awesome! The only downer is that now when my son sees corn he starts asking for baby corn! I guess I need to start keeping some on hand, he loves them!!

To put this hot bowl of awesome in your belly;

This recipe takes about 45 minutes to prepare.

1 cup brown rice

2 cups beef stock

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

6 scallions, sliced thinly on the bias

1/2 pound chuck steaks (2 steaks, roughly), cut into thin strips

2 teaspoons Chinese 5 spice

salt

3 tablespoons orange juice

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons beef stock

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon Splenda

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, crushed

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 carrot, diced

2 handfuls sugar snap peas

1 can baby corn, drained and rinsed

1 can water chestnuts, drained and rinsed

1 can bamboo shoots, drained and rinsed 

In a small pot, combine rice and beef stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes, until rice is tender. Toss with one teaspoon sesame oil and  2 green onions.

Meanwhile, season beef evenly with 5 spice and salt. In a large skillet or wok sprayed with cooking spray, cook over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until just seared outside and still pink in the middle. Drain on paper towels.

For the sauce, in a small bowl, combine orange juice, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons beef stock, hoisin, ginger, 2 teaspoons of the garlic, cornstarch, Splenda, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.

In the skillet or wok sprayed with cooking spray, lower heat to medium. Add 3 green onions and the remaining garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until beginning to soften, 2 minutes. Add bell pepper and carrot, season again, and saute until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add snap peas, baby corn, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots, and warm through. Add meat back to pan and stir in the sauce. Toss well and simmer until thickened.

Serve in bowls over rice. Drizzle the tops with the 1 remaining teaspoon sesame oil, and top with the remaining green onion. Enjoy!!

This recipe serves 4.