Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe

I realized I didn't include the recipe in my last post, so here it is: Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry PointsPlus® value | 5 Servings |  4 Preparation Time |  12 min Cooking Time |  12 min Level of Difficulty |  Easy  main meals |  This classic Chinese recipe can be made in less time than it takes to order take-out. Serve with rice, noodles or large Bibb lettuce leaves for lettuce wraps.* Ingredients 2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch, divided 1/4 tsp table salt 3/4 pound(s) uncooked lean trimmed sirloin beef, thinly sliced against the grain 2 tsp canola oil 1 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided 5 cup(s) uncooked broccoli, florets (about a 12 oz bag) 1 Tbsp ginger root, fresh, minced 2 tsp minced garlic 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste 1/4 cup(s) low-sodium soy sauce 1/2 cup(s) water Instructions On a plate, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch and salt; add beef and toss to coat. Heat oil in a large nonstick wok or large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and stir-fry until lightly browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes; transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Add 1/2 cup broth to same pan; stir to loosen any bits on food on bottom of pan. Add broccoli; cover and cook, tossing occasionally and sprinkling with a tablespoon water if needed, until broccoli is almost crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Uncover pan and add ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes; stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. In a cup, stir together soy sauce, remaining 1/2 cup broth, remaining 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch and water until blended; stir into pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer; simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Return beef and accumulated juices to pan; toss to coat. Serve. Yields about 1 1/4 cups per serving. Notes  *Could affect PointsPlus value.

Dinner Time

So one of my New Year's Resolutions was to cook more often (specifically 3 times per week - but I'm not quite there yet).  Last night I cooked Beef with Broccoli Stir Fry.  This was a Weight Watchers Recipe for 5 points (plus points for rice).  Here are some pics of the cooking process and the finished product.



Beef coated in corn starched and salt.




Oil.  I added a 1/2 tsp of Sesame Oil for added flavor
(this impacts the Points values of the recipe).




Autumn helping Mommy cook.




Jasmine rice.




Ingredients.




Peeling the ginger root.




Mincing the ginger root.




Stir frying the beef.




Cooking the broccoli.




Putting it all together.




Finished product.




Paired with the Brooklyn Brewery Sorachi Ace Saison Farmhouse Ale. 
We had this beer at my birthday dinner in November and we really enjoyed it.



Feliz Navidad - Tamale Time

My lovely sister-in-law, Aislynn, is half Mexican, which means we get to pretend to be Mexican at Christmas and help her make tamales!  YUM!  Aislynn did most of the hard work (cooking the pork the night before and making the Masa).  My father-in-law, David, and I just helped her assemble the tamales on Christmas Eve.  We enjoyed eating them on Christmas Day with our other Mexican themed fare.

Here are some pics from our tamale making day:



Autumn with her favorite Tia (okay her only "Tia").

 

Beginning the tamale making process.
Notice the new ceiling in my kitchen (thanks Andrew!)



Masa!



Pulled pork.



Assembly line time.

 

Papa helping his "girls" (minus 1 - where were you Allison?) make tamales.

 

Step 1 - Start with a corn husk (you must soak these the day before, so they are pliable).



Step 2 - Spread Masa on the flat end of the husk in a square approx 4in by 4in.

 

Step 2 cont - spreading the Masa.

 

Step 3 - Add the pork (or other filling) on the Masa.

 

Step 4 - Begin to roll tightly.

 

Step 5 - Tuck the "tail" into the roll.

 

Step 6 - Roll some more.

 

Voila! (or however they say that in Spanish)

 

We made about 5 dozen in total - and they were YUMMY!

 

Lexy hanging out on my diaper bag while we work.

 If you plan to make tamales I highly recommend looking up a "how to" video on YouTube.  This helped us considerably.  Calls to Tia's Mommy also helped! :-)