Steak Stir Fry

Being a newlywed is really fun. The first few weeks of being married I dug into our many new cookbooks we received as gifts. I experimented with various dishes. However, this wasn't so nice for our checkbook. So I made the switch to eating out, mostly at not healthy places. Well, eating out hasn't been so nice for my figure. So the past couple of weeks I've been making meals that are budget friendly and healthier than, say... pizza. One of our favorite meals to make in this fashion has been a variation on a stir fry. This recipe is inexpensive, easy, and quick to make. Some nights we make it with chicken, some with steak. The following is our steak stir fry, step by step. 

You will need:

- Strips of steak (We use a little over half a pound for two people)

- La Choy Stir Fry Marinate

- Yellow, red, and/or green bell peppers (as many or few as you like)

- 1 can of baby corn, drained and cut in half

- 1 Onion sliced and cut

- Shredded carrots

- About 4 - 5 oz of green beans

- Lime juice

- 3 cloves of garlic thinly sliced

- Asian stir fry oil

Step 1: Start with strips of steak. We got these from Publix for under $3. Cut the steak strips in half and place them in a plastic bag. 

Step 2: Put La Choy Stir Fry marinate in the bag. La Choy is our favorite brand of stir fry and asian sauce because it is gluten free. 

Step 3: Place bag of marinated steak in the fridge for at least an hour, turning over at least once. I usually keep mine in the fridge for a couple of hours, mixing and turning the bag over a every hour or so.

Step 4: Prepare other ingredients... Cut up bell peppers, drain corn and cut, cut onion, garlic, and wash and snap off the ends of the beans. 

Step 5:  Heat up about 2 tbsp of oil in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat

Step 6: Add the garlic and the onions. Let cook for about 2 - 3 minutes.

Step 7: Add baby corn, bell peppers, green beans and carrots. 

Step 8: While the veggies are cooking in the wok, heat up 1 tbsp of stir fry oil in a skillet. Add contents from the bag of meat. Add lime juice. Cook meat to preference. 

Step 9: After the meat is cooked, remove it from the pan and place in the wok. Pour about 1/2 cup of La Choy Stir Fry marinate over veggies and meat and stir. 

Step 10: Pair with white rice. For a vegetarian stir fry I recommend using Quinoa. This is great stuff! It's packed full of protein and has no gluten! I have a wonderful black bean and quinoa recipe that I'll have to share in the future. 

Final Step: Plate and enjoy! To add another asian flair to your meal, try homemade fortune cookies! Click HERE

Bayou Pork with 'Not Your Ordinary Black Beans'

I recently posted this recipe on another blog, oomy gooey goodness. Thought I would share it on here.

My husband comes from a Cuban family, so we often eat a combination of black beans and rice paired with a variation of protein. I love my hubby's black beans! Tonight we made the beans and rice and paired it with 'Bayou Pork'. 

Beans

You will need:

Goya black beans

Red Wine Vinaigrette

Basil Leaves

Cumin

Salt

Always start with Goya black beans. You can get them at the ordinary grocery, though sometimes only one store in your area will carry it... for example, the Kroger here doesn't have them, but Publix does.

Cook the beans in a small sauce pan. Add a few squirts of a red wine vinaigrette, two basil leaves, a dash of cumin, and a dash of salt. Stir beans periodically. We start the beans first and time them based on how long it takes the rice to cook. We cook our rice in a rice cooker. 

Bayou Pork

You will need:

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp rubbed dried sage

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1 1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

4 pork chops

This recipe is a quick, four step process! Hooray for easy meals! 

Step 1: Combine all seasonings in a shallow bowl.

Step 2: Place pork chops in the bowl, turning over so each side gets coated in the seasoning

Step 3: Heat olive oil over high heat

Step 4: Turn burner to medium heat and cook the pork chops for about 10 minutes, turning over half way through. 

The pork is under 90 calories per serving. Don't judge me for the lack of greens in this dinner... oops.