Big shout out to my sister Erin for sharing this recipe for lighter broccoli beef.  When she told me how simple it was to throw together, and how her boyfriend Derek said it was one of the best things she’s ever made, I knew that I would have to try it out.

I’m so glad I did. I have a soft spot in my heart for Chinese food.  Growing up, we would go out for it with my parents and my Nanny and Poppa.  When we would go without my grandparents, my Dad would mash up all our plate remnants on his plate and pretend to throw up, which always earned him lots of laugh from my brother, sister, and I, and looks of amused disaproval and slight embarassment from my mom. 

From ages 16-20? I think 20, I worked at a Chinese Restaurant called China Passage in Mountlake Terrace. Unfortunately it is a casino now.  I went in there recently and walked around and it made me really sad.  In it’s hay day, China Passage was quite a nice Chinese restaurant, two floors of dining area, a big boat with a pond in the middle…  I had some of the most fun experiences of my life and met so many great people working there. They did, however serve Americanized dive-style Chinese food, which I will forever have a place in my heart for.

This meal came together so quickly that I was left waiting around for the rice cooker to finish the brown rice I was serving on the side for almost 20 minutes.  It was soooo delicious too.  It will be a new staple in our house to be added to the dinner rotation for sure.

Seriously, who needs Chinese take out when something like this can come together in 15 minutes and taste so delicious? Not to mention that this dish doesn’t come with a heaping side of MSG, like my favorite Chinese dive serves up.  Not that I’ll be giving it up forever.  Mmmmm….. Chinese food loaded with MSG…..

Recipe adapted from Pinch of Yum

Ingredients

juice of 1 orange
1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup beef broth
1/3 cup orange marmalade
1 teaspoon of fresh ground ginger (I added this- not on the original recipe, so you could leave it out)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon oil
1 lb. flank steak, very thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 heads broccoli, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces

Instructions

Mix the first 7 ingredients, whisking until the cornstarch is dissolved. Boil the broccoli for just 1 minute, until tender crisp. The broccoli will cook a little more once you add it in with the sauce, so make sure not to boil it for too long.

Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the steak and garlic, draining off extra fat after a few minutes. Flip the pieces until each piece is cooked through and the meat is browned.  Because I can never leave well enough alone, I added a little bit of garlic powder and red pepper flakes at this point, but you don’t need to.

Add the sauce to the pan and stir for 1 minute until the sauce starts to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in broccoli. Serve over brown rice and garnish with orange zest and/or scallions.