Flap Steak and Vegetable Stir Fry

Yes! — FLAP Steak!

I saw packages of this, it looked so good, but I passed it at first.  Then went back, thinking it was a misprint for Flank Steak.  I decided, whatever it was, it looked way too good to pass up!  As it turns out, that was an excellent choice!  Did a little digging at home, and decided to cut it in small pieces and marinate it for an hour while I prepped the vegetables.

7oz. flap steak
a good sprinkle of your favorite seasonings
a splash of good quality Balsamic vinegar
a big splash of Italian EVOO
sliced tops of green onions

Vegetables:

1/2 lg. green pepper
1 giant carrot
3-4 big green onions - white part
4oz. sliced mushrooms
1-2oz. of the EVOO

Sauté the vegetables in the EVOO in a medium-hot skillet while searing and quick sautéing the meat in another pot. I added 1/4c of my Onion Jam to the meat, for a touch of peppery sweetness and a little different flavor profile, but it tasted great without it as well, and could easily be omitted. This turned out very well and made 2 nice big servings. I froze the rest of the beef in three 6-8oz. packages and will use it for soup, chili or in a spicy red sauce over linguini. Yup, I'm sure glad I went back for it! . .Lin

Steak Stir-Fry

1 lg. carrot - chopped

6-8 Brussels sprouts - sliced

4 green onions - sliced

1/2 lg. yellow beet - slice-chop

1 mini red pepper - sliced

fresh ground pepper

1/2 lemon - juiced

3T dark fig balsamic vinegar 

stir-fry sauce or soy sauce

12oz. lean steak - slice or cube

1/2c slivered almonds

Combine everything, but the steak and almonds, in a medium size bowl.  Toss and mix well so everything is coated by the marinade, then let stand 15 minutes or so.  Drain some of the marinade onto the steak in a medium non-stick skillet.  Put the vegetables into a larger skillet and sauté until they're still crisp, but slightly tender.  Meanwhile, stir and sizzle the steak for only a few minutes until it's almost as done as you'd like.

Put the steak and almonds into the larger vegetable pan, stir and sauté all of this together for a few minutes.  Serve as is or over rice or noodles. . .Lin

Stir-Fry Steak and Vegetables

12oz. beef tenderloin

a mix of fresh vegetables:

onion, garlic, carrots, celery, cabbage,
cauliflower, poblano, or Anaheim pepper

Rough cut the vegetables, with amounts depending on how many are being served.  This stir-fry made 4 medium servings.

Sauté the vegetables in a large non-stick pan in a little flavorful oil-based salad dressing until they're crisp-tender.  I used a Thai Sesame Lime dressing this time.  Toward the end of their cooking time, in another pan, sauté-sizzle the meat in a little toasted sesame oil being careful not to overcook.  Combine the meat and vegetables in the large pan and serve immediately.  I made this for company and forgot to photograph the plated food!  However, I can tell you, it was awesome! 😉 . . . Lin

Colorful Vegetable-Beef Stir-Fry

4-6 oz. steak

an interesting oil

your favorite seasonings

1T steak sauce

& balsamic vinegar

any vegetables you like

A Tiny Pepper-Top Mosaic!

Chop the steak into a non-stick pan, with the next 3 ingredients.  Today I used avocado oil.  Stir and heat this until it just starts to sizzle.  Cover and remove from heat to let flavors blend and the meat marinate just a bit.  Meanwhile, chop-slice-dice the vegetables however you prefer.  Add them to the meat then turn the heat to high and pay attention!  Keep everything moving, until the vegetables are still crisp-tender.  If you have leftover rice, or pasta, that can be added now.  The meat should be medium-rare to medium at this point.

This can be made with any meat; lamb, pork, chicken, shrimp.  If I were using either chicken or shrimp, I might try those with 1/2c± sun-dried tomato or basil pesto.  With any of the heartier meats, you could cut the pieces larger, use coconut oil, cubed-raw potatoes, larger vegetables, more cooking time, with curry powder or curry paste to create a wonderful East Indian stir-fry dinner.  Be Bold, Be Creative!  Happy Cooking! . . . Lin   

Shape, Size and Texture!!! It just might be all about TEXTURE!

I've never given any conscious thought to how texture impacts the foods we cook.  Cubed cheese or grated?  Grated potatoes, as in hash browns, or cubed for American fries?  Ground lean steak, or cubes of that same steak, in your favorite chili recipe?  I'd never use lasagna noodles in my shrimp scampi, nor angel hair in a hearty stew. . .it's all the same ingredient, but in the end, the texture really matters.

Enter my new favorite kitchen toy in. . .well. . .years!!  My new spiral slicer arrived yesterday and I ran right to the grocery store to get some interesting vegetables to try it out.

This time it was celery root, zucchini, yellow and red beets, of course onion, and napa cabbage that didn't spiral well at all.  It shredded nicely however.  So I only used a little.

I was torn between a raw salad and a vegetable stir-fry, so I made both.  I broke up the spirals a little then tossed it all with olive oil, a dark fruity balsamic vinegar, fresh ground black pepper, Himalayan pink salt and ground rosemary, then added a few tiny tomatoes and half an avocado.  It's perfect!

The stir-fry started with a little coconut oil and butter, ground red and black pepper, ground rosemary and Himalayan pink salt.  After 5-10 minutes, transfer to a serving dish, top with bleu cheese crumbles and it's ready to serve now, or heat up later.  Side benefit, your kitchen will smell awesome with the scent of coconut oil, rosemary and all those lovely vegetables.

I realize, it's brand new, but already I give this slicer very high marks!  I'm sure I'll always have one in my kitchen! . . . Lin