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Menu Plan for Fall II: Week 3, Day 5

Oriental Beef
Brown Rice

Cooking time:  30 minutes for menu      Cooking schedule: see below for instructions

       Who says you can't make a Chinese dinner with ground beef?  It's economical, quick and tasty... even if it's not authentic. Use whatever mushrooms are left from Friday.

Oriental Beef and Vegetables

Total time: 30 minutes
    You could substitute thinly sliced flank steak or beef pre-cut for stir-fry if you prefer.  Any bits of vegetable left in the fridge would be fine in this: sliced Brussels sprouts, broccoli, whatever.

 Ingredients:

• 8oz ground beef (mince 240gr)
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 green pepper
• 1 medium carrot
• 4oz (120gr) mushrooms
• 2 ribs celery
• 4oz (120gr) water chestnuts
• 1/2 cup (4oz, 120ml) beef stock
• 1 tbs tomato paste (or ketchup if you don't have tomato paste)
• 3 slices peeled ginger, about 1" diameter  (2.5cm) 1/16th" thick
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp sesame or walnut oil
• 1 tbs cornstarch (or thickener of choice) dissolved in
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• 1/2 cup (3.3oz, 95gr) quick-cooking brown rice   substitute Basmati
• 1 cup (8oz, 240ml) beef stock   or whatever your rice calls for
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

 Instructions:

• Mince garlic
• Chop onion and pepper. 
• Clean and slice mushrooms. 
• Slice celery at an angle into 1/8 inch slices. 
• Cut carrot into matchsticks. 
• Drain and slice water chestnuts. 
• Peel and chop ginger. 
• In large non-stick skillet heat oils over medium-high heat. 
• Add onion, celery, pepper and carrots and stir-fry 5 minutes. 
• Add mushrooms, garlic and ginger and stir-fry 3 minutes more. 
• Add beef and sauté breaking it up as it browns. 
• When beef is brown add chestnuts, tomato paste and stock. 
• Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer 5 minutes. 
• Give the cornstarch mixture a stir to recombine.  Turn the heat up under the skillet and add the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly until thickened.  Serve over rice.
• Rice 
• Cook rice according to package instructions adding the oregano with the stock
• Fluff and serve.

Cooking schedule: 30 minutes Assemble all food, utensils and serving dishes Utensils: measuring cups, spoons, knives, small saucepan with lid, large skillet with lid Mince garlic, ginger Chop onion, pepper Slice celery, mushrooms Cut carrot Cook rice

Drain, slice water chestnuts Dissolve cornstarch in soy sauce Stir-fry onion, pepper, celery, carrots Add mushrooms, garlic, ginger, stir-fry Add beef, sauté Add chestnuts, tomato paste, stock Cover, simmer Finish beef Fluff rice, serve

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Each week carefully planned to reduce waste and use a lots of fresh, seasonal veggies. 

By Katie Zeller

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