Hello and happy Monday to you, I hope you had a nice weekend! It was grey, drizzly, and dreary here (I wanted to put the fire on SO bad!) but the weather couldn’t keep us away from the pumpkin patch – we were running out of time to go picking! (⬇️ best attempt at a family photo. Way more interested in drinking apple cider than smiling for Mom. So it goes!)
That said, on Saturday we headed back down to Wills Family Orchard for their Apple and Pumpkin Festival. The wind was whippy, and we were covered in a fine layer of mist, but it was nothing a warm cup of apple cider couldn’t fix. Besides, the weather kind of matched the Halloween mood – muwahaha!
Lincoln played in the corn pit, visited with the goat and chickens, then we found a few kittens including one that matched my shirt. Is there anything sweeter?! Maybe Lincoln slowly tip toeing towards him while saying “here, little fella!“? Cuteness overload. ?
Last stop was the pumpkin patch! ?
Of course Lincoln’s perfect pumpkin was located at the veeeery end of the patch. ? “Pwease Mom?”
We left with a wagon load of pumpkins, one for each member of the family including baby brother, who will be with us by Halloween (eek!) Can’t wait to dig into these babies in a couple weeks – the scent of freshly carved pumpkin always takes me back to my brothers and myself crowded around the kitchen table covered in newspapers directing my Dad on how to carve the face we wanted into our pumpkins, while my Mom stood at the kitchen sink separating seeds from slop to roast with lots of butter and salt. Ahhh, memories!
No roasted pumpkin seeds on the menu today (though maybe I’ll do a post in the next week or so?) just irresistible, incredibly delicious, Lighter Broccoli Beef! Because who needs gluten, fat, and sugar-laden take out when you can make it much healthier, and gluten-free, in less than 30 minutes at home?
This Broccoli Beef recipe is actually from my ebook, Gluten-Free for Beginners: 30 Day Meal Plan and Guide for Gluten-Free Success and of the 10 recipes in there, it’s one of my top two favorites (I’m sharing a riff on my other favorite this Wednesday!) I’m coming up on my 3 year anniversary of having to going gluten-free after being diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2013, and was revisiting some areas of the ebook, when I decided I just couldn’t keep this recipe from all of you – it’s too good to not share!
Thinly sliced steak and crisp-tender broccoli florets are smothered in a luscious stir fry sauce that’s the perfect balance of savory, sweet, and tangy. Honest to goodness this Lighter Broccoli Beef might be my favorite take out fake out dish on IGE! I love that the entire recipe, which feeds four, calls for just 2 Tablespoons oil and 1/4 cup brown sugar when I can guar-an-freaking-tee you a small take out container of the stuff would contain at least double that. Raise your hand if a small take out container has EVER fed four people?
(You better not be raising your hand.)
Ordering Chinese food from the neighborhood take out joint doesn’t exist when you have to eat gluten-free, and at the places it is offered the dish costs an arm and a leg. We’re talking $15+ for an entree. BLARG! This Lighter Broccoli Beef is one that I whip up whenever a take out craving strikes and it totally satisfies. The sauce is made from pantry staples so all I usually need to buy is the beef and broccoli. Easy, quick, inexpensive (compared to take out, anyway!) and seriously delicious – do not wait another night to make it!
Start with flank or sirloin steak. I used to be able to find flank steak in the $5-8 range but that hasn’t been the case over the past couple of years, which is fine because sirloin tastes just as delicious in this dish.
Whichever cut you go with, slice it into strips as thinly as possible against the grain. Some grocery stores sell pre-sliced stir fry meat, so you could definitely go that direction too!
Add the sliced steak to a Ziplock back with gluten-free Tamari (or soy sauce – dish will not be GF if using soy sauce) and corn starch OR gluten-free flour (I used King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour) then close the bag, squish until everything is coated, and stash in the refrigerator to marinate while you prep the rest of the dish.
The Tamari will season the meat while the flour will create a nice crust on the outside when its stir fried.
Next, whisk together the Broccoli Beef sauce, that’s:
- Reduced-sodium gluten free Tamari
- Corn starch OR gluten free flour
- Low-sodium chicken broth
- Brown sugar
- Rice vinegar
- Sesame oil
- Minced garlic
- Ground ginger
- Red chili pepper flakes
Time for some heat! This recipe cooks in 5-7 minutes – TOTAL – so you’ll want to make sure you have everything on standby so you’re not rushing back and forth while the heat is on.
Heat a large wok or nonstick skillet over high heat then add 1/4 cup water. When it starts to simmer add broccoli florets then stir fry until crisp tender, 2-3 minutes. Scoop the broccoli out onto a plate then set aside.
Next add high heat cooking oil (I use canola or vegetable) then, when it’s piping hot, add half the beef into a single layer in the bottom of the wok. Let the beef sit undisturbed for 30 seconds to form a crust on the bottom then stir fry until nearly cooked through — some pink still showing is fine.
Scoop onto the plate with the broccoli then heat another Tablespoon oil in the wok and repeat with the remaining beef.
Last step is to pour the sauce into the wok then let it simmer until thickened and bubbly, 2-3 minutes.
Add all the beef and broccoli back into the wok then stir fry for an additional minute or until everything is heated through.
Scoop the Lighter Broccoli Beef over cooked rice and say see ya’ to the delivery driver! Enjoy!
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Lighter Broccoli Beef
Description
Never order Broccoli Beef takeout again! My copycat, gluten-free Lighter Broccoli Beef is easy to whip up and much lower in fat and sugar than a restaurant's.
Ingredients
- 1-1/4lb flank or sirloin steak, cut very thin against the grain
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons reduced-sodium gluten-free Tamari, divided
- 2-1/2 Tablespoons gluten-free flour OR cornstarch, divided
- 3/4 cup gluten-free low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger OR 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes (or more or less)
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons water, divided
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 2 Tablespoon high heat cooking oil, divided
- cooked rice, for serving
Directions
- Add sliced steak, 2 Tablespoons gluten-free Tamari, and 1 Tablespoon gluten-free flour or cornstarch to a large Ziplock bag then seal and squish to evenly coat. Place the bag into the refrigerator to marinate while you prepare the rest of the dish.
- Add remaining 1/2 cup gluten-free Tamari, remaining 1-1/2 Tablespoons gluten-free flour or cornstarch, chicken broth, brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons water, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ground ginger/ginger paste, and red chili pepper flakes to a bowl then whisk to combine and set aside.
- Heat a large wok or nonstick skillet over high heat then add remaining 1/4 cup water. Once simmering, add broccoli then stir fry until crisp tender, 2-3 minutes. Remove to a plate then set aside.
- Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in wok then, once very hot, add 1/2 the marinated beef in a single layer. Let sit undisturbed until browned on the bottom, 30 seconds, then stir fry until just barely cooked through (some pink still showing is ok.) Remove to plate with broccoli. Heat remaining Tablespoon oil then stir fry remaining beef and add to plate.
- Add sauce to wok then simmer until slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes. Add cooked broccoli and beef back into the wok then simmer until everything is heated through, 1 minute. Serve over cooked rice.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Wendy 03.20.2017
Made this tonight and it was delicious! I don’t even like Asian food but this was perfect.
Kristin 03.20.2017
Awesome!! Thanks for the feedback, Wendy!
Meg 03.15.2017
This was so good and so easy to make!!! I prepped everything Sunday night and it came together beautifully on Tuesday for dinner! It’s also AMAZING tasting! You don’t miss the additives and extra sugar/fat you’d get from the restaurant version at all!!!
Kristin 03.20.2017
Ahhh, music to my ears, Meg! So glad you enjoyed it and it was easy to toss together!
Courtney 02.28.2017
This was delicious! I got a Wok for Christmas and have been trying my hand at Asian dishes… this is the best yet! I was skeptical but it did taste better than our takeout place and was it so easy to make! Any tips on how to add some veggies?
Kristin 02.28.2017
Oh I’m so glad to hear it, Courtney! You could add whatever vegetables you like – snow peas or maybe red pepper could be good!
Jenn 01.09.2017
I have had this recipe saved since you posted it and just made it for the first time tonight. WOW!! It was so tasty! I goofed and forgot the flour in the sauce so it ended up being thin, but still so good. I am so happy to have a healthy-ish affordable alternative to take out!!
Andrea 12.18.2016
Just made your recipe and we loved it! I made a tweak: added a little mustard when marinating the beef. It went nicely with the other favors and tasted great.
Lindsay 11.28.2016
Great recipe! Made it for dinner tonight and it’s so good both me and my fella had a hard time waiting for it to cool down enough to eat without burning our tongues. I will definitely be making this again.
Kristin 11.29.2016
Thanks for the feedback, Lindsay! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Meg 11.06.2016
This recipe was awesome! I used it with chicken instead because that’s what I had but it turned out great.
Kristin 11.11.2016
Great to hear it, Meg, I’ll have to try that!
Lisa Beals 11.02.2016
First of all… congrats on the new baby!!! He is SO precious. My daughter also has 2 little boys (3 and 1), so I’m tickled you do too! Second…. I just made the Lighter Broccoli Beef tonight for dinner and… oh my gosh!!! SO delicious! My husband and I both love it and are sure to make it again. Thank you so much… love your blog :-) Squeeze those babies because they will be all grown up before you know it.
Lena 10.25.2016
Made this with chicken yesterday because I didn’t have beef thawed. It was wonderful! My teenage son, who has a favorite takeout place for chicken & broccoli, said this was WAY better! Thanks for helping me get mom points!
I don’t have a wok and tend to grab my cast iron out of habit…the sugars in the tamari made the chicken stick pretty bad, so used a little water to deglaze pan prior to adding sauce…worked great but thinned the sauce too much. Time to invest in a wok!
Congrats on your new arrival! You have a beautiful family.
Kristin 10.26.2016
Wooohooo – so glad to hear it passed the teenage test! ;) I think you’ll really love the wok, too.
Ted Stroope 10.23.2016
Two things: Hy-Vee brand Soy sauce is gluten free and I’ve been using it for years. It isn’t truly Soy Sauce because it isn’t brewed; it’s basically corn syrup and soy but the taste is right. Also, why flour and not corn starch? Are you going for a certain texture on the beef. Thanks!
Kristin 10.26.2016
You could definitely use cornstarch vs flour if you like!
HeidiLynn 10.19.2016
OMG, this looks soooo delish! I will be putting this on next week’s menu for sure!
Sara @ Last Night's Feast 10.18.2016
This looks like Chinese “takeout” I could actually convince my kids to eat. Thanks for sharing =)
Robyn 10.18.2016
This recipe looks delicious and healthy! Love it :D
http://www.skinnybelle.com
Tracy 10.18.2016
Best wishes and good health to you and new baby in your upcoming delivery!
Kristin 10.18.2016
Thank you so much, Tracy, I really appreciate it!! :)
Angela 10.18.2016
We made this last night, it is a keeper, super easy and kiddos gobbled it up! Thanks for sharing!
Kristin 10.18.2016
Awesome!! So so glad to hear it, Angela, thanks for leaving feedback! :)
Holly 10.17.2016
I use a gluten free Soya sauce at home. Your family is just the cutest!
Kristin 10.17.2016
Thank you so much, Holly!
JJ 10.17.2016
Can I use almond flour?
Kristin 10.17.2016
Hi JJ! I tend to think even very finely ground almond flour will be too coarse for this dish, unfortunately!
Barbara Scanlan 10.17.2016
Is it possible for you to provide nutritional information for all your recipes.
Kristin 10.17.2016
Hi Barbara! I don’t include nutritional information for my recipes since it can vary depending on the exact brand of ingredients used. If you need that information I recommend the Livestrong recipe nutrition calculator: livestrong.com/recipes/create/
Charlie 10.17.2016
Hi IGE,
This looks delicious. I’m getting really hungry now & it’s still 2 hours until lunch.
Nancy Walsh 10.17.2016
Congrats on the soon arrival of the newest addition to your family! My daughter, (also a Kristin), is 24 and expecting her first baby in March! So exciting!! She has celiac disease and has learned to adapt beautifully over the past 10 years.
I wanted to say, first, how much I enjoy your blog/recipes. So well done! I also wanted to comment on something about today’s blog. You mentioned that using soy sauce would make the recipe no longer gluten free. While this may be the case with certain brands, several companies are entirely gluten free. La Choy is one example, derived from corn instead of wheat. Tamari is probably the more natural option, but there are mainstream soy sauces that are actually completely safe for those with a gluten allergy. Just thought this might be helpful.
Kristin 10.17.2016
Thank you so much, Nancy! I mostly include the soy sauce disclaimer because nine times out of ten soy sauce is not gluten-free and I don’t want anyone preparing this dish for someone who is gluten-free to mistakenly get the wrong sauce.