While cooking for the cowboys today, I had tons of interruptions that wasted so much time, leaving me in a cooking bind.  I had to think quick in order to get something served up for these hard working cowboys to eat.  Thankfully, I always keep convenience items on hand as I’ve said before so within 10 minutes, I had the main dish prepared and ready to eat.

Tyson Chicken Breast Strips saved my day!  I planned on making fajitas but realized that I still wouldn’t have time to do that so while hunting around in my freezer, I found some Deluxe Vegetable Stir-Fry (Great Value brand) and threw that together with the chicken….VIOLA, your meal is served.  I did make some flavored dirty rice to serve with it but the entire meal was fast, budget-friendly, and tasted VERY good!

What items do you keep on hand for emergency situations?

Asian stir fry, never been a fan until now!!!  I have to say that this was my favorite recipe out of all the beef ones I did this week.  I didn’t know what to expect using the ramen noodles but was very happy with this dish!  And it wasn’t just me either, the entire family  loved it.  I’m telling you, I have hard time getting my oldest to eat vegetables  but he really enjoyed this and said it was his second favorite.  My toddler gobbled it up like there was no tomorrow and we all had fun sitting and chatting at the table while eating this dish.  Great family time.

This was so easy to make and really is a 30 minute meal.  Yes, I did have one problem this recipe. I know, I know….my small town doesn’t make it easy on me to say the least but I had a hard time finding a lean cut of meat for this recipe.  So pretend it is one and we’re all good.

I had a lot of fun making these beef recipes this week.  I felt like stepped outside my comfort zone and was open to the new dishes.  I’m glad I did because they were all great! Beef, it really is what’s for dinner ’round here!

P.S. Keep your eyes open for a little surprise tomorrow.

INGREDIENTS

• 1-1/4 pounds beef top round or top sirloin steak, cut 1 inch thick
• 2 packages (3 ounces each) Oriental-flavored instant ramen noodles, broken up
• 1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 pound broccoli florets
• 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Cut beef steak lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/8-inch thick strips. Combine seasoning from ramen noodles with cornstarch mixture in large bowl. Add beef; toss.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Stir-fry broccoli and carrots 1 minute. Add noodles and 1-1/2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender and most of liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Remove; keep warm.

Heat remaining oil in same skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Drain beef, discarding marinade. Stir-fry 1/2 of beef 1 to 2 minutes or until outside surface of beef is no longer pink. (Do not overcook.) Remove. Repeat with remaining beef. Serve over noodles. Sprinkle with orange rind.

Notes:

• Total recipe time: 30 minutes
• Makes 4 servings
• This recipe is an excellent source of protein, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, iron, selenium and zinc; and a good source of fiber.

As a cowboy’s wife, we tend to eat a lot of beef (it’s furnished with our job) so trying to create healthier meals out of beef is important to me.  This week, I’ll be bringing you three healthier beef recipes thanks to ‘Beef, It’s What’s for Dinner‘.

Today’s recipe was fun to make and very quick.  It was also quite a shock to see my oldest son praise it.  Why?  Simply because he rarely eats anything healthy, least of all vegetables.  He loved it!  I was so happy, not because he liked the recipe but because he ate and enjoyed the healthy things about it. My middle son didn’t care for the cilantro but loved the rest of it and my husband thought it was great!  In other words, it got two thumbs here in the Falcon household.

The recipe actually calls for rice paper wrappers as you’ll see below but I could not find them anywhere in my town so I used the alternative, which was lettuce leaves.  This was actually recommended on the recipe itself, along with other great info like nutritional value, reviews, and cook notes.

Maybe I’m partial, but I like my final photo better…heehee.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound beef top sirloin or top round steak, cut 3/4 to 1 inch thick or flank steak
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons stir-fry sauce and marinade, divided
• 8 rice paper wrappers (8 to 9 inch diameter)
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro
• Additional prepared stir-fry sauce and marinade (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Cut beef steak lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick strips. Combine 1/4 cup stir-fry sauce and beef in medium bowl. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1/2 of beef; stir-fry 1 to 3 minutes or until outside surface of beef is no longer pink. (Do not overcook.) Remove from skillet. Repeat with remaining beef.

Fill large bowl with warm water. Dip 1 rice paper wrapper into water for a few seconds or just until moistened. Rice paper will still be firm but will continue to soften during assembly. Place on work surface.

Spoon 1/4 cup beef, 2 tablespoons carrots and 2 tablespoons cilantro evenly in a row across center of wrapper, leaving 1-inch border on right and left sides; drizzle with about 1 teaspoon reserved stir-fry sauce. Fold right and left sides of wrapper over filling. Fold bottom edge up over filling and roll up tightly. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling ingredients. Cut each spring roll diagonally in half. Serve with additional stir-fry sauce, if desired.

Notes:

• Marinade time: 30 minutes to 2 hours
• Total recipe time: 25 to 30 minutes
• Makes 4 servings
• This recipe is an excellent source of protein, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, selenium and zinc, and a good source of iron.

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