Healthy Meal with Kid Appeal Award: Steamy Kitchen’s Chinese Beef Broccoli

by Liz on March 15th, 2010

I used to spend a lot of time reading food magazines, but thanks to the explosion of thousands of amazing food blogs, my attention has turned to the web. A few months back, Diana from Dianasaur Dishes was running a giveaway on her blog for The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook: 101 Asian Recipes Simple Enough for Tonight’s Dinner, written by fellow food blogger and social media diva, Jaden Hair (Jaden just launched a new website called Food Blog Forum, so be sure to check it out). Lucky for me, I won the giveaway! This past weekend it rained nonstop in the Boston area (a la Noah’s Ark), so I finally had time to sit down and read through the book.

The recipe I decided to make was for Chinese Beef Broccoli. It was easy to prepare, called for ingredients I had on hand, and was packed with lots of broccoli. Best of all, it went over BIG with Simon (Josh and Tim were out at a Boston University hockey game eating heaven knows what, so they missed out on our feast). Since Jaden has two boys of her own, I figured this recipe would be a winner … and I was right.

Given all the great things this recipe has to offer and the fact that Simon ate every last bite of broccoli on his plate, Janice and I are honoring  Jaden from Steamy Kitchen with our Healthy Meal with Kid Appeal Award! Read on for the recipe …

Chinese Beef Broccoli

From The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook (with a few tiny tweaks)

Here’s how Jaden describes this dish: “I can’t remember the last time I went to a restaurant and ordered Broccoli Beef. Love the dish, but there’s nothing I detest more than goopy brown sauce that normally drags this dish down. I want my broccoli to be tender-crisp and taste like broccoli, not just covered in thick sauce. My tip is to steam the broccoli separate and to use a minimal amount of cornstarch (it’s only in the steak marinade).”

  • 1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce (I used lite soy sauce)
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon cooking oil (I used canola oil)
  • Freshly ground black pepper to season the beef
  • 1 pound top sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced across the grain into 1/8th-inch-thick strips
  • 3 tablespoons oyster sauce (I used an MSG-free oyster sauce)
  • 2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
  • 2 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)
  • 1 ½ pounds broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
  • 1 tablespoon high-heat cooking oil (I used canola oil)
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic

1. In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, cornstarch, cooking oil, and pepper for the beef marinade. Add the beef and let marinade for 10 minutes at room temperature.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the oyster sauce, rice wine, and vinegar for the stir-fry sauce.

3. In a wok or large sauté pan, add 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cover to steam for 3 minutes. The broccoli should be bright green, crisp tender, and you should be able to pierce the stem with a fork. Drain and set aside.

4. Discard the water in the pan and dry the pan well. Set the pan over high heat and when hot, add the high-heat cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and fry for 15 to 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the steak strips, keeping them in one layer and fry 30 seconds. Flip the strips and fry the other side.

5. Pour in the stir-fry sauce and stir to combine. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 30 seconds. Add the cooked broccoli back into the pan and toss to coat well.  Jaden recommends serving over steamed Jasmine rice.

Print Recipe

Here are a few additional cooking notes from MY steamy kitchen:

> Jaden suggested replacing the meat with “meaty” shitake mushrooms for a vegetarian option. I decided to make the dish with 3/4 pound flank steak and 1/4 pound quartered shitake mushrooms, and I steamed the mushrooms with the broccoli.
> I served the stir-fry with brown rice, and I cheated by using the frozen Trader Joe’s variety!
> This recipe can serve a family of four comfortably. I think it would be great with some sliced pears or orange slices on the side.
> I couldn’t find Chinese rice vinegar or Chinese rice wine, so I used the alternative ingredients Jaden called for in the recipe.

I liked this recipe so much that I definitely plan to make it again. Thanks Jaden!

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4 Comments | Filed Under Awards, Beef, Dinner, Vegetables 

The Biggest Losers

by The Meal Makeover Moms on November 13th, 2009

Last Saturday, the “Biggest Losers” was definitely the overarching theme of our day.

For starters, we had the pleasure of meeting our friend, Cheryl Forberg, for lunch in Napa, CA. Cheryl is the official dietitian for NBCs The Biggest Loser and the author of the newly released book, The Biggest Loser Simple Swaps. We’ll tell you more about our lunch with Cheryl in a bit.

Later that day, the “loser” theme popped up again at the first annual Foodbuzz Dinner & Award Ceremony in San Francisco, which we attended. Here’s the back story: Last month, we were nominated by Foodbuzz for Best Family Blog. We were humbled and honored to say the least. Coincidentally, we were scheduled to speak in Napa at the Manic Mommies Escape the same weekend as the Foodbuzz Festival, so we were thrilled that we’d be able to stop by the dinner to collect our award (LOL).

Okay, okay. We lost. But we were up against some pretty stiff competition: La Fuji Mama, Pioneer Woman, Savor the Thyme and A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa. The Pioneer Woman — horseback riding food and lifestyle blogger living in Oklahoma who takes the prettiest darn pictures you’ve ever seen — took home the Golden Fork, and we salute her (and thank everyone who voted)! Hey, there’s always next year.

Phew! Now that we’ve spilled our guts about losing, we thought you might like to hear a bit about the food blogger dinner. But before we share the details, in the spirit of full disclosure, on the drive back to Napa, The Meal Makeover Moms were pulled over while driving across the Bay Bridge.

police-car

It seems Liz was driving too SLOW in the right lane! That’s right. You can actually get pulled over for that (in her defense, it was a dark and stormy night, the Bay Bridge had just reopened after repairs, and it was kind of scary). The police officer was mighty handsome and quickly realized that the women driving the rented Toyota Corolla were just two sweet, innocent , and yes, loser dietitians with no bad intent. So off into the night we went without so much as a warning (but then again, what could he say?).

So, the dinner. The event was held at the GreenLeaf Produce Market in San Francisco (did we mention we arrived 45 minutes late because our GPS got us lost?!) and prepared by Outstanding in the Field which brings together local farmers, food artisans, chefs and winemakers to explore the connection between the earth and the food on your plate. There were a couple hundred food bloggers in the room (did we mention it was as cold as a walk-in refrigerator?) including Biggie from the blog Lunch in a Box, Elise from Simply Recipes, and Diana from Dianasaur Dishes who sat across from us at the end of the long, meandering table (did we mention we were in the overflow section?).

There was no shortage of delicious food at the feast including Mushroom Risotto with Koshihikari Rice and Crispy Maitake Mushrooms, Soy Braised Beef Cheeks and Oxtails, Baby Carrots and Fingerling Potatoes, OB Beer and Denjang Demi, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Ponzu Fried Garlic, Guanciale, and Bonito Flakes (our favorite). Despite the various trials and tribulations we encountered on our journey to the dinner and back, the night was a huge success.

Now, for our other Biggest Loser story: Earlier that day, we had lunch with dietitian pal, Cheryl Forberg. Now in her 8th season as nutritionist for The Biggest Loser, we think she has one of the coolest jobs on the planet. Cheryl suggested we meet at Ubuntu, a vegetarian restaurant and yoga studio in downtown Napa.

We wanted to eat a light lunch so we shared three lunch entrees and one tiny dessert.

Liz chose the Salt-Roasted Hudson Ranch Beets, Crushed Avocado, Red Quinoa, ‘Ruju’ Persimmon, Hazelnut “Soil.” The dish reminded us that we really need to come up with a recipe using quinoa (and no, we have no idea what “hazelnut soil” is).

From there, we dug into Cheryl’s pick: a steamy bowl of Rancho Gordo Yellow Eye Bean Stew with Rosemary, Torn Bread, Chili, and Braised Black Kale.

And finally, Janice chose the Organic Grits with a Soft Farm Egg, Goat’s Milk Whey, Green Tomato Marmalade, and Trumpet Bacon.

The Mini Vegan Carrot Cucapes with ‘Cream Cheese’ Frosting and Tiny Purple Haze Carrots on top was a sweet ending to a fabulous meal.

We’d go back to Ubuntu in a heartbeat. The ambiance, decor, service, and food were all top notch, and it was great to hear some of Cheryl’s behind-the-scene stories from the show.

On a final note, stay tuned for our Cooking with the Moms podcast next week when we share all of our adventures — including the Manic Mommies Escape — out in California.

PS: For more photos from the Foodbuzz dinner and the Ubuntu lunch, visit our Flickr page.

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11 Comments | Filed Under Awards 

Foodbuzz Blog Award Nomination

by The Meal Makeover Moms on October 12th, 2009

Last week, we learned that Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen was nominated for a Foodbuzz award for Best Family Blog. Wow. When we heard the news, we were honored, humbled, thrilled and yes, we jumped for joy. A million thanks to everyone who nominated us. The goal of our blog is simple: to make everyday recipes — everything from snacks and desserts to veggie side dishes and dinners — nutritious, delicious and fun for kids to eat.  Clearly, that’s why we landed in the “family” category versus the 20-plus others!

foodbuzz_logo_sm

For Best Family Blog (which is category #12), we’re in good company. The other blogs selected include La Fuji Mama, A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa, The Pioneer Woman Cooks, and Savor the Thyme. Between now and October 29, you can vote for your favorite blogs. The winners will be announced on November 7th at the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival in San Francisco, and we plan to be there.  In the meantime, we sure hope you’ll head on over to Foodbuzz, check out all the awesome nominees, and vote!  We would love your support.

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4 Comments | Filed Under Awards, CulinaryAdventures 

Healthy Meal with Kid Appeal Award: Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy

by The Meal Makeover Moms on September 13th, 2009

Ever since discovering Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy, we’ve gone ga-ga over the blog’s exquisite food photography, mouth-watering recipes, and colorful prose.  Susan, who writes the blog, is a professional musician, aspiring chef, wife, and mother, and we absolutely love the way she describes her recipes. Here’s what she said about her recent recipe for Break-Up Bars:  Break-Up Bars have a tender, buttery shortbread base which is studded with crunchy toffee bits and topped with layers of voluptuous, golden caramel and creamy, deep, dark chocolate. Yum!

Susan’s bars are made with 4 sticks of butter, so you can bet your bottom dollar each bite is sure to be voluptuous (and then some). While dessert recipes appear frequently on the blog, there are plenty of other recipe categories — things like seafood, pasta, casseroles, and beans. One recipe that caught our eye was Susan’s Pasta e Fagioli, her grandmother’s favorite “go to” dish.  In the post, she says it can either be a thick, stewy dish or more like a soup. Her grandmother preferred the former.

This stick-to-your ribs dish takes minutes to make. It’s kid friendly (all four of our kids gobbled it up happily) and nutritious thanks to the fiber-rich beans. For all of those reasons, Susan’s Pasta e Fagioli is the official winner of this month’s Healthy Meal with Kid Appeal Award.

Pasta e Fagioli (from Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy)

  • 1 pound dried ditalini pasta
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cups marinara sauce (fresh is best, but any good quality jar sauce will be fine)
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • Grated Parmesan cheese
  • Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

1. Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil.  When boiling, cook the ditalini until al dente, about 10-11 minutes. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat olive oil and saute onion over medium heat until soft. Add garlic and saute a few minutes more.

3. Add marinara sauce and water and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add beans and continue to simmer until heated through.

4. Add pasta and mix well. If the sauce is too thick, add a little of the pasta water to thin it out a little, if desired.  Serve in a large bowl with grated cheese and parsley sprinkled on top.

Here are a few additional cooking notes from The Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen:

> When we drained the pasta, we reserved some of the pasta water. We then added some to thin the sauce a bit.
> The next time we make this, we’ll probably sauté a finely diced large carrot with the onion.
> If you don’t have cannellini beans, you could also use Great Northern beans.
> You could serve this dish with fresh basil if you think your kids would prefer it over parsley.

We hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as ours did.  Thanks Susan for sharing it!

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5 Comments | Filed Under Awards, Beans, Dinner, Pasta, Vegetarian 
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