Healthy Beef and Broccoli

It's a new year!!! For many of us, this means goals and resolutions we set in order to improve on our previous year. This recipe is sure to check off at least one of those goals! Instead of ordering takeout from that Chinese restaurant, why not make a new memory over a meal, try your hand in the kitchen AND save money, all while reaching those pesky health and fitness goals with our healthy beef and broccoli recipe!

I pumped up the veggies in this recipe with half moons of zucchini. If that's not your thing, you can omit them or substitute with snow peas! I served mine alongside some sticky jasmine rice but a lower carb substitute would be riced cauliflower. Regardless of how you eat it, it'll be sure to compete with your favorite Chinese takeout, packed with flavor and fun but none of the scary MSG and excess oil.

Healthy Beef and Broccoli

4 servings | 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb flank steak thinly sliced against the grain or other lean cut of steak (shaved beef works just as easily)

• 1/4 cup water, divided

• 2 tbsp natural rice vinegar

• 1 tbsp oil, olive or coconut

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1 shallot, diced

• 4 cups broccoli florets

• 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce or liquid aminos

• 2 tbsp arrowroot starch, divided

• 1-2 zucchinis, chopped into 1/4-1/2" thick half moons

• 1 tbsp ginger, minced (bump this up to 2 tbsp if you love ginger)

• Optional: Sesame seeds and chopped scallions for topping

• Serve alongside: 1 cup dry white rice or riced cauliflower

Directions:

Optional step: If you plan to serve with rice, get this started first. Once it's done simmering, set aside and make beef and broccoli. Fluff with a fork prior to serving.

Optional step: If you prefer softer veggies I recommend steaming them until desired tenderness prior to cooking and only sautéing for 1-2 minutes for flavor. If you prefer veggies with more of a bite then omit this step.

1. Heat half of the olive oil in a large sauté pan.

2. Whisk 1 tbsp arrowroot starch, pepper and 2 tbsp water together. Toss steak in the mixture until coated.

3. Add steak in a single layer to the pan. This may need to be done in two batches in order to cook evenly which is why only half the oil was initially added. Add the remaining oil for the second batch, otherwise add the remaining oil in step 5.

4. Once steak browns on the first side, about 2-3 minutes if very thin, flip and cook 2 minutes on other side. Once cooked through, remove steak from pan and set aside.

5. Add remaining oil here if you have any. Add broccoli and zucchini to the pan and sauté until they're fork tender, 6-8 minutes.

6. Set veggies aside with steak.

7. Whisk remaining arrowroot and water with the soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger and shallots.

8. Add sauce to the pan, scraping any flavorful bits from the bottom. Allow to heat through until it begins to bubble and thicken, should be pretty quick. Return steak and veggies to the pan and coat everything in the sauce.

Serve alongside rice and top with sesame seeds and scallions.

Nutrition facts shown for recipes without side of rice (left) and with side of 1/4 cup dry/1 cup cooked white jasmine rice (right).

Note: Add 1g fat and 20 calories per serving for 1 tsp sesame seeds on top.