Orange Scented Beef with Broccoli

Happy February. It's only been here for a week, but already we've had Groundhog's Day, Superbowl Sunday, and Chinese New Year. At my house, the first week of February also means birthday time for West, complete with family and friend parties, cupcakes and a "mint-apolitan" ice cream pie. February is the fastest month, not just because it has 28 days, but also because we don't stop celebrating. (Stay tuned-here comes Mardi Gras, Valentine's Day, and President's Day.) For someone who loves to cook, you couldn't ask for a better month. January has only Martin Luther King day to keep it peppy, and most people are only eating diet cabbage soups and the like. Then comes Feb and everyone chucks the diet and celebrates with chocolate for romance and chili for football and cherries for Washington (and thin mints for the Girl Scouts-smart girls to come knockin' in February). We're working on Chinese New Year over her. Some sources say the holiday lasts for three weeks, so it's perfect for procrastinators, like me. I've got a fantastic orange scented beef with broccoli recipe served over white rice. The beef is tender and juicy and even broccoli nay-sayers will cozy up to the sweet orange and soy. No need to worry about take out prices; this one will feed four all for about $7.00. Best of all-it's table ready in less than thirty minutes. That will give you more time to start thinking about what you're going to make for all of the other holidays that are waiting just around the corner. It is February, you know.

Orange Scented Beef with Broccoli

Estimated Cost: $7.00

Notes: Use any inexpensive cut of lean, tender beef. If you're unsure if the meat is tender enough for stir-fry, ask your butcher. Read through the recipe and have everything ready before you heat the skillet.

5 tablespoons soy sauce

5 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon orange zest

2 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

1 pound boneless beef steak, cut across the grain into thin strips

1 bunch of broccoli, cut into bite sized florettes

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/3 cup chopped green onions

4 cups hot cooked rice

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, orange juice, orange zest, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and cornstarch. Heat 1 tablespoon oil over high heat in large skillet. Add beef and stir fry until browned, about three minutes. Transfer beef to a plate. Add broccoli and 4 tablespoons water to skillet. Cover and let steam for two minutes. Uncover and cook until liquid evaporates. Add garlic and green onions to skillet. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Add orange juice mixture and beef back to skillet. Cook until sauce is well blended and beef and broccoli are coated in sauce. Serve over white rice.

Feel like Chicken? Try my Orange Sesame Chicken

with Honey and Soy Broccoli and Mushrooms... with Almond Brown Sugar Cookies for dessert. Next Up: Thinking about Valentine's Day...

Sesame and Soy Roasted Broccoli

I promised you some healthful January food. But it's no good if it isn't delicious. So rest at ease; this broccoli is delicious. You might be thinking that my New Year's Resolutions have made me a little loopy. I might be a little loopy, but it has nothing to do with my New Year's Resolutions. (Besides I didn't make any.) This broccoli is not your typical microwaved, soggy, cruciferous florets. Broccoli that is roasted at a high temperature becomes slightly sweet and delicately crispy with a pleasant, nutty aftertaste. With a drizzle of soy and sesame it really is delicious. So make it in January because it's healthful and full of fiber and antioxidants-just like I promised-but make it all year because it tastes really, really good. Besides it will make your mother really happy if you tell her you had broccoli for dinner and that you liked it.
Money Saving Tips: Check the price on loose broccoli and bagged. Sometimes the bagged is cheaper and it's a great time saver. Sesame oil is pricey but a little goes a very long way.
Sesame and Soy Roasted Broccoli
Estimated Cost: $4.00 for six generous servings (about 1 cup each)
1 (12 ounce) bag broccoli florets
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Line cookie sheet with foil. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread broccoli on cookie sheet and coat drizzle with olive oil (or coat with cooking spray) and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Roast broccoli for 10 minutes. Drizzle with sesame and soy and roast for10 minutes longer, or until broccoli is browned in places and crisp tender.
Next Up: Better for you Homemade Pizza

Broccoli Salad with Roasted Cashews and Sunflower Seeds

I'm hopping on a plane from New Orleans and heading back home to the southwest tonight. Back home to my husband, my two little charges, my bed, my bathtub, my kitchen, my wireless Internet.... There's no place like home.

In the meantime, here's a crunchy and delicious way to get more broccoli. Eat your veggies, just like mom told you. This will make it really easy, especially with the sweet and savory dressing, and the roasted salty nuts. I wish I had some to take with me on the plane, but I'll have to content myself with pretzels and ice water. Don't feel too sorry for me; last night I ate at Emeril's flagship restaurant. Think barbecue shrimp, rosemary foccacia, sweet corn cakes, wild mushroom pasta with tasso ham, breaded red fish, sweet potatoes with green chile mole, banana mascarpone tart.... Thank goodness my hotel had two rooms of treadmills. Exercise is imperative for the New Orleans diet. More to come on that later this week. See you tomorrow!

Broccoli Salad with Roasted Cashews and Sunflower Seeds
Estimated Cost: $4.50
Notes: I also love to add snipped dried apricots of mango for a touch of sweet and chewy.
1/4 cup mayonnaise (low fat is good here) or whole milk yogurt 2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
4 cups chopped broccoli florettes with some stems
1/2 cup chopped roasted salted cashews
1/2 cup roasted salted sunflower seeds

In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar. Whisk until smooth and season to taste with salt and pepper. Adjust sugar and vinegar according to your taste. Mix in remaining ingredients. Sprinkle with additional nuts and seeds.
Coming Tomorrow:
Barefoot Thursdays
Parmesan Chicken Tenders and Sweet and Spicy Ketchup

Garlic Chive Fettucini with Sauteed Chickpeas and Parmesan

I can't decide if I like the name chickpeas or garbanzo beans better. They are the same thing, known by two different odd names. Garbanzo sounds cuckoo, like Gonzo the blue muppet. Chickpeas sound like a spin on Molly Brown's (the unsinkable one) nickname "Chick-a-pen." Which name do you like better? Leave your preferred choice in the comment section. Or should I mix them up and call them chick-anzos, or gar-peas? On to the pasta... Aunt Marilyn, whom we visited this week, has a thriving herb garden. For me it's like going to the farmer's market. I left with sacks of fresh thyme, three different varieties of mint, cilantro, and these garlic chives. If you've never seen them before, you might mistake them for green onions. One bite and you'd know the difference. Think of the bite of garlic with the sweetness of spring scallions. I'm hooked and I want more.

I know that they'll be difficult to find, so don't worry. All you need to do is substitute 1/2 bunch of green onions and 6 garlic cloves. Either way, this hearty and healthful pasta is sure to please vegetarians, meat eaters, and penny pinchers alike.

Garlic Chive Fettucini with Sauteed Chickpeas and Parmesan

Estimated Cost: $5.00

Notes: The vegetables are unbelieveably good on their own, too.

1/2 lb. fettucini (whole grain works well)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 (15 ounce can) chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained

2 cups broccoli florettes

1 tablespoon butter

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 bunch garlic chives, cut into 1 inch pieces (or substitute 1/2 bunch green onions and 6 minced cloves of garlic)

2 teaspoons lemon zest, plus lemon wedges for serving

2 ounces shaved parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid; drain and keep warm. In a separate non stick large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add chickpeas and saute for about five minutes, until browned in places. Add 1/2 cup reserved pasta liquid and broccoli. Cook until liquid evaporates and broccoli is bright green, about two minutes. Add butter, pepper flakes, and garlic chives; cook for one minute; season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss vegetables with drained pasta, adding in reserved 1/2 cup cooking liquid, lemon zest and parmesan cheese. Divide among four bowls and sprinkle with additional parmesan and garnish with lemon wedges.

Here's what my sick little boy had for dinner instead... I'll take some of that, too.

Coming Tomorrow:

Pennywise Tip for Past-its-Prime Fruit