Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Asian Beef Noodle Bowl

As any mom out there probably knows, my time has not been my own for the last few months. So I haven't had much time to experiment with new dishes. This makes me sad (and my husband crabby because I constantly want to spend money for food). It's been even harder since going back to work - especially during session - because I find even less time. But I'm trying. And I've quickly realized that the key to happiness right now - and full tummies - is quick and easy meals. I've been experimenting with my crock pot and gotten a few good results. But I tried this Asian Beef Noodle Bowl recipe last night and I have to say, I was really impressed! So I'm going to share. Hopefully it will make someone else (and their tummy) happy.

Asian Beef Noodle Bowl

Ingredients
4 oz uncooked angel hair pasta
8 oz fresh sugar snap peas (Next time I would use more - I love the crunch!)
5 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 lb boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into 1/4-inch strips (I just cut it into bite size pieces)
1 medicum carrot, thinly sliced (around 1/2 cup). Since you can't just buy ONE carrot, I bought the bag of mini carrots. I'm not sure how many I used, but I would probably err on the side of using more rather than less. This recipe is really good with more veggies.
1/2 cup teriyaki baste and glaze
4 medium green onions, sliced
1/2 cup honey-roasted peanuts, chopped (whoops, I just saw this word "chopped" - I just put them on whole!)

Directions
1. Cook pasta as directed. Meanwhile, trim ends off snap peas. Drain pasta and keep warm.

2. In 12-inch skillet, heat 3 teaspoons of the oil on medium-high heat. Then stir-fry the beef in the oil until no longer pink. Remove from skillet; keep warm.

3. In same skillet, heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Stir-fry peas and carrots about 3-4 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Stir in pasta, beef, and teriyaki baste and glaze. Toss until well blended.

4. Serve in bowls and sprinkle with green onion and peanuts.

Ok, this was just delicious! Loved it. I did have to salt mine, but it is still a recipe aI highly recommend. I would add more peas and maybe even carrots next time - the peas add this amazing crunch to the dish. It makes it feel very light and fresh. I think next time I may also try to stir-fry some broccoli as well. The hardest part (and most time consuming) of this dish is just cutting everything up. The cooking part is really simple and fast. Definitely a keeper!!! I didn't take a photo, but here is one from Pillsbury.com.