Life Goes On – Green Beans

Well, the hullabaloo around the century ride is starting to settle and lo and behold, I still need to cook dinner and the CSA is still giving me produce, so I thought it was time to use up some of (well all of) the beans I had in the refrigerator, probably two weeks worth. I found a recipe in August’s Cooking Light that looked promising, and since I was craving Chinese (and meat), decided to make Ginger Beef and Green Bean Stir Fry last night. I only used two teaspoons of the chili garlic sauce to tone it down for Becky (but it was still too spicy and she only gave the dish a “so-so” rating). I liked it and when making it for Chris will probably use three teaspoons. Mom, if you’re reading this, you should barely use one. I also usually complain about the lack of sauce in many CL stir-fries, but this had plenty. It used up those beans nicely, was tasty and once all the chopping was done, assembled very quickly.

Note that the picture is very colorful because in addition to green beans, we got yellow beans and these broad, flat white beans with pink striations that I have no idea what they are but I threw them in too.

Ginger, Beef, and Green Bean Stir-Fry

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
2 to 3 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil, divided
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound boneless sirloin steak, cut into 1/4-inch strips
5 cups (2-inch) cut green beans (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1 cup red bell pepper strips
3/4 cup (2-inch) slices green onion tops
2 cups hot cooked white rice

Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup chopped green onions, ginger, and garlic to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Add beef to pan, and sauté for 4 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan.

Wipe pan dry with a paper towel. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan; heat over medium-high heat. Add beans and pepper to pan. Cover and cook 3 minutes.

Uncover and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 3/4 cup green onion tops; sauté 1 minute. Return beef mixture to pan. Stir in broth mixture; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Serve with rice.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups beef mixture and 1/2 cup rice)

CALORIES 440 (35% from fat); FAT 17.2g (sat 6.3g,mono 7.2g,poly 1.7g); PROTEIN 29g; CHOLESTEROL 53mg; CALCIUM 142mg; SODIUM 745mg; FIBER 7.7g; IRON 3.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 41.8g

Cooking Light, AUGUST 2007