Sweet and Spicy Beef with Broccoli and Mushrooms

I've never been a fan of Mongolian beef, it just never had a good enough kick for me and I hated the goopiness (if that's even a word) of the sauce.  I did a slight revamp of Mongolian beef you'd find at PF Chang's or the like and lowered the calories as well.

For this I used Chuck eye, because it's what we had and it was on sale at the grocery store. Ribeye, flank steak, flat iron, sirloin... just about anything would work for the dish. The key is to put the steak in the freezer for about 30 minutes. This makes it much easier to slice the steak thinly against the grain.

This makes enough for 3 large portions or 4 regular portions.

Ingredients:

• 1lb steak (your choosing) sliced thinly, against the grain
• 3 cups cooked jasmine rice
• 1 cup broccoli florets (you can add more if you'd like, but Scott hates broccoli)
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 Tbsp EVOO
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 1/2 Tbsp corn starch
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (I used the low sodium)
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper (or more if you want it spicier)
• 1/4 cup water

Directions:

• In a medium high wok or large skillet, add 1 Tbsp EVOO and sauté the mushrooms and broccoli until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
• Sprinkle the sliced beef with corn starch, trying to get a very light dusting on all of the slices. Add to the skillet and cook on each side until cooked through.
• While the beef cooks, combine brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, crushed red pepper and water into a small pot and bring to boil, then remove from heat.
• Once the beef is cooked through, add the broccoli and mushrooms and then the sauce.
• Mix thoroughly and then let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, allowing the sauce to only slightly thicken.

Serve beef mixture on top of jasmine rice and top with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.