Beef Stir-Fry with Sugar Snap Peas

This recipe falls into my "life is short so always use the best ingredients, even if that is not what the recipe tells you to do" bucket. This is a delicious stir-fry with just a handful of ingredients, and front and center is the beef. Obviously. The original recipe, found in Everyday Food Magazine says to use sirloin, which I am sure would be perfectly okay. Just fine. Totally acceptable.

However.

In a dish like this where the meat can make it or break it, I always choose to use a tenderloin filet. Yes, I know how much they cost. But in the great scheme of things, I think an amazing-tasting dinner is always a worthwhile investment. And trust me, using the filet will take this from a perfectly okay dinner to an amazing one. And you're worth it!

So, now that you have your tenderloin, make sure you get really nice sugar snaps -- none of those frozen ones. The original recipe calls for white rice but I actually like it even better with brown rice. And of course with brown rice, you get that lovely, angelic feeling of being incredibly and responsibly HEALTHY too. Last but not least, I serve this one with some lime wedges on the side. I think the lime juice is one of the things that makes this dish stand out from the pack, and it's nice to have a little extra dash of lime to squeeze over the top just before you dig in. After all, if you have splurged on the tenderloin, might as well go all the way, right?


And with that, here you go...delicious AND nutritious. Yum.

BEEF STIR FRY WITH SUGAR SNAP PEAS, adapted from Everyday Foods

• 2 cups cooked brown rice (or white, if you prefer)
• 1 pound tenderloin steak, thinly sliced crosswise
  
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 12 ounces snap peas, strings removed
• 5 to 6 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced diagonally
• 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 1 lime)

1. Ten minutes before rice is done, place steak in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch, and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Cook half the steak until browned on one side, 1 to 2 minutes (steak will cook further in step 3); transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining beef.
2. Add snap peas, white part of scallions, ginger, red-pepper flakes, and 3/4 cup water to skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook until snap peas turn bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Return steak to skillet until cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and mix in green part of scallions and lime juice. Serve with rice and lime wedges on the side.

Original recipe link: Beef Stir Fry with Sugar Snap Peas