BEEF & BROCCOLI

Serves 4-6 We LOVED to order Chinese takeout until we found out that there is a lot of wheat in the soy sauce. How silly is it to have wheat in your soy sauce? Rather than give up on eating Chinese food, we started making our own. This beef and broccoli is a little bit sweet, just the right amount of salty, and is a very tasty version of one of our old favorites. Make it with our Fried Cauli Rice with Shrimp for the perfect “takeout” meal at home. INGREDIENTS • 1 lb (454 g) sirloin steak, sliced into strips ½-inch by½-inch by 2-inch • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil or lard • 1 medium onion, sliced • 2 cloves of garlic, minced • 1 lb (454 g) broccoli, chopped into 2- to 3-inch pieces • ¼ C coconut aminos (or wheat-free tamari) • 2 tsp (10 ml) sesame oil • 1 tsp (5 ml) salt • 1/8 tsp (40 ml) pepper • 1/8 tsp (40 ml) red pepper flakes INSTRUCTIONS AND HOW KIDS CAN HELP 1. Heat large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat; if meat is lean, consider adding 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of oil to pan. 2. Sear beef for about 2 minutes on each side, then remove from pan and set aside. 3. Turn heat down to medium and add oil in wok to warm. 4. Add onions to wok, cooking and stirring with little hands until onions start to soften, about 5 minutes. 5. Add garlic and cooked meat to wok, allow to cook together for 3-4 minutes. 6. Add broccoli, aminos, sesame oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to pan. 7. Stir to combine, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, covered.

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Beef and broccoli that fixes everything we missed about Chinese takeout: seared sirloin strips and two-to-three-inch broccoli florets simmered low in a coconut aminos–sesame oil glaze with garlic, onion, and red pepper flakes. Coconut aminos stand in for the wheat-laden soy sauce, so the whole wok stays gluten-free — and served over Fried Cauli Rice with Shrimp, nobody at the table is thinking about delivery.

Pro Tips

• Sear the sirloin strips about two minutes per side in a hot pan, then take them out — they go back in for the simmer, and this first sear is your only chance at a browned crust.
• If your steak is lean, add an extra tablespoon of oil to the pan before searing; sirloin doesn't render much fat on its own.
• Slice the onion and let it soften the full five minutes before the garlic goes in — garlic burns in the time onions need.
• Keep the lid on for the full 30-minute low simmer; that covered time is when the broccoli drinks up the aminos and sesame sauce and turns from plain to takeout-flavored.
• Coconut aminos and wheat-free tamari are both allowed in this recipe — coconut aminos keeps it soy-free as well as gluten-free.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this beef and broccoli soy-free?

It is if you use coconut aminos, which is the first choice in the recipe. Wheat-free tamari also works but contains soy, so choose based on what you're avoiding.

Why remove the beef from the pan after searing?

The strips only need two minutes per side, and they return to the wok to finish with the sauce. Leaving them in through the onion stage would overcook them before the broccoli is done.

What should I serve with paleo beef and broccoli?

Fried Cauli Rice with Shrimp turns it into a full takeout-style meal — the cauliflower rice catches the extra aminos-sesame sauce.

Can I make it spicier?

Yes — the red pepper flakes are the heat dial. The written eighth of a teaspoon is gentle warmth; add more with the sauce in step six, not at the end, so the heat cooks into the glaze.

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