Beef and Orange Stir-Fry

Last week I was excited to see a new vendor at the farmers market who was selling grass fed beef. I don't eat a lot of beef, but on the occasions I do, I like it to be grass fed, etc. Just trying to do my part to save the world. I realized I hadn't cooked anything from Everyday Food lately, so a quick browse through the Fall section of the book brought me to this recipe. This past weekend, armed with my list and my cash, I went to the market in search of grass fed beef. Turns out it just wasn't my week to find it at the farmers market, but I had already bought the rest of the ingredients for the recipe, so I picked up some organic, "vegetarian" fed rib eye at the grocery store. As usual, I halved the recipe, but only used a quarter of the soy sauce. It was good, but I felt like it was missing something so I ended up adding about 2 teaspoons of honey to the leftovers. I think ginger would be good in here too. To make it a little healthier I served it with brown rice and to trim the fat even more, try using a leaner cut of beef than rib eye.



Beef and Orange Stir-Fry
(Adapted From Everyday Food)

2 oranges
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 lb trimmed boneless rib eye, cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil
2 scallions, sliced

Into a small bowl, finely grate zest and squeeze juice from 1/2 orange. Add garlic, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes and set aside.

With a sharp paring knife, peel remaining 2 oranges. Slice oranges crosswise 1/2 inch thick, then halve slices; push out, and discard any seeds. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, toss meat with cornstarch until coated. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Working in batches (adding more oil if needed), brown beef on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes; transfer to a plate.

Pour juice mixture into skillet, and boil until syrupy, about 1 minute. Return beef to skillet; add orange slices and scallions. Toss until coated and heated through. Serve hot with rice.