Sweet and sticky beef

I don’t know how to say this, but I am not a big fan of beef, and yet I’m sharing a recipe with beef.  There are a few reasons for this, but the main one is that Kyle thought it was good, so I figured others (who like beef) would enjoy it as well.  Another big one is that it’s a pretty economical recipe because you can usually get stew meat for pretty cheap (or you can do what I do and wait for Whole Foods’ One Day Sales (on Fridays) which frequently offer the best quality meat for super low prices.  Two weeks ago they had organic and antibiotic/hormone free ground beef for 3.99 / lb.  They aren’t always proteins, but more often than not they are (salmon was this week and shrimp were earlier this month).  I follow our local store on Facebook because that’s were they make the announcements.  It’s pretty much the only reason I log into Facebook actually (I all but deleted my account since I’m inactive).  The people who work at the Davis meat department are awesome too – they give me advice on what cuts to buy and when I buy in bulk they separate portions out and wrap them so I can freeze them separately.  They also will marinate things in advance for you if you call in ahead of time.  I ordered our turkey for Christmas through them (online!) and it was the easiest thing ever.  Anyway, I’m done plugging WF, just wanted to let you all know how I score good deals on good stuff.  [Also, they get a lot of crap for being $$$$ but there are some things worth spending extra for, in my opinion.  And supporting ethical practices in the meat industry is a big freakin deal.]

So.  About this recipe.  You can use whatever produce you want – I chose pineapple, bell peppers, and green cabbage, but I think subbing apples or mango for the fruit would be great too.  Or using broccoli or carrots as the veg.  Totally adaptable.

I served it over rice, but quinoa, some other grain, or noodles would work as well.

Sweet and Sticky Beef [gluten free, dairy free, soy free, nut free]

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp oil (I used olive, but if we had no allergies in our house I’d have used sesame because it would be awesome with these flavors)
• 1.5 lb beef, chopped (I used stew meat pieces)
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup chopped pineapple
• 1 – 1 1/2 cup shredded green cabbage
• 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce (read labels for allergens carefully)
• 1 lime, juiced
• 3 tbsp tamari
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 green onion, sliced (as garnish to serve)
• cilantro (as garnish to serve)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a hot oiled skillet, sear the meat on all sides.

Once it has cooked a bit, add chopped bell peppers and place a lid on top.  Once peppers are soft, add the rest of the ingredients except the cilantro and green onion.  Stir until liquid thickens and beef is cooked through.

Serve over a bed of rice, top with cilantro and green onion.  Add salt and pepper to taste.