Beef Noodle Bowl

My older two kids LOVE this meal. Which is funny since, like the vegetable stir-fry on this site, it has broccoli and cooked carrots which are both unfavored items as a general rule. This is also a really great recipe to use if you have a lot of leftover cooked pasta. When we do spaghetti or something like that we never put the sauce on the noodles while they're in the pan because some kids don't like the sauce and others only want a little, etc. So, we often have leftover noodles to use. It's a versatile recipe, too. You can always add different veggies than what the recipe calls for and it still generally turns out. I haven't tried all combinations of veggies so I can't say it always turns out.

Beef Noodle Bowl
from Kraft

8 oz. linguine, uncooked
3 cups broccoli florets
3 carrots, peeled, sliced (about 2 cups)
2 tsp oil
1 lb beef sirloin steak, cut into strips (I cheat and buy stir-fry beef at the grocery store)
1 Tbsp teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing

Cook pasta as directed on package, adding vegetables to the boiling water for the last 2 minutes of the pasta cooking time. (I've found they usually need longer so I add the veggies when I add the pasta to the water.)

Meanwhile, heat oil in large nonstick skillet. (I use a really large pot because, once you add everything to this pan, it will be really hard to stir it together without spilling stuff over the edge of the skillet.)

Add meat to the oil and cook for 4 minutes or until the meat is browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. (I often have "juice" from the meat that is more like water, so I drain this out during the cooking of the meat.)

Stir in dressing and teriyaki sauce and cook for 2 minutes or until the sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally. (I usually double the sauce amount depending on how many veggies I'm using or how many noodles I'm using. The original sauce amount isn't very much anyway.)

Drain the pasta mixture and place in a large serving bowl. Add the meat mixture and toss to coat. (Unless you don't want t make another dish dirty and you serve it in the pan, like me. See the comment about pans above.)

Tip:
When you are using leftover noodles you won't be cooking the veggies with the noodles. When that's the case, I add a little salt to the water with the veggies while they cook, otherwise they are a little bland. But that is completely a personal choice. And, warm the noodles up in the microwave before adding it to the meat mixture. You don't want to cool off the meat and then have to reheat it with the noodles.

Vegetable Stir-Fry

Getting my kids to eat vegetables that are anything other than baby carrots and occasionally salad is nearly impossible. Boy 1 doesn't like broccoli unless it's in the form of Broccoli Cheese soup. (Go figure.) The girl likes broccoli but doesn't really care for anything else except carrots, as long as they're not cooked. Boy 2 will occasionally eat carrots as long as they are uncooked and only baby carrots. Not carrot sticks or large carrots. None of the kids like celery or cauliflower. HOWEVER, I can make this vegetable stir fry and I never get complaints from the older two kids. Boy 2 doesn't complain either, but he'll only eat the rice that we put under this. It's wonderful to have a non-complaint meal!

Vegetable Stir-Fry
from Swanson (Think broth - I got it from a magazine, I think it was Woman's Day but I can't remember for sure.)

1 cup Swanson Chicken Broth (Regular, Natural Goodness or Certified Organic)
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 cups cut-up vegetables ~ broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, baby carrots and sliced celery
2 tsp grated fresh ginger root or 1/8 tsp ground ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
Toasted sesame seeds ~optional
(I add about 1/2 tsp of salt while this is cooking but you can just season as you like after it's on your plate, too.)

Stir the broth, cornstarch and soy sauce in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth.

Heat the oil in a 10" skillet over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables, ginger root and garlic and stir-fry until they're tender-crisp.

Add the broth mixture to the skillet. Cook and stir until the mixture boils and thickens. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds, if desired.

We serve this recipe over rice and it makes a whole meal for us. Enjoy!


Tips:
- You may be tempted to use frozen veggies for this recipe. I'm here to tell you that it will work, BUT it turns out a whole lot better with fresh veggies.

- Remember that fresh ginger is usually more potent than the bottled stuff you find in your spice cabinet. If you aren't a huge fan of ginger, like me, then you might want to go with just a bit less than 2 tsp of fresh grated ginger. It can be pretty strong for me with the full 2 teaspoons.