Food For Friday: Beef Lo Mein

This Friday's dish is the Asian inspired meal that Chef Deborah Fewell taught me to make on our episode of Home Made Simple. Back in January, Truman and I taped an episode of Home Made Simple in our home. The Beef Lo Mein recipe that Deborah created for us was delicious!

Deborah and I taping the cooking segment for the show

This lo mein has all the flavor of Chinese take-out, but it is a healthier version and a quick dinner, which makes it great for a weeknight meal. I made it for dinner tonight and wanted to share the recipe with you!

Ingredients:
1 flank steak (1 lb.), trimmed & cut across the grain in long strips
3 tbls. soy sauce
2 tbls. brown sugar
1 tbls. hoisin sauce (the original recipe calls for oyster sauce, but I am allergic to seafood, so we substitute hoisin sauce instead)
1/2 tbls. chili paste with garlic (the recipe calls for 1 tbls. but it is spicy! so I reduce it to 1/2 tbls. If you like a lot of heat, you may want to use 1 tbls.)
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
4 cups cooked whole wheat spaghetti (approx. 8 oz. uncooked)
2 tsp. dark sesame oil
2 tbls. peanut oil
1 tbls. fresh ginger, peeled & minced
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
3 cups frozen broccoli florets
1 medium onion, halved & thinly sliced (I like to dice it instead of slice it when I make it)
sesame seeds for garnish
green onions for garnish (optional)

(You should be able to find the Asian ingredients at any grocery store, but they will be less expensive at an Asian market!)

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, chili paste, and crushed red pepper flakes. Set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions. After it is drained, combine the pasta & sesame oil, tossing well to coat.

While the pasta cooks, heat the peanut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the ginger, garlic, broccoli & onion and sautee for 5 min or until the broccoli is tender. Push the vegetables to the edges of the pan, creating a hole in the center. Add the steak strips into the center of the skillet.

Sautee the steak for 5 min or until done. Add the pasta mixture & soy sauce mixture and cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly. Serve garnished with thinly sliced green onions and sesame seeds.

Chopsticks optional!