My oldest, Abby, is addicted to Minecraft. She's been talking about an update that's due tomorrow to the app version of the game (she plays on an ipod). So I thought it might be fun to make a Minecraft inspired dinner.
In the game, there are these creatures called Mooshrooms. From what I gather, they're cows that grow mushrooms. And mushrooms are a big part of the game, I guess.
I thought about making a mushroom stew/soup, like in the game, but it's super hot here in Arizona right now. Also, 3 out of 4 of my kids hate mushrooms. I thought that maybe if they were in a stir fry, I might get the kids to try them. And guess what? All of my girls tried the mushrooms in this recipe. And they all loved them. Sam, well, he at least ate most of the stir fry.
I also thought this would be a great way to get the kids to eat some veggies without having to hide them. This is really a veggie-loaded recipe, and I let the kids choose the vegetables I would add. It's funny how when you involve kids in a meal, they are more likely to try it. They devoured it!
Here's the recipe, and it makes a ton. I'm guessing easily 8 servings:
Stir fry sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 T vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup cornstarch
Whisk it all up. Set aside. (You'll probably have to whisk it again before adding to the recipe.)
Stir fry ingredients:
1 lb stir fry beef (Or use a thin cut steak & slice it up. My store had cross rib steak on sale, so I grabbed that and sliced it into 1/2" thick pieces.)
1 lb white mushrooms, stems removed & sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
Small bunch of broccoli, use the florets
3 oz snow peas
8 oz carrots, cut into medallions or thin slices. (I bought a 1 lb bag of carrot chips and used half.)
3 ribs celery, sliced
2 bunches green onions, chopped
8 oz can of sliced water chestnuts, drained
8 oz canned baby corn, drained, and cut the baby corn in half
2 T oil (peanut, olive, coconut, vegetable, whatever you have)
1) Start by preparing the beef. Slice it, or if you've purchased it already sliced, then don't worry about it. Put it in a bowl and lightly coat it with soy sauce.
2) Get to chopping veggies. This really takes very little time. Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth before slicing.
3) Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. I used my large cast iron skillet. Fry the beef until cooked through.
4) Add the veggies.
5) Add the stir fry sauce. Use as much or as little as you'd like. I really only used about 2/3 of the sauce I made. The rest can be easily refrigerated and saved.
6) Stir it up! Flip the veggies around, being sure not to overcook them. You want them to stay crisp, but you want them hot, too.
Voila! That's it! Serve over rice.
