It’s no surprise that I love easy.  When you are in the middle of a busy week, you don’t want to mess around with 10 step recipes or hunt down complicated ingredients.  You want to put dinner on the table in about 15 minutes without setting off the smoke alarm.  Oh, you don’t set off a smoke alarm?  Moving on.

Flank steak is one of those humble cuts of meat that can really shine when it’s properly prepared.  I don’t normally show photograph meat in its raw state.  Because, eewww.  BUT, it’s so important to cut flank steak diagonal to the grain.  So, lay it out on your cutting board and look at the direction of the lines. Take your knife (love this one by J. A. Henckels) and put it perpendicular to those lines.  Now start cutting in 1″ strips.  A few pantry staples later and you’ve got a marinade.  The original recipe does not call to marinate, but marinating never hurt anyone, so I let it sit for about an hour.

Veggies are a good addition to any meal, especially when they’re mixed into the dish, like this stir fry.  The crunch of peanuts and kick of cilantro fancy things up a bit.

We like brown rice, so I made a pot while I was prepping the meal.  It takes 30 minutes, so you have to plan ahead.  The quick and easy minute rice can be made as you are setting the table.

 

  • 1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
  • 2 cups fresh sugar snap peas, trimmed (about 8 ounces)- you can buy these at Trader Joe’s in a bag
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 3 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts

Preparation

  1. Cut steak diagonally across grain into 1-inch-thick slices. Combine steak, garlic, and pepper in a bowl; toss well to coat. Combine soy sauce, cornstarch, and sugar in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth.
  2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sugar snap peas to pan, and stir-fry 1 minute. Add meat mixture to pan, and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add soy sauce mixture to pan; stir-fry 1 minute or until sauce is slightly thick. Place about 1/2 cup rice on each of 4 plates; top each serving with about 1 1/4 cups steak mixture. Sprinkle each serving evenly with 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro and 2 1/4 teaspoons chopped peanuts.  Serve with rice