Beef & Broccoli

I finally got a chance to try this recipe. Thought it was good but made some changes (I also have notes at the end from a couple of others who tried it). My changes are in parenthesis.

1 lb lean stew meat
2 cups chopped fresh broccoli (I used 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cups sliced fresh carrots (3/4 cup)
2 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoon flour (cornstarch)
2-3 cups water (2 cups beef broth)
I added:

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/3 cup julienned red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Brown meat with garlic in skillet or wok. Add soy sauce and water, bring to boil. Reduce heat to very low and cover. You can also simmer this in the crock pot for about 2 hours so meat is very tender then put back in skillet or wok--keep an eye on water level. (I made this in a large skillet and reserved 1/2 cup of the water/broth till the end to mix in with my cornstarch.)

2. Add flour/cornstarch to thicken sauce. (I moved this to the last step of the recipe.)

3. Add carrots, cook for 3 minutes.

4. Add broccoli cook for 5 minutes.

5. Serve over rice. Makes 4 (1 cup) servings.

From VC - It was yummy, but it could be SO much yummier! I think I would soak the beef in soy sauce and garlic powder for a bit before I cooked it. It didn't soak in the flavor as much as I would have liked. Also, I did use the low sodium soy sauce, so I needed SO much more then 2 tablespoons! (plus I just like the flavor) Obviously, don't just add the flour like the recipe says. Dilute it with water and then pour the paste in to your near boiling liquid. I added a dash of crushed red pepper for color and kick, but fresh red peppers would be nice as well! I just used bagged matchstick carrots (found in the salad section) and threw them in right at the end. All in all, I would definitely make it again with some adaptations, and, most importantly, the hubby really liked it!

From B - Yeah, it was good, but if you are using the crock pot like it mentions, don't cook the meat too long! Mine was cooked a little too long. I think you might be better of skipping the crock pot step or just cooking it on low for maybe 2 hours.