Paleo Bison with Broccoli
There are many Broccoli Beef recipes out there, and a dozen paleo versions to boot. I tried a few, but they weren’t exactly what I was hoping for. I wanted more, well, flavor! I wasn’t expecting a bad translation of the goopy, sugary stuff that comes in a takeout box with fortune cookies, but I wanted just enough seasoning to highlight the richness of well-cooked red meat, and the earthy tartness of broccoli, all in balance with a supporting cast of green onions and sesame. Here’s what I came up with. I’ve added a little sherry and honey to bring out some familiar flavors of Asian marinade, and both, thankfully, are paleo-friendly. Just for the record, I served this on a bed of cauliflower fried “rice,” for which you can find a recipe here >>
Ingredients:
1 lb. of bison (or grass-fed beef) cut into slender strips or bite-sized chunks
Marinade:
2 garlic cloves, minced
1″ chunk of ginger, minced
1/3 C. coconut aminos (gluten-free soy sauce substitute)
1/4 C. sherry
2 TBS fish sauce
1 TBS honey
1.3 C. coconut flour
Also:
1 onion sliced thin
2 garlic cloves diced
1/2″ chunk of ginger, minced
1 jalapeño, diced
1 medium-sized head of broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 TBS coconut oil
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 TBS sesame seeds
4 green onions, cut into 1/2″ pieces
Cilantro, chopped
Directions:
Prepare your marinade:
In a medium-sized glass bowl, whisk together marinade ingredients.
Tip: keep your ginger unpeeled and in the freezer. You can then easily add it to recipes using a micrograter:
Mix in the beef and coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for at least 20 minutes.
While the meat is marinating, prepare your broccoli, and get the rest of the ingredients ready to cook:
It’s difficult to cook broccoli and meat together and get well-cooked meat without overcooking your broccoli into a soggy mush, so I cook them separately.
Place your broccoli in a steamer basket, cover and blanch until the broccoli is bright green, softened, but not soggy. (Note: On the left, I’m also cooking a pan of cauliflower fried “rice” to serve with my Bison Beef).
Now prep your ingredients to cook with the meat. Slice and dice up the onion, jalapeño, ginger and garlic.
In a large pan, heat the coconut over medium heat until it shimmers, then sauté the ginger, garlic, jalapeño and onions until the onions are soft and slightly translucent, about four minutes.
Increase heat to medium-high, and stir in the meat. Cook until lightly browned, about four minutes.
Stir in the steamed broccoli, pepper flakes, and sesame oil, and heat through, about 3 minutes.
Off-heat, stir in half of the green onions and cilantro, and combine to mix.
Serve over cauliflower fried “rice,” and top with remaining cilantro, green onions, and sesame seeds.
There you have it. Enjoy!