Beef and Sweet Potato Stir-Fry

Stir-fry meals are a great go-to meal if you are looking for something easy and healthy to pull together. There are so many variations of stir-fry and they do not have to include rice as the starch. Although we eat our fair share of rice (at least 2-3 times per week), change and variety are always welcome to spice things up a bit! It’s easy for Chris and I to go through time periods eating similar meals each week but starting this blog has really encouraged me to try new recipes that have been on my “must-make” list for a while.

This beef and sweet potato stir-fry is a recipe from one of Clean Eating’s 2009 summer issues — took me long enough to get around to this one!!! I didn’t have certain ingredients on hand such as apple butter and sesame oil but I loved the way this turned out! I cut the recipe in half, increased the amount of green beans, some of seasoning and potato and added some spinach to increase the veggies.

I loved the unique combination of the fresh ginger and garlic with the applesauce and sweet spices, you may not think this would work with beef and potato but it was SO good! The bright colors from the potato and the green veggies were beautiful on the plate, I bet this would be delicious with the sub or addition of baby bok choy or red/yellow bell pepper…but there I go again piling on the vegetables. This is meal that is packed with vitamins, minerals and iron and utilizes fresh ingredients, my favorite! A definite winner in my book 🙂

Beef and Sweet Potato Stir-Fry  (adapted from Clean Eating)

Ingredients

1/2 lb lean beef for stir-fry, sliced 1/8 inch thick & 1 inch strips (recipe called for eye round steak but I used lean sirloin steak)
1 1/2 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
pinch of ground cinnamon
dash of ground cloves
1 Tbsp low sodium gluten free soy sauce (or Braggs)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (use less if you don’t like spicy)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 to 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped (or a rounded 1/2 tsp ground ginger could be subbed)
1 large sweet potato, diced into 1 inch chunks (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup green beans
1 tsp coconut oil, olive oil or butter
3/4 to 1 cup sweet onion, thinly sliced
Handful of baby spinach (about a cup)

Directions

1. In a medium mixing bowl, add beef, applesauce, cinnamon, cloves, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, garlic and ginger. Toss to combine and set aside to marinate.
2. In a medium pot, add sweet potato chunks with 2 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, cook for 5-7 minutes until soft but still firm. Remove sweet potato with strainer or slotted spoon; do not drain water.
3. Return water to a boil. Add green beans and boil for 4 minutes, until soft but still firm. Drain and set aside with cooked potato.
4. In a large wok or skillet, add coconut/olive oil or butter over high heat. Once hot, add beef mixture and onion, tossing quickly until done, about 3 minutes. Then toss in spinach, sweet potatoes and beans. Cook for 1- 2 more minutes and serve!