Mongolian Beef and Broccoli

We love PF Changs but it has always been difficult for me to create the same flavor at home.  And to do so would mean using a lot of unhealthy ingredients.  I've been working on a healthier version of this and finally have something that is delicious and *almost* completely healthy.  The only thing I haven't been able to replace is the brown sugar.  If I come up with a way to make this 100% sugar-free I'll post it right away!

Some of the changes I've made to the original recipes I've found for this include:

• I use coconut oil for frying and I do not recommend olive oil when cooking at a high heat such as this.  When you heat olive oil to its smoke point, the beneficial compounds in oil start to degrade, and potentially health-harming compounds form.  Coconut oil, however, is very healthy and works well for cooking with high heat.  If you do not have coconut oil, canola oil is an option.

• I have replaced soy sauce (which contains unhealthy ingredients, including gluten) with very healthy Liquid Aminos  Braggs is a good brand and you can find it at a local health food store, some grocery stores, or you can buy it here.  The flavor is a little different than soy sauce, so if you want to move your family to it slowly, you can use 1/2 soy sauce and 1/2 amino acids for this recipe.  When I did this, I used an organic version to avoid GMOs.
• I replaced corn starch with a gluten-free flour.

And now for the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 4 TB olive oil
• 2 tsp Ginger, minced (you can use ground ginger if you do not have fresh available.)
• 5 Garlic cloves, finely chopped  (or use even more, garlic is a great immune system builder!)
• 1 cup Liquid Aminos
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 2 lb flank steak or sirloin, thinly sliced
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup gluten free flour (I use Trader Joes brand.)
• 2 cups broccoli and 1 cup snow peas (or green onions, or green beans) washed

Directions:

1. Cut flank steak into thin strips against the grain.  It is helpful to have the meant slightly frozen for easier slicing.  Place meat and flour in a bowl or bag and shake to coat with the flour.  Let the meat sit while you do step 2 below, so that the flour sticks well to the meat.
2. Heat olive oil gently in skillet over medium heat until hot, but not steaming.  Add ginger and garlic and let sizzle for 30 seconds, then add soy sauce.  Gradually add the brown sugar and let it dissolve while stirring.  Let the sauce come to a boil, then simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Put coconut oil in a skillet or wok and heat on medium-high until hot.  Add the meat to the wok and brown for about 4-5 minutes.  Remove the meat and drain it on paper towels or strainer.
4. Clean pan (or use another pan) to return the meat and cook on high for about 2 more minutes.  Add the sauce to the pan cook for another minute.  Add the broccoli, onions or other vegis and cook for 2-5 minutes longer (depending on how crispy you want the vegis to be.)
5. Remove from heat and serve on white rice.