Healthy Hearing Recipes: Beef & Broccoli

Last year one of our most popular blog posts was You Hear What You Eat: 5 Foods to Prevent Hearing Loss…and Hearing Aids. Since at the start of the New Year everyone tends to be a bit more health conscious, this month we’ll be taking those five foods and bring you healthy hearing recipes every Thursday. Last week we had an awesome recipe for salmon. This week, broccoli! Broccoli is rich in antioxidants, and in particular, folic acid. Antioxidants reduce the number of free radicals floating around  your body, which turns out to be pretty important for your hearing. Free radicals can damage the nerve tissue in your inner ear, so don’t shy away from this cruciferous veggie! If you’re a true broccoli-hater, try some of these other antioxidant-rich foods: spinach, asparagus, beans, eggs, or nuts. But first, give this healthy spin on beef and broccoli a try. It may convert even the most ardent anti-broccolite. Serves 4

Here’s what you’ll need:

For the marinade:

• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce or tamari*
• 2 tsp rice wine*
• 1 tsp sesame oil*

For the steak:

• 1 lb sirloin steak, trimmed of fat, thinly sliced
• ¼ tsp salt

For the stir-fry:

• 3 tsp sesame oil* (separated)
• 3 Tbs low sodium soy sauce or tamari*
• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 4 medium scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces, greens & whites separated
• 1 Tbs minced garlic
• ½ tsp minced fresh ginger
• 2 Tbs packed dark brown sugar*
• 1 Tbs oyster sauce*

Here’s what to do:

1. In a shallow glass container, whisk together the ingredients for the marinade.
2. Sprinkle the salt over the steak. Add the steak to the marinade, turn to coat, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook until bright green and tender-crisp, about 1 minute. Drain and immediately rinse with cold water to stop the broccoli from cooking further.
4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil and half of the steak. Cook 30 seconds on each side, without stirring as it’s cooking. Transfer to a plate and repeat with another 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil and the rest of the steak.
5. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil and add the white parts of the scallions, garlic and ginger. Cook for 30 seconds.
6. Add the broccoli, brown sugar, remaining 3 tablespoons of the soy sauce and oyster sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
7. Add the beef and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir in the scallion greens.

  When the stir-fry is done, serve it up with your choice of sides! Rice is great to soak up some of the sauce. I used couscous (pictured), which was also delicious! What’s your favorite way to prepare broccoli? Will you be trying this recipe?  

by Alice Stejskal

This recipe is from The Skinnytaste Cookbook by Gina Homolka. Check out her blog, skinnytaste.com for more healthy recipes!