DAY 89 & DAY 90 RECIPES: GINGER BEEF & VEGGIE CHOWMEIN

Today is my son Rileys second birthday! Happy Birthday to you baby! I can't even believe it! We made little pizzas(just with store bought crusts) and had some cupcakes from the store for our celebration meal! Don't think I am a lazy terrible mother! we are having a proper birthday party on the 15th, with all the fixings! So I knew I would prefer to spend my time with the kids today instead of cooking and fussing, so I used recipes from last night for both day 89 and day 90.
Yesterday I made the Brandy Version of Chinese Food. I have never liked Chinese food. But I always wanted to eat it. Truth be told,  I really wanted to use chopsticks and eat out of bento boxes. So I did alot of experimenting and I came up with the veggie chowmein. I love, love, love it! It is a great way to pack in tonnes of veggies and to use chopsticks! I don't eat the ginger beef, but it certainly gets rave reviews!
 I will say that this is a messy, messy adventure, for me at least! After I had prepared this fabulous feast there was food flung from one end of the kitchen to the other, and some in the adjoining rooms. So there is alot of clean up (there is if you are as messy as I am anyhow) and a pretty fair amount of veggie chopping involved, but so worth it! Check it out and try it out!
I will note that with the chowmein you can put all sorts of different veggies in it, my choices often vary, just be mindful of different cooking times of different veggies!
Enjoy!

DAY 89 RECIPE:
GINGER BEEF


INGREDIENTS:
1 LB Strip loin Steak, thinly sliced
¾ Cup Cornstarch
½ Tsp Ground Ginger
1 Tbsp Chilli Powder
1/3 Cup Water
2 Eggs
4 Tbsp Canola Oil
3 Green Onions, Cut into ¼ inch pieces
4 Garlic Cloves, grated
6 Tbsp Freshly Grated Ginger Root
4 Tbsp Soy Sauce
4 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
¼ Cup Honey
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
½ Tsp Nutmeg
1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds

DIRECTIONS:
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large non stick wok or fry pan over high heat.
In a bowl whisk together cornstarch, chilli powder, ground ginger, water and eggs until smooth.
Toss beef pieces in cornstarch mixture. Add about ½ of the beef strips into the hot oil. Try to keep pieces separate and cook 2 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on paper towel. Heat another 2 tbsp of oil and cook the remaining beef in the same way. Remove beef from pan and reduce heat to medium.
Add green onions, garlic and ginger. Sauté briefly, about 1 minute. Quickly whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, honey sesame oil, nutmeg, and sesame seeds, pour sauce into pan with veggies. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Add Beef, toss to coat and cook for another 2 minutes. Serve Immediately.

DAY 90 RECIPE:
VEGGIE CHOWMEIN


INGREDIENTS:
1 Small Turnip, grated
1 Small Zucchini, grated
1 Cup Match Stick Carrots
2 Celery Ribs, thinly sliced
4 Green Onion Tops, Sliced into ¼ “ pieces
1 Cup Thinly Sliced Mushrooms
1 Cup Broccoli Florets
1 Cup Bean Sprouts
1 Can Baby Corn Cobs, drained liquid reserved.
3 Tbsp Canola Oil

¼ Cup Soy Sauce
Reserved Baby Corn Liquid
½ Tsp Nutmeg
2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Ground Ginger
3 Tbsp Cornstarch

1 -14 OZ Pkg Chowmein Noodles
Water
1 Tbsp Canola Oil

DIRECTIONS:
Pre heat oven to 325 degrees.
Fill a large pot about 2/3 full of water. Add 1 tbsp canola oil. Bring to a boil. Add noodles, cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.
In a large non stick wok heat 2 tbsp canola oil over medium high heat. Add carrots, mushrooms and celery. Sauté 4 minutes. Add Baby corn cobs, saute 2 more minutes. Add broccoli florets and green onions. Saute 2 more minutes.
Transfer all veggies into a large roasting or casserole dish.
Add 2 tbsp canola oil to wok. Add noodles, turnip, zucchini and bean sprouts. Saute for about 5 minutes. Transfer to the casserole dish and toss with veggies.
Now, whisk together reserved corn liquid, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder, nutmeg and ginger. Add cornstarch and stir VERY WELL. Immediately pour over noodles and veggies. Stir everything around to make sure everything is coated with sauce. Put in oven and bake for 25 minutes.