Asian Peppers and Steak

 Thin slices of ribeye steak marinated in soy sauce, brown sugar and sambal cooked with sliced bell peppers and onions results in this super easy meal that I threw together in under an hour.  You're going to want to make sure you have cooked rice on hand to sop up the yummy sauce!

You know how you have something sitting in your fridge and you think you know exactly what you're going to do with it? That is, until you actually take it out and realize that you no longer have any desire to make whatever it was you were going to do and you go in a completely different direction.  That's how this dish happened - and I'm so glad it did because it's now going into the regular rotation.  Even my kids, who always pick around their peppers, ate every bite and asked for more. Shocking!

I made this as simple as possible, yet I think it rivals any takeout you could get.  So don't order takeout with mushy vegetables and thick, gooey, MSG-laden sauce coating less-than-desirable pieces of meat; grab a few ingredients, slice up some peppers and onions while the steak is marinating for twenty minutes, cook your rice... bam. Dinner is ready.

ASIAN PEPPERS AND STEAK 

Serves 4 

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 TBSP olive oil + 1 TBSP olive oil, divided
•  1 lb. thinly sliced ribeye steak, cut in bite-sized pieces (flank steak also works)
• Half of a red, yellow and orange bell pepper, sliced in thin strips
• Half of a yellow onion, sliced thinly
• optional: sliced green onions, chives, red pepper flakes (for extra spice)

MARINADE 

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 TBSP brown sugar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1-2 tsp sambal oelek (you can find this in the Asian section of most grocery stores)
• 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp ground ginger

DIRECTIONS

1. Stir all the marinade ingredients together in a medium bowl and add the steak. Mix well and let it sit for 20-30 minutes while you prepare the vegetables and your rice.
2. Heat a large nonstick pan on medium high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the onions and peppers for 5-7 minutes or until the onions are slightly caramelized. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the empty pan for the steak. Before cooking the marinated steak, drain the marinade into another bowl and set aside.  This is so the meat can get more easily browned and crispy in the pan.
4. Spread the steak evenly in the pan so each piece is able to get crispy! Step away for a good 4-5 minutes before flipping and cooking the other side.
5. Stir 2 tsp of cornstarch with a splash of water to add to the marinade.  Add this the steak and cook for another couple minutes.  Add the peppers and onions back in the pan.
6. Garnish with sliced green onions or chives and serve on top of white rice.  Enjoy!