Spicy Orange Beef

So as many of you probably know, I started Weight Watchers last summer and have lost about 31lbs!  I still have a little ways to go; but the program really works!  The recipe that I am going to blog about tonight is adapted from their new cookbook Turn Up the Flavor.  I have to say that so far I have enjoyed the cookbook, and the recipes I have tried all have been good.  One recipe that turned out really well is Spicy Orange Beef (Spicy Tangerine Beef in the cookbook), and it is only 4WWPP!!  I made some slight modifications and paired it with some jasmine rice for a fabulous dinner.  You would not even know that it is a Weight Watchers recipe if I didn’t tell you!  Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3 navel oranges
• 1lb of lean sirloin steak, thinly sliced (You can go to the Butcher at the grocery store and they will slice it for you; ask for about 1/8″ thick slices)
• 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp of minced fresh ginger
• 1 tsp of cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 bunch of broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
• 4 scallions cut into 1″ pieces
• 5 or 6 small peppers (the tiny sweet ones that are a mix of yellow, orange, and red that come in a bag) or 1 Bell Pepper (any of these colors)  thinly sliced

  

Instructions:

To start I cut the meat into about 1/2″ wide strips.  I then marinated the meat in the refrigerator in a bowl with the soy sauce, ginger, and garlic for about 4 hours.  You could probably leave it longer and it would be fine.  Next, zest 1 of the oranges and set the zest aside.  Peel and section two of the oranges and put these in a small bowl.  Juice the last orange and also add that to the bowl.    Add the red pepper flakes and cornstarch to this bowl and set the mixture aside.  In a large pan or wok heat the olive oil, so that it sizzles with a drop of water, but not so high that it smokes.  Saute the meat in the pan until it is mostly cooked, probably a couple of minutes.  Remove the meat from the pan leaving the juices in the pan, and set aside.  Add the broccoli, peppers, and scallions to the pan and saute until the broccoli is bright green.  Next add the orange juice mixture to the pan and saute for a couple more minutes.  At this stage the sauce should thicken slightly.  Add the meat back in and saute a couple more minutes.  Serve over rice and enjoy!

4 Servings, 4WWPP per serving