If you ask my boys, they’ll tell you we rarely have the same thing twice. I have a handful of favorite recipes that I make over and over again, but usually I’m scouring the internet and my cookbooks looking for new and different things to try. Sigh…I miss my cookbooks, packed away until the kitchen is completed. The boys often have to request a meal they miss if they want me to make it again. Jake has meatball subs in the request pile right now actually.
One of my go to meats to cook with is ground beef because it’s a meat Jake doesn’t usually have an issue with. Some of his favorite meals include meatballs (see above), meatloaf, and sloppy joe. Oh and the spaghetti with meat sauce from Wednesday. You’ll notice all of them have ground beef as the base. So when I was making my weekly meal plan last weekend and wasn’t inspired by anything on Pinterest, I googled “low carb ground beef recipes” to see what I could come up with.
You see, not only am I cooking without a kitchen, I’m trying to lose a couple pounds before my best friend’s wedding in early April. I’ve done a decent job so far, but to be honest I’m starting to lose track a bit! With a night of burger eating in my future, it’s not looking too good… Yikes!
Anyhow, I searched for the recipes and came across Korean Beef Bowls, which sounded interesting. I love Asian flavors so anything that has Chinese, Japanese, or Korean in the name is probably up my alley. Furthermore if they include garlic and ginger, I’m in.
I read through the recipe and decided it was a go! The best part was I could make everything in my Instant Pot or on my stove, whenever I get that back. And, unbeknownst to me, the boys were going to love it! Quick, easy, and a crowd pleaser. I think that fits the bill in my house.
Korean Beef Bowls
(adapted from this recipe)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1½ pounds lean ground beef
3 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 heaping tbsp garlic paste)
½ tsp Stevia drops (or ½ cup sugar)
½ tsp molasses
¼ cup soy sauce
½ tsp fresh ginger (or use the Gourmet Gardens paste…seriously I love this stuff)
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicy)
1 tbsp honey (if desired)
1 bunch scallions, chopped
Sriracha (if desired)
Turn your Instant Pot on saute and heat your oil. Brown your ground beef, breaking it up as you go. Drain beef if needed. Add your garlic, Stevia, molasses, soy, ginger, and crushed red pepper flake. Cook for 5 minutes until flavors have combined.
This is where I deviated a bit from the original recipe. I tasted the recipe and decided I wanted it a bit sweeter, plus I have an issue with fake sugar sometimes. It leaves a taste in my mouth I don’t always love, so I added a drizzle (or two) of honey. I believe it ended up being about a tablespoon. Then I stirred it up again and tasted it. Yum!
I served the beef over Trader Joe’s frozen brown rice (a HUGE timesaver in my house) with a drizzle of Sriracha and a sprinkle of scallions. Both boys raved about it and Jake finished an entire plate! And it wasn’t small either!
If you are truly trying to do low carb (like I should have been), you can serve this over cauliflower rice instead. I’m not a big fan of cauliflower so, while I try to get on board with this trend, it can be hard for me sometimes. Regardless, this beef is worth a try. Jeff commented that it would be good in tortillas too. Asian tacos…future blog post maybe?
One Girl's Taste On Life 