Spicy Sesame Ginger Beef

Hey daddio! Here’s what you’ll find in this week’s newsletter -

• A sweet and spicy sesame ginger beef recipe packed with colors and flavors to rival even the best strip mall Chinese joint

• How to remove an avocado pit without chopping your fingers off

• The crazy superfood that aids in digestion, reduces inflammation, and fights nausea - while making your food taste better

But first…

Dad Joke of the Week

Tag us with your best dad jokes on Twitter or shoot us an email at [email protected] - we’ll feature our favorites here!

Family Recipe: Sesame Ginger Beef

You’ll definitely attract a curious family member or two into the kitchen while cooking this one. The sizzling wok, the vibrant colors of the veggies, the fragrant aromas of cooking ginger and garlic - just walking by is a sensory symphony.

Sesame ginger beef is one of my favorites (if you couldn’t tell).

This recipe offers flavors to rival your favorite Chinese takeout, without spending a fortune eating out. You also get the benefits of choosing high quality meat & produce, while adjusting the salt and sugar content to your family’s needs.

Just serve this one over rice, and you’ve got all the makings of a great meal - a protein, a veggies, and a healthy starch.

This recipe takes a little more effort than a quick dish like our Easy Sausage Breakfast Casserole, but it’s definitely worth it (and still a great choice for a simple midweek meal).

With a little practice, you might even add this to your arsenal dishes you can cook without a recipe.

A few things to keep in mind while preparing this sesame ginger beef:

• This recipe calls for 1.5 lbs of beef. I usually buy 2-1lb packages, then cut one in half and store it. I’ll include in my meal plan for the week to use that remaining beef in another dish like pasta with meat sauce

• Fresh ginger is best. Remember what my Lola used to tell me - “You can never use too much ginger!”

• Salt the peppers in the bowl after dicing to hold their nice vibrant colors through the cooking process

• Finish the mixture with a cap full of rice vinegar before serving to brighten the flavors

Follow along with video and photos on Twitter, or keep reading below for the recipe:

Sesame Ginger Beef

Serves 6

Meat Mix:

1.5 lbs of ground beef

2 red bell peppers, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 inch piece of ginger, minced

Sauce:

2 T hoisin sauce

3 T soy sauce

2 T hot sauce

1 T honey

Garnish:

1 bunch of scallion, chopped

Sesame seeds to taste

1. Cut the veggies, start the rice, and heat a large skillet over med-high heat

2. Brown the beef, drain excess grease

3. Add red peppers, garlic, and ginger to the pan, and cook for 2-3 minutes (until fragrant)

4. Stir in all the sauce ingredients, and cook while stirring for another 2-3 minutes (until slightly thickened)

5. Serve over rice, garnish with scallions and sesame seeds

Dinner Dojo: Remove Avocado Pit

Whether you’re making guacamole or simply serving slices of avocados, you’ll need to know how to remove the pit.

I’ve seen people try all kinds of ways to remove the pit (including using a spoon). It can be messy, wasteful, and downright dangerous if you’re not smart about it.

Master this one technique, and you’ll never have trouble using an avocado again:

Shopping Cart: Ginger

Growing up, my Lola always told me - “You can never use too much ginger!”

I’ve lived by that rule in the kitchen, but turns out, ginger also has some pretty amazing health benefits. You need to get this food in your shopping cart!

Did you know that ginger can…

• Relieve nausea

• Improve digestion

• Slow wear and tear on cells

• Reduce inflammation

Not bad for one little root, huh? Here are some of the ways you can incorporate ginger in your diet:

• Asian dishes of any kind (like this week’s sesame beef!)

• Boil whole pieces of ginger in water to make ginger tea

• You can even find ginger in candy and supplement form

Finally, a pro tip for peeling ginger - use a spoon! It sounds ridiculous, but just try it. You’ll get the cut and precision of a paring knife, with the safe and forgiving edge of… well, of a spoon.

Community Shoutout

A shoutout to my fellow dad chefing it up for his family - V224info, a member of our Dads On Dinner community that offered some amazing tips for making a killer picadillo.

V had this to add to our Poor Man’s Picadillo recipe we shared:

• Try using a mixture of meat like half ground beef and half chorizo

• Make your own tomato base using fresh cherry tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, garlic - pan roast everything, then blend

• Add rehydrated ancho or guajillo for a unique flavor

• Mix in golden raisins for added sweetness and texture

Dad’s gonna have to revamp his recipe apparently!

That’s it for this week! Don’t forget to subscribe for weekly updates right to your inbox:

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