Beef Lo Mein - Simple

This is an easy beef lo mein.  It doesn't taste like the restaurant lo mein but it is very good.

Ingredients

• 16 ounces spaghetti  
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb lean beef, cut into pieces
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 cup snap peas
• 3/4 cup beef broth
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce (optional)

Directions

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil in a large skillet. Add ginger and garlic and saute 1 minute. Add beef and onions and saute until onions are tender.  Mix cornstarch and cold broth.  Add broth and soy sauce and oyster sauce and bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Drain noodles and add to sauce.

Beef Lo Mein - Complex

 
   I love beef lo mein.  I think I could eat it everyday.  Trying to make it taste like the restaurant lo mein, however, has been a challenge.  This recipe is as close as I've found.  Here's a few notes about it:

1.  This can be used with beef, chicken, shrimp or pork.
       
2.  If you start from scratch, it will take a couple of hours to make, at least it took that long for me.

3.  It doesn't have to take that long if you make all the sauces, ahead.  You can store these for a long time and use them as you need them.  Wait to add the broth to the sauce mixture so you can keep it longer and use it for chicken, pork, shrimp or beef, depending on the broth you add.

4.  If this seems just too much, don't give up.  My next post is the simplified version of this meal. 

If you have a dog he'll love you for making this meal.  With all the measuring, cutting and mixing, he'll be entertained the whole time and he's sure to eat well on dropped scraps. 

       Ingredients 

     1/2 lb lean steak 

Meat Marinade 
     2 teaspoons cornstarch 

     1 teaspoon sugar 

     1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce 

     2 teaspoons water

 
Vegetables 
     1 red bell peppers  
     1 small onions, cut in wedges  
     2 green onions, cut into 1” strips

       Sauce Mixture 
              4 teaspoons cornstarch  
              1 cup beef broth  
              2 tablespoons oyster sauce  
              2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped  
              1/4 teaspoon ginger  
              4 tablespoons peanut oil

Seasoning in Noodles 
      1 lb fresh Chinese egg noodles  
      2 tablespoons peanut oil  
      1 tablespoon sesame oil  
      2 tablespoons oyster sauce  
      1 1/2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce  
      1 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar

Directions

1. Cut steak into thin strips, and then into pieces. Mix with meat marinade for 30 minutes.
2. Cut red pepper into thin strips. Mix sauce.
3. Parboil noodles for 3 minutes. Rinse and drain.
4. Bring another pot of water to boil, and keep hot.
5. Heat 2 T. oil in a large pan. Stir fry all vegetables together for 2-3 minutes.
6. Sprinkle on a little salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Set aside.
7. Add 2 T. oil, and stir fry beef until done.
8. Add sauce mixture. Stir until thickened.
9. Add the vegetables. Stir until well mixed.
10. Put noodles into hot pot of water for 10-15 seconds, just to heat. Drain.
11. Put back in pot, and add seasonings to noodles .
12. Serve meat and vegetables over noodles.

Apple Cake

     Apples always looks great in the grocery store.  They smell good.  They call to me to buy them so I do.  I eat a couple of them, grow tired of them and store them in the fridge.  So the challenge is to find a use for them, besides eating an apple - or 12 - a day.  My solution is an Apple Cake.  I use my mini-bundt pans but a 9 x 13" cake pan would work too.

     I didn't want to go to the grocery store and risk buying more apples, so I used what I had.  That eliminates almost all dairy products, additional fruits and apple cider.  I found eggs, flour, sugar and a few other staples.  Chester yawned and stretched at the sight of me getting out the flour.  He figured there would be plenty dropped.  He was right.

     This cake isn't super sweet so you if you like a very sweet dessert consider adding powdered sugar or icing.

     Here's the recipe:

1 cup vegetable oil 2 eggs 2 cups white sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 4  medium apples - peeled, cored and diced

Directions

	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13 inch cake pan or 2 mini-bundt pans.
	In a mixing bowl; beat oil and eggs with a whisk or electric mixer until creamy. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat well.
	Combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and ground cinnamon together in another bowl. Slowly add this mixture to the egg mixture and mix until combined. The batter will be very thick. Fold in the apples by hand using a wooden spoon. Spread batter into the prepared pan(s).
	Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes for 9 x 13 or 30 minutes for bundt pans or until cake tests done. Let cake cool on a wire rack. Serve when cool.  If using a bundt pan, cool before you turn out.