Cooking with beef can be quick and easy. This beef recipe makes a satisfying lunch that is tasty, light, healthy, and nutritious.
Make the slaw first (up to a day in advance, stored in the fridge) to allow time for the flavors to blend.
Speedy Cole Slaw Salad
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup (50 mL) Rice Vinegar
- ¼ cup (50 ml) Granulated Sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) Vegetable Oil
- 1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) Dijon Mustard
- 1 tsp (5 mL) Sesame Oil (Peanut Oil, Grapeseed Oil)
- ½ bag Coleslaw Salad Mix (16 oz/454 mL size)
- 1 Green Onion, sliced
- ½ cup (125 mL) Canned sliced water chestnuts, drained and halved
- ½ cup (125 mL) Snow Peas, sliced lengthwise (optional)
- ½ cup (125 mL) Unsalted peanuts (optional)
Directions:
- Whisk together the vinegar, sugar, mustard, and oils.
- Toss with the salad mix, green onion, snow peas, water chestnuts.
- Garnish with peanuts.
Enjoy Speedy Cole Slaw Salad with Asian Beef Bites (below) or on its own.
Asian Beef Bites
Ingredients:
- 1 lb 500g Lean or extra-lean Canadian ground beef*
- ¼ cup 50 mL Wheat germ
- 2 Green Onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp 30 mL Soy Sauce (sodium reduced)
- 1 tbsp 15 mL Finely grated fresh ginger root (or ground ginger)
- 1 Egg, lightly beaten
- ¼ tsp 1 mL Pepper
Directions:
- Lightly combine beef, wheat germ, onions, soy sauce, gingerroot, eg, and pepper.
- Gently form into about thirty meatballs each one-inch (2.5 cm) in diameter
- Bake on lightly-oiled foil-lined baking tray at 400F/200C for 10 to 15 minutes until cooked (digital rapid-read thermometer inserted into center of several meatballs reads 160F/71C)
- Thread three or four meatballs onto each skewer and serve over speedy slaw.
If thirty meatballs seems like a lot, remember that you can freeze what you don't use.
Dips to go with the Beef Bites
These Beef Bites are tasty on their own, but serve them with a favorite dipping sauce for extra flavor
- Plum sauce
- Thai sauce
- Sweet & Sour sauce
If you've put the Asian Beef Bites in a bun, meatball hero-style, use your dip as a spread, and top with some slaw for the crunch of it.
Meat Options
You can make these Beef Bites into restaurant-style brochettes by using ground sirloin, round, or chuck in place of regular lean or extra-lean ground beef. Choosing leaner meats is part of the Health Check™ program for healthy eating.
Nutritional Information
Per Serving (4 lean meatballs without slaw): 144 Calories, 13g protein, 9 g fat, 4 g carbohydrate, 388 mg sodium.Excellent source of Iron (12% DV), Zinc (31% DV). B-Complex Vitamins: thiamin (6% DV), riboflavin (11% DV), niacin (24% DV), B6 (6% DV), and B12 (39% DV)
According to the Beef Information Centre, the iron in beef is easier for your body to absorb than that found in plant sources such as tofu or beans.
Thomas Alan Gray - Tom has been writing for over 30 years; curiosity leads him to dig into a wide variety of topics.
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