Broccoli and Venison Stir Fry

Alicia Silverstone, everyone’s favorite vegan, has a new book out called The Kind Diet, outlining the whys and hows of reducing animal products in one’s diet. Wait, I’m not making any crazy dietary conversions, just give me a second here…

I flipped through a few pages on Amazon and it looks decent. I didn’t buy it as I don’t know that I want my dietary advice coming from the Clueless chick, but whatev, it’s still a great concept that harkens back to the Pollan mantra: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

Although this is definitely a meat eating household, I’m willing to bet Ms. Silverstone and I have more in common than first appears. Sure, she’s vegan and I am a former vegetarian with a love of fish, pheasant, yogurt, scrambled eggs, real chocolate, Haagen Dazs...but both Alicia and I have the same thoughts when we approach our dinner plates; namely, that factory meat is crap.

Enter broccoli and venison stir fry. You won’t find it in The Kind Diet, but I’m guessing Alicia would (somewhat) approve. I’ve made this dish twice in the past two weeks, it’s that good. You’ll need a couple new players in your pantry, though.

Black bean garlic sauce: For Bismarckians, Dan’s Supermarket carries this in the Asian section.

Asian chile sauce: Also in the Asian section, look for the rooster on the bottle; it’s cheap, lasts forever, and it’s lauded by many foodies as their fav hot sauce.

Enjoy!

Broccoli and Venison Stir Fry
I also added mushrooms to the dish in the pic, but in the future, I'll leave out the mushrooms - which is why I'm leaving them out of this recipe.

8 oz. venison steak, thinly sliced
1 Tbls. soy sauce
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 c. black bean garlic sauce
2 Tbls. dry sherry
1 Tbls. cornstarch
2 tsp. Asian chile sauce
2 Tbls. vegetable oil
4 tsp. minced fresh ginger
2 lb. broccoli, cut into florets and stems thinly sliced
1/2 c. chopped peanuts

Combine steak, soy sauce, and garlic in a small bowl; set aside.

Combine black bean sauce, sherry, cornstarch, chile sauce, and 1/2 c. warm water in a small bowl; stir to dissolve cornstarch and set aside.

Heat 1 Tbls. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and stir fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add broccoli and 1/4 cup water, cover, and steam until broccoli is just tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in black bean sauce mixture and cook until thick and bubbly, about 1 minute. Add peanuts and toss to combine. Transfer to large serving bowl.

Put skillet back on stove and add 1 Tbls. oil. When hot, add beef and its marinade. Stir fry until just browned and cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, toss with broccoli, and serve over basmati rice.