The Sunday Cookbook: Soy-Free Beef and Broccoli

This easy beef and broccoli recipe has a soy-free sauce that's quick to make! For foodies with food allergies, it comes close to what takeout tastes like, just with safe ingredients!

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Amanda and I are continuing our recreations of our favorite takeout dishes. Just in case you missed any of them, here is what we have done so far:

• General Tso's Chickpeas

• Pad Thai Noodles with a Sunbutter Sauce

• Peanut Butter Chickpea and Sweet Potato Curry

It only seemed natural to keep this series going, adding in what is, hands down, one of my favorite dishes to order when getting Chinese food. Beef and Broccoli is a classic and pairs so perfectly when served over rice. Technically, I prefer it on the side of my rice, but Amanda goes fully in with having it over rice.

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Amanda never had Beef and Broccoli as a takeout option. Growing up allergic to red meat, this was a big NO-NO for her. When she did grow out of that allergy, she experienced what so many other food allergy people go through; she got so accustomed to not eating meat, that she didn't eat it even when it was safe.

Flash forward, and now takeout is hard for us to do with her over 12 food allergies, one being soy and the other being having to only eat grass-fed meats. We may not be able to order in but we are always up to the challenge of cooking up what we would have ordered, making it safe and just as delicious as the "real" thing.

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Let's get into it!

The Sunday Cookbook:

Soy-Free Beef and Broccoli

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Ingredients

• For the Beef

  • 1 pound flank or flatiron steak, thinly sliced

  • 1 tablespoon baking soda

  • 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch, or starch of choice

• For the Sauce:

  • 3 tablespoons arrowroot startch, or startch of choice

  • 3 tablespoons of water

  • ½ cup soy-free soy sauce or bone broth

  • ½ cup water

  • ½ teaspoon rice vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

  • salt and pepper, for taste

• For the Wok:

  • High-temperature cooking oil of choice (avocado, sunflower, etc.)

  • 1 onion, cut into wedges

  • 3 to 4 cups broccoli florets

  • Salt and pepper, for taste

• For assembly:

  • Cooked jasmine rice, or rice of choice

  • Scallions or sesame seeds for garnish - optional
    

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Directions

1. Place the thinly sliced beef in a bowl and sprinkle with baking soda. Thoroughly mix to ensure that the beef is coated evenly. Cover and refridgerate for 30 minutes.

2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the soy-free soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

3. In a seperate bowl, wisk together 3 tablespoons starch with 3 tablespoons water forming a slurry.

4. In a small saucepan, heat the sauce mixture over medium-low heat on the stove. Once hot, slowly wisk in the starch slurry into sauce. When sauce reaches desired consistency, stop adding the starch. Set aside.

5. Remove steak from the refridgerator. Quickly rinse the beef to remove the baking soda, then pat the beef dry with a paper towel, and transfer back to the bowl. Sprinkle the beef with 2 tablespoons of starch, mixing to coat evenly. Set aside.

6. In a wok, heat the oil over medium-high heat on the stove. When the oil is hot, add the onions to cook. Frequently mix the onions to ensure they don't burn. You want the onions to be softened but still have a crunch. Once they reach the desired texture, transfer the onions to a bowl, leaving excess oil behind, add more if necessary.

7. Add the broccoli to the wok. Season with salt and pepper and mix frequently, cooking until the florets reach desired readiness. You will want the broccoli cooked similar to how we cooked the onions; cooked enough but still maintaining a crunch to them. Once ready, transfer the broccoli to the onion bowl, leaving excess oil behind, add more if necessary.

8. Add the coated steak evenly into the wok, making sure the steak is not just sitting in a ball at the center but is as spread out as you can make it, ensuring even cooking. Frequently mix the beef to ensure even cooking. Cook until the steak is about 3/4 ready.

9. Incorporate the cooked veggies back into the wok, along with the sauce. Toss until everything is fully coated in the sauce. If needed, slowly add in some water to loosen up the sauce.

10. Once the steak is cooked, remove from heat and serve over or on the side of rice. Garnish with chopped scallions or sesame seeds and enjoy!