Beef and Bok Choy Bowls

It was a late Summer night. Paul and I had put the kids to bed and stayed up a little too long talking with each other. When it was well past the time we intended to go to bed, we both realized we were hungry. But, we only wanted pho. Just as we decided that Paul would run out and grab some pho to go, the sky fell and it began pouring rain. He said, “I’ll be back in 10.” and ran out into the rain.

Paul arrived 10ish minutes later with bowls of fresh, hot pho and a big grin on his face. We stayed up happily eating our pho and chatting into the night. It was a good date night in.

You can’t always just run out and have fresh, piping hot pho in 10 minutes. But, you can make these pho inspired beef and bok choy bowls anytime you want. They are perfect for a date night in.

Beef and Bok Choy Bowls

• Pho style beef broth (Recipe at the end. Make 1-2 days in advance.)
• Sesame Beef
• Baby bok choy and shiitake mushrooms
• Cappellos, Paleo Fettuccine noodles (Prepared according to the package directions.)
• Garnish with lime wedges, cilantro, Thai basil, sesame seeds, green onions, red pepper flakes and Sriracha 

For the Sesame Beef:

• 1 1/2- 2 lbs. sirloin steak, flank steak, or, ribeye steak; thinly sliced to 1/8 inch thickness
• 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, plus more for sautéing the beef
• 4 Tbsp coconut aminos
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp pink pepper
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
• juice of half a lime

Directions:

1. Combine toasted sesame oil, coconut aminos, sea salt, pink pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, powdered ginger, and lime juice in a large bowl. 
2. Add the beef to the bowl and marinate for 30 minutes.*
3. In a large skillet, drizzle some toasted sesame oil and heat it over medium heat.
4. Add the beef, but not the marinade. Cook until beef is lightly pink in the center or gray all the way through (according to your personal preference).**

*While the beef is marinating, wash and prepare your mushrooms and bok choy.

**Cook the mushrooms and bok choy while the beef is cooking. You can also prepare the noodles during this time. The noodles only take 90 seconds to cook.

For the Baby Bok Choy and Shiitake Mushrooms:

• 3-5 baby bok choy
• 15-20 shiitake mushrooms
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• avocado oil, for sautéing
• sea salt
• pink pepper
• 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. Cut the bok choy lengthwise. Rinse well. (Little bugs like to hide out in bok choy so, cutting before rinsing helps get them all out.)
2. Rinse the mushrooms. Cut in halves or thirds.
3. In a large skillet, drizzle some avocado oil and heat it over medium heat.
4. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the bok choy to one half of the skillet and the mushrooms to the other half of the skillet.
6. Season the vegetables with sea salt, pink pepper, powdered ginger, onion powder, and garlic powder. Sauté for about 5 minutes.

To assemble the Beef and Bok Choy bowls:

1. Heat up the bone broth.
2. Cook the beef.
3. Cook the mushrooms and bok choy.
4. Cook the noodles.
5. Put 1/4 of the noodles in a large pasta or ramen bowl.
6. Add 2-3 bok choy halves and 1-2 large spoonfuls of mushrooms.
7. Put 1/4 or 1/3 of the beef on top of the noodles.
8. Fill the bowl with as much of the pho style beef broth as you like.
9. Garnish with lime wedges, cilantro, Thai basil, sesame seeds, green onions, red pepper flakes and Sriracha.

Feeds 3-4 adults. Cut in half for 2 servings.

Beef Broth (pho style)

• 3 1/2 pounds grass fed beef marrow bones
• 4 star anise pods
• 5 Whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 1/2 tsp pink peppercorns
• 2 Tbsp rock sea salt
• 2 red onions, cut in half
• 5 garlic cloves
• 4 inch piece of ginger, cut open lengthwise
• 1 tsp garlic powder 
• 1 tsp onion powder 
• 1 stalk of lemongrass, chopped into 3 pieces 

Directions for the Beef Broth:

The beef broth takes 12-24 to cook so, it should be made 1-2 days in advance.

1. Rinse the beef bones with cold water.
2. Place all ingredients in a crockpot.
3. Cover with filtered water. Cook on low for 12-24 hours. 
4. Remove all the bones, spices, and veggies with tongs. 
5. Strain the broth through a large sieve. Store in mason jars. 
6. Allow to cool, then refrigerate. Refrigerate long enough for the fat to separate from the broth. 
7. Remove the fat and heat in a saucepan. If the broth is too concentrated, dilute with equal parts water to broth. Season with more salt and pepper if needed or desired.