Sheet Pan Beef and Broccoli

Sheet Pan Beef and Broccoli

Since I made my last post, a great deal has changed. A worldwide pandemic has us all locked in our homes practicing social distancing. I have seen many friends on social media commenting on how difficult it is to cook for every meal. Our local grocery store shelves look like the Saturday after Black Friday: no toilet paper, no cleaning supplies, no eggs and very little meat.

Sheet Pan Beef and Broccoli is the perfect quarantine food. You probably have the ingredients on hand. You can also change or omit many of the ingredients and it will turn out fine. I used ribeye (there was a sale.) However, you could use hanger steak, sirloin or flank. You could also substitute chicken or shrimp. You will need to adjust the cooking time to 15-20 minutes for chicken. Sesame seeds and ginger are optional. You can also substitute regular vegetable oil for the sesame oil.

Servings: 4-6

Time: Prep: 10 minutes: Marinate: 10 minutes Cooking: 10 minutes-dinner in 30 minutes

Hardware: A cutting board and knife, a measuring spoons and cups, a large mixing bowl, a colander, a microwave safe bowl, a fork or whisk, a baking sheet, foil, tongs

Ingredients:

• 1.5 pounds steak
• 10-ounce steam-in-the-bag broccoli
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 medium onion
• ⅔ cups soy sauce
• ½ + ⅓ cups COLD water
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon + 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• ½ teaspoon pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Cooking spray
• Salt & pepper
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 3 cups cooked white rice

 

Before

After

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Cover the baking sheet in foil and generously spray with cooking spray.
2. Cut the steak into ¼ inch thick, bite size pieces. Slice the garlic and onion. Set aside.
3. Mix the soy sauce, ½ cup water, dark brown sugar, oil, 1 teaspoon of ginger, and the pepper flakes together in the large bowl. Set aside ⅓ cup of the marinade in the microwave safe bowl. Place the steak into the large bowl and make sure it is covered in the marinade. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes.
4. While the meat is marinating, open the bag of broccoli and place it in the colander. Rinse it under very hot water and allow it to drain.
5. Spread the broccoli, sliced garlic and onion in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper and the rest of the ginger. Drain the steak, discarding the marinade. Spread the steak out on the broccoli. Make sure everything is in a single layer. Roast for 10 minutes or until the desired temperature.
6. While the food is cooking, mix the remaining ⅓ cup of COLD water and the cornstarch into the reserved marinade. Place in the microwave on high for 60 seconds. Stir and microwave for an additional 90 seconds. This will make a sauce.
7. Remove the Beef and Broccoli from the oven and sprinkle with sesame seeds if you are using them. Serve over rice and top with the sauce.

Sheet Pan Cajun Chicken

Sheet Pan Cajun Chicken

I have relatives who live in Louisiana and all week leading up to Ash Wednesday they were posting pictures of parties and parades, wearing purple ball gowns and gold masks. One of my aunts even has a Mardi Gras tree, which is like a Christmas tree, but not.

All of that led me to think about Cajun/Creole dishes. I LOVE Shrimp Etouffee, Dirty Rice, Po’ Boys and Jambalaya. I love sippin’ bourbon and listening to jazz. I love everything about Southern Louisiana and the people who live there.

However, my mother is very sick, and I haven’t had time to do much but work and coordinate her care. So, I made this sheet pan Cajun Chicken. Is it really Cajun? Not really. Is it easy, delicious and inexpensive? YES.

It was especially delicious. My husband, who says maybe three words a year, let me know how much he liked it. And I overheard my notoriously picky mother telling my sister how good it was.

You can tweak this recipe to make it your own. Slices of smoked sausage can be added with the chicken. You could use kielbasa or andouille. The andouille is a little spicy. You could also use shrimp instead of crawdads or leave the seafood out altogether. I purchased all the vegetables already chopped up to save time. It is more expensive to do that, but anymore I am so swamped that I’m willing to buy a little time.

Servings: 4-6

Time: Prep: 15 minutes (5 inf you buy pre-sliced veggies); Cooking: 40 minutes-dinner in an hour

Hardware: A cutting board and knife, a measuring spoon, 2 large mixing bowls, a baking sheet, foil, tongs

Ingredients:

• 1-pound boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1-pound cooked, peeled crawdads (or 1 pound cleaned, raw shrimp)
• Canola oil
• 1 ½ pound Yukon gold potatoes
• 3 large bell peppers (1 each green, red and yellow)
• 1 large sweet, yellow onion
• 1-pint of cherry tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s seasoning
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• Salt & pepper
• Cooking spray
• Chopped green onions and hot sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Cover the baking sheet in foil and generously spray with cooking spray.
2. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and place it into one of the bowls. Use enough oil to coat the chicken and toss it with the tablespoon of Chachere’s.
3. Scrub the potatoes and slice them as thin as possible. Wash and seed the peppers. Cut the peppers and onions into bite sized chunks. Place the veggies in the other bowl. Use enough oil to coat all the veggies. Toss in generous amounts of salt and pepper and the paprika.
4. Spread everything out evenly onto the foil, making sure to scrape all the oils and spices out onto the food. Add the cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle everything with the remaining teaspoon of Chachere’s and the thyme.
5. Roast for 30 minutes. Add the crawdads and roast for 10 more minutes. If you are using shrimp, salt and pepper them and sprinkle them with a little Chachere’s.
6. Serve warm. Top with chopped green onions and offer your guests hot sauce.