Meals in Minutes from Casa de Cuisine: Crispy BBQ Beef with Polenta

There is no law which states fast food must be deadly. There is no law which states fast food must contain chemicals and poisons. There is no law which states fast food must be high in calories. The fact of the matter is, the origial fast food was known as "bistro" food, food made quick and healthy. It wasn't until the fast food dens of death (the chains) where the term fast food became the equal to slow suicide. In todays hectic lifestyle it is rather hard to take a lot of time to make a decent dinner. With this new series, we'll be sharing with you some incredible meals you can make in a matter of minutes which will be tasty, natural and pretty damn good for you! If you want to see how-to slideshows for any dish in this series, just checkout the Facebook page for ChefLarryEdwards (yes, all one word).

This is one of those fast meals you can put together using the cheap cuts of beef you find at the supermarket. Doesn't matter what part of the cow the meat comes from, if you can slice it thinly, you can use it for this dish.

What really separates this dish from others of the same ilk, is the way it is prepared. You want to crisp up the beef and the way that is done, is to dredge (coat) the beef in some cornstarch (don't use flour) and then fry it before you add any of the other ingredients. Since the beef will have a crust protecting the meat, it will stay tender and the barbecue sauce will glaze it!

We like to serve this dish with some creamy polenta. It can also be served with some steamed rice or if you want to add a lot more nutrients to the meal, serve it over some steamed leafy vegetables like kale, Swiss chard or spinach.

Ingredients needed to make Crispy BBQ Beef with Polenta (serves 2):

• 1/2 pound beef, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 3 Tbs. oil
• 1/2 tsp. ginger powder
• 1/2 tsp. chile powder
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce

Steps:

1. Dredge (coat) the beef in the cornstarch.
2. In a chef's pan or wok, heat the oil over high heat.
3. Add the beef to the pan and cook until it start to crisp up.
4. Add the ginger and chile powders and cook 2 minutes.
5. Add the BBQ sauce and cook until the sauce thickens up and begins to glaze the beef.
6. Serve over some creamy polenta.

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