Simply delicious beef and pepper dish reminiscent of pepper steak and orange beef, but a lot tastier! Three methods of preparation given.

This meal takes pepper steak to the next level!

It was originally a pressure cooker recipe that I adapted from a book I had gotten with an old Cook’s Essentials pressure cooker.  It works just fine in a pressure cooker if that’s the way you want to go with this.

Since most pressure cooker meals can be adapted to slow cookers with simple liquid and time adjustments, that’s how I went with it this time and I also wanted to test my brand-new Ninja 4-in-1 cooker!

Ninja 4-in-1 in green

One thing I have been told and observed for myself is that the Ninja cooks hotter and faster than a conventional slow cooker.  So if you want to try one of these appliances out, I suggest you keep an eye on whatever you want to slow cook because it’ll probably be done in 2/3 of the time.  My “muse” Shirley W will cook most things which call for LOW/8 hours about 5 hours in her Ninja.

This particular recipe was done (meaning the meat) in 2 hours on HI instead of the usual 3-4 on the same setting on a conventional cooker.

And since this is so adaptable, you can do it stovetop if you don’t want the wait–and it’s ready in less than 30 minutes–because it’s essentially a stir fry.  Only thing with stovetop is you need to have a much better cut of meat than one you’d use in a slow cooker or pressure cooker.  I recommend sirloin steak, because it’s tender, flavorful and often on sale!

If you want, you can add a fourth pepper color–orange.  I chose not to here because I was going to garnish with orange slices–which I forgot LOL, but it’s still gorgeous with the three varieties and you can even take that down to two if you want to economize.  Just use the red and green.  My store had all the colors on sale for the same price this week, which is why I got all extravagant and mixed it up nicely.

Super delicious and colorful too

This would probably be SUPER with pork as well, so feel free to substitute that for the beef if you want.

I prefer this less saucy, so I use 1/2 the sauce ingredients when I make this in any of the methods listed.

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Slow Cooker Orange Beef & Fire Peppers

Simply delicious beef and pepper dish reminiscent of pepper steak and orange beef, but a lot tastier! Three methods of preparation given.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time8 hours hrs

Total Time8 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course: beef, skillet dinners, Slow Cooker

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef recipe, slow cooker beef

Servings: 4

Calories: 724kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 2 lbs beef round shoulder or sirloin*, cut in 1/2-inch slices
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 tbsp oil for frying

SAUCE

• 2 cups orange juice
• 1 1/2 tbsp orange zest
• 6 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark sesame oil
• 2 beef stock cubes
• 1/4 cup sugar

VEGGIE COMBO

• 1 medium green bell pepper cut in strips
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper cut in strips
• 1 medium red bell pepper cut in strips
• 1 medium onion sliced
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms sliced

SEASONED FLOUR

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

TO THICKEN

• 2-3 tbsp cornstarch
• 4-5 tbsp water

Instructions

• *Use sirloin or any tender cut of beef for stovetop method
• Mix seasoned flour ingredients and coat the meat with it.
• Mix the orange juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, stock cubes and orange zest in a small bowl. You can use one-half of each of these ingredients if you don’t want it overly saucy–I only use 1/2 the amount. Set aside.
• Slow Cooker/Ninja Method:
• Set Ninja to “Stovetop High” and let it heat for a few minutes. If using slow cooker, heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil.
• Brown meat well. Add garlic. Add the orange juice mixture. If browning in the skillet, scrap up all the brownie bits at the bottom of the skillet (deglazing) and add entire contents to slow cooker.
• Cover Ninja or slow cooker. Set to HI/Slow Cooker on the Ninja or HI on a regular slow cooker. Cook for about 3-4 hours in the regular slow cooker, about 3 in the Ninja (Ninja cooks a little hotter than a conventional slow cooker).
• For the Slow Cooker add the mushrooms, onions and peppers. Cover and cook for 15-30 minutes, depending on how crisp you like your bell peppers.
• For the Ninja, set it back to Stovetop/High and add the mushrooms, onion and peppers. Stir frequently until peppers are to desired crispness. I cooked about 5 minutes because I like my peppers pretty crisp.
• I did not have to thicken the sauce in the Ninja, but if you desire a thicker sauce, then add the cornstarch/water mixture–just enough to make it as thick as you want. Heat through and cook for 1 additional minute
• For Pressure Cooker:
• Brown meat in skillet as directed in the slow cooker method, unless your pressure cooker has a browning function, then proceed as for Ninja method.
• Add the orange juice mixture, seal and cook on HIGH/MEAT/15psi for 8 minutes. Let pressure drop naturally.
• Add the veggies, seal and cook on MEDIUM/VEGGIES/10 psi for 4 minutes. Release the pressure valve (electric model) or for stovetop pressure cookers, IMMEDIATELY place under running cold water to release the pressure.
• If thickening the sauce is desired, then add only as much cornstarch/water mixture (while stirring) to make the desired consistency.
• Stovetop Method:
• Brown meat as for regular slow cooker method.
• Add the veggies and stir fry until they are desired crispness.
• Add the orange juice mixture, bring to boil–add the cornstarch/water mixture, stirring constantly until mixture bubbles.

Nutrition

Serving: 1person | Calories: 724kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 61g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 2708mg | Potassium: 1540mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 1349IU | Vitamin C: 187mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 8mg

Slow Cooker Orange Beef & Fire Peppers

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An economy cut of beef and long slow cooking produce this great flavored Asian beef stew.

I start by saying I am not a great fan of slow cooking. Probably because I was never a stew lover.  Yep, I use it for soups and there are a few things I like to cook in it, but I’m far from a slow cooking expert.

Somehow I ended up with 3 slow cookers–go figure!?!?!? Every time I see them I say to myself, “I really HAVE to use these things,” so I’m making a point to at least try.

I’d read somewhere not too long ago that it was possible to do gourmet-style cooking in a slow cooker.  In that article, it stated that the problem some people have with this cooking method is everything seems to fall apart, be overcooked and generally uniform in color, no matter what the ingredients.

The article went on to say that with a few changes in technique, and yes, a little more work than the old “throw it in, set it and forget it,” it was possible to produce food that remained appetizing in color and taste.

In this particular dish, I browned the meat very well in a cast iron skillet.  Browning meat is one of the keys here.  It produces the caramelization so necessary for great beef flavor.  I did the same with the veggies and made sure I deglazed the pan, scraping up all those wonderful brownie bits which is where the flavor is.

The orange sections are added right at the very end, as are the green onions–for flavor and crunch.  The small amount of onion added in the cooking process is just in there to flavor the resulting sauce.

I served this with jasmine rice, and oh boy, was that a good combination.

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Ginger Beef with Mandarin Oranges - Slow Cooker Recipe

An economy cut of beef and long slow cooking produce this great flavored Asian slow cooker beef stew.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time8 hours hrs

Total Time8 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: beef stew, crockpot recipes, ginger beef, slow cooker beef

Servings: 4 -6

Calories: 539kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless beef chuck roast
• 8 oz water chestnuts 1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 11 oz canned mandarin oranges reserve juice
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms thick slices
• 1 small onion sliced
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1/3 cup soy sauce I used low sodium
• 1 tbs sherry or mirin
• 2 tbs vegetable oil
• 1 tbs grated fresh ginger or 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 3 green onions chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Trim beef of visible fat. Slice in 1/4-inch slices. I used the thick, boneless flat chuck roast (it looks like a very thick chuck steak).
• Line the crock of a 5 qt slow cooker with a cooking bag or spray with non-stick spray.
• Heat 1 tbs of the oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat. When oil just begins to smoke, at the beef slices, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Brown well on both sides. Repeat if you had meat that you couldn't fit the first time. Place browned beef in the slow cooker.
• Heat the other 1 tbs oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, water chestnuts and onion. Saute until onion begins to get soft. Add the soy sauce, ginger and the sherry (or mirin), scraping up all the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Place the mushroom mixture on top of the meat in the slow cooker.
• Drain the mandarin orange slices. Set the drained sections aside. Mix reserved mandarin orange syrup with the cornstarch, mixing well. Add the beef stock to the orange/cornstarch mixture; stir well. Pour over meat and vegetables in the slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on HI 4-5 hours or on LOW 8-10 hours. Mix in the reserved mandarin orange sections immediately before serving. Top with chopped green onion.
• Serve over rice (I used jasmine rice).
• Serves 4-6

Nutrition

Serving: 8oz | Calories: 539kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 54g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 150mg | Sodium: 1370mg | Potassium: 1308mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1126IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 7mg

Ginger Beef with Mandarin Oranges

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Ahhh..a favorite and even more tasty than orange chicken.  Bold and beautiful.

Basically, the same deal as orange chicken but no broccoli and uses beef.

The authentic recipe calls for flank steak, but since that’s rather pricy, you can substitute sirloin for it.  Sirloin is often on sale.

To get the creamy and tender texture in the meat that you get in the restaurant, you have to b*tch slap that meat LOL.  Really all you are doing when you do that is tenderizing it.  What I do is cut a cube of meat about 1/2 to 1-inch thick and pound it with a meat mallet or the side of a cleaver.  If using the cleaver, place the side of the blade over the cube of meat and give the side of the blade a good WHACK with your hand.  Of course, a meat mallet is easier, and either the smooth or the side with teeth will do.  There’s the secret–and it’s done with any meat or poultry served in an Asian restaurant.


Orange Beef

For the beef:

• 1 lb boneless sirloin steak or flank steak
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbs oil
• oil for deep frying

For the sauce:

• 1 tbs minced garlic
• 1 tbs minced fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion (reserve some for garnish–about 1 tbs)
• 1/2 tsp hot red pepper flakes
• 1 tbs mirin or saki
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tbs cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tbs soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tbs rice vinegar
• 5 tbs sugar
• zest of 1/2 whole orange

Cut steak into bite-sized pieces, tenderize (see above narrative) and place in a bowl.  Mix the 1/2 cup cornstarch, flour, salt, and pepper.  Beat the egg in a small bowl with the 1 tbs oil. Mix in the cornstarch mixture.  Add the cornstarch/egg mixture to the steak in the bowl.  Coat well.

Heat enough oil to deep fry in a large, deep skillet or wok.  Heat oil to 375 degrees. Fry steak in batches so there is plenty of room around the steak pieces.  Maybe 6-8 pieces at a time.  Fry on each side 5-7 minutes or until crisp and beginning to brown. Drain with slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate.  Repeat until all steak is cooked.

Mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and orange zest in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Remove oil from wok and wipe out.  Heat over high heat for about 10 seconds and add the other 1 tbs of oil.  Add the minced garlic and ginger and stir fry until very aromatic–maybe 15 seconds. Add the green onion and the pepper flakes and stir fry for 10 seconds.  Stir the sauce in the bowl and add it to the wok.  Bring sauce to boil. Add the mirin/saki and the sesame oil.  Mix the 1/4 cup water and 1 tbs cornstarch and add to the boiling sauce, stirring constantly until sauce is thickened and bubbling.  Add cooked steak coating well with sauce.

Serve immediately over rice.

Makes 4 servings

Orange Beef

Orange Beef

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