Guest Post: Pepper, Steak and Onions

If you're like me, you struggle with dinner. Not eating it, obviously, but coming up with stuff to make for it. I love cooking, but I hate cooking dinner because I just can't find enough time to truly enjoy the process. That's not a complaint, rather, it's just reality. Especially right now. So I'm super grateful for Lesley for the following recipe, which I've already added to my rotation this week.

Hi everyone! I’m Lesley and I blog at Greater Fitness. I'm so excited to share one of my new favorite recipes with all of you! I found a recipe on Pinterest last month for Pepper, Steak, and Onions that I tweaked a bit before making. It's the perfect "comfort food" that doesn't include any creams, soups, or butter. I especially liked this meal because it was a great way for me to get some veggies in my diet—something I really struggle with. It also really tastes like it was cooked in a Crock-Pot, but it's a one-pot stove top dish.

You will need: 
• 1-1/2 pounds sirloin steak, cut into 1/2" strips
• paprika
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 cup white onions, sliced
• 2 sweet bell peppers, cut in strips
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 3 cups hot cooked rice (optional)

Dredge both sides of the steak in paprika and set aside.

 Prepare all of your other ingredients: Cut peppers and onions into strips that are similar in size. Dice tomatoes and crush the garlic cloves.

Cut the steak into strips. Over medium heat, cook steak and garlic in the olive oil until the meat is brown. Remove the crushed garlic. Add the onions and peppers; continue cooking until they begin to wilt.

At this point, your kitchen will begin to smell AMAZING! I couldn't resist trying a piece of the steak after taking this picture, and Andrew and I loved it. We knew this was going to be a yummy meal! Next, add the tomatoes and broth. (Some of the recipes on Pinterest called for ketchup at this step. I would not recommend it. Ketchup can be filled with preservatives and/or corn syrup. We try our best to cook with natural ingredients as much as possible, and we highly encourage others to do so as well.)

Cover and simmer over low/medium heat for 45 minutes.

During this time, I washed a few dishes, started some rice for our side dish and prepared the "gravy." To make this, you simply whisk together the water, flour and soy sauce.

Don't worry if the flour doesn't completely break up. It will cook down once it is in the pot. Andrew also used this time to saute mushrooms, garlic and Serrano peppers to add to his serving of the steak.

After 45 minutes, stir the gravy into the steak and cook for another 5 minutes or until the gravy thickens. We served this over rice and it was the perfect complement.

I wouldn't change a single thing about this recipe. We cannot rave about it enough. It was very inexpensive and we already had most of the ingredients on hand. It was very easy and didn't take long to prepare. It also left our house smelling so good that when my brother-in-law came over later that night he asked what we had eaten for dinner because it smelled so good!

For more from Lesley, be sure to follow her at Greater Fitness and on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, too!

Question: What are some of your favorite comfort foods? Have you found ways to make them healthier?