Hello again, my foodie friends!

I hope you all had a great weekend and are enjoying the fact that the Groundhog has determined that we’ll have an early Spring! I know I’m excited!

But what I’m also excited about is this week’s review of The Defined Dishes’ Cumin Beef Stir Fry. You can find the recipe right -> here!

It covers all of my perfect recipe requirements:

• Quick
• Tasty
• Easy to make

This recipe can absolutely be made during the week or on the weekend. It doesn’t take a lot of time, but it certainly tastes like you’ve spent more than an hour in the kitchen. What an awesome treat!

Before we get going, I want to take a moment to really praise The Defined Dish for her fantastic recipes. I’ve tried a handful of her recipes but haven’t reviewed them just yet. This includes recipes from her book that was released earlier this year. At home, we’re actively enjoying each and every recipe that we try from her book. I highly recommend it!

It’s All About The Prep…

Like all stir-fries, you want to make sure your ingredients are all prepped. Because you’re generally working with high heat, you don’t want to stall and prep while cooking. This definitely comes into play with this recipe.

I prepped the steak first (I went with 1.5 lbs of flank steak) and combined it with the necessary ingredients. While it marinaded, I prepped the remaining ingredients. I sliced the onions, chopped the green onion, and then focused on the spices. The recipe recommends using a coffee grinder, but I ended up using a mortar and pestle to grind down the Sichuan peppercorns and red pepper flakes. Once they were a smooth powder, I added the cumin and we were ready to get cookin’.

This is exactly why you want to prep everything first. If you started cooking the beef and then worked on measuring out the spices, you’d lose time and eventually overcook your beef. Nobody likes a rubbery piece of beef, am I right?

The Perfect Side For The Weeknight Stir Fry…

In the spirit of making a recipe from The Defined Dish, which focuses on making recipes that are healthy yet insanely flavorful, I decided to skip on the rice. I’ve been on a cauliflower rice kick lately, especially since I finally figured out how to keep it from becoming a soggy mess. For those of you who are wondering, I skipped on the frozen cauliflower rice and opted for fresh. I’ve grated it myself before, but to save on time, I bought pre-riced cauliflower from Whole Foods.

It was a perfect serving size for two people and cooked wonderfully. Another added bonus is that I did not have to strain any additional liquid from the pre-riced pack. Yay for time-saving tricks!

From my experimenting and reading other recipes, I’ve been sticking with sauteeing my cauliflower rice in a pan with a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper until it warms up and becomes a little bit more tender. Doing this doesn’t take too much time, which again, makes for a great and quick side for any meal.

Let me tell you, it was an awesome side to the cumin beef stir fry. I didn’t miss the rice at all, so I managed to make a rather healthy meal. That’s a great success in my book! I know I’m not the only one trying to eat a little bit healthier, so take my word for it–it rocks!

Grey’s Grade: 5/5

This recipe is an absolute delight if you’re looking to eat a little healthier all while not sacrificing flavor, which you absolutely shouldn’t. Life is too short to eat bad food! The Defined Dish has a great collection of recipes, so if you enjoyed this one, I highly recommend checking out more of these recipes.

For the cumin beef stir fry, I absolutely give it a full 5/5. It was delicious, easy to make, and didn’t take me too long to get on the table. That’s ultimately our goal. I know this recipe will be made again especially since my boyfriend commented on how delicious it was. If your favorite taste tester says it’s delicious…then it stays!

If you end up giving this recipe a try or have some recommendations, feel free to let me know in the comment section!

Check Out My Other Reviews!

• My New Favorite Sriracha Shrimp Tacos
• My New Favorite Mexican Spiced Pork Chops
• Delightfully Flavorful Lemon Butter Cod For Two

As always…happy nomming!