The following is a healthy, family friendly recipe from our Momsanity Sisterhood member, Emily Beaver….

This dish is a favorite in our family. My kids and husband love the Asian flavors, and I love it because it’s simple (once you make the sauce) and easy to double for yummy leftovers!   The hoisin sauce is very versatile and a crowd pleaser. I love making my own so we can avoid all the yucky added stuff in the store bought versions. We serve it with brown rice or cauliflower rice, and broccoli or another green veggie.   This recipe is very versatile as you can change up the veggies, cook them to the doneness that your family likes, add more or less sauce, etc.

Hoisin Beef Stir-Fry

• 1/3 cup hoisin sauce (recipe follows)
• 1/2 cup water
• 2-3 tsp healthy cooking fat of your choice (I like coconut oil)
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 large onion, finely chopped or minced
• 3 large carrots, diced
• large handful of green beans, trimmed and sliced into 1 inch sections
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ground ginger to taste

Mix hoisin sauce and water in a small bowl and set aside. In a large skillet with sides or a wok, cook the ground beef until browned. Pour cooked beef and fat/liquid into a colander and allow fat to drain while cooking other ingredients. Heat cooking fat of choice in skillet or wok over medium–high heat.   Add onion and carrot. Stir fry until beginning to soften. Add green beans and stir fry until cooked to desired texture. Add the garlic and ginger and stir fry for 1 minute longer. Return beef to pan or wok, add hoisin and water mixture and heat through for about 3 minutes. Serve.

*I use frozen green beans and just let them sit out to thaw a little bit so I can slice them. Then I add them partially frozen. Also, you can substitute a 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated, for the ginger powder.  We double this regularly. You could use ground turkey if you prefer.

Hoisin sauce

 Makes about 1 cup sauce

• Juice of 1 orange (remove any pits)
• 2 tbsp almond butter or sunflower butter
• 1 tsp grated or minced garlic (about 1 large clove) or ¼ tsp garlic powder (to taste)
• 1 tbsp grated ginger (thumb size knob of fresh ginger) or ¼ tsp ground ginger (adjust to your taste)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
• 1 tsp honey  (could use sugar free)
• 5 tbsp coconut aminos (or gluten free soy sauce like Tamari or Braggs liquid aminos)
• 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice powder
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes or powder (optional)
• 1 tsp tomato paste (optional but adds a nice level of flavor)

Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat to boil. Turn the heat down to very low, whisk and simmer gently for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. The mixture will thicken and darken. Be sure to taste so you can adjust the seasonings to your family’s tastes. Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

*We love this sauce! It’s a clean version of Hoisin sauce without all the junk. Also, you can adjust the spice level to your family’s tastes.   Chinese 5 Spice Powder is available in grocery stores with the Asian ingredients or spices and is a great thing to have on hand to give dishes an Asian flair.   Sesame oil or Tasted Sesame oil is also available in the Asian foods ailse and is a great “finishing” oil for Asian dishes and salads (ie: I wouldn’t use it as my primary cooking oil-it’s too flavorful and wouldn’t be cost effective). Also, this sauce makes a really great salad dressing. Just whisk it up with a little more vinegar to taste!

Want more great recipes + a place to connect with like-minded moms?  Join the MOMSANITY SISTERHOOD!