Healthy No Sugar Mongolian Beef

A few weekends ago when we were in Seattle hanging out with my brother we had lunch at the fanciest Chinese restaurant I've ever been too. There were tablecloths and tea and all kinds of breakable items on the table for the kids.

There was a view overlooking the water and there was Mongolian beef. I immediately fell in love and wanted to try making it at home.



All of the recipes I found call for brown sugar or enormous amounts of honey. Neither one of those fits into my new meal plan so I thought long and hard about how to still get that sweet beef on my dinner table without using all the sugar.

My long nights of watching Chopped paid off and I decided to try using a honey crisp apple as my base for the sauce. Let me tell you, I have never been so happy with an educated guess before in my life.





This meal was so easy to make. Now - if I'm being completely honest this did not taste like the restaurant's Mongolian Beef. BUT - it was good and tasty. I haven't had fake sugar since July 10th so my tastebuds were very happy.

If you'd like to make my healthy no sugar Mongolian Beef the recipe and instructions are below. Don't forget to pin it for later.



What you'll need:

2lbs Flank Steak, chopped
1/4 cup cornstarch (you could always use arrowroot)
1/4 cup water
2 TB olive oil
1 cup olive oil for frying
1 medium honey crisp apple
1 1/2 TB gluten free (wheat free) soy sauce
2 tsp fresh ginger, chopped, 1 tsp chopped
1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp minced garlic
green onion
veggies of your choice

What to do:

1. Slice flank steak against the grain. Dredge in cornstarch. Let it sit for 10 minutes before frying.
2. Start buy cooking your apples in a tiny bit of water (just enough to cuddle the apples) until they are soft. Puree apples using a blender until smooth.
3. Cook 2 tsp pf ginger and 1 tsp of minced garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until fragrant. Add apple puree and cook until the sauce begins to thicken. Add soy sauce. (Taste the sauce - add more soy sauce if needed) Remove sauce pot from heat.
4. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan and cook the flank steak for about 2 minutes, flipping over halfway. Do small batches if needed, do not overcrowd the pan. Drain steak on paper towels as you cook.
5. Put all the steak back into your pan and add the sauce. Toss to coat. Simmer for 2 minutes.
6. Pour grease out of pan. Try to reserve any flavor bits that may be there.
7. Add water to the pan and toss in veggies and remaining ginger and garlic. Cook until done to your preference.
8. Sprinkle with green onion after plating.

That's it! So easy and fast. I served our Mongolian beef over brown rice. It was delish. Not as sweet as the restaurant's sauce but still oh so good - and good for you!