Mongolian Beef

Quick to make. Guys especially seem to like this spicy/sweet/salty recipe when they are dragging a little after a hard day of work. I adapted this recipe from the one linked at the bottom of this post, at Pink Bites. I reduced the sugar (the original was too sweet for me, but you could add some back if you prefer) and substituted flour for cornstarch (corn allergy). Because I was now making a sauce with flour rather than mixing cornstarch with the beef, I switched the brown sugar to white sugar to make it easier to mix with the flour. You could do the same thing with cornstarch or arrowroot, but use only half as much as you would measure if using flour. A sauce made with arrowroot should be added right at the end of cooking, as it will thin out again if over-cooked.

I usually don't use the maximum amount of garlic. I often add both hot pepper flakes (or ground hot pepper) and a fresh Ancho/Poblano chile. I usually use more ginger than in the original recipe, and if I don't have fresh ginger, I use a little ground ginger.

Serves two or three. You can easily double or triple the recipe if you have a large electric skillet. I often make this with cube steak, though Mexican-style Milanesa also works. If I have last-minute guests, I may start some ground beef cooking before adding the steak.

Mongolian Beef (corn free)


1 pound of flank steak, cube steak, Milanesa or other lean steak
1 Tablespoon canola oil or similar oil for stir-frying


1/2 teaspoon to 1 Tablespoon grated or minced ginger (peeled)

Up to 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 2 -3 large cloves)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or ground red pepper (cayenne if you're brave)
AND/OR 1 fresh Ancho, Pasilla or other mild chile, seeded and sliced

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup granulated sugar  (you can add 2 to 4 Tablespoons brown OR additional granulated sugar)
1 to 2 Tablespoons flour (depending on desired thickness of sauce)



3 large green onions, 6 small green onions or 1 small regular or sweet onion

Cooked white or brown rice, and/or stir-fried vegetables for serving
(shredded Napa cabbage or similar greens, mushrooms, onions, celery, etc)

1. Begin to cook the rice while you prepare the rest of the meal.

Mince garlic and grate or mince ginger, set aside. Prepare and slice fresh chile (if used) in about 1/4 inch by 1 inch strips. Peel onion and slice into 1/4 inch by 1 inch strips or trim green onions (both white and green parts) and slice once vertically, then chop into 1 inch slices. Set aside.

Slice steak thinly across the grain, then slice into short strips.

2. For the sauce, mix granulated sugar and flour. Stir in the brown sugar (if used), cold water, and soy sauce. Save until meat is browned.

3. Heat a large wok, heavy pan or electric skillet to medium-high. Add the oil and then the meat, stirring until it is all browned (should not take long). Add the garlic, ginger, red pepper and sliced fresh chile if used. Continue cooking and stirring until garlic softens a little.

Stir the sauce ingredients to suspend the flour, pour into the wok/pan, stir until thickened and let it cook along with the meat for a few minutes.

4. You can cook down the sauce to reduce it to a sweeter, more concentrated flavor or leave it thinner. Add green onions at the last minute so the green parts will stay green and the white parts crunchy. Serve it hot with rice and/or stir-fried vegetables or salad. It may not seem like you have much sauce, but the sauce is quite sweet and salty, and goes a long way on rice. Serves two, or maybe three if you serve it with veggies, etc.

Allergy Information: Check soy sauce for wheat or corn products.

Mongolian Beef
 from Pink Bites
1 lb of flank steak or cube steak, thinly sliced crosswise

1/4 cup of cornstarch

3 teaspoons of canola oil

1/2 teaspoon grated ginger (about 1/2 inch piece)

1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 2 -3 large cloves)

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 large green onions, sliced

Rice, for serving

1. For the meat, make sure the steak slices are dry by patting them with a paper towel. Slice them into strips, then add the cornstarch to the beef. Place the slices in a strainer and shake off excess corn starch. Begin to cook the rice while you prepare the rest of the meal.

2. For the sauce, heat half of the oil in a large wok or pan at medium-high heat and add the garlic and the ginger. Immediately add the soy sauce, water, brown sugar and pepper flakes. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes and transfer to a bowl. Don’t worry if the sauce doesn’t look thick enough at this point. The corn starch in the beef will thicken it up later.

3. Place the meat in the same pan and cook, stirring until it is all browned (this is a quick thing). Pour the sauce back into the wok/pan and let it cook along with the meat.

4. You can cook down the sauce to reduce it to thicken or leave it thinner. Add the green onions on the last minute so the green parts will stay green and the white parts crunchy. Serve it hot with rice. Serves 2.

Orange-Pineapple Jello Salad

Similar to this salad.

Orange-Pineapple and Cottage Cheese Jello Salad
Reduced Sugar, High-Protein

1 package (2 cup size) lemon Jello sugar-free gelatin
1 package (2 cup size) orange Jello sugar-free gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
20-oz. can crushed pineapple in juice
juice drained from pineapple plus water to make 1 cup
Juice of 1 orange and/or cold water and ice to make 1/2 cup
2 pounds (2 pints) cottage cheese, regular or low-fat
1/2 cup or more peeled and finely chopped carrots (optional)
or for "chewy" instead of "crunchy", shredded carrots and maybe some shredded coconut

Directions: Drain pineapple well in a sieve or colander (preferably over a 4-cup glass measure), reserving juice. Chill pineapple while preparing the Jello mixture. Also chill the dish(es) in which you will chill the salad. Sprinkle Jello powder (both flavors) evenly over 1/2 cup cold water in a 3 quart stainless steel bowl, allow to soften for at least 5 minutes. Tilt bowl to wet all the powder, if necessary.

Place pineapple juice in a 4-cup glass measure and add water to make 1 cup, if necessary. Bring juice and water to boil in a microwave, pour over softened gelatin and stir to dissolve completely. Place the bottom of the bowl in a larger bowl or pan of cold water to cool gelatin. Cool until warm (not hot), then add fresh orange juice and/or cold water.

Cool to about room temperature, stirring occasionally. Add some ice to the cold water in the bottom pan to speed this process if you like. Gelatin should be just a little thicker than egg white. Do not allow it to gel completely. If it gels too much, put it over warm water and whisk with a wire whisk, then wait a few minutes for the right consistency. This will produce a uniform, fluffy product.

Meanwhile, process 1 pound (2 cups) of cold cottage cheese in a food processor or blender until smooth on the tongue. Whisk into the thickened gelatin until well-blended. Quickly fold in pineapple and the remaining 2 cups of cold cottage cheese (not processed). Add carrots if desired. Pour into an 8 x 8 or 9x13 inch glass baking dish, custard cups, dessert dishes or individual plastic containers. Cover and chill until firm. Keep refrigerated until served.

Basic recipe makes about 16 servings, 4 fluid ounces each. Basic salad may be made the day before serving. Best served the same day it is made if you add a lot of carrots to the salad (can become watery over time).


Nutrition information per 4 fl. oz. serving (approximate)
when made with low-fat cottage cheese, no carrots, orange juice, etc:

Calories 70
Calories from fat 7.5

Total fat 1 g
Saturated fat 0.75 g
Cholesterol 2.5 mg
Sodium 190 mg

Total carbohydrate 7 g
Carbohydrate from sugar 6 g
Dietary fiber 0.25 g
Protein 7.5 g

Allergy information: Contains fermented milk products, pineapple and citrus. Check cottage cheese carton for corn products.

High Protein Green Jello Salad

Processed cottage cheese replaces evaporated milk and mayonnaise in David's Mom's recipe, which he loves, but which is too rich to eat very often. The combination of lime and lemon jello in the original recipe is a little more balanced than all-lime Jello. But some people like the intensity of all-lime Jello in this recipe.

Adaptable - use as a sweet salad or a dessert. This salad makes a nice addition to a dessert table for buffets, as a choice for diabetic guests or those on low-fat diets. This recipe is easy to double, so you can make a large one (say, 9 x 13 inch) to take to a function and a smaller one (say, 8 x 8 inches) to leave home.

You can substitute apricot Jello for lime if you prefer.  You might like to try a variation with orange Jello using pineapple and carrots, and maybe a little coconut. You could make either of these salads substituting regular Jello for one or both packages of sugar-free Jello.

Cottage Cheese and Pineapple Green Jello Salad
Reduced Sugar, High-Protein

1 package each (2 cup size) lemon and lime Jello sugar-free gelatin
OR 1 package (4 cup size) lime Jello sugar-free gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
20-oz. can crushed pineapple in juice (in syrup for a sweeter salad)
Juice drained from pineapple plus water to make 1 cup
1/2 cup cold water (may include 2 or 3 ice cubes and/or 1 or 2 tablespoons lemon juice)
2 pounds (2 pints or 1 quart) cottage cheese, regular or low-fat

Directions: Drain pineapple well in a sieve or colander (preferably over a 4 cup measure or microwaveable bowl), reserving juice. Chill pineapple while preparing the Jello mixture. Also chill the dish(es) in which you will chill the salad (8 x 8, 9 x 9 or 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish, custard cups, dessert dishes or individual-serving plastic containers).

Sprinkle Jello powder slowly and evenly over 1/2 cup cold water in a 3 quart stainless steel bowl, Tilt bowl to wet any dry powder near the edges of the water. Allow to soften for at least 5 minutes. (I like to soften  sugar-free Jello in cold water before dissolving because the sweetener in it, Aspartame, is degraded by heat. Many recipes using unflavored gelatin also call for the gelatin to be softened in cold water before dissolving in hot liquid.)

While the gelatin softens, place pineapple juice in a 4-cup glass measure and add water to make 1 cup, if necessary. Bring juice and water to boil in a microwave, pour over softened gelatin and stir to dissolve completely. Place the bottom of the stainless steel bowl in a larger bowl or pan of cold water to cool gelatin. Add 1/2 cup cold water (or water and ice to speed cooling). You may also substitute 1 or 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice for part of the cold water if you like.

Meanwhile, process 1 pound (2 cups)* of cold cottage cheese in a food processor or blender until smooth on the tongue.  Have the cold processed cottage cheese ready to add quickly to the gelatin as soon as it thickens to the correct consistency.

Cool gelatin to about room temperature over cold water, stirring occasionally. Add some ice to the cold water in the bottom pan to thicken gelatin, stirring the gelatin slowly but constantly with a wire whisk after adding ice.  It should not take long to thicken. Gelatin should be just a little thicker than egg white. Do not allow it to gel completely. (If it gels too much, put it over warm water and whisk with a wire whisk, then place over cold water again and stir for a few minutes to get the right consistency.) Gelatin a little thicker than egg white will produce a uniform, fluffy product.

Immediately whisk the cold processed cottage cheese into the thickened gelatin until well-blended. Quickly fold in pineapple and the remaining two cups of cold cottage cheese (not processed). Add any additional ingredients. Pour into an 8 x 8 inch, 7 x 11 inch, 9 x 9 inch or 9x13 inch glass baking dish, custard cups, dessert dishes or individual plastic containers. A standard 8 x 8 dish will be filled to the top (if you want to top salad with sour cream or whipped cream in the dish, remove some salad to individual serving containers before salad sets). A 9 x 13 inch dish produces a rather flat salad.

Cover and chill until firm. "Frost" with sour cream if desired. Cover and keep refrigerated until served.

*OPTIONS: You can make this salad less sweet and firm by increasing the proportion of cottage cheese processed to 2 1/4 or 2 1/2 cups. For dessert, you can serve it with whipped cream and a cherry. Or, if you like a little crunch in your salad, add chopped apples, celery and/or walnuts or pecans with the pineapple and cottage cheese.

I really like this salad on a thick bed of chopped celery, but I haven't figured out how to make this into an elegant presentation. It's also good over equal amounts of chopped celery and apple dressed at serving time with just a small amount of mayonnaise - sort of a minimalist Waldorf Salad.

Yield:  Basic recipe makes about 16 servings, 4 fluid ounces each (fewer if servings are larger). Basic salad can be made the day before serving. Best served the same day if you add significant amounts of apples and celery to the salad (can become watery over time). Preparation in individual containers may be the best option if you will not finish the salad in one day.

Nutrition information per 4 fl. oz. serving (approximate)
Basic recipe made with low-fat cottage cheese:

Calories 70
Calories from fat 7.5

Total fat 1 g
Saturated fat 0.75 g
Cholesterol 2.5 mg
Sodium 190 mg

Total carbohydrate 7 g
Carbohydrate from sugar 6 g
Dietary fiber 0.25 g
Protein 7.5 g

Allergy information: Contains fermented milk products, pineapple and citrus. Check cottage cheese carton for corn products.