Seared Beef Strips with Sesame Broccoli & Cucumber Noodle Salad

Good Mood Food

Seared Beef Strips with Sesame Broccoli & Cucumber Noodle Salad

Last Friday I collaborated with the fit girls from Wonder Woman Workshops UK (WWWUK). Together we ran a cooking workshop all about Good Mood Food. We cooked up a three course meal and drink designed to help boost serotonin levels through the power of food.

Starter: Smoked mackerel pate with crudités or Free’d gluten free crackers
Main: Seared beef strips with sesame broccoli & cucumber noodle salad.
Dessert: Chocolate cake with figs & ginger cashew cream.
Drink: Iced green tea fizz

WWWUK have already written a post all about the evening . In this Natural Kitchen Adventures post, I’m going to share some nutrition nuggets and one of the recipes we cooked up that evening.

I’m sure it comes as no surprise that what we eat is directly related to the way we feel. Eat a diet full of processed crap you’re going to feel a bit like a piece of processed crap. Furthermore, a deficiency of any nutrient can alter brain function, which can lead to depression, anxiety or other mental disorders.  Cutting out the crap and eating a varied whole foods diet is the best place to start on the road to recovery.

Certain foods were designed to support the body in different ways, and some of these will help raise your mood:

• Serotonin is our happy hormone, and we want to boost those levels! Tryptophan is required to make serotonin so we want to increase intake of this amino acid. Vitamin C , and zinc are both required in the conversion from tryptophan to serotonin.

• Tryptophan is also a precursor to melatonin , our sleep hormone. Obviously sleeping well will help raise our mood, as well as reducing stress. The amino acid glutamine helps formulate neurotransmitters, which quiet brain activity.

• Magnesium helps create energy, and acts as a relaxant.

• Vitamin B12 & B6 & Folate – all lower homocysteine and support stable mental health.

• Omega-3 helps stabilize moods and prevent depression, and DHA supports brain function.

• L-theanine , is an amino acid that increases serotonin and dopamine, and can be calming.

All of these are found in the Wonder Woman Workshops/Natural Kitchen Adventures menu ingredients:

Mackerel – tryptophan, omega-3, vitamin B12
Beef – tryptophan, vitamin B6
Broccoli – vitamin C, folate
Sesame – tryptophan, zinc
Eggs – vitamin B12, B6, folate,
Chocolate – magnesium
Almond – magnesium
Cashew – magnesium, zinc
Fig – magnesium
Green Tea – L-theanine

Amazing stuff.

Here’s the recipe for Seared Beef Strips with Sesame Broccoli and Cucumber Noodle Salad. It’s a lightning quick mid-week meal, fresh and full of flavor.

Seared Beef Strips with Sesame Broccoli & Cucumber Noodle Salad

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

8 mins

Total time

23 mins

This Asian inspired dish is perfect for a weeknight supper. A julienne peeler is a ‘must buy’ for any whole foods kitchen, you’ll be creating noodles out of every kind of vegetables in no time.

Author: Ceri Jones

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Asian

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the beef strips:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• pinch dried chilli flakes
• 2 Tbs tamari (a gluten free soy sauce)
• 600g beef fillet, sirloin or rump steak trimmed of fat and cut into fine 1cm strips*
• tsp higher heat cooking oil – either ghee or coconut oil is ideal

For the salad:

• 2 heads broccoli, broken into florets
• 2 cucumbers, julienned
• 2 Tbs tahini, thinned with 3-4 Tbs water
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt
• 4 spring onions, finely sliced.
• tsp sesame seeds – black or white, as you prefer
• Small handful fresh coriander to serve

Instructions

1. Marinate the beef in garlic, chilli and tamari for 10 minutes.
2. While the beef is marinating, prepare the salad and sauce. Steam the broccoli till
3. al dente
4. (about 4 minutes) and cool immediately in cold water. Julienne the cucumbers.
5. For the sauce, mix the tahini, water and lemon juice into a thick paste. Add the garlic and salt.
6. Toss the cooled, broccoli with the julienned cucumbers and spring onions, sesame seeds, and half the tahini sauce.
7. Heat a heavy frying pan and add the oil. Sear the beef strips for 2 minutes, turning to ensure all sides are cooked. Remove from the pan and let the beef strips rest for 1 minute.
8. Now plate up. Place the salad in a serving bowl, add the beef, the rest of the sauce and some fresh coriander. Add some extra chilli if you like.

Notes

*If in doubt of the correct cut to buy for stir frying, ask your butcher. Fillet is luxurious, and the most expensive. Sirloin and rump are cheaper and just as tasty. Bavette (skirt) is also a good option and is much more economical.

If you’re not a fan of red meat, stir frying tryptophan rich turkey or adding a baked fillet of omega-3 rich salmon a top this salad would be a perfect substitution.

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If you’re based in the South East of the UK and run a fitness or social group and would be interested in collaborating on a similar kind of workshop I’d love to hear from you! Get in touch by email or on social media.

What’s your good mood food?

*Many thanks to Free’d for providing the crackers for the class.