Green Beans and Beef Cubes

After having rice so many times the week before (at this point in time I still had a little less than half a pot of rice left), I finally gave us a break and ventured out to completely new ingredients (almost): cut green beans, tomatoes, onions, beef. 


So I got a ten dollar piece of sirloin (not the easiest to chew) and cut it in cubes of 1-2 inches on each side. When I finished, I put them all in a pot on the stove with a little bit of oil and let them cook evenly on all four sides, occasionally stirring. Once that was done, I poured water on top until they were almost completely covered and let them cook through thouroughly, just in case. When most of the water boiled off, I decided they were done and took the beef cubes off the stove.


While I was waiting for the beef to cook, I opened two cans of cut green beans (low sodium, because everything in a can usually gives you like 30% of your daily intake it seems like) and started cooking them in their own pot. 


In a third pan, I started sauteeing some onions. Once the onions were sauteed and had lost their white color, I poured the contents of a can of diced tomatoes on top. At this point in time the green beans were almost ready, so I poured the tomato/onion sauce on top of the green beans and stirred that pot. 


My boyfriend loved this dish as well as my friend Paige -- who even asked for the recipe! I did not add any condiments of any sort (especially no salt) because once I add anything from a can to my dishes, I feel like they've already been processed and salted enough and I don't need to add anything else myself. I think next time I make this dish, I'll try using tomato paste instead of - or along with - the diced tomatoes to make the sauce a bit creamier. 


I did not end up getting a picture of this one :(.


I highly encourage everyone to start cooking at home if you don't already do so. Most of the dishes I put on here take about 20-40 minutes to cook. I live really close to where I work, so if the recipe is REALLY simple, I can sometimes cook everything fresh at lunch. Other times, I just prepare part of the dish that morning or the night before and do the fast part when I get home at lunch. I think it's a great alternative to going out to lunch not only because it's healthier and helps save money, but it also will allow you to practice cooking and make little mistakes you can live with and you won't have to make these mistakes at a dinner party. :) In the end, you become a Chef Extraordinaire!