Asian Beef Bowls

Elizabeth came into town with her kids to celebrate her birthday! We spent last night at a hotel with Mom, me, Libby Jessica, Ashlee and Olivia and had tons of fun rock climbing and going out to dinner. This morning Ryan made us all Liege Waffles. Libby had never tried them and they are SOOO good! We invited her and Olivia back for dinner, because Mom and Dad spent all day at the Conference Center doing their service mission for General Conference, and Ben had to work. I found a recipe for 30-minute Asian Beef bowls at Once Upon A Chef and thought I'd give it a try. Here's my own variation:

Beef:
3 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 c hoisin sauce
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoon ketchup
2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
10 green onions sliced, light and dark green parts separated
1 zucchini thinly sliced and cut into quarters

To Serve:
Rice
Chopped cashews
Sesame seeds
shredded carrots
shredded romaine lettuce
thinly sliced red and yellow bell peppers
Any veggie you like

In a large bowl mix the beef with the baking soda. I used my hands with plastic gloves on.Let it sit on the counter for 20-25 minutes. The baking soda will "soften" the beef.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ketchup, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
Cook the beef in a large skillet pan over medium-high heat. Brown the beef, stirring frequently and breaking into pieces, until just slightly pink, about 5 minutes. (I didn't drain the fat because the original recipe said there wasn't much and it adds flavor. I though that was fine, but Pierce complained it was greasy - he was the only one of the 11 people that ate it to complain.)
Add the garlic, ginger, and light part of the green onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, a few minutes.
Add the hoisin sauce mixture and cook until the beef is well-coated and cooked through, about a minute. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Add Zucchini and cook for a minute to soften slightly. Then stir in the green onions (the green parts). Spoon the beef into bowls over rice. Top with sesame seeds, chopped cashews, and shredded veggies, if you like.

The kids all had to use chopsticks to eat it. After all, it is the Asian way!