Summer Sage Beef Stir Fry

My sage box is growing like weeds.  I got a little carried away planting my herbs this year, almost doubling the size of last year.  Because I seed all my plants in the spring, it took some time for my herbs to get going, but now they are growing at full strength and I am quickly having to come up with ways to use them.  Last year I used sage for the first time, and fell in love with sage butter roasted squash and sweet potatoes.  It is the only time I used fresh sage, so this year when I doubled my sage patch I knew I was going to have to experiment with many more recipes. 

Now here's the catch.  As much as I love creating recipes, when I make dish that I absolutely love and share on this blog, I tend to eat it over and over again.  And why not?!  When something is that tasty, it's hard to resist.  For example, the past few weeks I have been eating some of the same things over and over again.  These blender blueberry chia seed muffins with homemade coconut butter, this zesty cherry vanilla protein shake, and versions of this salad have been on the menu every day.  I highly recommend you try all of them :)

The only downside of making such delicious recipes that I want to eat them all the time is I neglect making new food to share with you guys!  I forget about making new dishes because I already have such scrumptious food to choose from.  It's not the worst problem (who can complain about eating good food?!), however I do have a million recipes I want to try and experimenting in the kitchen is one of my favorite things to do.  Don't worry, I'm working on tearing myself away from my tasty staples to make more tasty staples!

But let's get back to this stir fry.  It's simple and easy to throw together, yet tastes like you salved away for hours.  The combination of beef and sage is outstanding and I think I will use this pairing more often in the future.  I choose to use all my favorites to make up this dish: sweet potato, wild mushrooms, broccoli, and beef.  This is the perfect go-to meal for the summer as it's light, fresh, and contains bursts of fresh sage and lemon.  Enjoy!

Summer Sage Beef Stir Fry

serves 2

1 medium broccoli crown

1 large sweet potato, cooked and cubed*

1/2 lb grass-fed ground beef

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup roasted wild mushrooms

1/4 cup fresh chopped sage

1/4 tsp lemon zest

salt and pepper, to taste

2 fried eggs, for serving (optional)

*I boiled the sweet potato for 15-20 minutes until fork tender

Directions:

1. Remove the stalk of the broccoli and cut into florets about 1" pieces.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the broccoli.  You want the broccoli to soften, but still remain firm.  Pour the broccoli in a strainer and run cold water over it to stop it from cooking.

3. Heat the minced garlic and olive oil in a pan over medium heat.  Saute the garlic until it is golden brown, then add ground beef.  Season with salt and pepper, and cook until the beef is all brown (no pink).

4. Add the mushrooms and sweet potato and cook quickly to heat them up, about 30 seconds.  Add the broccoli and cook another minute, stirring often.

5. Turn off the heat and stir in the sage and lemon zest.  Season with more salt and pepper, to taste. Serve warm with a fried egg on top (if desired).