Sirloin Steak w/ Stir Fried Peas and Red Rice

I've got a throbbing headache. Hopefully, as I write this post, the Ibuprofen will do its job and it will throb less as I keep typing. Key word = hopefully. This week has just been full of great weather... until today, of course. It rained like it's never rained before (or at least so far this year). and I'm pretty sure it will continue to rain all weekend, which is a shame because I would really like to get out there and play tennis again. So here's hoping the weatherman is wrong, and don't forget to set your clocks FORWARD on Sunday!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Food & Wine's March 2010 issue: 'Stir Fried Red Rice w/ Sliced Sirloin Steak & Peas'

1/2 cup red rice (I found this at Whole Foods)
1 cup water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. sirloin steak, sliced thinly
salt and white pepper, to taste
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
2 cups each of chopped kale and swiss chard
1 cup thawed frozen peas
3 tablespoons soy sauce
small handful chopped cilantro
juice from 1 lime

In a small pot, cover the rice with water and bring to a boil. Cover and turn down to low for about 25-30 minutes, when most of the water has been taken up by the rice. You could definitely use white rice if you wanted to for this, but I think the red rice gives it a somewhat sweet aspect. Not sugary sweet, but just sweeter than your normal rice I suppose.

When rice is finished, spread onto a baking sheet to cool.

In a large skillet, heat up 1 tablespoon of the oil under medium high heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Be careful not to let the garlic burn, so stir constantly.

Season the sirloin strips with salt and add to the skillet with the garlic. Brown each side, about 1-2 minutes per side (depending on how thick you cut your slices) and then transfer to a plate.

Heat remaining oil in skillet and add the onion and ginger. Cook until onion is soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the kale and swiss chard and cook until wilted, about 1 or 2 more minutes. Then stir in the red rice, peas, and soy sauce. Add back in the sirloin strips, as well. Mix well and heat through. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Stir in some of the cilantro and squeeze the lime juice over mixture. Mix well again. Serve while its hot!

This was great because it was like having everything incorporated into one. The sirloin was evenly distributed among all of the vegetables and there was a good ratio of rice. The red rice was really interesting, not too different from normal white rice, but it had a subtle sweetness to it, I thought. And if the meal wasn't delicious enough, it was just beautiful! Enjoy!