Asian-style Ground Beef and Cabbage

As all of you must know by now, I am a fan of one-dish meals.  I just tried a new recipe for my lunch, and it is definitely a winner.  As usual, I used the original recipe for inspiration, then substituted with what I had on hand.  I cut the meat way down, used regular cabbage instead of napa, and simplified the way I served it.  Since I had some leftover rice that needed to be used up, I served it over rice. Way more delicious than I expected!  From start to finish, it took less than 30 minutes to fix.

Asian-Style Ground Beef and Cabbage

Adapted from Popular Paleo

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 head of cabbage, shredded
• 1 5-oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 1 8-oz can bamboo shoots, drained
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1/4 Cup tamari or soy sauce**, more or less to taste
• 1 pinch black pepper

Crumble ground beef and add to hot skillet, stirring frequently.  When meat is about half cooked, add ginger, water chestnuts, bamboo sprouts and garlic.  Continue to cook until meat is browned.   Add sesame seeds and tamari or soy sauce, using more or less to taste.  While the meat is cooking, cook the cabbage in another skillet until wilted down and crisp tender.  When both the meat and cabbage are done, add together and mix well.*  Even though I only used 1/4 the meat called for in the original recipe, I thought it was a good balance between meat and vegetables - any more would have been too much.

*The original recipe called for keeping the cabbage and meat mixture separate, then putting the cabbage on the serving platter, adding the meat mixture on top of it, and garnishing with chopped scallions and some sesame seeds.  Since I was just cooking for myself, I chose to keep it simple.  

**If gluten-free, don't use soy sauce.