Thai beef

This is an easy and different recipe, especially for those hot summer nights. You can cook the meat quickly and you’re done without the kitchen getting too hot! You could also grill the meat patties. Serve with Thai cucumber salad. Yum!

Serves 4

First, make the beef patties. Mix together:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 T minced ginger
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 t red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)

Make small patties of the beef mixture–we like longer chicken-nugget-shaped patties to make it easy to stuff into a pita. Cook these on medium heat until they are cooked through. (See variation below for another yummy idea.) Next, make the sauce by whisking together:

• 4 T peanut butter
• 2 T lime juice
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1T sesame oil (or olive, if preferred)
• 1/3 C chopped cilantro
• a little water, if needed

Serve  in a pita lined with lettuce, drizzled with sauce. Goes well with Thai cucumber salad.

*Variation* If you prefer, you can simply cook the meat and spices together, drain, and top with the sauce. Serve on a bed of rice.