20-Minute, Gluten-Free Pepper Steak
Bold, savory, and lightning-fast, this gluten-free pepper steak recipe is loaded with crisp veggies and rich umami flavor from coconut aminos and almond butter. It’s a weeknight stir-fry you can feel good about—free from gluten, dairy, soy, and refined sugars. Serve it over rice or cauliflower rice for a deeply satisfying, clean comfort meal.
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Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 organic red bell peppers, cut in 1/4-inch wide strips
- 2 cups fresh snow peas
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut into ¼-inch wide slivers
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced about 1/4-inch wide
- 1 pound steak, (elk, venison, or grass-fed sirloin)
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 3 tablespoons arrowroot, divided (or more if needed; See NOTE)
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos, divided
- 2 tablespoons natural creamy almond butter
- 1 large clove garlic, minced (or 2 medium)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil, (optional, omit for strict low-histamine diets)
Instructions
- Prep all the vegetables and set aside.
- Slice the steak into 1/4-inch wide strips (halve thick strips > 5/8-inch thick). In a medium bowl, toss the steaks with 2 tablespoons of arrowroot until evenly coated. Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of the coconut aminos and toss to distribute evenly. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon of arrowroot and the remaining coconut aminos. Add the almond butter, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil, if using. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in an extra-large, non-stick skillet over medium-high, until hot but not smoking. If your skillet is not large enough for the steak to sear evenly, work in batches. Put the steak in the skillet, laying it out so each piece lays flat. Cook 1-2 minutes until seared; turn to sear on the other side, about 1-2 minutes. It doesn’t have to be well-done, but well-seared. Adjust the temperature of your cooktop if necessary to avoid burning.
- Transfer the cooked steak to a plate and put the onions in the skillet. Stir and cook about 2 minutes until translucent, scraping the fond from the skillet to incorporate the meat flavors. Add the bell peppers and snow peas; cook and about 1 minutes. Add the mushrooms; cook and stir, about 2 minutes, or until the mushrooms have shrunk in size.
- Stir the sauce into the pan and continue stirring for about a minute until it thickens. Reduce the heat to low to avoid boiling, which can break down the thickener.
- Return the cooked steak to the skillet, stir to coat with the sauce, and cook for an additional 30 seconds to warm through.
- Serve over rice (low-histamine) or cauliflower rice (Paleo and low-histamine).
Notes
Organic cornstarch may be substituted for the arrowroot. However, it is not Paleo.