Chinese 5-Spice Beef and Broccoli

I love trying out new herbs and spices in my cooking. Recently I got some Chinese 5-spice, a blend of cinnamon, star anise, anise seed, ginger and cloves. I looked around for a recipe to highlight its unique flavor but didn't find any that fit my criteria - quick, cheap and easy!

So I came up with this one myself, combining a stir-fry sauce with ground beef and broccoli. Served over rice, it's a delicious, flavorful, satisfying dish. My family loves it and requests it often. I'm happy to oblige since it's so simple to make.

Here's what you need:

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 bag frozen broccoli

In a large skillet, cook the ground beef and onion together until the meat is no longer pink; drain. While the beef is cooking, prepare the sauce and steam the broccoli according to package directions.

For the sauce:
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1 TBSP sesame oil
2 teas brown sugar
1/2 teas garlic powder
1/2 teas ground ginger
1/4 teas Chinese 5-spice powder
1/4 cup water
2 TBSP cornstarch or arrowroot powder

In a small saucepan combine the broth, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and 5-spice powder. In another small bowl, combine the water and cornstarch, making sure there are no lumps. Bring the soy sauce mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and stir in the cornstarch mixture. Simmer until the mixture thickens a bit.

Add the broccoli to the skillet with the beef. Pour the sauce over all, making sure everything is coated. Serve over rice.