Thai Beef with Basil

Or in this case, thai ground turkey.  Beef would have been more appropriate but it was easy and "licious" as S calls things she likes.  Most recipes call for a few additional ingredients that would have made this really shine, but for a quick weeknight dinner this is really great.  A huge bump up for plain old ground meat for sure.  If you can get your hands on some thai chiles and thai basil, instead of the regular kind, good for you!  And of course some sliced red peppers would be great and another pop of color.

Thai Beef with Basil
1 package ground meat, mine was about 22 oz
2 tbsp Thai Chile Garlic Oil (HUGE shortcut, rather than mincing garlic and chopping up thai chiles!!! find it at your specialty olive oil store)
2 cups french green beans
juice of one lime
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp gluten free soy sauce or wheat free tamari
1/2 packet of stevia (i used pure via)
1 cup chopped basil, use thai basil if you can, and throw in some mint too for extra authenticity

Heat your oil in a large pan and add your meat, cooking on high until starting to brown.  Throw in your green beans and salt and pepper liberally.  In a small bowl, juice your lime and add sweetener (optional) soy sauce and fish sauce.  When the beans have cooked, add your sauce and coat evenly.  Turn off the heat and sprinkle in your chopped basil.  Serve and enjoy!  Drizzle some extra thai chile garlic oil if desired.  This is not very spicy, so feel free to turn it up a notch with some red pepper flakes.  But for the discerning toddler's palate, I chose to keep it on the milder side.

Enjoy peeps!