ingredients

FOR THE Marinade: 

• 2 lbs sirloin steak thinly sliced across the grain into 2 inch strips 
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce if not gluten free) 
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil 
• 4 cloves garlic minced 
• 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger (about a 1 inch knot 1 tablespoon tapioca flour or cornstarch

For the Pepper Steak: 

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil 
• 2 red bell peppers cut into 2 inch slices 
• 2 green bell peppers cut into 2 inch slices 
• 1 medium yellow onion sliced 
• 3 cloves garlic 
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger 
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup 
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce) 
• 1 tablespoon sriracha 
• 1 tablespoon tapioca flour or cornstarch
  

cooking

1. To prep the night before: Add the sliced beef and marinade ingredients to a ziplock bag. Massage the marinade into the steak and marinate in the refrigerator overnight before adding the rest of the ingredients into the slow cooker in the morning. If you’re making it all in one day: marinate the steak at room temperature for 30-60 minutes. 
2. When the steak is marinated, heat 2 tablespoon of sesame oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil is rippling, remove the steak from the ziplock bag and place the steak in the pan in an even layer, working in 2-3 batches, to sear and crisp both sides of the steak. The steak does not need to be all the way cooked. When you’re done with the batch, transfer to the slow cooker and repeat until all the steak is cooked. 
3. Add any additional marinade from the ziplock bag to the slow cooker then add the peppers, and onion. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, ginger, maple syrup, coconut aminos, and sriracha and whisk to combine then pour into the crock pot. Stir to combine. Close the lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. 
4. When the time's up, remove 2 tablespoons of cooking liquid from the slow cooker and add to a small dish with the tablespoon of tapioca flour and mix to create a slurry. Pour the slurry back into the slow cooker, mix well then turn the crock pot on high and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes to thicken. 
5. Enjoy in a bowl or over rice, cauliflower rice, rice noodles and top with green onions and sesame seeds.

Notes: If you want your pepper steak sauce thicker: add one more tablespoon of tapioca flour to the slurry at the end to make it thicker. You can swap the sesame oil for olive oil if you don’t have any on hand.