I Got Some Beautiful Bok Choy, But What Do I Do With It?

Last week I showed you pictures of all the gorgeous fruits and veggies I got at the farmers' market, and I promised you some recipes.  I'll start here by telling you what I did with my bok choy.

First off, are you familiar with bok choy?  Bok Choy is a beautiful, Asian leafy green veggie.  It's a member of the plant family Cruciferae (also called Brassicaceae), which means that it's in good company with these other cruciferous veggies: broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, turnips, radishes, watercress, and arugula, to name a few.  Bok choy has a high water content, which makes it great for eating raw and for stir frying (fast cooking) -- in fact, if you've ever ordered "Buddha's Delight" from a Chinese restaurant, bok choy was one of the main ingredients, so you may already love bok choy without even realizing it.

Leafy green veggies are sadly underrepresented in the diets of most Americans, which is unfortunate because they are packed with much-needed nutrients, as well as many micronutrients (phytochemicals) that help protect our bodies from cancer and other diseases.  Here's a short list of some of the great stuff packed into your dark leafy greens: magnesium, calcium, folacin (folic acid), flavonoids, carotenoids (like beta-carotene), and vitamins A, C, and E (which are all antioxidants).  Good stuff!  Alright, I'll stop with the "eat your greens" promotion now and show you the two things I did with my bok choy this week. 

I had one large head of bok choy and used it to make both dishes.  First, I separated 6 large stalks from the leaves and set those aside for my Bok Choy-Carrot Salad.  I used the remaining stems (~6?) and all the leaves (from ~12 stalks?) for my Stir-Fried Bok Choy with Celery and Ginger.  Both were really great.  I was particularly surprised by the subtle, and super yummy, flavor of the bok choy, celery, and ginger dish.  Enjoy.

Bok Choy - Carrot Salad

Remove the leaves and set aside for our next recipe.

Salad Ingredients:

• 6 large stems of bok choy, sliced thin (kind of like julienned)
• 2 medium carrots, julienned (you could also grate the carrot)
• 2 tiny tart apples, sliced and cut into matchsticks
• 1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds, toasted 

Dressing Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp raw honey
• salt and pepper to taste

Hmmnn...I got a little spacey and forgot

to take a pic of the finished salad.  Oops.

So easy!  All you have to do is combine all your sliced/julienned salad ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix your dressing ingredients by whisking in a separate, small bowl.  Toast your sunflower seeds -- I just tossed them in a small sautee pan on med-high heat and kept tossing them until 1/2 had browned slightly.  Then...just mix it all together.  Refrigerate.  Eat it up.




Bok Choy with Celery & Ginger

(I got this recipe from a nice book called Greens Glorious Greens.  Check it out if you want to start eating more greens, but you aren't familiar with them and don't know what to do with them.  It's a great resource!)

Ingredients:

• 1 head bok choy (or the leftover leaves and stalks from your bok choy-carrot salad)
• 1/4 - 1/3 inch piece of ginger root
• 2-3 celery stalks
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 TBSP water
• ~2 TBSP walnuts, chopped coarsely and toasted
• salt (to taste)

Directions:

• Rinse bok choy with cold water. Cut off the thickest part of the stalk from each frond and slice into pieces, ~1/3-inch wide and 3-4 inches long.  Cut the leaves into strips (or chiffonade).  Set aside.
• Slice celery into 1/4-inch diagonal pieces.  Set aside.
• Peel ginger.  Slice into thin pieces.  Set aside.
• Toast the walnuts.  Set aside.
• Preheat large wok or deep sautee pan over high heat.
• Put the oil in the wok/pan and swirl to coat the bottom and sides.
• Add the ginger first.  Stir fry for 10 seconds.
• Add the celery and stir fry for another minute, until color brightens.
• Add the bok choy stem slices.  Stir to combine with ginger and celery.  Stir while the veggies cook for about 1 minute.  Then add the bok choy leaves.  Continue stirring while cooking for another minute or so.
• Add 1 TBSP water, sprinkle with salt, and cover.  Cook for another minute -- the leaves should be wilted, but the stalks will be crisp-tender.
• Remove from heat.  Garnish with toasted walnuts.

So, there you have it.  Two yummy bok choy recipes -- one hot, one cold.  I hope you give them a try.

How do you prepare bok choy?

Eat Well.  Live Well.  Be Well.  Eat Greens.