Bok Choy

We had never had bok choy before, and I have to admit that I was a little bit nervous to try it! Turns out we REALLY liked it.

In order to know how to prepare it, I read a bit about bok choy online... here's some info from www.essortment.com in case you've never used bok choy either:

When purchasing bok choy, select stalks that are pure white and firm. Additionally, look for leaves that are dark green and non-wilted. Do not select bok choy that has any brown spots on its leaves, as this type of bok choy is less flavorful. Baby bok choy, which is a younger version of bok choy, should also be purchased according to these standards. Once purchased, you can safely store bok choy in your home for up to three days provided that you refrigerate the bok choy in a plastic bag as soon as you arrive home with your purchase.

Because bok choy is a member of the cabbage family, you can cook it as you would a cabbage. When cooked, it has a sweet flavor and its stalks are firm. First remove its leaves from their stalks and cut the stalks into pieces. Next, take the leaves that were removed and cut them into pieces as well. Both bok choy's stalks and leaves are edible.

Another reason that bok choy is becoming popular to use is because of its nutritional value. One half cup of raw bok choy, which is approximately 56 grams, contains only 10 calories. Additionally, bok choy contains no fat or cholesterol and is a good source of calcium. It is also low in sodium and high in vitamins C and A.

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Formula for Our Favorite Stir-Fry

We have several go-to recipes in our cooking arsenal, and stir-fry is one of them. I'd say we probably make it about once a week or once every couple of weeks, so we've gotten pretty good at it. We never really make the same recipe twice, because it depends a lot on what veggies we add and the liquid we use to cook it... here's how we did it tonight!

Ingredients (definitely feel free to mix it up!):

Zucchini

Yellow Squash
Red Pepper
Green Pepper
Bok Choy
Green Garlic
Chives (from our garden!)
Cooking oil
Ken's Lite Asian-Sesame Dressing
Pineapple juice
Sriracha (Thai hot sauce)
Low-sodium soy sauce
White Rice

1. Cook rice according to package directions. (We normally use brown rice because I don't particularly love white rice, but we're moving this week and our pantry is more limited than usual. If using brown rice, be prepared for a longer cooking time!)

2. Drain tofu and slice into 6 even-sized slices. Press tofu between 2 baking sheets lined with paper towels. Use a heavy object to apply pressure (there will be a fair amount of liquid displaced from the tofu). We used a watermelon!

3. Cut each tofu slice into approximately 15 cubes, for a total of 90. Heat oil on HIGH and cook tofu, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Add whatever seasoning you'd like while tofu is cooking. We used soy sauce, but you could just use salt and pepper.


4. Chop vegetables and set aside (Dan tends to cut our stir-fry veggies into the shapes you find them in restaurants, but you can really do it however you like).


5. Once tofu is browned, remove from pan and set aside. Add more oil to the pan and cook vegetables (start with veggies that take longer, such as carrots or peppers and then move on to those that are softer/have shorter cooking times).


6. While the veggies are cooking, add flavoring liquids to taste - we usually use a combination of soy sauce, Asian-Sesame dressing, Sriracha (Thai hot sauce), and pineapple juice. Again, this really depends on your personal preference. If you choose to use Sriracha, be aware that a very small amount goes a long way - it's quite spicy!


5. Combine the veggies with the rice and serve!


My rating: 8.5/10
Dan's rating: 8/10

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