You know, you know... dark leafy greens are supposed to be so good for you. But no matter how healthy a food is, if you don't like it, you aren't going to eat it. Enter Bok Choy, a type of Chinese cabbage. Prepared properly, this stuff is so good, I ate a giant bowl last night and couldn't wait until lunch today to polish off the leftovers!
Why it's good... & good for you!
The mild flavor, crunchy stalk and tender leaves of Bok Choy make it fun to eat and a versatile side dish. Bok Choy is an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K, as well as a very good source of vitamin B6, calcium, iron, potassium, manganese, fiber and folate.
What to look for
At the market, look for Bok Choy that has tightly packed, firm white stalks and crisp, bright green leaves. Avoid wilted, bruised and discolored Bok Choy. I prefer the bite-sized "baby" Bok Choy.
How to clean it
Don't wash your Bok Choy until you are ready to prepare it. (Bok Choy will typically last 3 days to a week in your vegetable crisper.) This article from eHow.com, How To Clean Bok Choy, explains how to wash your new favorite "green" in 5 insanely easy steps.
How to cook it
My favorite way to enjoy this vegetable is to order Baby Bok Choy, sauteed with a little oil and garlic, at my favorite traditional Chinese restaurant but you can make your own using this super simple recipe from Martha Stewart: Baby Bok Choy with Chile and Garlic. The red pepper flakes and soy sauce are totally optional. You can also choose to use low-sodium soy sauce.
Cheers!
Diane
Image: MarthaStewart.com
Christmas is nearly here. Many of us will soon be celebrating with friends and family and sitting down to big delicious meals on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Big meals usually involve a lot of prep work done in advance, organizing the kitchen to accommodate all the food and giant serving dishes, coordinating the oven schedule, thawing and reheating, and packing leftovers. This provides many opportunities for bacteria and other organisms to grow, travel & contaminate food and makes it an excellent time to talk about food safety. Don't be fooled though: Food safety should be practiced year-round, on a daily basis.
FoodSafety.gov provides a thorough, easy to read, and easy to navigate checklist of food safety tips broken down into four steps: clean, separate, cook & chill.
Here are the basics of food safety but please check out FoodSafety.gov!
Avocados are filled with healthy unsaturated fats, fiber, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin and beta carotene. To take advantage of all this goodness, make some guacamole this weekend. This recipe for Chunky Guacamole, from Tyler Florence and the Food Network, is a great base; however, you can also consider the chiles and cilantro as optional and omit them, just as you might also consider adding a diced small tomato, as well as cumin, smoked spanish paprika and/or cayenne.
Image: FoodNetwork.com
