Spicy Cauliflower and Bok Choy Stir-Fry with Coconut

The first time I cooked bok choy was two years ago, after picking up my first CSA share from Crossroads Community Farm (then Primrose Community Farm). I'm now in my third year as a member and still looking forward to that fresh and crunchy green. When I have it, I'll often use it in my ever-evolving fried rice recipe or simply stir-fry it in sesame oil and finish it with a bit of Sriracha, but I also love incorporating it into more elaborate recipes like this one. Though not through any particular effort on my part, coconut has been making into all manner of my recipes lately (including a coffee stout that is currently fermenting). The first non-baked-good recipe I can remember trying and loving is Baked Curried Rice with Apples and Coconut, but it was Crispy Kale-and-Tofu Salad with Coconut that really made me fall in love with coconut in savory dishes. Just a little bit of toasted coconut gives this dish a lot of richness, and it is nicely balanced by the freshness of the bok choy and herbs, spiciness of the chili sauce, and sweetness of the agave. Fish sauce sneaks in some umami without adding a fishy flavor and the shrimp/chicken/tofu turns this into a filling main that needs only a bed of rice or noodles to become a complete meal.

Spicy Cauliflower and Bok Choy Stir-Fry with Coconut
adapted from Martha Stewart
serves 2

1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 large head cauliflower, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1/2 large head bok choy, trimmed and sliced into 1-inch strips (about 8 ounces)
1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined or boneless, skinless chicken breast or tofu, cut into bite-size pieces
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek or other Asian chili sauce, or to taste
1 tablespoon agave syrup or honey
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves or cilantro, plus more for garnish
3 tablespoons unsweetened flaked coconut, toasted
Rice or noodles, for serving (optional)

1. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cauliflower, and reduce heat to medium. Cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add bok choy, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a plate, and loosely tent with foil.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, (or chicken or tofu) and cook until they begin to turn opaque, about 2 minutes. Flip shrimp and, using a wooden spoon, push them to one side, and add remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil to exposed area. Add garlic, and cook, stirring, until very fragrant but not brown, about 1 minute.

3. Toss garlic with shrimp. Stir in sambal oelek, agave syrup, and fish sauce. Add vegetables, and cook until heated through, about 30 seconds. Add basil, and serve immediately over rice or noodles (if desired). Top with coconut flakes and more basil.

Shiitake, Sugar Snap, and Bok Choy Stir-Fry

When I was a kid, I had the cliched dislike of peas, and although I would sometimes even pick them out of soup, I always adored sugar snap and snow peas. As an adult, I still don't love plain peas, but can still gobble up massive quantities of any kind of peas in their pods (this is not an exaggeration-I have eaten an entire pound of sugar snap peas by myself in one sitting). And while I can't get enough of fresh, crunchy raw sugar snap peas, they also are one of my favorite stir-fry ingredients. Stir-fries can be carefully conceived dishes, or a quick and delicious way to use up odds and ends of vegetables, and this stir-fry is somewhere in between. I bought sugar snap peas with the intention of making some sort of stir-fry and fleshed out the recipe after picking up the other ingredients that simply struck my fancy at the farmers' market that I thought would go well with the sugar snap peas. The classic stir-fry Asian flavors of garlic, ginger, soy, and toasted sesame oil blend harmoniously with the fresh and crunchy peas and bok choy and earthy mushrooms and let the veggies take center stage in this dish. The next time you're staring at an odd collection of ingredients in the fridge or want to frame a dish around an ingredient that just looked too good to pass up at the farmers' market (my eternal problem), think no further than a stir-fry!


Shiitake, Sugar Snap Pea, and Bok Choy Stir-Fry
adapted from Food and Wine
serves 4

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil 
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces shiitake or oyster mushrooms, sliced
1 pound baby bok choy, stalks cut into 1/2-inch pieces, leaves shredded
1/2 pound sugar snap peas
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2-4 cups cooked brown rice, for serving

1. In a small glass or stainless-steel bowl, combine the ginger, lemon juice, sesame oil, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper. Set aside.

2. In a wok or a large nonstick frying pan, heat canola oil over moderately high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the bok-choy stalks and mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the peas and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the soy sauce and cook, stirring, for 1 minute longer.

3. Add the bok-choy leaves and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to the pan. Cook, tossing gently, until the leaves just wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Add vinaigrette and toss to coat. Remove the pan from heat and serve warm over brown rice.

Miso Soup with Garlic and Ginger

I'm up for sushi pretty much any time, and although I'm not quite brave enough to attempt making my own at home yet, I thought I'd try making one of the most common sides at sushi/Japanese restaurants, miso soup. Every time I walk past the miso at Whole Foods or Willy St. Co-op I'm tempted to buy some to experiment with, but it took having an actual recipe in hand to get me take the plunge. Miso soup is usually served as a first course, but I found this recipe with more substance than your typical miso soup and served it as a main course (serves 4) for a lovely, light summer dinner. I'm the first to admit its not traditional, especially with a side salad and roll, but it is a wonderful way to use plentiful summer produce and enjoy the unique flavor of miso. This soup is mild and refreshing, thought you may want to increase the amount of miso for a more assertive flavor. 

Now that I have a big container of miso, I anticipate making miso soup on a regular basis as well as encorporating it into all manner of sauces, marinades, and salad dressings. I'm always game for experimenting with new ingredients and opening up my culinary landscape and I can't wait to dive into the world of Japanese food, from miso soup and sushi to teriyaki and hibachi. Food is one of the most fundamental ways to learn about a culture and I look forward to what I'll learn on this new culinary path.

Miso Soup with Garlic and Ginger
from Whole Foods
serves 8

1 tablespoon unrefined sesame oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
6 cups vegetable broth or water
2 baby bok choy, trimmed and roughly chopped
1/2 pound carrots, thinly sliced
1 (8-ounce) package baked tofu, preferably Asian- flavored, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons red miso
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add yellow onion, ginger and garlic and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add broth, bok choy, carrots and tofu and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, 5 to 10 minutes more. Remove soup from heat.

2. Ladle about 1 cup of the hot broth into a small bowl. Add miso and stir until dissolved, then transfer mixture back to pot and stir well. Stir in vinegar, ladle soup into bowls and garnish with green onions.

Asian-Style Sauteed Greens

I like Monday dinners to be fast and healthy, and quickly prepared greens and fish are an excellent choice. I prefer Asian greens like tatsoi and bok choy with Asian flavors and this recipe brings a lot of common Asian ingredients together with extremely flavorful results. Keep a careful eye on your greens-you want the stems to still be a bit crunchy and the leaves to be wilted, but not stringy and slimy. This makes an excellent side on its own, but would also be great served over rice. To take this simple dish to another level, add minced or grated ginger and some red pepper flakes.
Asian-Style Sauteed Greens
adapted from From Asparagus to Zucchini, published by MACSAC
serves 2 to 4

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound mixed greens (I used tatsoi; bok choy is another good choice)
1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper

 1. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Remove garlic and set aside.

2. Saute the greens until just wilted. Remove from heat and stir in garlic, vinegar, and tamari. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Stir-Fried Bok Choy

I signed up for my first CSA this last month from Primrose Community Farm. I'd been debating doing it for quite some time, but I love going to the farmer's market so much I opted to skip it this summer. This week I received my first delivery, which was quite an impressive box of vegetables. Among the abundant greens was a beautiful head of bok choy. I like bok choy, but haven't cooked with it too much before, mostly in stir-fries. This is quick and simple preparation that showcases the bok choy with classic Asian flavors. The key to cooking bok choy is to cook it to the point where the light parts are crisp-tender, but the dark green parts aren't overcooked and slimy. If you like a bit of heat, top the bok choy with Sriracha or red pepper flakes, but the bok choy is still wonderful without them. I served the bok choy with salmon for a quick and healthy weeknight dinner.

Stir-Fried Bok Choy
adapted from Gourmet, via Epicurious
serves 2

1 head bok choy
1 tablespoons water
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Sriracha or red pepper flakes, optional

1. Trim bok choy and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. In a bowl stir together water and soy and oyster sauces. In a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and stir-fry bok choy with salt 2 minutes. Add soy mixture and stir-fry until bok choy is crisp-tender and sauce thickens a bit, 1 to 2 minutes. Top with Sriracha or red pepper flakes and serve hot.

Shrimp and Bok Choy Stir-Fry

This recipe should almost just be called farmer's market stir-fry. I always come home with far more than I need from the farmer's market, mostly veggies, so I'm always trying to come up with recipes to use up the mass quantities of veggies I buy. Stir-fry is healthy, quick, easy, and delicious! How can you go wrong?

Shrimp and Bok Choy Stir-Fry

3/4 c. low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 T. low-sodium soy sauce
1 T. mirin (sweet cooking sake)
1.5 t. cornstarch dissolved in 1 T. water
2 T. sesame oil
2 T. finely minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, pressed through a garlic press or finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 c. sliced green onions-white and light green portions thinly sliced, green part cut into 1-inch pieces
8 oz. white mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
12 oz. baby bok choy, thinly sliced crosswise
8 oz. small to medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
Brown rice, for serving

1. Whisk the broth, soy sauce, mirin and cornstarch together in a small bowl.

2. Heat a nonstick wok or large, deep skillet over medium-high to high heat until very hot, about 3 minutes. Add the sesame oil, ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the white and light green portions of green onion and mushrooms and stir-fry until mushrooms are lightly browned and nearly tender, about 3 minutes. Add green part of green onions and bok choy and cook until leaves are wilted and stems are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add shrimp and stir-fry until they are pink and curled and nearly cooked through, about 3 minutes.

  
3. Stir the sauce, then stir it into the wok and cook until it is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp and bok choy mixture to a serving bowl and serve with brown rice.