A little known veggie..Bok Choy

This is my new favorite veggie and great superfood! Its easy to cook (just like spinach) and so delicious.  I prefer to sauté my bok choy with olive oil and minced garlic. I also splash a little rice wine and cook until stalks are soft.  Serve with rice. **Bok Choy is also great in udon soup!

The following information was taken from this website.

Why Eat It

Bok choy, also known as Pak choi or Peking cabbage, forms a small but elongated head (not round like European cabbage) with plump white stalks and deep green leaves. A member of thebrassica family, bok choy offers nutritional assets similar to those of other cabbages: It is rich inVitamin C and contains significant amounts of nitrogen compounds known as indoles, as well as fiber--both of which appear to lower the risk of various forms of cancer. Bok choy is also a good source of folate (folic acid). And with its deep green leaves, bok choy has more beta-carotene than other cabbages, and it also supplies considerably more calcium. The stalks and leaves have quite different textures, so in culinary terms, it's like getting two vegetables for the price of one.

Varieties

The most commonly seen bok choy in American markets has thick, chalk-white stalks and deep green, veined leaves. Asian markets offer several other varieties, some of which have green stalks. Tat soi is another variety; its leaves grow in a large, flat rosette.

Availability

Bok choy is available year-round. If you can't find it at your supermarket, look for it at an Asian market.

Shopping

The stalks of bok choy should be thick and fleshy, but firm; the leaves should be crisp and green. Avoid bok choy with bruised or slimy spots.

Storage

Place unwashed heads of bok choy in a loosely closed plastic bag and refrigerate for no more than a day or two. Bok choy is more perishable than head cabbages.

Preparation

Rinse under cold running water and shake dry. Small (baby) bok choy has a mild enough flavor to eat raw; the stalks resemble celery (although they are not "stringy" like celery), and the finely shredded leaves can go into salads. More mature specimens have a sharper flavor that is tamed with cooking: The stalks turn sweet and almost creamy, and the leaves taste something like Swiss chard.

Baby bok choy can be cooked whole by steaming or braising. When cooking more mature specimens, you'll want to cut the leaves from the stalks because the stalks will take longer to cook. Slice the stalks, and begin cooking them first. When the stalks begin to soften (about 2 minutes), add the shredded leaves and cook just until wilted.

Bok choy is a natural for stir-fries and can also be steamed. The shredded leaves are a refreshing last-minute addition to a simple soup or broth.

Nutrition Chart

Bok choy/1 cup cooked
Calories	20
Total Fat (g)	0.3
Saturated fat (g)	0
Monounsaturated fat (g)	0
Polyunsaturated fat (g)	0.1
Dietary fiber (g)	2.7
Protein (g)	3
Carbohydrate (g)	3
Sodium (mg)	58
Beta-carotene (mg)	2.6
Vitamin C (mg)	44
Folate (mcg)	69
Vitamin B6 (mg)	0.3
Calcium (mg)	158
Potassium (mg)	631

Devil's Mini-Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

Mini-Cakes

Pam's Organic Olive Oil cooking spray (to spray on custard cups)

2 cups cane sugar

1 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 teaspoon almond extract

2 large eggs

2 1/2 cups Softsilk Cake flour

1 cup cocoa power (unsweetened)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 cups buttermilk

Red food coloring

Frosting

1 8 oz. package of cream cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup butter

Directions:

Mix sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract together.

Stiff cake flour and cocoa gradually into mixture.

Stir in butter milk 1 cup at a time..add food coloring

pour into large custard bowls. Bake at 350 degree until toothpick comes out clean.

(about 45 minutes)

Mix all frosting ingredients and frost on cakes once they are cooled.

How to get your husband to eat vegetables. Tip #2 Honey + Butter= love love!

I know what your'e thinking...doens't this defeat the purpose?  Well, I start off by adding lots of butter and honey to carrots (make sure to get real honey or raw honey and olive oil reduced fat butter) and slowly decrease over time.  You should have seen this dish 5 years ago when we first got married... :) 

How to get your husband to eat vegetables. Tip #1 Introduce Vegetables in Small Quantities

It took me almost 5 years of being married to convince my husband to at least try spinach.  Tip #1 says introduce vegetables in small quantities.  As you can see, hubby's meal is on the left: angle hair pasta with creamy alfredo sauce, grilled shrimp scampi, and spinach cooked in extra virgin olive oil and garlic. I dish a portion to equal about 2 tastes, while my plate on the right has about 1 cup.