1.19.2010

have i mentioned...

just how much i love bok choy? oh, that's right. i probably have.

just looking at this photo gets my tummy rumbling. if there wasn't a cozy baby napping peacefully on my chest, i might just get up and make some more for tonight's dinner. yum.

we got ourselves out to the farmer's market on saturday morning. haven't been in quite awhile, as our csa box has been keeping us pretty satisfied. but we're on a mission to up the veggie intake and eat a little less meat, so off we went, braving the threat of rain. we scored raisins, two loaves of artisan bread*, the last bit of bok choy available, and even a tiny container of california-grown strawberries amongst a few other treats. the strawberries were from santa barbara, which is a good 5-hour drive from us. i rationalized my purchase by figuring that santa barbara, though far, is much closer than chile or ecuador--which is where trader joe's is currently importing all of its berries from. and lucy LOVED the berries. specifically, when i covered a few of them in chocolate. (we were making chocolate-covered almonds, but the darn strawberries kept crying to be dipped too!).



we also got a bit of grass-fed ground beef from a local farm. not sure what we'll do with it, but it's on the menu for this week. i'm thinking empanadas from this site if i can find the time to make the dough. sleeping babies are just so snuggly. nature's pause button, i guess.

*a note about the bread we bought at the market--i've got to start making my own again. it's infinitely cheaper.

2 comments:

mega d. said...

If you want to try out a GREAT homemade bread-baking method, check out Jim Lahey's book "My Bread" - - He came up with the "no knead" method and it's great! If you don't want to buy the book, he (and his awesome bread) were written up in ny times a few years ago:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/08mini.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2

Mrs. S said...

Came across this recipe that includes Bok Choy. Thought you might like it

* 4 large bok choy leaves, rough bottoms discarded, stems cut into ¼" bias and leaves shredded
* 4 big leaves Napa cabbage, shredded
* 1 bunch watercress (discard thick stems), roughly chopped
* 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
* the leaves from about 8 stems each basil, mint, cilantro, roughly chopped
* ½ small cucumber, thinly sliced on the bias
* 1 red Thai chili (or more…or less), thinly sliced
* ½ cup roasted, salted peanuts, roughly chopped
* Vietnamese Dressing (see recipe below)
* grilled fish, shrimp, tuna, chicken, or tofu for serving (optional)

Toss the bok choy, cabbage, watercress, carrot, herbs, cucumber, chili and ¼ cup of the peanuts together with enough dressing to coat. Serve sprinkled with the remaining peanuts and whatever protein you like.

Vietnamese Dressing

A perfect balance of hot, sour, salty and sweet, this dressing is like a flavor knockout—also a great dip for summer rolls.

SERVES: about 4
TIME: 5 minutes

* ¼ cup fresh lime juice
* 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
* 2 teaspoons soy sauce
* ¼ cup fish sauce
* ¼ teaspoon salt
* ¼ teaspoon hot pepper sesame oil
* 2 tablespoons agave nectar
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 1 teaspoon minced ginger
* 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion or shallot

Mix everything together.