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Diana Stafford, MD

Vegetable of the Week #5: Bok Choy



I recently started incorporating bok choy into my dinner plans, and I love it! Regular bok choy has white stalks that taste vaguely like celery and nice rich green leaves, not bitter at all. Baby bok choy has more of a savory flavor in my opinion, especially when raw.

It is a member of the cabbage family and is a cruciferous vegetable. That means it shares some of the same nutritional benefits as broccoli. Bok choy is a wonderful source of vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin B6 and beta-carotene (a precursor of vitamin A). It is also a good source of calcium. One cup of shredded raw bok choy has 74 mg of calcium. For those growing bones, kids 1 to 3 years old need 700 mg of calcium per day, kids 4 to 8 years old need 1,000 mg of calcium per day, and kids and teens 9 to 18 years old need 1,300 mg of calcium per day.

Bok choy can be eaten raw, which is how I like to add it to my favorite bok choy salad.

It can also be stir fried or sauteed and has a nice creamy texture when cooked.

The recipe below also includes miracle noodles, otherwise known as shirataki noodles. Miracle noodles contain 97% water and 3% soluble plant fiber which is from the konjac root, a plant native to eastern Asia. They have negligible calorie content and are grain free but are still filling and enjoyable. They have a distinct smell you will notice upon opening the package but which disappears after rinsing. They also have a slippery texture that improves when they are fried in a dry pan. They can be purchased at Whole Foods and natural foods grocery stores. Amazon has them but, for once, the price is not competitive.


Bok Choy Noodle Salad

Serves 4

Total time 20 minutes


Ingredients

Two packs of miracle noodles vegan pho (can substitute rice noodles)

One large head bok choy or three heads of baby bok choy

Two scallions (the green part)

1/4 cup sliced almonds

2T sesame seeds

Optional: 2 stalks celery

Soy sauce to taste

Sesame oil to taste

Balsamic vinegar to taste


Method

1. Rinse the noodles. Reserve sauce packets.

2. Chop noodles to desired size.

3. Heat noodles in a dry pan over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (I have not found them to burn easily).

4. Toast the almonds and sesame seeds in a separate pan (with butter or sesame oil) until light brown. Remove from pan to avoid further browning.

5. Chop the bok choy, scallions and celery, if using.

6. After the noodles have dried, add the sauce packets.

7. Combine all ingredients and drizzle soy sauce, sesame oil and balsamic vinegar on top. Sesame oil is THE secret ingredient that makes all Asian dishes taste amazing, so don't be shy with the sesame oil!


This dish goes great served with chicken or fish.


Enjoy, and have a wonderful day!

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