Bok Choy Saute with Scallions and Roasted Peanuts

Yeah, I've sorta' fallen in love with Bok Choy.

Paul has a coworker at his office who has actually named his computer, "Bok Choy." I'm jealous. I wish my computer was named Bok Choy. Th'stuff is so good. (I guess I'm too lazy to type the 'e' in the word, "the?")

I like this sauce much better than my stir fry sauce...it's safe to say it's totally been improved.

Like. Totally.

Paul loves it. I ate it for breakfast the first time I invented it. And felt awesome afterwards.

But, you don't have to eat it for breakfast if that totally wigs you out.

Totally.

We're always looking for stuff that's fast. Easy. Ready in less than 30 minutes. This fits the bill. Totally. I'll stop saying that.

If you make this recipe.

You won't regret it.

Over brown rice. To die for. Well, not really. It's not really death-worthy (does that exist, truly, in food world?). But. I like it. And I hope you do, too.

This saute is super-satiating; the combination of chewiness from the rice and mushrooms, and the crunch of peanuts and bok choy. The flavors come together with the sauce to create deep satisfaction.

People have sometimes asked me. What should they eat for lunch if they don't like eating leftovers from dinner, and they need something quick and healthy?

Ahem.

Make this.

Speaking of quick.

Some quick tips:

* I love buying mushrooms pre-sliced, and pre-washed. Saves me so much time and increases the possibility that I will actually use my mushrooms.

* Peanuts? Buy them already roasted, but with no salt.

* Bok choy?

Ah. Bok choy. A tip? Eat it every day. Yum.

* Flavors are enhanced when you use a cast iron skillet.

* Optionally, you could add some fresh mung bean sprouts. I just didn't have any at the time I made this.

* To make it more kid-friendly using pasta, simply follow the kid instructions (and pictures) found on my stir fry recipe page.

* Oh, and a tip on that, too. After cooking the noodles, rinse them with cold water until they are completely cold. You can even refrigerate them. The trick with sauteing noodles is to have them chilled/cold. It works much better to prevent them from getting gooey or slimy. Once the noodles start sticking to the pan, you know they are done.

Boy Choy Saute with Scallions and Roasted Peanuts
By Ashlee Crozier

Ingredients:

6 cups baby bok choy, sliced (including all the greens on the top!)
1.5 cups cremini mushrooms, washed, and sliced fairly thick
4 large cloves of garlic
1/2 cup scallions, or green onions, sliced, including white parts.
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, no salt
1/3 cup soy sauce, or tamari
1/3 cup brown rice vinegar
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 -2 teaspoons sambal oelek, or other garlic chili paste (less if serving to kids, more if you like heat)
1-2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil (really enhances flavor, but 1 tsp will do the trick)
Optionally, you could add 1 cup of fresh mung bean sprouts (I buy mine from Whole Foods Market)


Instructions:

For optimal flavor, use a large cast iron skillet.

Preheat skillet (cast iron or nonstick) on high heat. Add sliced mushrooms and spread them evenly over the bottom of the pan. Let them saute for at least five minutes while you prepare/chop the other ingredients. Mushrooms contain quite a bit of water so you don't need to cook them in oil; once you see that they are starting to release their water (they will appear wet), stir the mushrooms occasionally, and let them cook an additional 5-10 minutes, but watch them carefully so they don't burn. If at any point the pan is starting to smoke, and the mushrooms are sticking to the pan, you can add water in small amounts (1/4 cup or less) so that the mushrooms continue to saute in water. You don't want the mushrooms to be soggy or water-logged, so take it real easy on adding the water.

When the mushrooms have released all their water and are starting to stick to the pan, add the soy sauce, wait about 30 seconds, and then stir. This will caramelize the mushrooms in the soy sauce to give them flavor, and the soy sauce acts as a nonstick agent. Add the rice vinegar, chopped garlic, agave nectar, red chili paste, and scallions, including white parts. Stir, let saute for about 1 minute, and then add roasted peanuts.

Reduce heat to medium, or medium low. Add chopped bok choy, including the green leafy tops. Saute for an additional 1-2 minutes, but you want the bok choy to remain slightly crisp, so don't overcook it. Remove pan from heat, and stir in the 1-2 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil. Toss to incorporate, and serve over warm brown rice.

For kid friendly, see my post on Asian vegetable pasta methods, using the same sauce as above and a fourth of the remaining vegetables.

Oh, and a tip on that, too. After cooking the noodles for your kids, rinse them with cold water until they are completely cold. You can even refrigerate them. The trick with sauteing noodles is to have them chilled/cold. It works much better to prevent them from getting gooey or slimy and sticking to the pan. Once the noodles start sticking to the pan, you know they are done. Remove from heat and serve.