Home-Cookin'

a Vegetable dish

Mel & Bob always want a "balanced" diet. Right. We try to. While Mel enjoys cooking mostly vegetable dishes, Bob enjoys cooking "the MEAT"...that works right? ; )

"Vegetables are interesting but lack a sense of purpose when unaccompanied by a good cut of meat." ~Fran Lebowitz

Well, we all know that vegetables are good for you. So are mushrooms. Studies have indicated that mushrooms are loaded with antioxidants and disease-fighting agents even though it IS a fungi...

Here is a SIMPLE recipe for you to cook at home to accompany your main dishes.

Its white stalks and dark green leaves are incredibly healthy and its light, sweet flavor and crisp texture make it a delicious addition to many different dishes. A quick sauté in the Garlic-Ginger- Scallion Stir Fry Sauce transforms this vegetable into an awesome and aromatic side dish in minutes.

(serves 2)
ingredients
1.) 4 heads of bok choy from your local Chinese supermarket
(there are 2 types, one with white stalks and one with green stalks...we generally prefer the one with green stalks)
2.) 1/4 to 1/2 cup of minced ginger, garlic mixed with chicken stock powder (or you can substitute this with 1/4 cup chicken broth)
3.) vegetable oil
4.) kosher salt to taste
5.) black shitake mushrooms (1 cup sliced)
6.) oyster sauce to taste
7.) corn starch mixed in a tiny bowl of water

cookin' time
In a stir-fry pan, coat lightly with oil in high heat. Place ginger, garlic and sautee for a little while until slightly brown. Add bok choy (cut) and stir in kosher salt to taste and chicken powder for about 5 min. After 5 min. lower heat and simmer until leaves and stalks feel softer. Simmer for another 10 minutes or until preferable texture. Remove from pan. Add more oil to coat and the shitake mushrooms (sliced). Stir fry on medium heat adding splashes of water to keep it moist in the pan. Add oyster sauce to taste. Cover pan for approx. 5-8 minutes or until mushrooms feel soft. Meanwhile mix in 1/2 teaspoon of corn starch in a tiny bowl of water with finger. Pour cornstarch/water mix on top of the mushroom in pan and stir for 30 seconds until a thick bubbly sauce appears. Turn off heat and pour mushroom on top of vegetables.
You can also add cornstarch mixture on vegetables while cooking (optional). It will add an extra creamy layer of sauce with the vegetables too! And wala! There you have it!

And just to stimulate your appetite even more for vegetables , this is a picture I took in Pike Place Market in Seattle, WA.