Bok Choy with Northern Beans

Bok choy with Northern Beans is a new recipe I've been working on every since my dear friends over at Jarvis Farm turned me on to fresh picked bok choy.  Have you ever tried bok choy?  I love it!  I love eating greens.  I haven't tried them all.  However, I haven't met one I didn't like.

Finding recipes for bok choy is a little disappointing.  Most everywhere I looked had bok choy served up as an Asian dish.  That's cool; I like Asian cuisine.  I was just hoping to see it being used in a variety of recipes.  Stir frying seems to be the popular way of cooking.  But I can tell you right now, blanching bok choy produces a great flavor, too, and can make bok choy taste milder than spinach.  I blanched two bunches? two heads? two plants? of bok choy a few days ago and put them up in the freezer for eating later.  I'll let you know what I end up doing with them later.

Meanwhile, let me get back to this tummy satisfying dish.  It's a meal all on its own.  I didn't have any on hand, but a toasted slice of fresh baked loaf of Rye bread or wheat bread would taste great with this meal.  Eat it for lunch.  Eat it for dinner.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES TO SERVE TWO

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced

• 2 cups bok choy, stems removed, leaves roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup spicy tomatoes (like canned diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons pepperocini peppers, chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar or cider vinegar

• 1 1/2 cups cooked Northern beans, drained
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Heat the oil and butter in a medium skillet, cook onions over medium heat until translucent but not browned.  Add in minced garlic, cook for a minute.

Add bok choy, tomatoes, pepperocini peppers, and vinegar. Stir fry until bok choy is tender, 4 to 6 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bok choy leaves.

Add in Northern beans, cilantro, season with salt and pepper. Cook until beans are heated through.  Serve hot.

COOK'S NOTES:

This recipe is spicy.  If you're in the mood for something milder.  Use regular diced tomatoes.  The pepperocini peppers add a small kick but nothing that's uncomfortable or lasts long.  They add an extra zip that compliments the bok choy and beans.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 322 calories | 13 g total fat, 3 g sat, 0 trans | 6mg cholesterol | 497 g sodium | 38 g carbs |12 g dietary fiber | 4 g sugar | 14 g protein |Vitamin A 126% | Vitamin C 87% |Calcium 20% | Iron 26%