Bok Choy & What to Do with It

My first introduction to bok choy was several years ago when we lived in Phoenix.  A neighbor friend roasted baby bok choy and delivered it along with a meal.  I was delightfully surprised how much I liked it.

If there's a "bok choy season," spring and fall are it.  This week's Farmshare basket delivered a generous portion.  What will I do with it?  What do you do with it?

 As the name suggests, it goes well in Asian dishes or stir fries.  Last week I stir fried a couple heads of napa cabbage (also 'tis the season!) so I wasn't in the mood for more stir fry.

Pictured above are the two parts of bok choy - stems and leaves.  The stems are crunchy like celery, without the fussy strings, complete with a slight hint of onion or garlic.  The leaves are versatile like spinach and can be eaten raw or wilted.  It is from the brassica family, so those with weak thyroids should always cook their bok choy.  Read more.

Putting on my thinking cap, I decided to use this portion of bok choy, or at least the stems, as I would celery.  The leaves I have reserved to wilt with a batch of kale and turnip greens - also from this week's Farmshare basket.

While browning meat for chili, the bok choy joined in on the fun.

Once cooked through, my family won't know I've pulled a fast one on them.  The bok choy looks like a cross between cooked onion and celery.

Other ideas for using bok choy:

-use like spinach in a stew or soup

-eat raw in salad, along with other greens

-juice it

-in recipes that call for celery, like beef tips

-stems cut in sticks and used as crudités with veggie dip or peanut butter

-make a frugal and quick dinner of crepes, using the leaves instead of spinach. 

What do you do with bok choy?

-Julie