Recipe: Shrimp and Bok Choy Stir Fry

Bok choy is one of those vegetables that you think you've heard of or think you know what it is until you actually try it. I had it for the first time recently (I can't remember where) and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The texture is reminiscent of celery or uncooked cabbage and it has a mild, almost nutty flavor. I found some on the produce clearance shelf at Mitsuwa when I was in OC the other day visiting my parents. Mitsuwa is an awesome Japanese supermarket and they have everything Japanese under the sun, including a huge food court, fresh sushi, and lots of exotic fruits and veggies. Fun times :)

I figured stir fry would be a good choice for the bok choy, and Hubby requested shrimp as his protein of choice. Here's what I came up with.

Shrimp and Bok Choy Stir Fry

Get your goodies together (I ended up nixing the celery), and rinse all ze veggies.

Chop up 'ze choy and separate the stems and leaves. It will look like zees.

What up, choy?

Combine bok choy stems, red bell pepper, carrots, and ginger in a mixing bowl. Add enough soy sauce and Sriracha to coat and according to what your taste buds prefer (I like it spicy). Take 1 piece of your lime (so this would be 1/4 of an entire lime) and squeeze the juice over the veggie mix. Then stir, baby, stir! Cover it up with plastic wrap and let it chill out in the fridge for an hour or so.

Side note: I used House Shirataki Noodles for my starch. I've been wanting to try them for a long time and found them at Mitsuwa for really cheap (!).

Look at those awesome nutrition stats!

They need to be drained and patted dry very well, so make sure you do that if you use them. Ze noodles will look like so:

Let the cooking commence! Add EVOO and garlic to your heated pan...

Add your veggies...

Add your shrimpies...

Add the bok choy leaves...

...until they are wilted, like so:

If you chose the noodles like moi, add 'em. Then squeeze the other half of your lime on top to get all that extra citrusy flavor.

Sprinkle your herbs on top, and add extra soy sauce if you wish. Voila!

Also excellent with a glass of Two Buck Chuck Chardo :)

Jammies Rating: 3.5/5 stars. Yummy, but a tad too spicy.

No meal for me is complete without dessert, so I had a scoop each of Stater Bros.' (local supermarket chain) Cookies & Cream + Praline Pecan light ice cream:

See all those tasty cookie bits, and the caramel swirl on top? SO good - you'd never know it was lowfat ice cream!

Tonight's pajama couture: pink polka-dotted flannel jammies from Victoria's Secret. My mom sent them to me my freshman year of college as a spring semester final exam treat :) They are super warm (it's been unusually chilly here this summer)!

Oh yeah, the recipe.

Shrimp and Bok Choy Stir Fry - serves 2 (with plenty of leftover veggies)

Ingredients:

5-6 bulbs (is that what they're called?) bok choy

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 cup diced baby carrots (or regular, whatever you have)

1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, diced

1/2 lime, cut into 2 pieces

soy sauce

Sriracha hot sauce (you can find it in the Asian section of your grocery store)

EVOO

1/4 tsp. crushed garlic

Enough shrimp for 2 people (I used large frozen shrimp, shelled and de-veined - it came out to 15-16 pieces), or whatever protein you prefer

salt and pepper to taste

steamed rice or noodles

2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

• Rinse all your veggies.
• Cut off the bok choy leaves and set aside. Cut the stems into small pieces.
• Combine bok choy stems, red bell pepper, carrots, and ginger in a mixing bowl.
• Add enough soy sauce and Sriracha to coat and according to what your taste buds prefer (I like it spicy).
• Take 1 piece of your lime (so this would be 1/4 of an entire lime) and squeeze the juice over the veggie mix. Toss it all together, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it hang out in the fridge for a while.
• Heat some EVOO in your pan and add the garlic. Saute on low heat until the garlic is a-sizzlin'.
• Add the veggie mixture to the pan and cook until tender.
• Add your shrimp and cook until they turn pink.
• Add bok choy leaves and cook until wilted. Squeeze the other half of your lime over the top to get all the juice out.
• Serve over cooked rice or noodles and sprinkle your fresh herbs on top. Add more soy sauce to taste.
• Enjoy!

Keep jammin', y'all!