ABC Slaw

Although we've been doing a good job at eating our veggies so far, we had been studiously avoiding one of them: the bok choy. We tried it as a stir fry the last time 'round, but I wasn't dying to have it again, and Gerry said he liked it better raw. So, when it showed up in our share for the second week in a row, we thought maybe a slaw recipe was in order.

I started Googling and scoping out some recipes, but many of them involved mayonnaise or mustard which are two (more) things I just don't eat. Finally, I found a bok choy, carrot, and apple slaw which looked like something I'd try and, also important, could be made with things we normally have on hand.

We're going to call this ABC Slaw, because it includes Apples, Bok choy, and Carrots!

Now I'll cede the floor to Gerry, so he can tell you how we made it!

Thank you, Susan!

The prep for this slaw is very simple. We used 3 carrots, real carrots, not "baby" carrots and a few small Empire apples. While Susan cut the carrots into matchstick-sized pieces, I prepped the bok choy by cutting it length-wise, slicing off the bottom and then washing the stems and leaves very well. I sliced the bok choy similar to how I would cut up celery for chicken salad. [Note from Susan: the stem portion actually looks a lot like celery once it's chopped up, while the leaves become like ribbons.] As the recipe directs, the bok choy then goes in a colander, where you sprinkle it with salt. Place a plate directly onto the bok choy and weigh it down. We used a nice big jar of peanut butter. The idea is to draw some moisture out of the bok choy with the salt.

Look--the Irish flag!

While the bok choy sat off to the side, we cut three small Empire apples into matchstick-sized pieces, then placed them in a bowl with the carrots along with 1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger, 1 and a half tablespoons of vegetable oil and 1 and a half teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice. A couple of grinds of black pepper from the pepper mill finished off the seasoning. Toss thoroughly to coat the apples and carrots.

This all got tossed together in a nice big bowl, covered and placed in the fridge for a couple of hours while we went to the gym and did some roaming around. Since I didn't have any readily available protein to cook for dinner, I decided to have a complete vegetable dinner. I had a big plate of the slaw, which I found to be really delicious!

In this recipe, the sweetness of the apples and carrots play off the tart lemon juice, while the bok choy has a nice crunchy consistency and really picks up the flavors of the dressing. The ginger is just noticeable enough, but not overwhelming. I can see raisins as a nice addition to this as well.

When it comes to the weekly CSA pick up, I don't think I'll be as concerned about the bok choy as I was. A nicely chilled, refreshing slaw is a great summer dish. This could be a side dish with hamburgers, steaks, just about anything! AND I didn't have to slave over a hot stove and steaming wok! YAY!