Day 2: sesame shitakes and bok choy

I’ve got some wonderful recipes to share with you this month, I spent most of yesterday putting a calendar together to make sure I stay on track and on schedule.  Eating less meat and dairy is one way to eat more healthfully and mushrooms are one of my favorite meat substitutes.  Rich and meaty they pair wonderfully with the bok choy and sesame.  I found these lovely Buna shimeji mushrooms at my local Asian market and used them as well but you can easily use button mushrooms or make the whole recipe with shitakes.  This dish makes a light lunch or if you want it to be more substantial you can serve it over rice or quinoa.  See you tomorrow for another recipe!

Sesame shitakes and bok choy

adapted from tartineandapronstrings

Makes 2 large or 4 small servings

Ingredients:

• 10 shitake mushrooms
• 1 small bunch button mushrooms or mushroom soy your choice
• 1 pound of baby bok choy
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/4 cup water
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons black and white sesame seeds

Method:

Trim the stems off the mushrooms and cut into slices.  Trim the baby bok choi, just the stems and rinse well under cold water.

In a pan over low heat heat the olive oil and add the garlic and ginger.  Increase the heat to medium and cook until the ginger and garlic start to sizzle then add the mushrooms to the pan.  Cook the mushrooms until softened 3-4 minutes.  Add the bok choy to the pan and cook for another 3-4 minutes until slightly wilted.

In a small bowl combine the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, maple syrup and water and stir to combine.  Add to the mushroom and bok choy and cover.  Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the bok choy is wilted and heated through.  Season with salt and pepper and then sprinkle with the sesame seeds.