Chicken and Bok Choy Stir Fry

Adapted from Real Simple, serves 2-4

Date made: 1/12/2011

1 c uncooked, Cajun brown rice*

1 T olive oil

1 lb chicken, cut into bite-sized chunks

1 head bok choy, greens and stalks separated*

1 green onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 c soy sauce, approximate

3-4 T sesame sauce, approximate

1/4 t ground ginger

salt and pepper, to taste

Cook Cajun brown rice -- I have a rice cooker, which is almost as valuable as my Crock Pot, so I can't really help you with times for normal cooking.

Heat olive oil in large skillet (if you don't have a wok) on medium heat. Brown chicken, tossing occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add scallions and saute for about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and continue to saute until fragrant.

Add soy sauce, sesame sauce, and bok choy stalks and spices. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low.

Allow bok choy to simmer for 2-3 minutes, add the greens, and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.

Add chicken and allow it to heat through. Serve on a bed of rice.

I had a very vague idea of what to do with the bok choy. Only a day after I bought it at Hollygrove Market and Farm, it started to wilt because it was so big it didn't fit into my crisper, so I had to figure out what to do with it... fast. Over the past couple years, I've been bad at wasting my Hollygrove produce due to improper storage, and part of my New Year's resolution is to reduce the amount of spoiled produce that comes from my fridge.

I had had a lot of veggie-only dishes the few days prior (the veggie soup, rice bake, collards...), so I was really craving some protein. I knew I wanted to make a stir fry out of the bok choy, but wasn't really sure how to incorporate the chicken. If I had done it over again, I would have marinated the chicken for a few hours in a soy sauce/sesame sauce mixture since the flavor didn't get absorbed very well.