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I bought a big carton of beautiful bok choy at Costco a few days ago - if you shop at any of the big box grocers, you'll understand it was truly large, as nothing comes in small quantities at these stores. Even though there's just two of us at home right now, these bok choy were so fresh, green and crisp that I just couldn't resist throwing them in the cart. We were driving home when my husband shared with me that he really wasn't very fond of bok choy ..............
............... that's not good........... not when I just purchased a mammoth size carton!
Well, that became my challenge. I decided right then and there that he really was quite fond of bok choy, he just didn't know it yet .................. and I was going to prove it to him!
I was browsing online for a wonderful recipe to wow my dear husband with, perhaps a stir fry or even some fun roasting technique, when I came across this recipe. The picture didn't look all that interesting, but I was very intrigued with the idea of using bok choy as the star in a salad, with no cooking involved at all.
And then imagination started rolling! I kept the beautiful lines of the bok choy by simply slicing them in half lengthwise instead of chopping them up. I scattered the salad with diced avocado and finely chopped red onion. Finally, I exchanged the almonds in the original recipe for a combination of cashews and sesame seeds which I roasted in a tiny bit of butter.
The final result is fun, fresh, unique and as my husband said, after taking the first bite "quite delicious". YEAH! Mission accomplished! This has become our new favorite salad - in fact, we enjoyed it so much, I think I'll pick up another BIG carton next time I'm at Costco!
P.S. I almost forgot to tell you about the amazing dressing in this salad..... sweet, salty, slightly spicy - YUM! You'll be wanting to use this one on all kinds of salads!
Oh, and we tried this with big chinks of shredded chicken breast for dinner - fabulous!
Baby Bok Choy and Avocado Salad w/ Sweet/Spicy Vinagrette and Butter Roasted Sesame Cashews
Ingredients for the dressing:
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup rice vinegar
⅓ cup white sugar- (If you're watching your carbs/sugar intake, just substitute Splenda for some of the sugar - you'll never know the difference!)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
6-8 baby bok choy bunches, cleaned and sliced in half lengthwise (make sure you get the baby bok choy as the bigger stuff is much tougher)
2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
Ingredients for the cashews:
½ cup cashews
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, white or black - (I used a combination - you can find black sesame seeds at any Asian grocer. I also purchase them at Whole Foods in the bulk section.)
1 scant teaspoon butter
½ teaspoon sea salt
1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Combine the cashews and almonds in a small baking pan. Add butter and sea salt and roast for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 4 minutes until deep golden brown. Place several thicknesses of paper towel on a flat surface and spread out nuts to cool.
Serves 4 as a side salad
The Café Sucré Farine says
I'm so glad you enjoyed this - it might just be my favorite salad - ever!
Anonymous says
I had decided that I would no longer buy bok choy, cause I, like your husband, do not like it. (I've only tried it cooked). I saw your recipe and decided to give it another chance. Just finished a whole head of bok choy and it was delicious! I couldn't get the baby bok choy in our small town, so made it with the regular--it tasted great to me!
The Café Sucré Farine says
Cool! We loved it too! In fact, I'm craving it again and dad is loving bok choy salads, actually asking for them now!
Caitlyn says
This was fabulous! We had it for dinner tonight and J said, "We've GOT to eat more bok choy"! Although over here they call it pak choi:) Thanks mom!
Kim says
Love some veggies with vinaigrette! This one with soy would please me, I'm sure!
Deborah Dowd says
This looks like a great salad for winter when tomatoes are not at their prime. Can't wait to give this a try-my local asian market carries baby bok choy, which I think would be great!
Sarah says
I've never thought of using bok choi raw in a salad; what a great idea! I tend to steam or stirfry it but I'll definitely be giving this a go!
Melanie says
Absolutely beautiful and delicious. I love baby bok choy with soy sauce and shallots and ginger and I love the addition you made with the cashews and avocado. Making this salad very soon.
Thanks for sharing.
Eri says
What a beautiful presentation, who said healthy food is boring??!!
Take a look at this salad!!
Inside a British Mum's Kitchen says
lovely ingredients - the black and white sesame seeds look so pretty! Delicious salad
Mary x
Vicki Bensinger says
Oh I hate when I do that. Sometimes it's so hard to use up what you purchase from Sam's or Costco.
This recipe and dressing look so healthy and delicious just what's needed after the fattening holidays.
If you are looking for more recipes with Bok Choy and enjoy fish I have 2 that we loved posted on my blog. Here's the link:
http://in-homeculinaryclasses.blogspot.com/search/label/Bok%20Choy
Thanks for sharing yours. I look forward to trying it.
Sandra says
I can easily get with this salad. The only thing I have done with bok choy is chop it and stir fry. Thank you for this idea and for the heads up about the frosting sheets for my dessert buffet. I'm off to Wamart today.
Susan says
Bok choy raw....what a great idea. Love the dressing.
The Mom Chef says
I can't believe you were able to find baby bok choy, let alone a big box of the stuff. I can always find regular bok choy, but never baby.
The salad looks delicious. From the moment I saw the vinaigrette, I thought it would be fantastic as a chicken marinade. I'm glad to see you already tested it for me. 🙂
Cathy at Wives with Knives says
Your salad is so creative and beautiful! I never would have thought to use bok choy raw in a dish like this. I have most of the ingredients for that yummy dressing and can't wait to try it...I'm thinking chicken salad.
bellini says
This is a perfect salad for a new year where we think outside the box.
France@beyondthepeel says
I would have never thought to use it as a base for a cold salad. What a a lovely idea. It's funny to listen to your story about your husband not liking bok choy. He says stuff like " i don't really care for..." and I make it my personal mission to figure out a way to make him like it. He recently found out I've been doing it for years. I've accomplished beets, mushrooms, cucumber and I'm still working on eggplant. hehehe
Claire @ Claire K Creations says
I wish I had this recipe last year. I had bok choy growing in my tiny balcony garden and I couldn't eat it fast enough. I literally had a new bunch every few days!