Grilled Baby Bok Choy Dressed in Soy Garlic Sauce

Bok choy is a cabbage like asian vegetable that comes in stalks, I prefer baby bok choy but it is more difficult to find (I can usually find it at Whole Foods). Bok choy and baby bok choy taste pretty much identical, baby bok choy is just smaller and I think a bit more tender. Bok choy is great because it absorbs the flavor of anything you choose to use as a marinade. It is also tasty if you simply brush with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Tonight for dinner I made healthy shrimp fried rice and decided to grill up some bok choy using an asian marinade to compliment the flavors in the rice. It turned out wonderful, I ate 3 whole stalks! (6 halves) :)! eat as much grilled bok choy as you'd like, it's a healthy and filling side because of the water content of the vegetable which fills you up without filling you out! 

Grilled Baby Bok Choy Dressed in Soy Garlic Sauce

Serves 4-6, Total Time 35 minutes

6 heads baby Bok Choy washed and sliced in half lengthwise

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 T olive oil or toasted sesame oil (personal choice)

4-5 cloves chopped garlic

2 t fresh grated ginger 

1 t honey (optional)

Combine all ingredients and lay bok choy flat side down in marinade and let marinate for 15 minutes. Turn bok choy over and let sit another 15 minutes. If you have a large enough container with a cover it works great because you can just flip it over to marinate the flip side. Preheat Grill to high heat. Lay bok choy flat side down on grill and close the hood for 2-3 minutes or until grill marks form. Flip and close hood for another 2-3 minutes or until bok choy are charred nicely on both sides. 

Here is the link to Ellie Krieger's Sesame Shrimp Fried Rice with Cabbage that I served with the grilled bok choy. I followed the recipe exactly. This fried rice is easy, healthy, and way more delicious than any chinese takeout I've had! This would also be good with chicken, beef, pork, or no meat if you are a vegetarian.

Quinoa with Toasted Almonds And Cranberries

This can be served as a meal for vegetarians or as a side to chicken or pork chops. You can't go wrong with this comforting, full flavor quinoa salad. 


PS: did you know that Quinoa is a complete protein? Meaning that it contains all 9 essential amino acids on its own! Just one more reason to give this recipe a try :)

Here I served the quinoa as a side to
pan fried pork chops with apple sauce and garlic green beans!

Quinoa With Toasted Almonds And Cranberries

1 cup Quinoa


1/2 cup sliced almonds


2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth


1/2 cup dried cranberries 


1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon


1-2 bay leaf

Put the almonds in a pan over medium-high heat until they are lightly toasted and fragrant. Add the dry quinoa to the pan and lightly toast it with the almonds.

In a separate pot put all other ingredients (chicken broth through bay leaf) when the quinoa and almonds are toasted transfer them into the pot with the other ingredients and turn on high heat, bring to a boil uncovered. Once boiling cover and reduce heat to low, let simmer for 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. fluff with a spoon and serve

Roasted Eggplant Salad

I love the grilled eggplant salad at Whole Foods Market, but I can’t always afford to buy it for $9.00/lb.  I decided to create my own version that is budget and waistline friendly. This is a great vegetarian meal, side dish, and goes amazingly over the top of a grilled chicken breast. Enjoy!

Katherine’s Grilled Eggplant Salad

Serves 4 as a side, 2 as a meal

1 1lb. Eggplant

1-pint cherry tomatoes

1 small jar of roasted red peppers

Handful of fresh basil

¼ tsp. dried oregano

Canola oil cooking spray

1 clove fresh garlic, minced

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. canola oil

1 tsp. red wine vinegar

Juice from half a lemon

Salt (to taste)

Black pepper (to taste)

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. In a bowl combine tomatoes, canola oil, 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Set aside. Leaving the skin on, slice the eggplant lengthwise into ½ inch thick slices and spray them gently with cooking spray, then brush them with fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, flip and repeat on the other side. Grill the eggplant slices and the tomatoes until tender (about five minutes, use a grill basket for tomatoes). When finished grilling set the eggplant aside to cool. Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise and put in a bowl. When the eggplant is cooled slice it into small strips and combine with tomato. Slice the roasted red peppers into small strips and add. Add minced garlic, basil, oregano, remaining tsp. of balsamic vinegar, and red wine vinegar. Mix well, Add salt and pepper to taste 

Roasted Vegetables: Nothing is Easier, Healthier, or More Delicious...

This time of year is especially crazy and most of us don't have a lot of time to cook. I have been roasting a huge pan of mixed veggies and cooking a weeks worth of quinoa over the weekend to have on hand for easy meals all week long. It has been working out wonderfully for me!

Roasting fresh veggies could not be easier, heres what I have been making...

1 baby eggplant cut into large chunks (about 1 inch)

1 red bell pepper cut into large chunks (about 1 inch)

Half of a large red onion cut into wedges and peeled apart

1 medium stalk of broccoli cut into florets

large handful of cherry tomatoes whole

1 T extra virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper 

Preheat oven to 400. Put all the chopped veggies in a large mixing bowl, if you have one that has a lid that works best. Drizzle the olive oil on the veggies and add desired amount of salt and pepper. Put the lid on the bowl and shake it up until all the veggies are evenly coated with the oil and spices, if your bowl doesn't have a lid just use your hands or a spoon to mix. Place veggies on an un-greased baking sheet and bake in the oven at 400 for 20 minutes. Use a spatula to move the veggies around a bit and then roast for an additional 10 minutes. For softer veggies just keep them in longer, but I don't like mine mushy! 

These can absolutely stand alone as a side dish but lately I have been mixing them with some cooked quinoa, shrimp or chicken, garlic, olive oil, feta cheese, fresh parsley, and salt and pepper. You could even add some chopped kalamata olives for a healthy greek inspired meal, or you could sub the feta for goat cheese and add sun-dried tomatoes...the possibilities are endless!