This Week's Box Contents

(Left - Right) Fuji Apples, Organic Baby Bok Choy, Organic Butter Leaf Lettuce, Organic Butter Leaf Lettuce, Red, Organic Carrots, Organic Cauliflower, Organic Pomelos, Organic Rainbow Chard, Organic Roma Tomatoes, Organic Sweet Limes

Small Vegetable Box Contents

(Left - Right) Fuji Apples, Organic Baby Bok Choy, Organic Butter Leaf Lettuce, Organic Butter Leaf Lettuce, Red, Organic Carrots, Organic Roma Tomatoes, Organic Sweet Limes

A La Carte Offerings

This Week's Substitutions!

TIMptations' New Substitutions Systems has launched! If you'd like to make a substitution this week, please Login to Your Account & Select the "Make a Substitution" link at least one day prior to your scheduled pick-up. (If your email program does not display images, this week's list includes: Organic Valencia Oranges, Organic Grapefruit, Organic Pomelos, Organic Tangerines, White Mushrooms, Organic Russet Potatoes, Red Potatoes, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Organic Yellow Onions, Kabocha Squash & More!)

Getting to Know Baby Bok Choy!

Greetings Locavores! TIMptations is packing some colorful winter boxes for you this week featuring baby bok choy – this week’s “exotic” offering. If you are new to bok choy, you’re in for a treat! It is becoming ever more popular in California for good reason – it has a tender, crunchy sweet taste, it requires very little prep work (because it’s typically cooked whole), and it has exceptional nutritional value. What more could you ask for from a cruciferous vegetable?

To give you a little background info, baby bok choy is very highly esteemed in China where it has been cultivated for centuries. It is now also commonly grown in Alberta, Canada and in California. Like bok choy, the stalks of baby bok choy are crunchy and sweet, while the green leaves taste more like traditional cabbage.

In terms of nutrient density, here’s how baby bok choy measures up: It’s high in vitamin A (beta-carotine), vitamin C, the much talked about vitamin K, calcium and iron, and it’s extremely low in calories (one half cup contains only 10 calories).

So what’s the best way to use this week’s baby bok choy? For starters, baby bok choy is delicious stir-fried, sautéed, or even grilled! If you’d like a stir-fry recipe suggestion, please read our June 19, 2011 Newsletter for a more traditional Chinese stir-fry recipe idea. For a sauté recipe, please read our July 31, 2011 Newsletter – it incorporates a delicious mustard vinaigrette sauce, and if you love grilling like I do, rest-assured that grilled baby bok choy is equally delicious. I know its not grilling season yet, but with the unusually warm mid-February weather we’ve been experiencing, I couldn’t resist sharing the unique grilled recipe with you this week (below). The marinade for this grilled recipe also includes this week’s sweet limes as well as my brother George’s specialty infused garlic olive oil. If you haven’t tried his infused oils, they are available for sale on our “a la carte” menu. And, if infused oils aren’t your thing, a simple extra virgin olive oil will work in this recipe almost as well!

Happy, Healthy Eating!

-Tim Chiala

Grilled Baby Bok Choy with Sweet Lime Marinade

INGREDIENTS

2 heads of baby bok choy
1/3 cup GC Farm’s garlic infused olive oil (or extra virgin olive oil)
1 tablespoon fresh herbs of your choice such as dill or sage, finely chopped

Sea salt and pepper (to taste)
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce (or balsamic vinegar)
1/4 cup pine nuts (or chopped walnuts)
1/8 cup Romano cheese, grated

PREPARATION

1 - Slice heads of baby bok choy in half length-wise (leaves to stem). Soak in cool water for 10 minutes to perk them up and remove any grit hidden inside.
2 - Remove baby bok choy from water and gently pat dry. Slice off upper dark green parts of leaves, coarsely chop, and set aside.
3 - Brush both sides of heads with garlic-infused oil. Sprinkle with lemon juice, salt and pepper and herbs.
4 - Place seasoned heads on pre-heated grill with cut side down. Cover grill for 5-8 minutes. Remove cover and turn heads over. Drizzle soy sauce (or balsamic vinegar) over cut-sides of heads. Cover again for 5 minutes. Remove from grill when fork-tender.
5 - Heat up remaining oil in the small fry pan. When hot, add pine nuts and toast slightly for a minute or two. Add chopped baby bok choy leaves, salt and pepper. Stir until wilted, but still very green (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat and toss in fresh herbs if desired.
6 - To serve, put heads on plate and top with leaves, nuts and a sprinkle of cheese (optional). Add more soy sauce (or balsamic vinegar) if desired.

REMINDERS

• Please remember to return your previous week's box to your pick-up location.
• “A La Carte” orders must be placed the night before your scheduled pick-up.
• If you’d like to designate a friend to pick-up this week’s box, you must do so the night before your scheduled pick-up.