|
-Original Post: July 26, 2017-
Up your nutrition game by putting something green on the bbq that you and your guests will eat up! ('Cause let's face it, no one really gets excited about salad anymore.) This citrus marinade dressed over healthyful baby bok choy is the perfect balance of spicy, sweet, and a little bit tangy, balancing the char of the grill and the general hatred of leafy greens. -Just kidding. Bok choy, otherwise known as Chinese cabbage is from the crucifer family which carries beneficial sulphuric compounds and as leafy greens do, a slight bitter taste. When cooked the flavours soften and meld together, making it the perfect base for this marinade.
How nutritious is bok choy? A 1 cup serving provides 64% of your daily recommended intake of vitamin K1, necessary for blood clot formation and has an anti-inflammatory effect beneficial for the cardiovascular system. It provides 59% of your daily vitamin C, most notably known for immune health, collagen formation -the very structure of our bodies, and building hormones. You might say that bok choy is comparable to its evil cousin kale, however it is more nutrient dense in vitamins B6 and folate, and far more mineral rich in potassium, calcium, and iron. And not to sound like we're bragging, but bok choy is also loaded with antioxidants which help protect the cells from oxidative stress and reduce inflammation. These two factors have been linked with the reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.
This side dish pairs nicely with any main, however it does have a tendency to steal the show. It has been previously tested alongside the Thai-Inspired Chicken Burgers as pictured above.
Citrus Grilled Bok Choy
Ingredients:
6- 8 heads of baby bok choy, washed and cut in half lengthwise
Juice of 1 orange - fresh is best. Prepared orange juice will not import the same flavour
1 tbsp spice infused olive oil, such as this, or you can use 1 tbsp oil + 1 tsp your favourite hot sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp coconut sugar
1 tsp dry ginger
1 tsp dry mustard
Sesame seeds
Recommended Equipment:
Basic juicer (also called a "reamer")
Nonstick BBQ grill topper
BBQ tongs
Baking sheet
Optional: parchment
Directions:
Extract juice from orange by cutting in half through all sections of the orange. Then press down onto the reamer, twisting as you go pressing all juice from the fruit. Repeat with the second half.
In a small bowl add juice, spicy olive oil, rice vinegar, coconut sugar, dry ginger, and dry mustard. Stir until combined. Set aside.
Thoroughly wash and pat dry bok choy. Cut in half lengthwise and lay face up on baking sheet.
With a spoon, or a basting brush, dress marinade over bok choy. If there is any leftover you may use it to continue to dress the bok choy while it is on the grill.
You may let this rest for an hour to two hours, however this step is not necessary.
Using tongs place bok choy on nonstick bbq grill. Cook until leaves are crisp and centre is just tender.
Top with sesame seeds and serve.
Now you can finally get everyone to enjoy eating greens!
|
