Asian Greens & Spring Vegetables
added 03/07/08
Serves 4-6
This light and elegant side dish with a mild sesame-ginger dressing can be
made with almost any type of greens, including bok choy, spinach, or Swiss chard.
Use either snow peas or halved asparagus spears, depending upon what is available
and looks most fresh and tender.
6 oz. snow peas or 8 asparagus spears
4 cups sliced bok choy, or 6 cups rinsed and steamed fresh spinach leaves
1 cup carrot matchsticks*
1/2 cup daikon matchsticks*
Dressing
3 Tbs. dark sesame oil
3 Tbs. soy sauce
1-1/2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. grated fresh gingerroot
1/3 cup scallions, sliced on an extreme diagonal
1 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds**
Lemon wedges
Bring 1 quart of water to a boil on high heat. Remove the strings from the
snow peas, if using, and blanch for 1 to 2 minutes. (Or, for asparagus, snap
off the tough stem ends, cut the spears in half on the diagonal, rinse, and
simmer until tender about 7 minutes.) Remove with a slotted spoon, drain, and
set aside. Blanch the bok choy in the same water for 2 to 3 minutes (blanch
spinach for 1 minute), then drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, whisk together the sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar and ginger root.
Toss the bok choy or spinach with half of the dressing and spread on a serving
platter. Toss the rest of the vegetables with the remaining dressing and arrange
them on top of the greens. Sprinkle with the scallions and sesame seeds. Serve
at room temperature, decorated with a few lemon wedges.
*If you prefer, use 1 cup of grated carrots and 1/2 cup grated daikon.
**Toast sesame seeds on an unoiled baking tray at 350 F for 2 to 3 minutes,
until fragrant and golden.
-Moosewood Restaurant New Classics, by Mollie Katzen
Meet Patrick Kearney
The Co-op is full of folks like Patrick. He’s smart, free-spirited, bounced around a lot in his day, and ended up liking the Co-op so much that it made him settle down a little.
Food Cooperatives: Organic Before Organic Was Cool
Organic. What a loaded word these days. Along with the word green, the word organic can sound like a marketing strategy more than anything. But cooperatives were organic long before organic was cool, and we’re big believers that organic production delivers delicious food and promotes sustainable agriculture—two things that are important to both food producers and consumers. The modern story of organic farming in America began in the 1960s, a time of social re-examination. In agriculture, the movement was led by “back to the land” types who set out to build their own houses, grow their own food, and live life at the pace of the seasons. Many of these people had grown up in urban settings and had little experience in these things. That lack of tradition, combined with the philosophy that “natural is better,” contributed to the development of organic farming methods. Try the difference for yourself! Check out our Wild About Organic promotion, where you can find special prices on organic products all over our stores.
