STIR-FRIED BABY BOK CHOY WITH SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Trim the bases off the bok choy and discard. Trim the leaves from the stems and cut both crosswise into bite-size pieces, keeping the stems and leaves separate.
• Heat the light sesame oil in a sauté pan over medium heat, then add the scallions, ginger, garlic, shiitake mushrooms, and a pinch of salt and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the water, tamari, and the bok choy stems and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the bok choy leaves, lime juice, toasted sesame oil, and a pinch of salt and sauté until the bok choy is just wilted, about 2 minutes. Taste and add another squeeze of lime if you like. Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.
• rebecca's notes
• To toast seeds or nuts, preheat the oven or toaster oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Spread the seeds or nuts in an even layer on the prepared pan and toast until aromatic and slightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Check frequently, as they can burn easily.
• storage
• Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3 days.
• nutrition information
• (per serving)
• Calories: 150
• Total Fat: 7.8g (1g saturated, 2.6g monounsaturated)
• Carbohydrates: 16g
• Protein: 10g
• Fiber: 6g
• Sodium: 585mg
• WHO KNEW? 'Shroom Sagacity
• Mushrooms, long a staple of healthy eating in Asian diets, are a bit of a yin-yang affair. They can have powerful anticancer effects, but they must be properly prepared. Integrative oncologist Donald Abrams notes that "people are often not aware that white button mushrooms, their brown cousins, the cremini, and their giant cousins, the portobello, really need to be cooked. Putting sliced white button mushrooms in a salad is really something we should avoid, because they may in fact contain hydrazine, a cancer-causing compound that's neutralized when it's cooked." Abrams adds that he loves shiitake and maitake mushrooms for his patients, as both are good immune enhancers.