Baby Bok Choy with Garlic Soy Sauce Recipe (Plant-Based)

A new cookbook was recently sent to me called Food as Medicine: 150 Plant-Based Recipes for Optimal Health, Disease Prevention, and Management of Chronic Illness by dietician Sue Radd, PhD. The publisher asked us to share two sample recipes from this nutritious collection, and I must admit, it was tough to choose! First, I settled on the Sweet Cashew Cream, because it was so unique (and works well, if you follow the recipe, which people don’t seem to want to do!). And then, I chose this Steamed Baby Bok Choy with Garlic Soy Sauce, for a variety of reasons …

Baby Bok Choy with Garlic Soy Sauce is an Essential Dairy-Free Side

There are some “fancier” recipes in Food as Medicine, like Lasagne with Roasted Vegetables and Smooth Vanilla Bean Tofu Cheesecake. But those are outliers, and don’t properly represent the essence of this cookbook. The majority of Sue’s recipes are very simple, clean, and easy ways to incorporate more plants into your diet. This Baby Bok Choy with Garlic Soy Sauce is an excellent example of Sue’s style, and of the recipes you can expect. Also, baby bok choy is an under-loved food for the dairy-free diet, in my opinion! I’ve vowed to start providing more ways to enjoy a healthy dairy-free diet, beyond alternatives, and foods like this are a great way to do it.

Bok choy is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin C, and Calcium, which work together in bone health. It’s also a good source of calcium’s good friend, Magnesium. One cup of raw bok choy, which cooks down to almost nothing, contains 74 milligrams of calcium, and just 9 calories. We usually double down with 2 servings each when making dishes like this garlic and soy baby bok choy.

Please Note: Food as Medicine is not a purely dairy-free and vegan cookbook, but we found it is quite dairy-free friendly.

Special Diet Notes: Baby Bok Choy with Garlic Soy Sauce

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally gluten-free, optionally grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, vegan, and vegetarian.

Steamed Baby Bok Choy with Garlic Soy Sauce

Prep time

4 mins

Cook time

7 mins

Total time

11 mins

A quick and delicious way to incorporate more Asian greens into your diet. Bok choy is so tender when lightly steamed, that it melts in the mouth! Being from the cruciferous family, it can provide potent anti-cancer effects. Asian green vegetables supply an excellent source of calcium, which is readily absorbed into the body. We should all eat more of them.

Author: Sue Radd, PhD

Recipe type: Side

Cuisine: Asian

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound baby bok choy, sliced lengthwise into halves or quarters and thoroughly rinsed
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce (can substitute gluten-free tamari, if needed)
½ teaspoon non-GMO cornstarch (can substitute another starch, if needed)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions

Prepare your steamer. Once the water is boiling, steam the baby bok choy for 3 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the water, soy sauce, and starch until the starch is dissolved.
Heat the oil in a small frypan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, and sauté until just golden.
Give the soy sauce mixture a quick stir, and pour it into your pan. Cook, while stirring, for 1 to 3 minutes, to thicken.
Transfer the steamed bok choy to a serving plate and drizzle with the sauce to serve.

Notes

Tip: Use this method to prepare other Asian greens. Adjust cooking time, if required.

Credit: This recipe is reprinted with permissions from Food as Medicine by dietician Sue Radd, PhD.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: ¼ recipe Calories: 84 Fat: 5g Saturated fat: 1g Carbohydrates: 2g Sugar: 1g Sodium: 281mg Fiber: 5g Protein: 5g Cholesterol: 0g