BABY BOK CHOY – As far as cabbages go, baby bok choy are pretty irresistible!
STORE: Place in a plastic bag — but do not close — and refrigerate for no more than three days.
PREP: There is no need to cook the stalks and leaves separately – just wash the whole and drain and cut into small pieces.
USE: Bok Choy is normally used in stir-fries. But when the time comes to start cooking, you’ll find that bok choy is extremely adaptable. Boiling, steaming, stir-frying and even deep-frying are all possibilities. When stir-frying, a good basic method is to stir-fry the bok choy for a minute, sprinkling with a bit of salt, then add a small amount of water or chicken broth (about 3 tablespoons per pound of bok choy) cover, and simmer for 2 minutes.
RED BELL PEPPERS
STORE: Store peppers in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to five days.
PREP: Wash peppers just before using; remove the stem, seeds, and interior membranes, and add to salads, soups, or stir-fries.
USE: Peppers can be sautéed, steamed, or baked. Roast peppers by holding them over an open flame, or broiling them about 1/2-inch (1.25cm) from the broiler flame and rotating every minute or so until they blacken evenly. Put charred peppers in a plastic bag for about 10 minutes, then pull off the blackened peels and rinse the peppers under cold water. Pat dry, remove seeds and stems, and slice peppers. Use roasted pepper slices in salads, or purée in soups.
BUNCH CARROTS
STORE: Always remove tops from carrots as they take moisture from the “root” to stay green, leaving you with a limp carrot. Store carrots in the coolest part of the refrigerator in a plastic bag or wrapped in a paper towel to reduce the amount of moisture that is lost. They should keep for about two weeks. Be sure to store your carrots away from apples, pears, potatoes as they produce a gas that will make carrots bitter.
PREP: Wash carrot roots and gently scrub them with a vegetable brush right before preparing them to eat. Peel (if desired) and chop according to your recipe or their purpose.
USE: You can steam, pickle, puree (for carrot soup!), juice, eat them raw or add them to any number of soups, stews and stir fries.
Do you hear what we hear? It is stir-fry time. See recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Stir-Fry/Detail.aspx
Images from flickr.com