Pak Choi (Bok Choi)

Pak Choy is sometimes called “Chinese white cabbage.” It comes in tightly packed heads with white and green coloration. It’s popular in stir fries and similar hot dishes. This vegetable has a lot of positive health effects, and provides a great alternative to lettuce or other kinds of cabbages. All of pak choi is edible; I just cut off and discard the very bottom of the stems. The leaves can be eaten raw in salad and quick to wilt by steaming, sauteing or stir frying.

Health Benefits of Bok Choy
Here are some of the major health benefits that bok choy provides in a diet plan.

1. Calories
Bok Choy is a low-calorie food. As a green vegetable, it doesn’t contain a lot of the fats and sugars that push calorie counts through the roof. That makes it a good way to bulk up a meal without adding a lot of calories to your plate.

2. Carbs
When it comes to carbohydrates, or carbs, it’s really hard to keep this element of your diet under control. You can lower your calorie count, cut out red meats, and avoid cheeses and fatty foods, but those carbs still creep in. After all, carbs are in almost everything, right?
Bok Choy is one of a few select foods that has a low carb value, making it a prime candidate for a low-carb diet. However, nutritional advice on carbs varies. Ask your doctor about how to get your carb levels right with a daily menu.

3. Antioxidants
The general category of vitamins called antioxidants help to ward off a wide range of diseases. Antioxidants help to prevent some kinds of cancers. They also protect the heart against some kinds of illness. Basically, these elements help the body fight off illness and pack a powerful health punch. Bok choy is high in antioxidants and will that’s another reason why it can be so helpful to add this plant to your dinners.

4. Vitamin B
Fresh bok choy has many vital B-complex vitamins such as pyridoxine (vitamin B6), riboflavin, pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), pyridoxine, and thiamin (vitamin B-1). These vitamins are essential in the sense that our body requires them from external sources to replenish.

5. Vitamin C
Another vitamin that bok choy has is vitamin C. This vitamin, also found in citrus fruits, helps to prevent you from getting health conditions like scurvy, where a deficiency leads to skin problems and other illnesses.

6. Vitamin K
Pak choi is very good source of vitamin K, provides about 38% of RDA levels. Vitamin-K has potential role in bone metabolism by promoting osteotrophic activity in bone cells. Therefore, enough vitamin K in the diet makes your bone stronger, healthier and delay osteoporosis. Further, vitamin-K also has established role in curing Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in their brain.

7. Folic Acid
Bok choy is a source of folic acid, which is something pregnant women generally need in their diets. Talk to your doctor about a specific diet plan if you are pregnant or nursing, and ask about all of the risks and benefits of foods including bok choy for a specialized maternity menu.

8. Potassium
Potassium is another thing that your body needs in specific levels. Bok choy can deliver this nutritional element as well, although again, you should talk to your doctor about how much potassium you need depending on current medical conditions or medications that you are taking.

All of the above are great reasons to include bok choy in your diet. Get this and other green plants into your meals, and you’ll be following the time-tested strategy of eating better to feel better, promote longevity, and generally keep yourself healthy and happy.

Stir Fry Pak Choi & Tofu With Veggies

Pak choi (also called Bok Choy) is especially delicious when eaten raw. Just slice it up, toss with a light dressing, and enjoy. A great summer alternative is to grill it on your barbecue

Ingredients
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp dark sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
8 baby pak choi or 1 large pak choi
1/2 cup red & yellow pepper cut in stripes
1 small carrot cut in stripes
1/2 cup zucchini
1/4 cup baby corn
1/2 cup broccoli
150 gm silken Tofu
1/2 cup (125 ml) skin-on almonds, toasted (optional)

Method
In a small bowl, whisk water with soy sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Set aside.
Rinse pak choi under cold running water, spreading leaves to wash away dirt. Pat dry with paper towels. Leave baby pak choi whole. Cut large pak choi in half lengthwise. Cut out and discard core. Slice leaves and stalks crosswise into strips.
Heat oil in a large wide saucepan, or wok, over medium-high heat. Add tofu and stir-fry until light golden, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add vegetables & fry till tender.
Add pak choi and pepper. Pan will be quite full, but volume decreases during cooking. Stir-fry until vegetables are tender-crisp, 3 to 4 more minutes.
Stir soy mixture and then pour into pan. Stir until sauce thickens, approximately 2 minutes. Sprinkle with almonds.
Serve with basmati rice or rice noodles.

Tips
Lower leaves of Pak Choi are little harder then upper leaves so while cooking Pak Choi, always cook lower leaves first and then upper leaves.

Apple Iced Tea

There's nothing as refreshing as this thirst-quenching iced tea on a hot summer's day. Try this sweet iced delight, flavored with apple juice...:)

Ingredients (serves 2)
1 Apple chopped
1 to 2 tsp tea (Adjust according to your likeness of strong or light tea)
2 tsp Honey
1 1/2 cup Water
1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
4 to 5 Ice cubes

Method
Chop the apple pieces and add it to a pan with 1/4 cup cup of water.
Allow it to boil until the apple turns soft.
Grind the apple with the boiled water until smooth and strain the apple juice with a muslin cloth. Keep aside.
You can use ready made apple juice too.
Add tea powder, cinnamon powder, cardomom powder to the remaining water.
Bring it to a boil on slow until the tea powder is fully absorbed. Now strain the decoction and allow it to cool.
Then add the apple juice to the strained decoction, add honey and ice cubes and serve chilled.

Tips

You can use store brought apple juice too.

Brownies & More...

Yummy dessert that can be made in jiffy & believe me you will just love it :)

#Oreo Cream Shots
Ingredients (serves 4)
I cup whipped cream
1/2 cup powder sugar (according to taste)
Few Oreos crushed (depends how dark you want your cream)
Oreo or glazed cherries for garnish
Brownies

Method
Mix sugar, whipped cream & crushed Oreos.
Fill it in a piping bag with a star nozzle & refrigerate.
Take four shot glasses or whatever type of bowls/glasses you want to make it in.
Press brownie pieces in the glasses.
Next pipe the cream over the brownies.
Again put another piece of brownie, but don't press it too hard.
Now again pipe the cream and garnish with glazed cherry or a piece of Oreo.
Refrigerate for few hrs.
Serve chilled.


#Coffee Cream Shots

Ingredients (serves 4)

1 cup whipped cream
1/2 cup powder sugar (according to taste)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp instant coffee powder
1/2 tsp drinking chocolate to sprinkle
Few chocolate pieces for garnish
Brownies

Method
Mix sugar, whipped cream & coffee.
Fill it in a piping bag with a star nozzle & refrigerate.
Take four shot glasses or whatever type of bowls/glasses you want to make it in.
Press brownie pieces in the glasses.
Next pipe the coffee cream over the brownies.
Again put another piece of brownie, but don't press it too hard.
Now again pipe the cream and garnish with chocolate pieces & sprinkle drinking chocolate powder.
Refrigerate for few hrs.
Serve chilled.

Tips
If you are using readymade whipped cream, please check if it already has sugar in it, otherwise you will end up with a very very sweet dessert.
If you have a crumbled brownie, you can still use it in this.
Oreos give dark colour to your cream so add according to your liking.
If you like strong coffee flavour then you can add more coffee to cream.
MOST IMPORTANT- taste the creams before layering so you can adjust the taste accordingly.
If you don't have brownies (& you are too lazy to bake them), you can easily make this with any other chocolate cake ;)