Bok Choy, Baby!

Look at those lovely little morsels all snug in their bowl! My current fave, Baby Bok Choy, is quickly steamed here with Umeboshi vinegar and a little olive oil. In this season of dietary trial and error, I'm still most comfortable eating veggies.

Another delicious dish, Crispy Garlic Broccoli -- a favorite of my daughter's best friend -- is featured below. Her mom taught me how to make it. She uses only a little olive oil to quickly fry it at a high heat. I start with coconut oil first because of what I've learned from Dr. Wahls' book about the unhealthful results of olive oil at high temperatures, especially for those of us trying to regenerate brain cells. Olive oil is not as bad as some other oils at high heat, but coconut oil is better. The performance is different, though. The olive oil is less tricky when flash-frying. The broccoli tends to brown very nicely without sticking and burning. With the coconut oil, it's easier to burn the broccoli. I just watch it very carefully and only add a tiny bit of olive oil just before it burns, to crisp it, then take it off the heat.

You can see that the broccoli is still tender-crisp throughout with only the outer edges and chunks of garlic browned and crispy. Eat it all up when it's at its best -- hot out of the pan. This is not one of those dishes that's better the next day.