Meatless Monday: Stir Fried Bok Choy and Lettuce with Shiitake Mushrooms

It's just another Manic Monday right?  Not when dinner is a quick and easy stir fry!  I don't know about you, but my job sure isn't getting any less busy, and recently, I'm never sure what time I'll be home.  This recipe, from start to finish, took less than an hour and was filling without being heavy.  

 

Knowing that my local farm, Hydro Harvest Farms, has an abundance of bok choy and lettuce, I scoured the internet in search of inspiration and happened upon this recipe from Cooking Light magazine.  I tweaked it a bit to my tastes by adjusting the sauce and using fresh mushrooms and ended up with this stir fry.  I was intrigued, and I am kinda getting tired of salads. You may say that stir frying lettuce sounds crazy, but apparently there are other ways to eat lettuce!

 

Combine soy sauce, wine, and sugar in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Heat your wok over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil and ginger to pan; saute 30 seconds. Quickly add your sliced mushrooms and saute for 1 minute. Add one cup of broth and bring it to a boil. Cook until your mushrooms reduce in size and take on a shine. 

Combine the oyster sauce and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir the mixture until the corn starch is mixed in well.  Stir your oyster sauce mixture into the mushrooms in the wok and bring it all to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook it all for about a minute or until thickened and then remove the mushrooms from the heat.

To your wok, add the remaining oil and heat until shimmering.  Then, add your garlic and stir fry it for 10 seconds. Add your bok choy to the wok and the rest of the broth. You may have to add the bok choy in batches but stir fry it all for about 2 minutes or until the bok choy begins to soften.

Add the lettuce, again potentially in batches, and stir fry for about 2 minutes or until lettuce wilts. Add the mushroom mixture and the soy sauce mixture to the wok and continue cooking 3 minutes or until bok choy is tender.

To serve, I used our rice cooker to make some brown rice and just spooned the stir fry over top.

Ingredients:

2 cups sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms (about 20 total)
2  tablespoons  low-sodium soy sauce
1  tablespoon  Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine) or dry sherry
1/2  teaspoon  sugar
4  teaspoons  canola oil, divided
1  teaspoon  minced peeled ginger
2  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
4  tablespoons  vegetarian oyster sauce, or regular if you have it
2  teaspoons  cornstarch
3  large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
8  heads baby bok choy, halved lengthwise (about 6 cups of greens)
1  medium head romaine lettuce, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces (about 8 cups)

Verdict:  I am so looking forward to lunch tomorrow.  I was hesitant about stir frying lettuce, and was pleasantly surprised.