I really enjoy asian influenced dishes. Until recently, I have never had much success, at least to my taste, with creating a tasty recipe that would bring out the subtle nuances and delicate flavors that are prevalent in asian cooking. But then I took a FOK Plant-Based Cooking Certification class and there it was : a wild rice recipe with just the perfect dressing/ sauce to marry in the right flavors.  I knew, I was on my way, the rest was simple. Just a few fresh ingredients and that’s how I created the following dish. Enjoy!

Makes about 2 servings

Prep time: 30 minutes (includes cooking the pasta)   Cook time: 10-14 minutes

Ingredients

1 generous cup of dry whole-grain pasta (I prefer “bow tie”)

1 large head of bok choy, washed, white and green parts separated

– white parts: sliced thinly into half moons

– green parts: chopped into bite sized pieces

1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced into half moons

1 small red pepper, seeded and diced

4 oz of shitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced

3-4 cloves of garlic, finely minced

3-4 Tbsp of Asian Dressing, or more to taste

Vegetable broth or water for sautéing

Directions

• In a medium pot heat water for pasta and cook according to directions, drain (don’t rinse) and set aside
• Heat a large sauté pan on medium-high and cook onions until they start to stick slightly, approx. 3-4 minutes. Add a little vegetable broth or water to deglaze pan.
• Add garlic and let sauté for about another minute.
• Add mushrooms and sauté until slightly softened, approx. 2-3 minutes. Add vegetable broth a little at a time as needed.
• Add red pepper and white parts of bok choy.  Bok choy will give off quite a bit of moisture, so let it cook off before adding any more liquid. Sauté for about 2-3 minutes.
• Add dressing and stir through, let cook for a minute
• Add greens and cook until greens have softened.
• Add pasta, stir into ingredients, until heated through.
• Adjust with more dressing, if needed. Enjoy!

Notes

This recipe would work also well without the pasta as a vegetable side dish.