Asian-Style Baby Bok Choy Salad

For those of you looking for a salad base other than lettuce, baby bok choy is great. Because it's an ingredient used frequently in Asian cooking, I like to do an Asian-style salad with a sweet & spicy dressing to help cut through the slight bitterness of the bok choy.

Baby Bok Choy Salad

Ingredients:

3 heads baby bok choy, cleaned & sliced
1 carrot, shredded
1 English cucumber, cut into half-moons
1 scallion, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries

2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp agave, brown sugar or honey
1/4 tsp pepper
1 garlic clove
1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
a few dashes of hot sauce
zest of 1 lime

1/4 cup toasted almonds
1/4 cup crunchy asian noodles

Directions:

1. Combine bok choy, carrots, cucumber, scallions, and cranberries in a large bowl.
2. Blend soy sauce, oil, vinegar, sweetener, pepper, garlic, ginger, hot sauce, and zest until smooth (note: if you are just whisking this together substitute the fresh garlic for 1/2 tsp garlic powder).
3. Toss vegetables with dressing; top with almonds and noodles just before serving.

The cost:

baby bok choy: 2.49
carrot: .99
cucumber: 1.39
scallion: .10
lime: .15
cranberries: .45
almonds: .45
noodles: 1.99

Grand total: $8.01; serve 6-8