Bok Choy, Broccoli and Edamame Skillet with Millet

There is one problem with my list of top cookbooks for my move.

What if I buy new cookbooks?

Sometimes the Book Depository makes it a bit too easy to buy new books. Americans are already blessed with cheap prices and even cheaper shipping options, but in Canada, things are a bit more expensive. Prices on books are reasonable on amazon.ca but I usually wait until I have an order over $40 for free shipping. And by that time, I may have decided not to buy the cookbook afterall. At The Book Depository, even though they ship from the UK, it is free shipping. Because it is from the UK, there is also no tax. I have not been hit with customs fees either, yet.

After I borrowed Bean by Bean from the library, I knew this cookbook was totally up my alley. Beans, beans, beans. Lots of information, this is almost a book of short stories describing each dish! Mostly vegetarian and vegan-friendly recipes. International themed. I also love the multiple variations for the recipes – swapping in different ingredients for a different meal. The only drawbacks were the heavy handedness with the oil (not too hard to fix) and serving sizes that are far too generous (again, not too hard to fix). So far, it I think it was a well spent $10.49.

So after I sorted my new cookbooks in alphabetical order, it turned out that Bean by Bean was lucky cookbook #17 for the Random Recipe challenge this month. I was excited to try any (non meatist) recipe, so I flipped it and it fell open to this very green Bok Choy, Broccoli and Edamame Skillet… which I decided to serve with millet (and no, not just because it rhymes).

I have bookmarked quite a few very simple beans + greens + lemon stir-fries but had yet to try one, so I was quite pleased to be bluntly encouraged to make this for Random Recipes. This recipe is great because it is so simple. No garlic, nor onion (gasp) just veggies and edamame with lemon. First, get your millet cooking, chop your veggies and then after a quick stirfry with a squeeze of lemon (and Aleppo, my addition), you have a tasty meal. A super green one at that. Pick your own favourite greens (baby spinach would be great), vegetables (I am still partial to broccoli but carrots would be nice, too), bean (any takers for chickpeas) and grain (quinoa, yes please). While Dragonwagon says this would serve 2-4 with pasta as a main dish, this was more like 6 servings when I added in the millet.

This is my submission to Random Recipes this month, to Ricki’s Weekend Wellness and to this month’s Gimme Green event.

Bok Choy, Broccoli and Edamame Skillet with Millet
Adapted from Bean by Bean

1 cup millet, rinsed
2 cups vegetable broth or water
1 tbsp coconut oil
6 heads of baby bok choy (I used Shanghai bok choy), washed, stems sliced and leaves julienned (separated)
1 large head broccoli, stems peeled and julienned, crowns coarsely chopped
zest and juice from 2 lemons
1.5 cups edamame (no need to defrost)
1-3 tbsp finely minced parsley, to taste
1/2 tsp Aleppo chile flakes, or to taste
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Heat a medium sized saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add the rinsed millet and toast until fragrant, around 5 minutes. Add vegetable broth, turn up heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes without lifting the lid. The water should all be absorbed. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, wash the baby bok choy (make sure you get out all the dirt) and separate the the leaves from the stems. Chop the stems thinly crosswise and thinly slice the leaves lengthwise. Put the stems in a large colander and place the leaves in another bowl.

3. Separate the broccoli stems. Peel the stems and julienne. Add to the colander. Coarsely chop the broccoli crowns and add to the colander.

4. Wash the vegetables in the colander. Allow a bit of water to cling to the veggies.

5. In your largest skillet, heat the coconut oil on medium-high heat. Once it is very hot, add the vegetables from the colander. Saute quickly for 30 seconds, then cover and allow the vegetables to steam until almost tender-crisp, around 5 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, zest and juice your lemons and reserve.

7.  Once the vegetables are a brilliant green and almost tender-crisp, add the bok choy leaves and frozen edamame. Stir to incorporate, cover and let steam for 1-2 minutes.

8. Add in the lemon juice and zest (reserve some zest for garnish), parsley, chile flakes, salt and pepper to taste. Stir and toss until the lemon juice is almost evaporated. Season to taste. Garnish with reserved lemon zest.

9. Serve with millet, or your favourite grain/noodle.

Serves 6.