 I was looking for baby bok choy, but this was all I could find. The person at the farmer's market wasn't quite sure if this was baby or not...
I've learned that with veggies, I prefer the smaller, younger veggies because they seem to be more tender and have a more subtle flavor.
 This is going to become Easy Bok Choy.
Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-bok-choy/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=bok%20choy&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page
 I sauteed the stems first to help it all cook evenly, as some of the reviews recommended.
 The aroma of the bok choy had a little tang in the air, so I was a little scared!
 And rightly so! The bok choy was bitter and even the hubs (who eats anything) didn't eat it.
I'm not completely crossing bok choy off of my list, I may try baby bok choy if I find it and find a new recipe, but this recipe won't be happening in my kitchen again.
Verdict: Failed for now...
 This may look very basic to you... but remember, this is coming from a girl who wouldn't voluntarily eat a salad a year ago... So this is a big step! Inspired by the delicious Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken from Cafe d'Italia on the square in Chambersburg, PA... Their salad includes fresh spinach, red onion, tomato, mushrooms, egg and bacon. I add their tasty and fresh grilled chicken on top, and it's just mouth-watering!
 Even though I've gotten behind on my weekly new vegetable, I have been incorporating some of my favorite experiments into weekly meals, but I've even been trying to make salad about once a week! This is what was in last week's salad, but it varies, depending on what I have on hand.
Some of my other faves to throw in the mix are cucumber, peppers, parm cheese and we like the tortilla strips instead of croutons. Brandon actually loves to add fresh sliced hot peppers to his salad too.
 I haven't mastered the completely veggie salad though, so to help my carnivorous side, I need some protein mixed in to feel like I'm eating a meal... via chicken, bacon and/or hard-boiled egg! Just saute the chicken with some Italian or Greek dressing!
Lovin my salad, with my current fave dressing: Gazebo Room Greek! Yumm!
Coming from a picky eater, here's my fave salad concoction: - Grilled or sauteed chicken (marinated in Italian dressing or whatever's on hand...)
- Fresh crumbled bacon
- Sliced hard-boiled eggs (one of those slicer gadgets is absolutely wonderful here)
- Baby spinach leaves (much sturdier, tastier, and nutritious than lettuce)
- Cherry tomatoes, halved
- Diced bell peppers
- Diced onions
- Diced baby portabellos
- Dash of parm cheese
- Pinch of tortilla strips (The size/texture fit so much more nicely than a big ol' crouton, and they're a little zestier too!
- Splash of Gazebo greek dressing (or any dressing, this is just my fave right now!)
Again, making salad is probably basic to most of you out there, but I had to research quite a bit to find ways that I would like salad... Here's a few of my not-so-professional tips:* If the chicken breasts are thick, cut them in half before marinating/cooking so they cook through faster. * My preferred marinade is Italian dressing. Supposedly the acidity in the dressing helps to break down the meat and make it more tender. I just think it tastes good. * Saute chicken breasts on high heat, add a little extra Italian dressing if it cooks off or chicken sticks to pan. A little carmelization or browning on the chicken is perfectly fine and delicious! * After chicken is cooked, transfer to a container and plop it in the freezer for a few minutes before cutting. This helps stop the cooking and lock in the moisture. (Don't put a hot container or anything that it will thaw! I look for an empty spot on the shelf.) * When cutting the cooled chicken, cut into thin slices on a diagonal and against the grain. I found that this is more like what you get in a restaurant, and by cutting against the grain, you get nice pieces that you can easily break apart with your fork in the salad and you won't need a knife to get through those pieces. * Make sure those veggies are diced or cut into bite-sized pieces to avoid having to cut into smaller pieces once in your bowl. * In order to get your salad more evenly covered with your dressing, put a little squirt in the bottom of your empty bowl. By having some dressing on the bottom, and add a little more on top at the end - it's much easier to mix it up in your bowl to get everything covered! (A handy trick from my husband...)* If you prep all of these items at the beginning of the week, it's quite easy to throw together little lunch-time salads for the rest of the week!
I'm not sure why, but I really wanted to try Swiss Chard. Probably because when I looked for it, it wasn't in season yet, so that made me think I really wanted it, because I couldn't have it. On the left is regular Swiss Chard, and on the right is Red Swiss Chard.
After rinsing, drying and chopping...
The recipe starts out with Garbanzo Beans (my bonus veggie since I skipped last week) and tomatoes...
Adding the chard til it wilts, and I followed some of the reviewer's suggestions of adding some chili flakes and parmesan cheese.
I know, I know, don't over-do it with that huge forkful, Cassie! LOL, Being a picky eater, I hesitate to mix things until I know if I even like them on their own. This was just a bite of swiss chard, none of the other ingredients yet...
It was just "OK" on it's own, but I put on a happy face :)
I had to try another bite with the Garbanzo beans, which I have also never tried (but will be attempting my own hummus sometime)...
And it was definitely better with a little bit of everything in this one! I didn't have very high expectations after the first bite, but it was better than expected. I didn't eat my whole serving once it got cold on my plate, but I think I will give Chard another try someday with another recipe. It's still one of the coolest looking veggies anyway...
Last week, I met the sweetest little old southern lady at the farmer's market... she recommended I put kale into my Hoppin' John recipe of last week, I bought it, but didn't know how or when to add it, so I've been holding onto it til this week!
PS - I swear this looks like the stuff that restaurants use at their salad bars and on your dinner plate as decoration... Does anyone know if that's what this is? If so, it's def good for more than decor!
 I came across this surprisingly simple recipe that I knew I just had to try, and I happened to already have the kale! Yahoo!!! It's called Baked Kale Chips and lots of people make these to snack on in place of bad snacks like potato chips - these are a lot more healthy and you can decide how to season them! Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-kale-chips/ I used what I had to make a mini-trial-batch so I would know if I should buy more or not...
I read lots of the reviews on the website and it really helped me with deciding how to do them... there are so many good suggestions... Make sure to wash and dry extremely thoroughly or they will come out soggy! Use only enough oil to lightly coat the leaves and sprinkle with your seasonings.
I used Sea Salt, Garlic Powder and a dash of Crushed Red Pepper. Placed on a non-insulated baking sheet and baked at 340 for 5 mins and turned it down to 330 for the next 5. If they get brown, they taste burnt and not good! You want them to get crispy, but not burnt so keep checking them...
But I didn't burn them and my sister is back this week for my taste test!
Being brave with the kale chips! While baking, they sort of smelled like my sauteed brussel sprouts from Week 1 and there a very slight taste of them too, but that's probably just because they were both cooked with olive oil and sea salt. Fortunately the brussel sprouts were GOOD so that's not a bad thing!
LOL, Kate, don't look so confident in my experiments! ;)
And the baked kale chips are a success! So easy and so tasty! I def recommend these... A veggie that's really like a snack! Yum!!! There were some good suggestions for using other seasonings such as parmesan cheese, dry ranch mix, vinegar, cayenne, etc... Of course, those make it less healthy, but still probably better than potato chips. I'll definitely be making more of these and experimenting with the flavors, although the ones I made tonight were pretty good too!
 Uncooked artichokes, I wanted to try steaming them, but I don't have a steam basket yet, so I had to go with the boiling method and then just dipped in melted butter... This is kind of what I did: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/artichokes/
Me and the choke...
These fellas are pretty when they're all trimmed up and ready to go!
I think maybe they sat in the water too long since we weren't ready for dinner yet, but the petals were hard and stringy, and the flesh was gunky... And Brandon didn't think I should try the artichoke heart. He tried it said it had no flavor and the consistency of baby food. I think I'll stick with canned artichoke hearts in the future... sorry fresh chokes! But at least I'll still work with you in the canned form...
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