This week I’m starting an occasional series on my other culinary love (other than dessert, that is): vegetables.

I’m not a gardener myself but have enjoyed participating in Community Supported Agriculture programs over the last several years. How does a CSA program work? I commit to financially supporting a farm, and I receive a weekly box of fresh, in-season produce in return throughout the growing season. What’s key is that I have no say in what vegetables I receive; the box’s contents are a result of the farm’s growing selection and the weather. What I get is what I get. 

Participating in a CSA program has changed the way I cook and eat. It’s forced me to incorporate a much wider variety of produce into my family’s diet than we would normally chose on our own. It’s pushed me to come up with new ways to cook vegetables that we receive regularly so we don’t get bored with them. It’s nudged me to make vegetables the basis of my meal-planning rather than my typical choice of proteins and starches. 

Figuring out how to manage all this seasonal produce rather than dumping it in the compost bin has made me a more flexible, inventive, and healthful cook and eater. I look forward to CSA season starting again as soon as it ends! 

Whether you get your produce from a CSA program, a local farmer’s market, or your favorite grocery store, I hope this series inspires you to put vegetables front and center on your plate. They deserve a chance to shine too. 

Bok choy is a great example of the “oh my goodness, we got it again in the box, what new and tasty way can I prepare this” experience of getting a CSA share. It’s probably not the first green that I would reach for at the grocery store, but I’ve come to love it in soup as well as served raw. I particularly like this salad with baby bok choy, but full-size works as well. I often make this for myself for lunch during CSA season and top it with leftover grilled chicken, shrimp, or tofu. You’ll notice that this recipe has lots of room for adaptation. This flexibility is one of my favorite parts of cooking from my CSA share: making something delicious from what I have on hand.

Bok Choy Salad for One

Ingredients:
Salad
1 small head bok choy, stems diced & leaves cut into ribbons (or chopped into bite-sizes pieces, dependent on your energy level)
1 large handful sugar snap or snow peas, trimmed and sliced thinly on the bias (or chopped. See above)
1 small handful mint or cilantro leaves, minced
1 scallion, thinly sliced (can be omitted; I added a handful of chopped radish leaves for some funkiness last time I made this)

Dressing
2 tablespoons almond or peanut butter
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar or lime juice
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger (can be omitted as well; add a splash of Sriracha sauce instead for extra flavor)
1/2 teaspoon honey or agave nectar
1 tablespoon water, plus more as needed (depending on consistency of your nut butter)

Directions:
Toss salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk dressing ingredients together in a separate bowl, adding additional water 1 teaspoon at a time until dressing is a pourable consistency. Pour dressing over salad and toss to combine. Top with protein of choice if desired. Eat immediately. Yield: one very green serving.