Vegetable & Black Rice Bowl with Coconut Green Goddess Dressing

I was reading my February issue of Martha Stewart magazine last night and saw some Asian-influenced vegetarian recipes I thought would be easy to make for lunch.

Later, ravenous after Hip Hop Class, I went to the grocery store and got the ingredients for the meals. Except, I mixed up two recipes in my head. So I decided to make a bit of a switch.

I really wanted to use the cilantro and coconut milk I had bought to make some kind of dressing or sauce. I decided to riff on a recipe I love for Greener Goddess Dressing from Fit Fork Feed since I have a bounty of avocados from our tree.

This bowl is so delicious, filling and made me feel I was being pretty healthy despite the excess use of avocado. It would also be great with a fried egg on top instead of the rest of the avocado..but how could I let that green beauty sit aside?

This recipe feeds 1 generously

Vegetable & Black Rice Bowl with Coconut Green Goddess Dressing

Ingredients

For Serving:
- Black Rice, prepared (I used some that you just heat in the microwave)
- Generous shake of TJs Everything but the bagel Seasoning

For the Vegetables:
- 1 bunch baby bok choy, washed, roughly chopped and stems and leaves separated
- 1/2 orange bell pepper, sliced
- 5oz sliced shitake mushrooms
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 1 t butter
- salt
- 2 T water or coconut milk

For the Coconut Green Goddess Dressing:
- 1/2 large avocado, more to taste
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, stems and leaves
- salt to taste
- 1 t ginger (fresh recommended)
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 - 1/2 C coconut milk
- 1 clove garlic, smashed

Directions
1. Heat butter in a medium skillet or wok. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds
2. Add bok choy stems, mushrooms, bell pepper and cook until just soft
3. Add salt, coconut milk and bok choy leaves and cook until wilted
4. Meanwhile, in a mini chopper or blender puree cilantro with 2 T coconut milk.
5. Add all other ingredients except additional coconut milk and blend. Slowly add in milk to achieve the texture you prefer.  Adding more milk or more avocado will smooth it.
6. To serve: Put rice in a bowl and mix in a little of the dressing. Top with vegetables, extra avocado, sauce and Everything seasoning.

Cool Asian Chicken Salad

This is a great make ahead dish for warm summer days. I found the recipe years ago in Sunset magazine (I don't know the year since I cut out the recipe). This is a double recipe.

It is pretty easy to make, can be done ahead and always gets rave reviews.

Cool Asian Chicken Salad (serves 4)

2 stalks fresh lemon grass, ends and coarse leaves trimmed; or 2 strips lemon peel (yellow part only, each about 3 in. long)

6 quarter size slices peeled fresh ginger (peel ginger with back of spoon)

1 lb Chinese pea pods, ends and strings removed

4 boned, skinned chicken breast halves (about 1- 1/4 lb total)

Asian dressing (see below)

Romaine lettuce leaves rinsed and crisped

Rice triangles (see below)
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

In a 4 to 5 quart pan over high heat, bring about 1 1/2 inclues water, lemon grass and ginger to a boil. Add Chinese peas; cook just until brighter green (1 - 1 1/2 minutes). Quickly skin peas from water with a slotted spoon and at once immerse them in ice water. Add chicken to boiling water, cover and remove from heat. Let stand until breasts are white in center. Cut ot test at 20 minutes. If pink, return to water until white, about 5 minutes longer. Immediately immerse chicken in ice water with peas. Pour cooking liquid through a srainer; seave seasonings for dressing.

When chicken is cold, in about 30 minutes, drain off ice water. Cut chicken into 1 inch diagonal slices. Line a platter with lettuce, top with chicken, peas and rice. If making ahead, chill airtight up to 3 hours. Add dressing and peanut (I pour on some dressing and peanuts and serve the rest on the side)

Asian Dressing

Mince reserved lemon grass and ginger. Mix with 1/2 cup rice vinegar, 2 T. each soy sauce and salad oil and 2 t. sugar. (I minced them in a little food processor -- adding some of the liquid ingredients to make it easier to blend)

Rice Triangles

In a 2 to 3 quart pan over high heat, bring 1 cup medium or short grain white (pearl) rice (DO NOT USE LONG GRAIN RICE -- I used medium grain/shushi rice from the Asian food aisle) and 1 3/4 cups water to a boil. Cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Firmly pack hot rice in an even layer in an 8 inch square pan; cool. (If making ahead, cover and let stand up to 4 hours). Run a knife between rice and pan rim. Invert pan, easing rice from pan bottom onto a counter. Cut into 2 inch triangles; rince knife often with water.