Sesame Bok Choy and Cabbage

I know it's silly to complain about the weather since we have no control over it, but I think we here in Massachusetts (all of New England?) are allowed to be a bit whiny. In all of June, I think we have had 2 sunny days. The clouds, the gray and the rain are getting old. Real old. Our summer season is so short as it is, to take this much of it away from us is just plain mean. I know it's only been officially summer since yesterday, but the forecast for the entire week ahead is rain. No end in sight. My bed sheets and towels feel clammy and gross. I feel gross. My energy is lower and I find myself wanting to eat lots of carbs - like the large quantity of pizza I ate for dinner tonight - and lay around reading.

Speaking of dinner, I had a most eclectic combination on my pizza this evening. We went to Za, which is in our neighborhood, and they do try to use local and seasonal ingredients. Tonight had two interesting chalkboard specials, and I ended up getting to sample both of them because of an error in the kitchen - they gave me a free pizza! On one was: strawberries, goat cheese, walnuts, caramelized onions and basil. On the other: asparagus, cheddar, Parmesan, rhubarb and caramelized onions. Neither had red sauce. It's not often you get to have strawberries on your pizza, so it was fun as well as tasty. I would definitely have it again, but I think my favorite was the asparagus combo.

At first I was looking at the bright side of the non-summery weather and taking advantage of still being able to turn the oven on. But, I've moved on from that, and I'm moving towards seasonal dishes. For those of you who belong to CSAs, this recipe will come in handy as you are probably getting some bok choy in your share. My friend, Jean, passed this one onto me. It's simple and few ingredients, but a very tasty, quick meal. I served it over brown rice on her suggestion, and I think this is the way to go. I'm not sure white rice would complement it as well. I also added mushrooms to Jean's recipe and thought it worked well.

Sesame Bok Choy and Cabbage

1/2 lb bok choy, sliced
1/4-1/3 head cabbage, chopped
1 c. sliced white mushrooms
2 tblsp canola oil
1 tspn sesame oil
3 cloves garlic
Bragg's liquid aminos to taste (optional)
2 tblsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish

1. In a skillet or wok, heat the canola oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic, mushrooms and cabbage and saute for 5 minutes.
2. Add bok choy, saute another 5 minutes.
3. Turn off heat. Drizzle with olive oil and if you want a little saltier flavor add some Bragg's. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice.