I recently read that eating spicy foods can speed up your metabolism and hey, I’m game to try anything to get this last bit of baby weight off! So, I created a super easy and healthy side dish that only takes 10 minutes tops and it really packs the heat!
First of all, not only is bok choy packed full of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin Bs and vitamin K, it is one of those vegetables that is great for a diet because it is almost like having negative calories. I read that 100 grams of bok choy (which is about a ½ cup) has only 13 calories. It’s kind of like celery in that it takes your body more calories to eat it and digest it in comparison to its total calories. It’s so good for you and is super low-calorie so it makes the perfect side dish for those who are looking to eat healthy or who are keeping an eye on their calorie intake.
So, here comes the fiery part! I whipped up a healthy and spicy marinade to put on it, using coconut oil, which I now use for all of my cooking over olive oil because of its great nutritional benefits, as a base. (Just Google or go on Pinterest and you can find so much information on it!) I took a teaspoon of coconut oil and microwaved it just to soften it and help it liquefy easier. It only takes a few seconds. I then added low-sodium soy sauce, Sriracha, red pepper flakes and a dash of garlic salt. (Sorry for not having exact measurements but what can I say? I’m Italian and we tend to do everything by eye and taste!)
I blended the mixture and then basted it on the washed and cut bok choy. I just layered them on a cookie sheet and popped them in the oven at 250 degrees for seven minutes. (Ok, in all honesty, I actually put them in at 350 degrees for seven minutes and they came out a bit too crunchy and burnt hence the reason there’s no “after” photo plus Brex was fussing so the pics were just limited this go-round…LOL!)
It was perfect served warm as a side dish with grilled chicken and a quinoa brown rice blend. The next day, I chopped it up and used it as the base for my salad and it was awesome like that too!
Enjoy!