Sauteed Bok Choi and Leeks with Bacon:

It has been a while since I've blogged here, but I wanted to remember this one. It's just something simple I threw together because I had some Bok Choi and Leeks in the fridge from GREENBean Delivery that I wanted to use up. I had forgotten to customize my order two weeks in a row, so some creativity was in order to utilize the random produce in my fridge before it became expensive compost. Luckily it turned out pretty good and even my picky husband liked it. I served it with some roasted chicken drumsticks that I slathered with seasoned butter before popping in the oven and some simple baked potatoes.

Sauteed Bok Choi and Leeks with Bacon:

1 bunch of Bok Choi sliced into ribbons, including stalks (could substitute any type of cabbage)
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, halved and sliced into strips.
3-5 strips of bacon
1 lemon
Salt to taste

-Chop bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and fry until crispy in a non-stick skillet.
-Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon onto paper towel, reserving the fat in the pan.
-Add leeks to hot bacon grease and let sweat a bit while stirring (about 1-2 minutes).
-Add Bok Choi and stir over medium heat until tender.
-Remove from heat, add bacon back into pan and sprinkle with the juice of the lemon. Season with salt to taste and give one last good stir.
-Serve warm.

About 4-6 portions.

Also, mostly for future reference for myself, here is the chicken recipe I came up with tonight. The technique could be followed using just about any fresh or dried herbs or seasonings one likes or has on hand. I used sage, lemon thyme, garlic, onion, lemon zest and paprika and ended up with some nice flavorful, tender and juicy chicken.

Herb Butter Baked Chicken:

6-8 Chicken Drumsticks or equivalent amount of other bone in/skin on chicken cuts.
1 stick of butter, softened (I used salted, though unsalted would be fine.)
8 leaves of fresh sage, chopped fine
8 stalks of fresh thyme, leaves and tender ends removed and chopped fine (I used lemon thyme because this is what I have in my garden this summer.)
zest of one lemon (I used the one that I later juiced for the Bok Choi and Leek dish. In fact, having this lemon left from the chicken is what made me decide to add lemon juice to the vegetables, which was a good decision. The tartness of the lemon provided some brightness and balance to the saltiness of the bacon.)
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 tbsp minced fresh onion or shallot
1/2 tsp or so of paprika (I used a bourbon barrel smoked paprika, though any sweet paprika would work, it's mostly for color.)

-Mix softened butter with all herbs and seasonings.
-Wash and pat chicken dry.
-Smear a good portion of the seasoned butter onto each piece of chicken and place in a baking pan.
-Bake at 325 for about 45 minutes and then raise heat to 400 for last 15 or so, watching to be sure the skin doesn't start to burn. (Cooking times may vary for different cuts of chicken.)