Okra - Again

Having said I wasn't especially fond of okra, I had to make it again. Just back from a road trip, I was faced with a nearly empty refrigerator at dinner time. In addition, weight begins to creep back on when there is little exercise and too much food and too much fat. I won't say on whose body. So I returned to Dr. Dean Ornish's Eat More, Weigh Less to search for fat-free vegan meals I could make with the foods in the refrigerator, freezer and pantry. I made Dirty Rice without celery. It was good, but the celery enhances both the taste and the crunch so if I had it I would always include it. Eat More suggests serving Dirty Rice with okra. And there in the freezer were frozen okra slices. There usually are because I am slow to include them in meals.

I researched recipes to use for the okra. Most of the non-Indian recipes have onions, garlic, tomatoes, green peppers, celery and bacon along with spices. That's what I used without the bacon for obvious reasons and no celery or green peppers because I didn't have any. What resulted was a dish that was perfect with the rice.

Braised Okra With Tomatoes

1 small onion, minced
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 tablespoons water
1/2 pound frozen sliced okra
1 14-ounce can petite diced tomatoes, mostly drained
cayenne pepper to taste

In a non-stick saucepan, saute the onion and garlic in the water until soft. Add the okra, tomatoes and pepper. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes until the okra is hot. It is not necessary to cook the dish for any longer to have fresh tasting vegetables.