Saturday, September 15, 2018

Vegan Mofo 2018 Post 12: Roasted Okra and Sweet Potato Salad

Warm roasted salads bring bright art and flavor to the table.

Sierra Leone-- located in West Africa-- is perceived as a gold mined fairy tale. I remember this country being hailed as a mecca for its rich metal properties, their popular diamonds often smuggled illegally. Agriculture is a primary employing force with 80% of its people working in the industry. Rice is the most cultivated crop and is often eaten at every meal. They also love potato leaves, cassava (still trying to find some around Philadelphia), an herb called crain crain (has a similar slimy texture to okra), fried plantains, and fresh mangoes, pineapples, and oranges.
I found roasted okra and sweet potatoes off the Recipes From the Pantry blog. It is actually meant for a Christmas occasion, but it sounded too delicious and the bright colors spoke of the approaching autumn.
One Green Planet has great tips for getting rid of the sliminess (even frozen okra has this problem) is soaking okra in vinegar for half an hour, patting down okra until dry and sautéing, or cooking okra with tomatoes ("acidity reduces the slime").

Roasted Okra and Sweet Potato Salad Ingredients and Preparation

1 large sweet potato
1 1/2 cup frozen okra
2 tablespoon olive oil
4 small red or yellow bell pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoon lime juice
4 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Generously coat sweet potato chunks, dried okra, and bell peppers in olive oil , salt, cumin, and chili powder.

Roast for thirty minutes, turning it over after fifteen minutes pass.

Whisk together lime juice, olive oil, mustard, and sugar. Mix in with finished roasted vegetables. Serve warm.

6 comments:

  1. It's so beautiful, and it definitely screams Autumn!

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  2. Okra is one of my favorite things, and I can't believe I have never tried it with sweet potato. Yummy! Thanks for the tip on acidity. I really enjoy the slime, but it's great to win over the haters. Haha.

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    Replies
    1. Awww, thank you!
      Just discovered that okra and sweet potato really work well together. If you like the slime, maybe I should try to enjoy it a bit more, at least find some friendly ground.

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