Okra and Eggplant

[jennifer28]

I found this recipe on youtube while I was investigating using willow cuttings as a natural rooting solution.

I used to HATE okra. Then I grew it out last summer and I found I like to eat the very young pods right off the plant.

The reason I hated okra was because of the slime. Now in this recipe the woman says to try white vinigar to get rid of the slime. I think I could actually eat this gumbo. I'm going to try it next season.

Anyway here is the gumbo recipe:

http://youtu.be/i0lJhaj34LQ

[Redbaron]

Jennifer,

When I was a child there was ONLY ONLY one food I didn't like. Okra. Seriously. I was a veggie maniac. I love EVERTHING. Now it is true you can purposely cook something poorly or grow a spitter tomato variety and I won't like it. But cook it well and good variety and I liked it, everything.

Then I tried okra. BLEH Ruined my perfect record.

But years go by and slowly tastes change and okra is now one of my favorite veggies. I actually use that slime as an advantage as a thickening agent for things like gumbo.

I guess I should have been less a pickey eater as a child. All those years I missed out on one of the great veggies on the planet, just because I didn't know how to cook it properly.

I will be using that recipe. Thanks

[Zana]

Paleo, Gluten-Free Chicken, Smoked Sausage and Okra Gumbo

http://tinaturbin.com/chicken-smoked...nd-okra-gumbo/
November 16th, 2012

This hearty recipe was originally contributed by the amazing LD Sledge and I made minor changes. As a result it is Paleo and Gluten-Free. I do not use the rice. I serve this over spiral zucchini noodles as described below. Sorry LD…

LD Sledge is a true Louisiana man! If you do not know of him do a Google. He is quite a prolific writer and with his background in law, his writing is loaded with mystery and excitement!

INGREDIENTS:
1 large fryer chicken (weighs between 1 ½ and 4 lbs)
3 yellow onions
1 bunch green onions
1 bell pepper
3 ribs celery
3 gloves garlic (or add more)
½ tsp parsley flakes
2 lbs. smoked sausage (Tina's homemade or hormone-free)
2 lbs. fresh okra (or 3 bags frozen okra), preferably cut up
To taste:
Cayenne pepper
Black pepper
Seasoned salt
Garlic powder
Onion powder

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut up the fryer chicken and take the skin off. Wash the chicken and pat until only damp. Liberally put on the cayenne and black pepper with the seasoned salt, garlic and onion powder. Rub it in well.

2. Put a couple tbsp oil in a skillet and brown the chicken on all sides. Set the chicken aside.

3. Using the same skillet or pot where you browned the chicken, make a roux (pronounced "roo," as in "too"). (Ask anybody from South Louisiana how to cook something and they will say, "First you make a roux.")

Heat ½ c oil with ½c. flour: an equal mix of tapioca, coconut and almond (LD prefers a cast iron skillet) until it is a deep golden brown. Do this slowly as the grain free flours need slower heating than wheat!!! You'll have to stir it steadily to keep it from caking up or burning.

4. Cut up your vegetables and sauté them in the roux (you may have to add a bit of oil) until they are softened. (They say melt the onions.) Do this for two to three minutes, but I usually take longer until they are no longer crisp.

5. Add the sausage to the roux and veggies and heat for another 5 mins or so. (In my last batch, I only had a pound of sausage, but I could've used some more.)

6. Add a can of tomatoes or ripe and fresh is better.

7. I have a huge cast iron pot. I transfer the roux, veggies and sausage to the pot. (Try not to use an aluminum pot!!!!!!)

8. Add 3 quarts of water, and then add the chicken.

9. Bring to a boil and then set to simmer.

10. Put some oil in a skillet and dump the okra in, and cook it until all the slime is gone. Try to cook until it is almost dry if you can without burning it. You need to constantly turn it to get most of the liquid out. Some people object to the slimy effect if you put it in the gumbo without cooking it like this first.

11. Dump the okra in the pot.

12. Add seasonings of garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and about 1 ½ tsp parsley flakes. I add a bay leaf or two.

13. Simmer for a couple of hours. Some cook it for less time. I like to cook it down a bit until it's soupy and thickened a bit and the chicken and sausage are well done. The chicken will usually become shredded and end up scattered throughout. I sometimes take the chicken out halfway through and remove the bones. This will give a good distribution of chicken.

14. Taste as you go, keeping an eye on the gumbo as it cooks and see if it needs salt or anything else. I like it hot and add Cajun seasoning like Tony's or Cajun's Choice or some other that gives a little heat and flavor.

15. Serve over grain-free zucchini noodles.LD tops it off with a bit of Tabasco or hot sauce to make sure it's hot enough for his liking.

Note: Gumbo can be frozen, and it tastes even better after kind of marrying up with itself for a time in the fridge.

Happy, Healthy and Delicious Eating, Tina Turbin
www.tinaturbin.com

Paleo Gluten-Free Enthusiast and Critically-Acclaimed Author Tina Turbin Wins Instagram Paleo Recipe Contest
http://news.yahoo.com/paleo-gluten-f...060246131.html
PRWeb – 6 hrs ago

Gluten-Free Advocate Tina Turbin's Paleo Soup Recipe Receives the Highest Number of InstagramUser Votes

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) November 29, 2012

Tina Turbin (http://www.TinaTurbin.com), the paleo gluten-free diet advocate and multi-award-winning author, was announced the winner of a paleo soup contest held on Instagram and hosted by Marian Mendenhall of HashtagPaleo.com. The announcement generated a constant flow of new followers to @PaleoGlutenFreeRecipes, Turbin's Instagram account, for over 36 hours.

Marian Mendenhall, who runs HashtagPaleo.com and @HastagPaleo on Instagram, announced Turbin as the winner for the most public votes with the launch of HashtagPaleo's new YouTube channel on Thanksgiving Day. HashtagPaleo is a community-oriented hub for people interested in the paleo diet, CrossFit exercise program, and healthy living. Through her Wordpress blog, Facebook page, Twitter page, and Instagram account, Mendenhall connects followers with Paleo, CrossFit, and health-oriented resources.

Tina Turbin inadvertently entered Mendenhall's Paleo recipe contest when she posted a recipe for a paleo gluten-free soup on her popular Instagram profile (@PaleoGlutenFreeRecipes) with a hashtag for HashtagPaleo. Unbeknownst to Turbin, the photo featuring her paleo gluten-free chicken, smoked sausage, and okra gumbo recipe was chosen as the winner across all of Intagram by public votes.

"I didn't understand the constant stream of new followers of my Instagram account, and then I found out that I was the winner of HashtagPaleo's contest," Turbin explained. The author wrote on her Instagram account, "Thank you to HashtagPaleo for supporting the paleo purpose [and] lifestyle and helping so many people. You are to be totally commended and supported!"

As a leading celiac and paleo gluten-free advocate, Turbin has appeared on numerous radio shows and has published hundreds of articles on websites such as celiac.com and celiac.org. In the gluten-free community, Turbin is best known as the founder of GlutenFreeHelp.info, a widely popular resource for celiacs and gluten-free individuals. Voted the #2 .info website in the world out of over 6 million registered .info websites, GlutenFreeHelp.info exerts far-reaching influence and is currently managed by Turbin's celiac daughter, Miranda Jade Turbin.

According to News.CNET.com, less than three months after announcing its last milestone of 50 million users, Instagram has passed the 80 million user mark. This means that the app has managed to increase its user base by more than 10 million users on average per month. According to Instagram, "We're excited to announce that the Instagram community has grown to over 80 million registered users who have shared nearly 4 billion photos! Since we launched Instagram in October 2010, we've expanded from one platform to two, bringing Instagram to Android users as well as iOS users."

"HashtagPaleo's contest is just another example of why I love Instagram so much," Turbin went on to say. "The level of interaction is so high, and I've made so many personal friends on Instagram. The community support is wonderful, fast and easy."

Tina Turbin is the multi-award-winning author of Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy, the critically-acclaimed first book in Turbin's illustrated children's book series. You can find out more about Turbin's children's books at http://www.TinaTurbin.com.
###

TO BOOK TINA TURBIN FOR AN INTERVIEW OR SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT: Contact ImaginationPublishingGroup(at)gmail(dot)com

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT DANNY THE DRAGON: Visit http://www.DannytheDragon.com.

TO PURCHASE DANNY THE DRAGON PRODUCTS: Contact Imagination Publishing Group at ImaginationPublishingGroup(at)gmail(dot)com or call 888-701-6481. Also available through: Amazon.com, Victory Multimedia, Barnes and Noble, Blockbuster Video, Baker and Taylor, and other major distributors.
Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy DVD: 837654741191, $24.95

Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy paperback: 978-0-9800-721-0-5, $8.95

Danny the Dragon Dreams CD/Audiobook: 978-0-9800-721-3-6, $8.95

ABOUT TINA TURBIN: Tina Turbin wrote her first story at age sixteen, and has since gone on to enjoy tremendous success as a multi-award-winning author, humanitarian, and researcher. Working for many years in Los Angeles with children in the Entertainment Business, she remains an active supporter of children, families, and education and works as an advocate in the many arenas of literacy and celiac disease. The Danny the Dragon series fulfills a passion of hers to delight and entertain through her enchanting characters. Her many styles of writing convey to the young and young at heart. Turbin resides in her East and West Coast studios.
###

[BucksCountyGirl]

Pasta and Eggplant Pomodoro

Serves 2

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cubed Japanese eggplant or 5-6 "mini" eggplant (such as FairyTale)
3 smashed garlic cloves
Red Pepper flakes, to taste
1 pint grape/cherry tomatoes halved or 2-3 large beef steaks, diced
1 handful chopped basil
5 oz rotini
1.5 oz grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta to al dente, reserve 1/3 cup cooking liquid.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook stirring for 45 seconds. Add cubed/sliced eggplant, stir-fry until tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and basil and cook until softened, about 5 more minutes. Season with Kosher salt and a pinch of sugar (if needed).
Toss with hot pasta and reserved pasta water until the sauce comes together.
Stir in cheese, serve immediately.

[ScottinAtlanta]

Talonstorm posted this wonderful recipe. I have loved for a few months, but find that I like it better when I substitute molassas for honey. Just my opinion.

Honey Garlic Grilled Eggplant

1 eggplant (2 if using small Italian eggplants)
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 mashed garlic cloves
1 tsp chili (optional)
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

1. Peel stripes of skin off the eggplant (looks striped). Slice eggplant into half inch thick circles.
2. Lay on a large sheet of paper towels. Sprinkle eggplant with lots of salt on both sides and place on the paper towels. The eggplant will release lots of liquid. This will help get rid of bitterness (if any) and make the eggplant more succulent and less watery after it’s cooked. Let sit for 15 minutes, then dry both sides well with paper towels.
3. In a large bowl, mix honey, olive oil, garlic, chili, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Dunk both sides of each eggplant slice into this marinade.
4. Preheat the grill to high. Grab a wad of paper towel with tongs, dip it in oil, and brush it on the grill.
5. Place the eggplant slices on the grill, cover, and turn down the heat to medium. Grill until marked, about 3 minutes. Turn 90 degrees to make cross-hatch grill marks. Grill until marked, about 3 more minutes.
6. Brush the slices with remaining marinade, flip and repeat the grilling procedure on the other side. Regulate heat so that the eggplant is browning, but not burning. Remove to a plate, and drizzle with olive oil.

[GardeningCook]

Tried this new recipe for Eggplant Parm last night, & it was WONDERFUL! In fact, the broiled mayonnaise/breadcrumb eggplant slices were terrific all on their own. I was lucky to have enough leftover to make the Parm after all our snacking - lol!



GardeningCook Eggplant Parmesan with Ricotta

2 to 4 medium eggplants – any type
Approx. 1 cup mayonnaise
Dry Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
8 oz. regular or part-skim ricotta cheese
Approx. 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ pound (or more to taste) grated mozzarella cheese
Approx. ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
1 jar of your favorite commercial pasta sauce, or equivalent amount of homemade.
Olive oil for pan oiling.

1. Cut eggplant into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

2. Using a pastry brush, thinly spread mayonnaise on both sides of each slice of
eggplant, then dip slices in bread crumbs to coat both sides.

3. Place coated eggplant slices on non-stick foil or a lightly greased baking sheet and broil until
golden brown and tender (but not mushy); turn slices over and brown on other
side; set aside on a plate to cool. This make take a batch or two (or more) depending on how much eggplant you have.

4. Mix together the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses; set aside.

6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

7. Pour 1/3 to ½ of the sauce (depending on the amount of eggplant slices you have) into a lightly olive-oiled 9 x 13 (or similar) baking dish.
8. Cover sauce in pan with half the prepared eggplant slices; spread some of the
ricotta-Parmesan mixture evenly over eggplant slices in pan; sprinkle some of the
mozzarella over ricotta; top with the approx. 1 tablespoon of fresh basil, some more sauce, & repeat layers as necessary, ending up with sauce & a last topping of mozzarella.

9. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil & bake for around 25 minutes; then
remove foil and bake another 10-15 minutes or until hot and sauce is bubbling.

10. Remove from oven and allow to rest 10 minutes before cutting before serving.

[rhines81]

very odd sticky.... might as well be "Eggplant & Ice Cream" or "Okra & Jellybeans" ... some things just don't go together that well. Why these two are grouped together in a sticky I will probably never understand.
Eggplant is fairly versatile and the recipes would be better served in their own sticky, same with Okra - although Chili and Gumbo each deserve their own stickies too!

Stickies are usually used for commonly searched items, FAQs, etc... I wouldn't think that there is a huge demand for information regarding the combination of Okra & Eggplant in a recipe.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by rhines81

very odd sticky.... might as well be "Eggplant & Ice Cream" or "Okra & Jellybeans" ... some things just don't go together that well. Why these two are grouped together in a sticky I will probably never understand.
Eggplant is fairly versatile and the recipes would be better served in their own sticky, same with Okra - although Chili and Gumbo each deserve their own stickies too!

Stickies are usually used for commonly searched items, FAQs, etc... I wouldn't think that there is a huge demand for information regarding the combination of Okra & Eggplant in a recipe.

Cheap Eaten 196,360 views 7,887 replies, 'Sticky?? We dont need no stinking sticky.
Worth

[coronabarb]

LOL, someone else created this sticky and I'm pretty sure they didn't mean both okra AND eggplant in the same recipe! Just a place to put okra recipes and/or eggplant recipes.

[Worth1]

I bet the good people of India could and do combine the two.'
They prepare and eat okra in many ways we in the west dont.

Who's to say you cant do something because it has never been done before or not in a recipe you can find?

[coronabarb]

I found some Turkish recipes.
And here's one called Southern Ratatouille;
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/252...n-ratatouille/

Curried Okra and Eggplant
https://beyondmeresustenance.com/cur...-and-eggplant/

and an African recipe - African Peanut Stew
https://holycowvegan.net/african-pea...lant-and-okra/

[GoDawgs]

Mexican Eggplant Casserole

2 lbs eggplant cut into 1/2" slices (skin on or off, your preference)
1 lb ground beef
15 oz can tomato sauce
4 oz diced fresh mild green chilies
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2.25 oz can of sliced black olives
corn tortillas or corn tortilla chips
6 oz cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)

Preheat oven to 450.

Spray baking sheet with oil and place eggplant slices on it in a single layer. Spray the tops of the slices with oil. Bake until soft when pressed, about 15 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 when eggplant is done.

Meanwhile, in a small pot combine tomato sauce, chilis, onions, cumin, garlic powder and olives. Bring to a simmer and then simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.

While sauce is simmering, brown the ground beef and drain.

Put half of the eggplant slices in a single layer on the bottom of a shallow 2 quart baking dish. Scatter over it half of the ground beef, a layer of tortillas or tortilla chips, half of the sauce and half of the cheese. Repeat layers with the rest of the ingredients, ending with cheese on top.

Bake at 350 until heated through and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Top with sour cream if desired.

[GoDawgs]

This stuff is good. Addictive, in fact! It's not a strong pickle but just tangy enough to complement the olive oil and garlic. This is my new go-to for excess eggplant! Can't wait to try this on a sandwich.

Pickled Eggplant

Pickled eggplants are marinated eggplants kept under oil, flavored with garlic and oregano as done in Italy.

3-5 long thin eggplants
kosher salt
2/3 cup red wine vinegar plus 1/3 cup water
3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp oregano
good quality extra virgin olive oil

Slice the eggplant into ¼” thick slices or julienne if preferred. Place in a colander and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt. Continuing layering the slices and salt until finished.

Place a small plate on top of the slices and put a weight on top of the plate. Make sure to place the colander in the sink or put a small bowl underneath to catch the liquid. After as couple of hours, squeeze all the excess liquid from the eggplant and set aside.

Put the vinegar and water in a small pot, bring to a boil and then add the eggplant. Cook for about 2 minutes and drain. When cool enough to handle, squeeze the excess vinegar from the eggplant.

Place the pickled eggplant in a bowl and add some olive oil, garlic and oregano and mix well. You will add more olive oil later in the process.

Put the pickled eggplant mix into clean, dry jars and pack tightly. Fill the jar with olive oil. Run a fork or long skewer down along the sides of the jars to get rid of air gaps. If the jar is packed correctly there shouldn’t be much more olive oil needed to cover contents. Place the lid on tightly and refrigerate about 3 or 4 days before eating. Keep refrigerated after opening.

[Rajun Gardener]

That sounds like something I need in my life!

[GoDawgs]

Bet ya can't wait 3-4 days.