Sunday, May 4, 2008

New Orleans Okra

An easy side dish with the flavors of the south.

In a medium sauce pan, heat a teaspoon and a half of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add one cup chopped onion and saute 5 minutes. Add 1/4 finely diced green bell pepper and 1/4 finely diced celery, along with a teaspoon and a half of tomato paste, and cook another two minutes. (Apparently, onions, green bell pepper and celery are known as the "trinity" in New Orleans cooking).

Add one, 14.5-oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained, and 1/4 tsp ground red pepper. Cook for ten minutes until the sauce thickens. Add 3/4 lb. fresh okra, trimmed and chopped into slices (about two cups worth). Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add in a dash of salt.

The yield is four, side-dish servings of 3/4 cup each, 110 calories.

Cost:
onion $0.98
tomato paste $0.79
diced canned tomato $1.19
okra $2.55

A few other, none-recipe related points. I used to take those chocolate calcium chews for women every day, until I could no longer in good conscience do so, since they contain milk. I keep forgetting to mention that I have found a vegan alternative from Nutrition Now! Make sure to buy the fruit flavored ones, though, because their chocolate version does contain dairy. http://www.nutritionnow.com/

Also, to celebrate the return of baseball season, my boyfriend and I decided to get baseball gloves. This posed a bit of a problem, however, because I knew I didn't want to buy leather. Well, lo and behold, it's possible to buy an all-vegan glove, care of the great craftsmanship at Carpenter Trade Company. They make each glove custom-made to fit the hand, and 100% from synthetic, man-made materials. Mine arrived yesterday, and it, well, fits like a glove. I want to spread the word!
http://www.carpentertrade.com/

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The Vegan Pantry

  • Vegan yogurt - Whole Soy http://www.wholesoyco.com/
  • Vegan milk - Silk http://www.silksoymilk.com/
  • Vegan Feta - Sunergia http://www.sunergiasoyfoods.com/
  • Vegan Cheese - Galaxy Foods http://www.galaxyfoods.com/
  • Vegan Eggs - Ener-G http://www.ener-g.com/
  • Vegan Butter - Earth Balance http://www.earthbalance.net/product.html