I love opening up the refrigerator and spontaneously composing a meal from its contents. Inspired by Vincent’s delicious posts over at veganimprov, I decided to blog about the other night’s dinner creations. It wasn’t particularly fancy, but it was a yummy, healthy meal enjoyed by all.

We started by marinating some tofu in soy sauce, sushi vinegar, grated ginger, and crushed garlic. The tofu was stir-fried with onions, scallions, crimini mushrooms, zucchini, a hot pepper, and spinach, and the marinade was use as a sauce. This would have been good over brown rice, but we didn’t want to wait for it to cook, so we skipped it. Still yummy.

The second dish was roasted okra from the farm stand we visited earlier in the week. I followed this okra recipe from FatFree Vegan kitchen. Even though the okra I had was on the medium/large side, all but one or two pods were tender enough to eat whole (although I wouldn’t try this with less fresh okra). The largest ones came out too stringy to enjoy, so we tossed them.

Last but not least, I cut very thin slices of avocado. I drizzled on fresh lime juice, salt, and pepper. Simple and delicious.

Post from: Blisstree

Improv vegan dinner: stir-fry, okra, and avocado carpaccio

Although largely absent from European cuisine, okra is a vegetable that gets around. It originally comes from Africa, and features prominently in dishes from India, Thailand, and the southern United States, among other areas. Like most veggies, it’s chock full of vitamins and fiber and other good-for-you stuff.

I was in the mood for curry, so that’s what I made with my find. I chopped the okra (called ‘lady’s finger’ in British English) into 1/2-inch pieces and sautéed it with some onion, garlic, curry powder, and chili peppers. After a few minutes I added some tomato puree, salt, pepper, and a little water, lowered the heat, and let the whole concoction simmer for 10 or 15 minutes. I ate it straight up, but I bet it would have been delicious over some basmati rice, as well.

I loosely based my concoction on this recipe for Okra Curry. I was thrilled with the outcome – spicy and flavorful. Plus, I somehow managed to avoid the sliminess that sometimes happens with okra. I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for the next time they decide to sell okra in Zurich…

Post from: Blisstree

Grand Ol’ Okra