okra Archives - A Calculated Whisk

Grilled Vegetables with Jalapeño Aioli

September 16, 2019 By Becky 2 Comments

These grilled vegetables with jalapeño aioli are a great way to make the most of the last few weeks of grilling season! Zucchini, okra, mini peppers, and red onion wedges grill up quickly and are irresistible dipped in the creamy and spicy aioli.

Here in the South, the highs continue to sneak into the nineties most days and the markets are still packed with tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, and okra. So while fall may technically be looming on the horizon, I am not ready to give up grilling anytime soon.

All summer long I’ve been firing up my grill and filling it with local veggies, sometimes adding some sausage or chicken as well, and calling it dinner. Nobody has complained, but I recently decided the one thing a platter of grilled vegetables really begs for is a flavorful sauce for dipping. The grilled vegetables almost seem like extra flavorful and colorful French fries once you add a nice aioli to dunk them into.

Blistered Okra with Garlic and Cumin

August 31, 2015 By Becky 6 Comments

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blistered okra with cumin and garlic 1 v3

This blistered okra with garlic and cumin is much healthier than fried okra

but just as addictive! It’s also paleo, gluten-free, and vegan.

How do you feel about okra? I always hated it in gumbo and other gummy preparations as a kid, but quickly fell in love with fried okra. Last year I even made a paleo version of fried okra that’s really good, but it’s not super quick to make.

My love for okra eventually expanded to include bhindi masala, an Indian curry where the okra is cooked with plenty of ginger, garlic, onion, and tomato, and there’s a recipe for that in my cookbook. While delicious, bhindi masala also takes a little time to make.

Blistered Okra with Garlic and Cumin #30MinuteMondays | acalculatedwhisk.com

When I scored some really beautiful okra at the farmers’ market, I wanted to cook it quickly in a way that would highlight its intrinsic flavor while minimizing its intrinsic gumminess. A little research indicated that cooking okra briefly over relatively high heat would be most likely to achieve those results.

I was so happy with how this recipe turned out! Slicing the okra lengthwise provides a nice surface for browning while preserving the attractive silhouette of the pods. (Did you know okra is also known as lady fingers? Move on over, cookies whose sole purpose is to make tiramisu!) The recipe starts with getting a cast iron skillet nice and hot, then adding butter or oil. Whole cumin seeds, garlic cloves, and dried chiles are added next, infusing the cooking fat with savory and subtly spiced flavor and a gentle, warming heat. The okra are added next and cooked for about ten minutes, turning a few times, until nice and browned. Add a hefty sprinkle of flaky sea salt and that’s it! Non-fried okra that you won’t be able to stop eating.

Fried Okra with Avocado Crema (Whole30 Day 18)

January 19, 2014 By Becky 4 Comments

My mom grew up in Austin, and that’s where I learned to love fried okra. We used to go every year to visit our family, and we always ate at this amazing cafeteria called the Marimont that has now been closed for several years. We would stay for a week, and eat there everyday for lunch. Here’s what I used to get: two or three sides of macaroni and cheese (theirs was the best!), an order of fried okra, and a slice of chocolate cream pie. I miss that place so much!

Fortunately, there are other places to get great fried okra (I recently had some really delicious okra at Tupelo Honey in Chattanooga). However, as far as I know, none of those places are in Massachusetts, and none of them offer fried okra that’s paleo, gluten-free, vegan and fried in coconut oil. I still consider my version an indulgence since it uses a lot of oil, but treats like this are important, especially when you’re doing a Whole30 and can’t have any desserts.

I made an easy avocado crema to go with my okra. If you have extra crema, it would also be great on eggs or as a dip for veggies. Of course, the okra is also amazing plain, with just good coarse salt sprinkled on top!