Okra, Kale, Apple, Beets Salad Bowl

Besides bitter melon and eggplant, okra is another vegetable that falls under the "Love-it-or-Leave-it" list. Quite different from bitter melon which some dislike due to its bitter taste, it is the texture of okra (likewise for eggplant) that puts some people off - mushy eggplant and slimy okra. If I have just one choice, I pick okra over eggplant.

Besides, it is okra season, is it not (and apples too!) ? Sometime in late August till October, farmer's markets are blessed with freshly harvested vibrant-green and tender-plump okra; unlike those sad brownish bruised-and-dull-looking okra usually found in the grocery stores other months of the year.

Steamed okra,  beets, kale, broccolini, red bell peppers, snap peas, topped with apple

While okra performs well in a stew- or braise-like dish e.g. Pumpkin, Green Bean, Okra Stew, I also enjoy 5-minute steamed okra in warm salad bowls.
Okra, Kale, Apple, Beets Salad Bowl
Ingredients:
4-5 cups of assorted vegetables: organic broccolini florets, kale, snap peas, bell peppers + 5-6 okra steamed with garlic for 5 minutes (Note: When okra is cooked fast, slime is reduced)
Few slices of roasted beets (leftover from Tempeh and Assorted Veggies Salad Bowl)
1/2 avocado, sliced
4 oz of tempeh (I used Trader Joes 3-grain tempeh)
Few slices of apples
[Dressing]: 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp organic dried oregano, 1tsp organic cider vinegar, 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
Set aside steamed vegetables on one side in a bowl. Layer with sliced roasted beets, top with avocado, tempeh, apples. Drizzle dressing over the vegetables mix.

Here is another combination with steamed okra, bean sprouts and broccoli, topped with crunchy apples and/or juicy oranges.

Steamed bean sprouts, okra, broccoli topped with apples and grapefruits/oranges

Tag: okra salad

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