Stewed okra and tomatoes

It’s back! The Pinterest Challenge, summer edition , hosted by a few of my favorite blogs YoungHouseLove and Bower Power.  And this time they brought along  Ten June and Centsational Girl. Stop by and give them a visit and check out the cool things others have done!

We’ve been busy around here doing…………………..well just regular family summer … stuff. But if you’re new here have a look around. Stay awhile. Here’s what I’ve been up to.

Okra is one of those foods that you either love it or hate it. Growing up my Mom used to eat it and I thought that it looked sooooo disgusting. I mean come on, it was slimy! But since then I’ve learned to love it. I love fried okra, and I’ll even drive across town to a Fresh Market to buy dried okra (it’s delish).

I needed a new side dish that would please everyone (well, almost everyone, Turtle D hates okra. But with a family of six, 5 out of 6 isn’t bad, right?So I set out to try to make stewed okra and tomatoes. And I won’t lie. The first time I ate it was at a buffet restaurant. And it’s basically the only reason I’d go to that restaurant now. It seemed pretty straight forward so I gave it a shot. Initially I planned on using fresh okra and tomatoes but decided against it when I saw that we had both frozen okra and canned tomatoes already! I used fire roasted diced tomatoes, which worked out great. The seasoning was perfect, but if you choose fresh tomatoes, or regular canned tomatoes you can season them with salt and pepper as well as any other seasoning that you prefer.

Stewed Okra and Tomatoes

• okra, frozen cut or fresh   1 1/2 pounds
• tomatoes, canned or fresh   24 ounces
• onion
• oil
• salt and pepper (optional)

1. Dice onion and saute in oil until soft and translucent.
2. If using fresh okra cut into small pieces.
3. Add onions, okra and tomatoes to a medium sized sauce pan.
4. Allow to come to a soft boil. Stir occasionally.
5. Cover and reduce heat,  simmer. Cook approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Done when mixture has thickened slightly and okra is tender.

I loved it and can’t believe it was so easy. Serve it over rice or alone as a side dish. Hope you enjoy.