Yesterday at the grocery store I picked up some fresh okra. I’m familiar with okra, but I’ve never worked with fresh okra before, so I was pleasantly surprised that it was so good and so was the family – it disappeared and I wasn’t able to have leftovers for lunch!

Here in the South, okra goes with tomatoes like peas and carrots, so I took some inspiration from multiple recipes and came up with the following:

Primal Okra and Tomatoes

  • 1/4 cup Greek yogurt*
  • 1/2 teaspoon Greek seasoning*
  • 3 tablespoons butter*
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 pound fresh okra, sliced (1/4 inch)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 medium tomato, chopped

Mix the yogurt and the Greek seasoning in a bowl and set aside.

In a skillet, melt the butter on medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onion and cook until it softens. Stir in the okra and the seasonings: cumin, ginger, coriander, black pepper, chili powder, and salt. Stir well to ensure the seasonings are incorporated well throughout the okra. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, add the tomato and cook for another 10 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of the spiced yogurt.

This is one of those recipes that you can’t really mess up, so experiment with the spices and amount of tomatoes. If you like it spicier, add more chili powder. If you like it less spicy, remove the black pepper and the chili powder. Add more tomatoes if you want it to be more of a stewed consistency.

*For a paleo version of this dish, ditch the yogurt and exchange the butter for a more preferable oil.