Ladies Finger (Okra) and Tomato Stew (A bit Cajun style)

  Just came back from my Thanksgiving holiday so lazy to 开锅 (in cantonese means use wok to cook something) and my husband too tired to drive out to eat too (cos he is the only one driving for the road trip). Scan through my recipes saved in my computer for an easy one pot meal. One recipe caught my eye. It's a vegetable stew and I have all the ingredients in my fridge! I got this recipe from food network's Paula's home cooking. This is one of the few healthier dishes I learnt from her. Usually she will add lot's of butter and heavy cream stuff. But this Okra and tomato stew is slightly different, there is no heavy cream or cheese but there is still butter just that not as much. I think this goes very well with rice. Especially for this cold weather I think this makes a great and healthy dinner for me.

Green pepper, onion and tomatoes are typical ingredients in Cajun cooking. Actually I love Cajun food! Jambalaya rice, gumbo, crawfish etouffee etc. Yummy! This is my first attempt in cooking something similar to cajun food. I shall try to cook some more cajun cuisine next time ;)

Ingredients

1)  1 tablespoon olive oil
2) 50g bacon, chopped (I omitted this, maybe next time I will add luncheon meat)
3)  1 tablespoon butter

4)  1/2  medium yellow onion, diced
3)  1/2  medium green bell pepper, diced
4)  1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
5)  1/4 teaspoon salt
6)  1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
7)  2 cups diced tomatoes, peeled and cored
8)  1/2 cup water
9)  1/2 cup chicken stock
10) 2 cups sliced fresh okra
11) Salt and freshly ground black pepper

12) 1/2 teaspoon of cajun seasoning 

Directions

1) In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add butter, onion, green pepper and garlic. Saute until the vegetables are soft and the onions are translucent. 

2) Add cajun seasoning, garlic powder, tomatoes, water, chicken stock and okra. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.