Tomatoes and okra are a famous Southern vegetable combination but have connotations of a slimy dish . To avoid a gooey texture and make for deeper flavor, keep okra pods whole while roasting as it shuts down the sliminess and gets beautifully crisp. Not only does this technique, along with the acidity of tomatoes and lime juice make for a delicious dish, but it is a show stopper in appearance with vibrant color. It's packed with a perfect blend of spices and veggies that have a great nutritional profile. Okra contains potassium, vitamin B, vitamin C, folic acid, and calcium and is low in calories and has a high dietary fiber content. the good news: recently, a new benefit of including okra in your diet is to help manage blood sugar in cases of type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes.

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Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh okra pods
- 1 medium red onion cut in half, then cut into 1/4 inch half circles
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 medium garlic cloves
- 1 inch ginger peeled and grated
- 2 tsp minced fresh jalapenos doesn't create heat but brightens flavor
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice and some of the zest
- 2 tbsp coconut shredded
- 1 tbsp cilantro or basil chopped
- Optional 1 cubed avocado
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350F Trim the stem end of okra pods but not cutting into seeds, seen in picture
- In a large bowl, mix the okra, onion, oil, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper.
- Place okra mixture flat on a large baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
- While the okra is roasting, combine the ginger, jalapeno, garlic, sugar and salt in food processor and process until paste like.
- On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, gently toss the paste with tomatoes and place all on tray evenly in one layer. Bake 350F for 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and the topping has caramelized.
- In a shallow serving dish, gently combine the okra mixture and tomatoes (as you want the tomatoes to stay intact) with the cumin, lime and coconut Scatter cilantro on top and add avocado if using.
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