My Christmas Roast Sweet Potato and Okra Salad – Sierra Leone Flavours
I know you noticed the title. I feel like I should explain things a little bit more. I love Christmas and this year I am starting it even earlier than normal. Why? Because there is a very high chance that my sister will be visiting us from Kenya for Christmas. Now she is a big foodie and an even bigger Christmas lover than me. I have to pull out all the stops to impress her.
So.
Step 1 – work on that Christmas menu. This year I want to incorporate okra into the Sierra Leonean inspired menu. My first recipe is this roasted sweet potato and okra salad with a bite from the spring onions and chilli and a tart lime salad dressing. This is my base salad recipe but I will add different veggies, meats etc to it depending on what we have going on the day. I have other okra recipes up my sleeve.
Step 2 – get her stocking fillers and Christmas presents sorted. Bearing in mind her luggage restrictions all items have to be smallish and of course fabulous. And to that end I have spent hours browsing through Dotcomgiftshop range of goodies and made a good start with these four pressies.
First up is a rose pink pendant shell necklace, which I know will really suit her. Then a lovely distressed turquoise picture frame – she said she wanted a picture of the whole family to remind her of us, so thanks to digital cameras, she can have a picture of all of us at Christmas. After that, I also found her a gorgeous pomegranate and green tea scented candle that should help her relax after a long hard day seeing patients. Last but not the least is the foodie gift of 4 ceramic measuring spoons beautifully decorated with song birds which should make cooking fun.
Step 3 – Realise that it is still only October, and I have two months to wait until my ideas actually come off. So I guess I just have to think about something else. Like what to do at Halloween.
Sierra Leone flavours – is the spot on my blog where I share both traditional Sierra Leonean recipes and West African fusion recipes.
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My Christmas Roast Sweet Potato and Okra Salad - Sierra Leone Flavours
Ingredients
- 1.1 kg (2.5lb) sweet potato cut into bite sized pieces
- Olive oil
- Salt
- 450 g (1 lb) okra cut in to 2-3 cm pieces
- 4 spring onions scallions sliced
- 1 tsp mild chilli chopped
- Lime salad dressing
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp whole grain mustard
- 1/2 tsp sugar or to taste
- Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to fan assisted 160C / 180C / 350F / gas 4.
- Season the potatoes with 2 tbsp olive oil and salt and transfer to a baking tray.
- Mix the okra with 2 tsp olive oil and salt and add to another baking tray.
- Roast the okra for up to 15mins and the sweet potato for up to 30 mins until cooked though making sure to turn at least once during roasting.
- When the vegetables are done take them out of the oven and let them cool before transferring them to a bowl and mixing in the spring onions and chilli.
- Whisk all the ingredients of the salad dressing together and then pour as much as you want on to the salad and serve.
Nutrition
Great find, Bintu! I love okra and think I’ll use your suggestion of using butternut squash. Maybe I’ll add a few cranberries too.
It’s an amazing paragraph designed for all the internet users; they will get advantage from it I am sure.
I seriously do not cook with enough okra.. definitely inspired me to go out and buy some so I can make this delicious salad!
It is easy to forget about okra. I really like it so I tend to go thru serious okra phases.
Am yet to try okra! I love the rest of the ingredients so I think Im going to have to give this a try!
I am please to get someone to try okra for the first time.
Still trying to ran the okra salad past my brain! Do you eat them raw? The okra I mean!!
Hey Myrabev – you need to roast them for about 15 mins then you are good to go.
Hmm I am not too sure about this i have to say, too much green stuff for me :o)
Stephen, I do have some other salads on the blog that might tempt you.
ooh how yummy! I’m loving the chilli’s in this too! x
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Ah – there’s no pressure like the pressure of a foodie family member coming for Christmas!! 😉 I am sure this salad will impress. You are so lucky to be able to spend Christmas with family from so far away – I will be spending new year with my brother and family in South Africa – can’t wait!
Ohhhh you lucky thing. New Year in SA would be so fab.
Having your sister over should make for an extra exciting Christmas for you all – sounds lovely. Whilst I’m very fond of sweet potato, lime and chilli, I’ve never been able to get over the texture of ocra, but I haven’t tried it for years, so perhaps I should give it another go.
Choclette if you are not a fan of okra just add in something else you like – OH add sausages sometimes so try that.
This is one for me I am sure; loving the okra and sweet potato balance. The whole dish looks so exotic and pretty x
Thanks Deena.
Great looking recipe, I’ve never rely managed to cook okra. They always end up gloopy. We used to eat it a lot as a child, wish I was better at cooking it. GG
GG – no glop when you roast the okra.
What a lovely post. Your salad looks delicious and I hope your sister manages to visit you for Christmas.
Thanks Janice I am keeping everything crossed that she can come.
Okra and sweet potato , not thought to create that combo. I love dot com too. great Pressies.
Yes, I can spend ages going through all the lovelies on dotcomgiftshop site.
Love the look of this, it looks so tasty and colourful
Thanks Alison – it is as colourful as Christmas.
Oh you are super-duper organised Bintu, haven’t even given christmas a mere thought yet! Loving your Sierre Leone style salad, sounds fragrant, flavour packed and delish. And pretty too!.
Lou you have no idea how much I love Christmas and I do my shopping for presents the whole year through.
I’ve never liked ocra, but that might be because I haven’t cooked it properly. I guess roasting it this way would be perfect. Thanks for sharing your idea.
Francene, I am going to work on converting you to an okraphile.
Not sure this is one for me, I can’t stand the chalky taste of sweet potato, whether it is mashed, grilled or hidden in a stew.
Stephen you could easily sub in some butternut squash or something else that you prefer.
I adore your site!
Thanks for the great recipe idea – my Hubby is a huge fan of Okra.
Happy Christmas planning and i cannot wait to see future ideas and posts! x
Thanks MMM. I will def be posting more okra recipes in the future.
WOW!! This dish looks amazing, so fresh with vibrant colours. I have never tried Okra, and would love to give it a try.
I do hope your sister does manage to get to you in time for Christmas. xx
I am keeping my fingers crossed too as I really want her to come.