Beef & Grilled Okra Sesame Salad

Okra is one of my favourite veggies and I love it in soups, steamed or barbecued. For this beef & grilled okra sesame salad, I grilled the okra in the oven and the steak was cooked up in the pan then coated in black & white sesame seeds. If you are using the barbecue, you can cook the okra and steak at the same time. Don’t be put off by the slime inside the cooked okra, grilling or barbecuing does reduce some of it, but it has a lot of beneficial properties and is worth including in your weekly groceries if you can 🙂 Okra is available all year round and in abundance during summer. It’s also quite easy to grow yourself.

Beef & Grilled Okra Sesame Salad

Okra at it’s freshest is firm and crisp (not tough and chewy). Choose carefully so you don’t end up with the tough chewy ones. The easiest way to choose okra is to snap the end of the tip, it should snap off clean like a crisp green bean (see pic below), if it just folds over without snapping and seems quite fibrous, it is going to be tough to eat (the same goes for selecting green beans too 😉

Okra has been found to be very beneficial to protect against liver and kidney disease, assist with diabetes and and is a source of vitamin A, C, K, B Vitamins, folate and other minerals like iron, calcium, manganese and magnesium. You can find okra in your local supermarket or asian grocery store.

Snap the tip of the okra to check for freshness, if it doesn’t snap clean choose another one

For the beet, I used tenderloin but any most types of steak would work, and it is also a great way to use left over steak the next day.

BEEF & GRILLED OKRA SESAME SALAD

Serves 2 or 4 as a side

You will need:

• 300gm – 400gm beef steak (I used tenderloin, organic grass fed if possible)
• butter, ghee, olive oil or fat of choice to cook steak
• 12 okra, washed
• 100gm mixed leaf lettuce
• handful of cherry tomatoes
• 1 cucumber
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 tbsp white sesame seeds toasted (toast on low medium heat in a pan until golden brown) (buy from iherb or amazon)
• 1 tbsp black sesame seeds (buy from iherb or amazon)
• salt (buy on iherb or amazon) and pepper (buy from iherb or amazon) to season beef

For the dressing:

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp ACV (kombucha vinegar or white vinegar also works) (buy from amazon)
• 1 tbsp coconut aminos (or wheat free soy sauce) (buy from iherb or amazon)
• 2 tsp coconut sugar (buy from iherb or amazon)
• 1 tsp sesame oil (buy from iherb or amazon)

(I buy most of my pantry items from iHerb which now ship to Australia (free) and Vietnam, use my discount code BBH440 for $10 off your first order)

Method:

• turn the grill (top element) to 200°c degrees (392° f)
• line a baking sheet with baking paper (or turn on the bbq)
• season the steak with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper, rub in well and set aside
• wash and lay the okra on the baking sheet in a single layer, grill for 12 mins or until slightly brown
• set aside to cool slightly
• place a pan on medium high heat with fat of choice (I used butter and some olive oil)
• cook the steak to your liking, remove from pan and set aside to rest
• while everything is cooking, wash and spin dry the lettuce and place in a large serving plate
• wash and slice the cucumbers, add to serving plate
• wash and halve the cherry tomatoes, add to serving plate
• cube the half avocado, add to serving plate
• add the cooked okra
• place the toasted white sesame seeds and black sesame seeds in a plate
• coat the cooked steak in the sesame seeds, then thinly slice and place over the salad
• sprinkle over any remaining sesame seeds
• mix all the salad dressing ingredients in a jar and shake to combine
• pour over the salad and serve
• enjoy! xx

Beef & Grilled Okra Sesame Salad

References: https://foodfacts.mercola.com/okra.html