Okra, taro or spinach greens, butternut squash, and carrots braised in coconut milk with aromatics, then served as a soup or side

This dish asks something unusual of you: a full cutting board of onion, garlic, okra, greens, squash, and carrots before a single burner turns on. On a low-energy day, that much chopping can feel like the whole task. It pays you back by making a big pot that holds up all week, 1 prep session that turns into 4 or 5 meals you barely have to think about again.

Taro leaves or spinach are where the real nutrition sits. Vitamin A runs through them, which plays into immune function and the health of your gut lining and skin, and folate is in there too, involved in how your cells repair themselves. Okra's fiber is soft and gentle, easy on a system already working hard.

There is something old and steadying about a pot of greens cooked down slow until they melt into the coconut milk. Whole food, grown from soil and simmered by hand, is doing something a packaged meal cannot. Dish it into a bowl that pleases you, and let it sit a moment before the first taste.

Ingredients

• 3 TBSP coconut oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 cups okra, chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 12 stalks)
• 12 dasheen or taro leaves, chopped, or 4 cups spinach, chopped
• 1/2 cup butternut squash (fresh or frozen), cubed
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 4 green onions (white and green parts), chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro (leaves and stems), chopped
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
• 2 cups full fat coconut milk (additive free)
• 1 cup filtered water, or AIP-compliant bone broth

Method

1. Heat the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, then stir in the garlic for about a minute.
2. Add the okra, butternut squash, and carrots and stir to coat in the oil. Cook a few minutes to start them softening.
3. Add the chopped greens, green onions, cilantro, thyme leaves, and sea salt. Stir as the greens wilt down.
4. Pour in the coconut milk and water or bone broth. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook on low until everything is very soft, about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring now and then.
5. Blend to your liking with an immersion blender, leaving it chunky for a side or smooth for a soup. Taste and adjust the salt.

Instant Pot variation

High pressure: Use the saute setting to cook the onion and garlic, then add the okra, squash, carrots, greens, herbs, salt, coconut milk, and water or broth. Seal and cook on high pressure for about 10 minutes, then quick release. Blend to your liking. Times are estimates and untested, so verify before relying on them.

Slow-cook setting: Saute the onion and garlic, add everything else, and set to the low slow-cook setting for 4 to 6 hours until soft, then blend. Times are estimates and untested.

Notes

• This recipe is naturally nightshade-free as written, so no peppers or scotch bonnet needed omitting. If you ever see a callaloo recipe that calls for hot pepper or scotch bonnet, leave it out for the elimination phase, since those are nightshades.
• Confirm the coconut milk is additive free, and if using bone broth, confirm it is clean-label with no nightshade spices.
• Servings and total time are not given in the source. About 4 to 6 servings is an estimate.
• This holds and reheats beautifully, which makes it good for batch cooking.

*Adapted from healmedelicious.com*